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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
Thank you so much Maxym M. Martineau, Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for both the eARc and finished copy of House of Blight. All
Thoughts and opinions are my own.
Have you ever been in the mood for a magical gothic mystery full of twist and turns, high stakes energy, and a strong FMC determined to control her fate? If so, you absolutely need to add House of Blight to your tbr!
I’m always drawn to books that feature a heaping dose of the mysterious and House of Blight is no exception! I was enthralled by Edira’s journey to Fernglove Manor and her quest to heal the blight before it could consume the people she loved most. I found her to be brave, relatable, and whip smart, which is my favorite kind of FMC!
Another aspect of House of Blight that I enjoyed as a reader was that you know exactly as much as Edira at any given time. The slow unfolding of the mysteries of the Manor had me questioning everything right along with Edira, which made the whole story feel like I was experiencing everything with a friend.
Finally, one of the most addictive parts of the story was never being sure who you could trust! From chapter to chapter I could never quite anticipate who would turn out to be a true companion to Edira and who would betray her to her face or behind her back. If you’re anything like me, House of Blight will have you questioning everything until the very last page!
Finally, the ending gave me so many feels! I can’t wait to see where the story goes next!
In the pages, you will find:
🤧A mysterious illness
❤️🩹Healing Magic
🏰An ominous Manor house
🤝Strong family bonds
❤️Romance (light, one spicy scene)
😳Unexpected friendships
🤯Betryals
👀An ending that will leave you wanting more!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨/5
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Thank you for the arc!
The author does a great job at showing rather than telling. There was a lot of things to take in and it was nice to slowly be fed that through out the story.
I felt like I was getting whiplash going back and forth on who I think Edira should trust. And the point of that being, you shouldn’t trust anyone. But they’re hot… yes they.
But also PINK MOTH COMPANION 🎀
The amount of detail that went into describing the infected was so intense. I felt like I could smell the decay. Ok yes gross, but so well done at the same time.
I think book 2 of this duology was set up very nicely. I am definitely going to read the next one
The author does a great job at showing rather than telling. There was a lot of things to take in and it was nice to slowly be fed that through out the story.
I felt like I was getting whiplash going back and forth on who I think Edira should trust. And the point of that being, you shouldn’t trust anyone. But they’re hot… yes they.
But also PINK MOTH COMPANION 🎀
The amount of detail that went into describing the infected was so intense. I felt like I could smell the decay. Ok yes gross, but so well done at the same time.
I think book 2 of this duology was set up very nicely. I am definitely going to read the next one
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
want to start by giving a big thank you to Nerd Fam, Harper Collins, and Maxym Martineau the chance to read an early copy of House of Blight. I was enchanted by the story and I can't wait for Edira's next chapter. The world building was magical, the beauty of the Evers and the darkness of the rot were so vivid and detailed. The magic system of threatening was very interesting. The characters were detailed and stood out in their own ways. I'm excited to see what happens next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, Pandemic/Epidemic
This book sits somewhere between ACOTAR by Sarah J. Maas and A Court of Sugar and Spice by Rebecca F. Kenney and I LOVE IT.
This book gave me all of the good vibes a Romantasy book should—complex magic system, intriguing family and character relationship dynamics, and of course, a human out of place with non-human beings. It is everything I wanted and I need to read book two (which is not out...) IMMEDIATELY.
This book is magical, in a gothic and slightly creepy way, and the choices the characters have to grapple with all come with dire consequences.
High stakes, high fantasy, and I LOVE IT.
~~Tropes~~
✨Gothic, Dark Romantasy
✨Magical Vows
✨Fae-Like Beings
✨Slow Burn
✨Forced Proximity
✨1st Person, Dual POV
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️/5
✨Thank you, HarperAudio Adult | HarperAudio, Avon, and Harper Voyager | Harper Voyager, for the ARC/ALC and finished copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.✨
This book gave me all of the good vibes a Romantasy book should—complex magic system, intriguing family and character relationship dynamics, and of course, a human out of place with non-human beings. It is everything I wanted and I need to read book two (which is not out...) IMMEDIATELY.
