Review: Chase Tinker and the House of Magic

Chase Tinker and the House of Magic
Written by Malia Ann Haberman
Published by Crossroad Press
Released on August 13, 2012
252 Pages
YA Fantasy

Synopsis:

In Chase Tinker's world, magic, lies and secrets can be a lethal combination...

Thirteen-year-old Chase Tinker can't understand why he has the power to move things with his mind. Besides that, his dad has been missing for over a year, causing his mom to be too upset to pay much attention to her sons, so now he's been busted for shoplifting. As if this isn't enough to worry about, his younger brother Andy suddenly has a weird magical ability too.

Can things get any crazier? Chase thinks.

Then, a grandfather they thought to be long dead arrives at their door. He wants Chase and Andy to come visit him for the summer so they can learn about their supernatural heritage and why they have magical powers in the first place.

The boys soon find out that Grandfather, along with their cousin Janie, lives on a remote island in the middle of Puget Sound in an out-of-this-world house where fantastic magic can be found in practically every room, stairway and corridor. Chase can't believe their dad has been keeping so much from them.

It's an even bigger shock when Chase learns that all their magic is controlled by a very powerful and mysterious Relic in the attic, and if anything happens to this relic, every bit of Tinker magic will be lost forever. He's even more disturbed when he learns his family has a dark and powerful enemy that is determined to steal all their magic, their house and their relic.

Now Chase must find a way to stop these evil beings, while at the same time figuring out what has happened to his dad, unraveling even more Tinker lies and secrets and not letting on that he has a huge crush on the housekeeper's daughter.

Chase Tinker and the House of Magic is another YA fantasy on the same lines as Harry Potter. It isn't as good as Harry Potter; but I found it fun and entertaining.

The main character, of course, is Chase Tinker. He is a thirteen year old boy who finds out he comes from a magical family. Chase can be very irritating at times. He can be very bossy and doesn't think before he acts. However, he is very loving and protective of his little brother, Andy. He is Chase's sidekick and a cute, sweet little boy.

The villians of the book are called the Dark Enemy or the Marlowes. In this book, the Dark Enemy is more of a secondary storyline which I'm not sure that is the intent. I would have liked more backstory for the Marlowes. It would have given the book more suspense and intrigue if we knew more about the Marlowes.

My favorite part of the book is the house itself. Every room of the house has its own magical power. It is fun watching the kids explore the different rooms of the house and try to discover its magical power. Ms. Haberman has a wonderful imagination! I think my favorite room, of course, is the library. It is, indeed, magical to its very core. I wish I had a library like that!

Overall, I liked this book. It was fun and quick to read. I'm hoping Ms. Haberman will provide more detail about the Marlowes in the second book. 

This book was given to me as a gift by the author in exhange for a honest review. Said gift in no way influenced my opinions.