The Legacy of Arniston House

You should know from the outset my review for Arniston House is likely already biased by my love for main character Ropa since book one. Quite likely one of my favourite characters ever written!

The Legacy Of Arniston House is fourth in the Edinburgh Nights series by Huchu, and no you absolutely can't start with this title. Partly because you need the history of it's predecessors, the betrayals and conflicts wouldn't smack as hard without it and you're likely to wonder what on earth is going on, but even more so the first three novels are a JOY to read.

Huchu weaves together the large cast of characters introduced throughout the series into a masterful plot. Suddenly all of Ropa's adventures are not independent incidents but threads of one enormous scheme, a surprise to the heroes as much as the reader, but one that makes perfect sense once revealed.

Ropa's feisty attitude and colourful language continue to bring a hilarious and uplifting quality to a dark and violent version of magical Edinburgh.
As always I enjoyed the descriptive alternate version of Scotland but once again my only drawback to this series is the sometimes long and detailed versions of history that Huchu tends to info dump. Whilst interesting they deter from the action and my impatience leads me to scan over them.

The death of an established series character and subsequent reveal of their backstory furthered my investment in Edinburgh Nights and I was thrilled to find that Arniston House ends on another cliff hanger. My wait begins again for the next installment.

A diverse fantasy series I highly recommend, with every release it gets better and better.

Another rip-roaring adventure with Ropa and a very welcome return to Edinburgh after the sojourn in Skye in the last installment. Now Ropa finds herself ranged with English Magic after striking a bargain with the Sorcerer Royal. She no longer has the resources of Scottish Magic (such as they were ever provided) but she still has friends and allies, and she'll need them when a personal tragedy puts her in the spotlight for murder. The threads of the story really start to come together in this volume, those clues scattered in previous books starting to come together. The final revelation of the Catastrophe is surprisingly and disturbingly mundane especially because of its echoes of real Scottish history. We also learn the identity of the mysterious Tall Man, whose presence has stalked Ropa since The Library of the Dead, and Mr Huchu - *chef's kiss* - it is a knockout. Can't wait for the final novel, especially after that cliff-hanger!