This was really a lot of fun! Super enjoyable. It reminds me a bit of Widdershins, which I also read recently and really liked. (I don't know why I seem to enjoy romances more when they're historical and mixed with magic, but I do.) Anyway, the mix of witchcraft, revenge, an old creepy house, and a bunch of magpies is a wonderful combination, and the two main protagonists are both likeable, decent people. I also enjoyed the main supporting character Merrick, and I'm hoping Stephen's off-page partner Esther gets the same treatment in future books because she sounds like she could be really interesting.

In many ways, though, I found myself reminded of Terry Pratchett. The argument that the magic used to get rid of the powerful Vaudrey family was both absolutely evil and something that should have been done sooner could have come straight out of the mouth of Granny Weatherwax, who certainly would not have stood by and let that monstrous pair inflict constant suffering on the ordinary people around them. Treating people as things indeed... Pratchett's one of my favourite authors, so I hope to see more in this vein from Charles, because I'll definitely be reading more of this series.