A House Between Sea and Sky by Beth Cato

“Sentient houses, a magical sourdough starter and a unique friendship between two people who are trying to navigate the pressures of 1920s Hollywood, this book had a bit of everything. It was entertaining until the end when the fantastical elements took a literal turn and things fell into somewhat hilarious absurdity.” 

⭐️⭐️

Pros: It was definitely an interesting premise/The chapters told from the House's point of view were odd but enlightening/ I liked the book more for the friendship of Rex/Fayette and the realities of life in Hollywood in the 1920s. 

Cons: Since this was set in the 1920s, some of the jargon was hilariously old-fashioned/The generation gap could be a little jarring/The ending with the house battle went a little too far with the fantasy until it bordered on silly.

Full Review: 

Fayette Wynne is still trying to process her mother’s death. She's rented a cottage on the Carmel coast for a few weeks to catch up on the work that's piled up. She's determined to finish the screenplay she's writing for a small production company that she works for in California. Mrs. Fitz is her temporary landlord and her hired help, a silent woman named Heidi do their best to make Fayette comfortable, 

The first night though, as Fayette's taking a walk to try and clear her head and settle herself, a nasty storm blows in. She comes to the coast line and notices a small cottage. It strikes her as odd, being built right on the edge of the cliff but what's more alarming is the man standing at the cliffs edge as well, prepared to jump. Fayette swoops in just in time, saving him and they shelter against the storm in the small cottage, whose door had simply opened in welcome. 

They get to know a bit about each other and Fayette learns that the man she just saved is Rex Hallstrom, a rather famous actor. He's upset because he and a fellow actor, Margaret, are being pressured to marry by the studio executives, even though they don't have feelings for each other. 

The nuptials are postponed and Fayette and Rex agree to meet at the cottage again, since they’re intrigued that it welcomed them in with open arms.  They’re curious as to what strange magic is at work here, especially Fayette, who knows magic well, The Sourdough starter that’s been in her family for years, Mother, is imbued with magic and she can sense the same is true of this mystery house on the cliff.

As Rex and Fayette try to learn more about the history of the house, they begin to learn more about each other and a fast friendship is formed. When Fayette reveals to Rex that she can feel the magic of the house, Rex doesn’t question. And when the house begins to create doors that open to admit wary, frightened women, all in need Fayette and Rex supply them with food and help however they can. 

The mystery of the house only grows though as their searches lead to just more questions. There’s also the strange coincidence that the house seems to have appeared on the cliff the same year that Heidi, Mrs. Fitz’s silent and wary maid, showed up half drowned. And the house, when we see the world from her POV, is desperately looking for her new witch. 

Everything comes together and is explained at the end. And though the book already had fantastical elements, the ending with the “battle of the Chicken houses” was hilariously absurd.

I enjoyed this book more for the realistic friendship between Fayette and Rex and the pressures they faced from Hollywood. The fantasy aspect was always more in the background for me so when it came leaping onto the forefront, for some reason, I was caught offguard and with how literal Cato was, it just ended up being silly.