The Princess of Potential by Delemhach – Review

Published: June 27, 2023

Publisher: Podium Publishing

Series: The House Witch

Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Pages: 413 (Kindle)

My Rating: 4 Stars

Synopsis:
A headstrong princess finds herself entangled in intrigue, politics, magic, and love in this coming-of-age novel set in the world of the House Witch series.

It’s been twenty years since Finlay Ashowan, the fabled house witch of Daxaria, first cooked up supernatural hijinks in the castle at Austice. Since then, much has changed; the royal family now resides elsewhere, a tentative peace has been established with Troivack, and the crown princess, Alina, is ready to pick the perfect nobleman to be her husband.

But Alina’s quest for her ideal consort is proving rather difficult. For one, between her father’s nerves and her own health issues, relations within the family are tense at best. For another, Fin and his wife, Annika, have returned to the castle to celebrate Alina’s momentous choice, bringing with them their fiery daughter, Katarina; mysterious son, Tamlin; and mischievous familiar, Kraken—all of whom have a penchant for finding trouble that somehow surpasses that of the house witch himself. And finally, the most politically promising suitor, the king of Troivack, is nothing less than completely intolerable.

Now, Alina must manage filial expectations, flirtatious miscues, magical misadventures, and dangerous plots, all as she struggles to find her own place within her kingdom—and understand the blossoming desires of her own heart . . .

Featuring a new generation of delightful characters as well as the trademark charm, humor, and fantasy that made readers fall in love with the House Witch series, The Princess of Potential is a captivating tale of courtly intrigue, slow-burn romance, and mystical adventure that’s perfect for teens and adults alike.

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I binge read the House Witch trilogy earlier this year and it filled me with such happiness that I decided Delemhach would be an auto-buy author for the foreseeable future. Much to my delight when I went searching for more books, The Princess of Potential popped up with a June 2023 release date!

The Princess of Potential is set 20 years after the events of the House Witch trilogy and focuses on Princess Alina, who is now looking for a suitor. Her father, King Norman Reyes is massively affected by the loss of Queen Ainsley three years prior, and Prince Eric has disappeared and refuses to come home. Alina has decided she can put off marriage no longer, and so the courting begins!

Shockingly, her favored suitors are the Troivackian prince, Henry, and his elder brother Brendan, who happens to be the king. Now, you might think this is a set up for disaster and a hideous sibling rivalry, but Delemhach writes lovely, cozy books so that’s not at all what happens. Henry is still recovering from a recently broken heart and is far too expressive to fit in well in Troivack, but he wants his stoic, kingly brother to succeed in wooing Alina. So much of this is focused on Brendan’s persistence, his overcoming of numerous foibles, and basically him letting himself feel. 

Alina truly is the main character though, and this book spends a great deal of time fleshing out her character and having her overcome obstacles that are holding her back from living up to her potential. A princess doesn’t have many real friends, so when she’s introduced to the Ashowan twins, Katarina and Tamlin, she’s absolutely delighted! Tamlin seems quite shy and has anxiety about open spaces, but Kat is an absolute firecracker, always getting in trouble. Both were gifted with magic, but it’s unclear what exactly their abilities are though Kat seems to be a mutated fire witch. Kat in particular helps Alina finally live a little, even if it does end up in trouble more often than not!

This whole book was utterly delightful, though I wouldn’t rank it quite as highly as the original House Witch trilogy books. There are antics aplenty, and a few did have me laughing out loud and there are some long running jokes that continue even into this installment. This book was something of a bridge that will lead on to the next series focusing on Kat, beginning with The Burning Witch in September 2023.