The House at Watch Hill

Witches and female empowerment are the focus of Moning’s heavy-handed latest (after the Fever series). Zodeckymira “Zo” Grey has spent the last several years caring for her dying mother at the expense of both her personal and professional life. Zo is used to this kind of liminal existence, however. When she was growing up, they moved from town to town, with no answers from her mother as to why. After tragedy strikes during a job interview, Zo finds herself suddenly homeless—until she learns that a wealthy, unknown relative has left her a fortune. Whisked away to Divinity, La., Zo discovers a side of the family her mother was keeping from her and a legacy of magic she was never allowed to explore. The town is idyllic, but the house Zo has inherited is foreboding, and she has enemies who want her gone before her burgeoning magic can fully manifest. The lack of subtlety in Zo’s coming-of-power narrative frustrates, with Moning holding the reader’s hand every step of the way. Still, plentiful magic and eventual romance will please fans of urban fantasy who aren’t looking for anything too challenging. (Oct.)