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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
Omg I loved this so much! I literally binged the first half in one day. This is the first book in a gothic romantic fantasy duology. It was so unique and creative, I'm not sure I've read anything similar!
Edira is a healer with the ability to mend life threads. Threadmending comes at a cost so Edira has always kept her abilities a secret. One day her brothers both catch blight, a nasty incurable disease running rampant through the town. She strikes a deal with Orin, a Fernglove, who is the head of one of the magical immortal families. Per their agreement, Edira must come to his manor to research a cure for the disease and Orin will slow down the effects of blight on her brothers.
I loved the main characters and was so interested in finding out more about the sickness surrounding their town. The book is engaging, fast paced, and immersive. It's hard to say too much without giving anything away, but trust me you will want to read this one!
A few highlights:
•complex family dynamics
•first person POV
•secrets & betrayals
•gothic fantasy
•moth familiar
•forced proximity
•healing magic
•fae like beings with beast forms
And a few quotes if you need more convincing.
✨"I'm not sure you un-derstand. When I want something, I get it, and I don't let it go." Something solid formed in my throat. "Even if it's fleeting?" "All the more reason to hold on tighter."
✨"I'm training you to survive." "Why?" "Because you deserve to live."
✨"Everyone needs armor. But more importantly, you need what this particular type of armor gives you." "And that is?" "The freedom to look without being seen."
Edira is a healer with the ability to mend life threads. Threadmending comes at a cost so Edira has always kept her abilities a secret. One day her brothers both catch blight, a nasty incurable disease running rampant through the town. She strikes a deal with Orin, a Fernglove, who is the head of one of the magical immortal families. Per their agreement, Edira must come to his manor to research a cure for the disease and Orin will slow down the effects of blight on her brothers.
I loved the main characters and was so interested in finding out more about the sickness surrounding their town. The book is engaging, fast paced, and immersive. It's hard to say too much without giving anything away, but trust me you will want to read this one!
A few highlights:
•complex family dynamics
•first person POV
•secrets & betrayals
•gothic fantasy
•moth familiar
•forced proximity
•healing magic
•fae like beings with beast forms
And a few quotes if you need more convincing.
✨"I'm not sure you un-derstand. When I want something, I get it, and I don't let it go." Something solid formed in my throat. "Even if it's fleeting?" "All the more reason to hold on tighter."
✨"I'm training you to survive." "Why?" "Because you deserve to live."
✨"Everyone needs armor. But more importantly, you need what this particular type of armor gives you." "And that is?" "The freedom to look without being seen."
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Why do you do this to me? A cliffhanger ?!? Kill me now. Call me crazy, paranoid, or distrustful but not once did I feel myself settle. With great power comes great responsibility, the mc heals sickness but not without consequences. Having no other choice but work with the Evers, she finds herself in an intertwined plot of lies and deception. She tries but our girl is blind, half the time I wanted to shake her. I liked the characters but there wasn’t enough information or depth. I could feel the anger, frustration, and motivation through the pages. My biggest annoyance is the sly manipulation because I saw it a mile away but please, is this your first encounter with a man? And that was the biggest hurdle of the story don’t let it deter you. It was great I’m in love and I need more.
Thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager I received a ARC for an honest review !
Thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager I received a ARC for an honest review !
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Damn. This one was a pleasant surprise! I've been in a slump and this was a Gothic stunner with a fresh magic system and gripping plot. The cliffhanger had me GAGGING and I'm so annoyed and excited at the same time 🫠 Slow burn fantasy with the romance as a subplot, not the main focus. It's been truly rare to find new reads that don't recycle the exact same plots, so I am in love 💕 Book trophy worthy for sure!
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book grabbed me from the prologue! After that opening scene, I knew I had discovered something amazing. This book feels vaguely reminiscent of that one certain red book but does it SO much better: immortal fae-like beings with political/court intrigue, a magical bargain, and one of the most unique and well-described magic systems I’ve read in a while. This book feels familiar but wholly unique at the same time.
