Words&Dirt

At some point in our lives, most people begin to dream of finding their forever home. We think about what it might look and feel like, how we will arrange the space, how we’ll entertain loved ones, and how we will create a safe haven from which to launch ourselves out in the world when necessary. If you’re a lucky homebody like me, you might spend most of your days on a single piece of property, surrounded by familiar objects and plants, cycling through routines that keep you happy and healthy. I know there are plenty of people who would not choose this life, citing it as too boring or confining, or both. But for me, it is as close to bliss as I expect to get.

In light of my personal intimacy with and devotion to my home, I am solidly within the target audience of Ilona Andrews’s Innkeeper Chronicles. This series––which my wife affectionately calls “The Sweepy Books”––is a curious blend of fantasy and science fiction. It tells the story of Dina Demille, the owner of a magical bed-and-breakfast called Gertrude Hunt, located in a small Texas town. But Gertrude Hunt is not an ordinary inn; it serves as neutral ground for various alien species and supernatural beings who seek sanctuary there from different worlds and dimensions.

In this fictional universe, the inns are living beings and an innkeeper’s relationship with their inn is symbiotic. Innkeepers can sculpt and reshape the internal spaces of their inns to suit a variety of different guests and events. I think my overall favorite parts of the series are the many descriptions of how Dina recreates Gertrude Hunt in each book to fit the needs of the moment, along with how she uses the inn’s magical powers to manage conflict within its walls. There’s a strong theme of hospitality, with many touching scenes of Dina having worked hard to create the perfect guest room for an alien being who then enters it and can immediately relax and feel at home. The “introvert-meets-adventure” vibe is unique and super fun.

This series has other strengths as well. As any Andrews fan will anticipate, the writing is serviceable but nothing flashy. The worldbuilding is decent, although not as captivating as in the Kate Daniels series (the only other Andrews series I have read). The supporting characters are solid, including Dina’s hunky space-werewolf boyfriend, a sister who’s an excellent sword-fighter, and surly but honorable alien vampire, a former ruler of a multi-planetary empire, and––my favorite––a 7-foot-tall, porcupine-like master chef with a flair for Shakespearean melodrama. I think you can probably read that last sentence and get a quick idea of whether these books will intrigue or repel you. Considering the books’ plots, I think the series is strongest when it focuses on political conflicts and scheming, rather than action.

My two critiques of the series are (1) that the overarching narrative moves too slowly, and (2) that the eventual host of supporting characters becomes too numerous and underdeveloped. At the start of the series we learn that Dina’s parents mysteriously vanished some years ago, and Dina only settled down at Gertrude Hunt after scouring the galaxy for them and finding nothing. But Dina still believes her parents are alive and hopes to find them one day. Over the course of the first five books, we do get some progress toward this goal, but oh so slowly. Additionally, after the first few books, I began to tire of Andrews’s tendency to pile more and more new characters into a book instead of deepening the stories of existing characters. At some point––especially in book 5––this became overwhelming and my motivation to give the books my full attention took a hit. That said, the end of book 5 was promising and I will continue this series if Andrews publishes more installments.

Overall Series Rating: 7/10