The Inn at the Foot of Mount Vengeance

By Chiara Bullen
** Publication Date 7 July 2026 **
​4 stars




Honestly, when I first started this novel, I wasn’t sure I was even going to finish it. It seemed a bit contrived and tedious. I cannot tell you how wrong my first impressions were.


Ainsworth is not what he seems. While he has become quite the scholar for the Skarrow Library, he comes from very humble beginnings. His love for history and his desire to succeed have gotten him where he is now. Happily partnered with Enach, another scholar, Ainsworth now visits the finest restaurants and wears exquisite clothing.


When Ainsworth finds a letter from a relative regarding the Misnich Inn, he feels maybe this is his chance to make a name for himself. The Misnich Inn sits at the foot of Mount Vengeance, a historic place for adventurers. Ainsworth finds himself headed there at a moment’s notice to research and write about this Inn and the people who visit it before making the trek up the mountain to face whatever is there.


Only the Inn isn’t what he expected. And those adventurers he hoped to write about, just don’t exist. But there is something there. Something about this Inn that Ainsworth can’t let go. The question is whether or not he can make something of what he’s found here.


Definitely fantasy, where the ‘people’ are somewhat human, somewhat animal. Ainswroth himself has antlers from his grandmother’s line. It’s a tad odd, until it isn’t. Until this book simply becomes a story of people trying to find real happiness. The question that everyone has to face is what makes you happy? Truly happy. 


Although I was so perplexed when I started, once I really got into the story, I couldn’t let go. Every character brings something to the tale, some human characteristic that makes them more real. Makes the story more real. Yes, it is about ‘humans’ that can shift into birds or cats. But at the heart of the story is nothing but heart. Finding your happy place. 


Really enjoyed this one.