This book is magical, in a gothic and slightly creepy way, and the choices the characters have to grapple with all come with dire consequences.
High stakes, high fantasy, and I LOVE IT.
~~Tropes~~
✨Gothic, Dark Romantasy
✨Magical Vows
✨Fae-Like Beings
✨Slow Burn
✨Forced Proximity
✨1st Person, Dual POV
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️/5
✨Thank you, HarperAudio Adult | HarperAudio, Avon, and Harper Voyager | Harper Voyager, for the ARC/ALC and finished copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.✨
I thoroughly enjoyed the magic system in this book. The fact that our protagonist possesses healing powers is one of the most advantageous magical abilities for a main character. I also appreciate the dark gothic romance in this book, which keeps the reader engaged and on the edge of their seat. I entered this book with no prior expectations and left wanting more. I am grateful for the opportunity to read this book and become fully invested in this captivating world.
*AD/Gifted: thank you to Titan Books and NetGalley for sending me an advanced reader copy of House of Blight by Maxym. M Martineau
House of Blight is a romantasy novel described as blending gothic vibes with feminine rage.
The story revolves around Edira, a hidden Threadmender, who must keep her abilities secret from the Evers — immortals devoted to mastering magic. The concept of Threadmending was fascinating - it allows someone to repair another persons life threads at the potential cost of their own. I found the magic system compelling, but I would have liked more detailed world-building and deeper character development. The FMC often seemed to drift through the story without questioning much, which made it difficult for me to fully connect with her. It also took me ages to realise that Odin has a tail and horns for some reason. The ‘Blight’ is a plague ravaging people’s bodies without a cure in sight, and the plot progresses as Edira meets two Ever brothers, Odin and Rorik.
Overall, the story was intriguing and made for a quick, enjoyable read. I appreciated that there wasn’t a major cliffhanger, especially since I believe this is the first book in a series, however some elements of the book were quite predictable. The novel reminded me of A Court of Thorns and Roses (which I loved) but written in a style reminiscent of The Cruel Prince.
Publication Date: 8th April 2025
House of Blight is a romantasy novel described as blending gothic vibes with feminine rage.
The story revolves around Edira, a hidden Threadmender, who must keep her abilities secret from the Evers — immortals devoted to mastering magic. The concept of Threadmending was fascinating - it allows someone to repair another persons life threads at the potential cost of their own. I found the magic system compelling, but I would have liked more detailed world-building and deeper character development. The FMC often seemed to drift through the story without questioning much, which made it difficult for me to fully connect with her. It also took me ages to realise that Odin has a tail and horns for some reason. The ‘Blight’ is a plague ravaging people’s bodies without a cure in sight, and the plot progresses as Edira meets two Ever brothers, Odin and Rorik.
Overall, the story was intriguing and made for a quick, enjoyable read. I appreciated that there wasn’t a major cliffhanger, especially since I believe this is the first book in a series, however some elements of the book were quite predictable. The novel reminded me of A Court of Thorns and Roses (which I loved) but written in a style reminiscent of The Cruel Prince.
Publication Date: 8th April 2025
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
House of Blight by Maxym M. Martineau is a first person dual-POV dark fantasy romance. Edira is a threadmender, a healer who sacrifices part of her life when she uses her powers. When her powers are discovered and her brothers contact the blight, a deadly illness spreading through the land, the powerful Fernglove family take her in and promise to help her find a cure. But they have their own agenda.
The Fernglove family who descended from the very first Ever were a glamor that hides their magic and less human qualities. There is a vague monsterlover aspect though it’s something that probably could be ignored for the most part if a reader isn’t into that. The non-human characteristics don’t show up very often in this book (I hope they show up more in the next book) and it’s mostly in tails and horns rather than scales or fur. I think if a reader isn’t super into monsterlover romance but is into werewolves and vampires, this veers closer to the latter than the former.
