Reviews - House of Blight | The StoryGraph

469 reviews for:

House of Blight

Maxym M. Martineau

3.92 AVERAGE

am_phigory's review against another edition

1.5

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

I liked threadmending and the blight. The rest is pretty derivative and flat in character, plot, and worldbuilding. But if you love the tropes (enemies to lovers, dark romantasy, everyone's beautiful, sassy female protag, love triangle, goth/fae vibes) you'll probably love this

carlibookwyvern's review against another edition

5.0

Thanks to netgalley for this eArc, in exchange for an honest review.

House of Blight is a darkly enthralling fantasy that sinks its teeth in from the start and refuses to let go. The unique magic system is utterly captivating, decay and power woven together in ways that feel both fresh and inevitable. What truly elevates the story, though, is the complex web of relationships, especially the raw, unflinching devotion between siblings that pulses beneath every scene.

This book delivers peak dysfunctional family vibes: love, betrayal, and legacy wrapped in rot. I spent the entire second half bracing for the twist, convinced I had it figured out—only to be absolutely wrecked when it hit. And Rorik? Ugh. I know I shouldn't love him, and yet here I am, obsessed and a little ashamed.

I’m counting down the days until the conclusion of this duology. If the first book is any indication, the finale will be both brutal and brilliant.

lostinaskyofdreams's review against another edition

2.5

challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

I have never before encountered a book where both Male Leads annoyed me so much.
Both Orin and Rorik were frustrating for different reasons.
Rorik was pretending to be a villain whereas Orin was the true fucking villain all along.
And Edira was so fucking blind to it. Like Orin was screaming red flag and she had gotten multiple hints not to trust anyone in that family and she ignored it. God it was frustrating.
I was so glad when she finally saw Orin for the monster he truly is, which happened in the last 70 pages of the nearly 400 page long book.
Rorik at least had some decency. His constant anger was understandable, I too would be enraged 24/7 if I was bound to obey my asshole brothers will. Still the whole thing with Edira's brothers doesn't sit well with me and also them going their separate ways at the end left me with a bit of disappointment. Even though the seperation is def good for Edira.
Also the magic should have been a bit more central.

tizzymc's review against another edition

3.0

dark informative mysterious slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

meruko's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

4 stars!!!

Wonderfully crafted story. As much as I saw the twists coming, the characters were so intricately built that it kept me hooked from the second half forward. To be fair, the author does not attempt to truly conceal much, there are repeated warnings left and right, constantly. Funnily enough, the main charatcer, Edira, is described as clever, but for such a supposedly clever character, she is very easily manipulated and keeps forgetting all about those warnings, which, for better or for worst, is what keeps things interesting. The book is beautifully written, with both lush and bone-chilling descriptions. The author has definitely won me over and I will eagerly wait for the next book in this series! Maybe even delve into her other series...!

caffeinexchapters's review against another edition

5.0

I loved this book and I can't wait for the second. This book was 5/5 stars for me. Be aware that this is not a dark romantasy, this is a gothic fantasy with a strong romance subplot. It isn't particularly spicy or dark, and if you know that going in you won't be disappointed.

e_drives's review against another edition

3.0

Most of the book moved slowly, and the characters and their relationships felt very surface level at first. It wasn’t until I reached the last 30% of the book that I felt invested.