Edira and her human brothers toil away in the shadow of the Ferngloves: a family of immortal beings known as the Evers. Edira is a threadmender, a human who possesses the power to heal and cure any ailment. But this power comes at a cost to her own life, and has its limitations: it cannot cure Blight, a terrible disease that preys upon the humans. When her brothers fall victim to the Blight, Edira makes a bargain with the Ferngloves in the hopes of harnessing her power to save her brothers.
My favorite aspect of this book was the magic system. I loved the idea of the threadmenders and how their magic works. As a healthcare professional myself, I’ve always had a soft spot for main characters with healing magic. I too, attach much of my self-identity to my ability to heal others and found Edira to be an extremely relatable main character. She is inquisitive, intelligent, and dedicated to her family and her practice of healing others, often to her own detriment. Even the magic of the Evers was very interesting and I can’t wait to get more in book two.
The vibe of this book was another strong element. It felt dark, unsettling, and mysterious. Readers who also enjoy the horror genre may find some crossover with the tone and overall mood of the story. The house and the surrounding land is even its own character, playing an important role in the story-telling. Add to that the fraught family dynamics and politics—I couldn’t stop reading!
Bottom line: I couldn’t get enough of this! 5/5, eagerly anticipating the next book!
Immense gratitude and thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Harper Collins, for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I will read the second one because this ended on such a cliffhanger but it was so predictable! Nothing that happened felt new except for the blight and bugs - which I actually found really fun. Rorik is it for me. I really liked Edira but girl took forever to figure things out haha. Like come on ma’am get it together.
I had fun but I hope book 2 is less predictable - which I think it will be. She is building the world in book one for sure.
I had fun but I hope book 2 is less predictable - which I think it will be. She is building the world in book one for sure.
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book made me a victim of advertising. SMH.
I saw an ad on social media with character portraits comparing the book to "a mix of The Cruel Prince and One Dark Window". Well, if you don't know, I have artwork inspired by both of those books tattooed on my body, so that ad might as well have said "A book written for Wisefae." 😂
That being said, it did not disappoint! This book centers around Edira, a woman who secretly has healing powers. She keeps them a secret because her aunt also had healing powers, and when the word got out, the Evers took her away, and she was never heard from again. All the other townsfolk love the Evers. They are mysterious, beautiful, and rich immortals who own their town! They all hope to be the one the Evers will patronize when they come into town, or better yet, be whisked away to marry. But not Edira. She knows that if someone goes with the Evers they don't come back.
But then her brothers are struck with Blight, a disease that enters the body through a cut and quickly rots them from the inside out. This is the one thing she can't heal...and then an Ever shows up offering to help.
The setup for this book was great. I immediately liked Edira and found the world interesting. I also felt she had a good reason for disliking the Evers other than the usual "magic people bad" we see in a lot of Romantasy. Evers seem to be essentially Fae (immortal, beautiful, can perform glamour, etc.) but with a twist I won't reveal.
There is also a fun love triangle between Edira, the Ever she begins to reluctantly fall in love with...and his grouchy brother. 😏
The magic system Edira uses is something I have never seen before, in which she can see the threads of people's life and fix them where they are broken! Listening to the explanations of Threadmending kept me engaged and interested as I wanted to know more about how it worked.
This book comes with a trigger warning too: Lots of body horror with the Blight descriptions. Just be warned!
This book is the first in a duology and I lowkey wish I had waited to read it, only because I desperately want to know what happens next! But I am happy I was able to support House of Blight, since it only just came out this month!
I gave this book 5/5 stars. It was a wild ride and I liked that it deviated from the typical Romantasy formula just enough to mix it up!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Sexual content
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Absolutely spellbinding! If you loved One Dark Window and The Thirteenth Child, this gothic fantasy romance will absolutely sweep you into its dark embrace. The magic system is unique, the world building is rich and immersive, and the themes - sacrifice, secrets, power, and the fragile nature of trust - are woven through the narrative with precision. This is a familiar and slow paced story (with some predictable beats) and while it lags a bit in the middle, the story ignites in the second half, racing toward a finale that made it impossible to put down!! The tension, twists, and simmering romance were executed well. And let’s not forget the delightful addition of a mysterious companion moth, because every great gothic tale needs an eerie animal sidekick! Consider me utterly obsessed and counting down the days until the sequel!