"The Enchantment Emporium"

Tanya Huff brings us a new magical family in "The Enchantment Emporium." Alysha Gale is one of the Gale girls, part of an extended family of magic users. Laid off from her job and living at home again, Allie finds herself stifled by the expectations her family has placed on her. Allie receives a letter stating her grandmother in distant Calgary, Alberta, has left most of her possessions and her store to Allie, and she decides to jump on this chance to gain some breathing room from her "Aunties."

Once in Calgary, Allie discovers that not everything is as clear-cut as she thought, and she becomes entangled in a power struggle between old magical creatures and the man who wishes to get rid of them.

In the same vein as her Keeper's Chronicles, Ms. Huff writes "The Enchantment Emporium" with the wonderful sense of  humor that categorizes many of her novels. You may need a scorecard to keep the relationships between the various characters straight; However, the wickedly funny dialogue keeps the action moving, and eventually the reader finds themselves caught up, perhaps without even realizing it.

I was bothered by a couple of plot points -- mainly by the existence of the creature the sorcerer is attempting to keep from coming through, (I'm being vague on purpose, to prevent a spoiler) and by how Allie's brother's issue is resolved. None of these negatives deflects from the story, or bogs down the narrative. I am once again amazed at how Ms. Huff has managed to create a fantastical, and yet believable, world based in our more mundane one. I found myself involved in the characters' lives, rooting for them as they struggled through their obstacles, and hoping to hear from them again soon. Tanya Huff has written another winner her fans will be sure to enjoy.  Buy it on sale here.