There is a love triangle of sorts between Orin, who brings Erida into the manor and offers to help her, and Rorik, who is Orin’s brother. Orin is sweet and kind and seems to genuinely want to help Erida while Rorik is a bit of a jerk who very openly flirts with Erida and is more overtly sexual. While Erida is quite charmed by Orin and pushes herself to keep choosing him, she can’t push Rorik from her thoughts entirely. A lot of the romance language is centered around Rorik and he definitely fits the ‘jerk with a heart of gold’ trope while Orin is a bit of a walking red flag.
I’m a big fan of interesting magic systems and I liked this magic system a lot. The original Ever who could wield fire bathed in flames until its magic became part of her and the first Ever basically interested magical artifacts into her skin. I hope the second book explores this even more because I want to know the limitations of Erida’s powers as a threadmender/healer vs the powers of the Evers, because I feel like there must be at least some overlap.
I would recommend this to fans of darker fantasy with a romance plot and readers who love Romantasy with love triangles and brothers competing for the main character
adventurous
dark
I love a good gothic read and House of Blight was atmospheric in the best way. I also found the magic system that Martineau built to be fascinating especially, Edira’s powers. Edira is a threadmender and can “mend” the soul threads of those in need. However, this magic comes at a price. It’s an even bigger price when she gets caught by the Fernglove family and has to work for them. The good news for readers is that the Fernglove family is fascinating. I loved seeing how Edira interacted with each individual member. There’s also romance in this story, but it’s not as straightforward as it initially seems. This was great for me because I was rooting for a certain character the whole time. I will say, though, an “insect daddy” is a first for me. As someone who really hates bugs, it took me a bit to adjust to that. Ywena, though, was the real winner for me. I love an adorable sidekick, and Ywena definitely meets that. In terms of plot, the story started a little slow for me. However, it quickly picks up with twists and turns. Some of the twists were more predictable than others, but it was still enjoyable to see how Martineau carried out the twist. I combo read this via ebook and audiobook. The audiobook is narrated by Alexandra Hunter and Stephen Dexter. Hunter definitely carries the bulk of the narration in this installment, but I’m hoping we get more of Dexter in book two. They both did so well. There was plenty of energy and emotion. I don’t think you can go wrong with either the ebook or audiobook. I’m excited to see where book two goes.
eARC courtesy of Harper Voyager US
ALC courtesy of Harper Audio
eARC courtesy of Harper Voyager US
ALC courtesy of Harper Audio
Thank you to Avon, Epic Tastemakers, and NetGalley for the free copy.
I was initially drawn to House of Blight by its intriguing premise—a gothic romantasy with eerie undertones and a unique magic system. However, despite my enthusiasm, I found myself disengaged from the story. While the novel is well-written, it leans heavily on familiar tropes without offering a fresh perspective or a compelling hook to keep me invested.
The atmosphere, which promised a dark and eerie gothic tone, instead felt more like a standard romantasy. The narrative’s progression, particularly Edira’s training sequences, felt predictable, and I struggled to find the tension or originality I had hoped for. Though the book will likely resonate with readers who enjoy traditional romantasy elements, it ultimately didn’t offer enough distinctiveness to hold my interest.
While this wasn’t the right fit for me, I know many readers will appreciate its blend of magic, romance, and intrigue. Fans of Sarah J. Maas who enjoy familiar fantasy beats may find this an enjoyable read.
I was initially drawn to House of Blight by its intriguing premise—a gothic romantasy with eerie undertones and a unique magic system. However, despite my enthusiasm, I found myself disengaged from the story. While the novel is well-written, it leans heavily on familiar tropes without offering a fresh perspective or a compelling hook to keep me invested.
The atmosphere, which promised a dark and eerie gothic tone, instead felt more like a standard romantasy. The narrative’s progression, particularly Edira’s training sequences, felt predictable, and I struggled to find the tension or originality I had hoped for. Though the book will likely resonate with readers who enjoy traditional romantasy elements, it ultimately didn’t offer enough distinctiveness to hold my interest.
While this wasn’t the right fit for me, I know many readers will appreciate its blend of magic, romance, and intrigue. Fans of Sarah J. Maas who enjoy familiar fantasy beats may find this an enjoyable read.