Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - The Last Heir to Blackwood Library

Intriguing enough to finish, but the more I think about it afterwards, the less it makes sense.

So, this was a very intriguing premise, but the way the unreliable narrator is executed just makes it confusing.

Once you get to the end, it finally makes sense that Ivy was losing her memories and didn’t remember things that are now revealed at the end as having happened. I figured out much earlier that she was losing her memories, of course, as that’s what she discovered was the method of the library, but there were far too few hints throughout that she had forgotten things. The repeated conversation with the maid was good, but otherwise we mostly just had Ralph being annoying by never answering her when she tried to ask what was going on. Instead he just maddeningly only said, “Oh, you know,” and then, seemingly inexplicably got mad at her when she didn’t, in fact, know. When he and the rest of the staff were finally willing to help Ivy and reveal more information at the end, it felt more like they were suddenly nice than that Ivy had suddenly regained memories.

I’m honestly not sure how this could be done better. Maybe multiple points of view? Maybe epistolary and her letters/entries contradict themselves? Something. Again, I liked the premise, but the bulk of the time it felt like vague writing rather than the protagonist questioning her reality.

No dragons, unless the library ate them and I forgot about them

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gracescanlon's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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roxanne_can_read's review against another edition

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sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

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kayemm's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is one of the best fantasy/ paranormal books I've read in a very long time. You're going to have questions at the end when you first read it. Trust me when I say go back and read it again and you'll understand the brilliance of the book.

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displacedcactus's review against another edition

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dark mysterious 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

This book had all of the basic components for a Gothic:

Orphaned young woman of meager financial means.
Crumbling manor on the moors.
Servants who know more than they're letting on.
A handsome, charming, wealthy suitor who is definitely up to no good but the heroine doesn't notice.
A rough, gruff man of meager financial means who is clearly soft on the heroine but she doesn't notice.
Spooky shenanigans.

You might think that surely, the author would do some interesting things with these tropes and archetypes, this being 2023 and the Gothic being a well-worn genre. But no. Everything basically turns out how you would probably expect it to if you have ever read a Gothic or watched a Gothic movie.

I was cruising right along with this book, not really loving it but not disliking it enough to DNF, and hoping it would maybe surprise me in the end, but then at around 80% in it just got so over-the-top, the writing seemed to decrease in quality, and I just got completely annoyed.

If you have never read a Gothic before, OR you enjoy the genre and specifically want a predictable version of it, you'll probably enjoy this. But if you're looking for someone to innovate or turn tropes on their head, don't bother picking this up.

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tamara_joy's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Every trope you could wish for in a good gothic thriller is there. It has it's own engrossing premise, a fun read.

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yvo_about_books's review against another edition

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3.25

Finished reading: March 24th 2023

"If there's one thing the war taught me, it's that we can try to forget and push away memories all we want, but we are still the same, damaged people."

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Graydon House in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

I love a good gothic historical story, and add a bookish element and there is no way I'm going to be able to resist reading it. This is probably why it is easy to understand how The Last Heir To Blackwood Library ended up on my shelves, because this newest story by Hester Fox offers both. I've enjoyed her work in the past, and there was just something about the blurb, the Blackwood abbey and its secrets that made this story sound irresistible. And while there were things that didn't work as well as expected for me, as a whole it turned out to be a solid read.

One of the highlights for me was without doubt the Yorkshire setting. I loved the prologue and the 14th century timeline, and I almost wish that we could have had more of this POV throughout the story. I would have loved to learn more about the origins of the abbey! That said, I did love the 1927 timeline as well, with the post WWI references and the descriptions of the Blackwood Abbey as well as life as it was back then. The Yorkshire setting really came through, and the descriptions of the abbey gave the story that perfect gothic vibe.

The Last Heir To Blackwood Library is quite hard to put inside a neat little genre box. While it's true that it is essentially historical fiction with its 1927 setting, you will also find paranormal horror and fantasy elements in the abbey's history and what is happening to main character Ivy. There is even romance incorporated as well, and of course you have the mystery around the abbey's secrets. I mostly liked this mix of genres, although I personally could have done without the romance and especially the love triangle.

As for the characters... I think this is part of the issue I had with this story. I don't think that they were developed to a satisfactory level, and some of their traits felt quite cliche. I don't think that their behavior was consistent either. Take Ivy for example: she is supposed to be stubborn and smart, but she lets Arthur do what he does without truly fighting back? Basically giving up without really trying? This just wasn't credible to me and kind of put a damper on things. I also feel that there was just too much miscommunication and the situation could have easily solved a lot sooner if the rest just explained the truth to Ivy (even though she would probably forget it again).

The pace was also a lot slower than expected, and certain parts of the plot dragged considerably (especially in the first half). Things did improve later on, but the balance kind of tipped to the other side and I felt like the solution of the whole problem was rushed and a bit too easy. It felt like the author was trying to give us a nice clean ending all wrapped up in a nice bow, and it didn't fit with the rest of the story.

That said, I still love the premise of The Last Heir To Blackwood Library, and Hester Fox is fantastic at creating that perfect gothic atmosphere. The Blackwood Abbey with its library and secrets is without doubt the star of the show!

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alexalala's review against another edition

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dark mysterious 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? Yes

2.5

I received this as an ARC at a book event. All opinions are my own.

While this book started really strong, I think the execution of the climax and conclusion were disappointing.

Ivy is an every day gal working after the Great War in London, when she suddenly gets word that she is the heir to a huge estate in Yorkshire with one stipulation - she must live in the house. She packs up her life and moves into the countryside where a skeleton staff are acting mysteriously. Inside, she finds an enigmatic library that may be more sinister than it appears...

I absolutely loved the beginning of this book, the set up, the execution, and the mystery were very well done. It kept my attention and I was reading the book at record speed.

However, once we reached the climax it felt very rushed and unsatisfying. Our normally independent Ivy leans on everyone else and stops asking questions,

even when her fiancee's body just mysteriously disappears without explanation of how he died or what happens with his family who were using her for access to the library just also disappear on her word that the library/book's power is gone? I don't know, it was just extremely strange

. The romance to me also felt a little rushed and strange, and the two characters just didn't feel right together (to me).

I do think other people will really enjoy this book if they like mysteries/thrillers. I did enjoy the aspects with the books and especially the prologue.

You will like this book if you enjoy: mysteries, powerful books, memory loss, English estates, aristocratic vibes, and libraries.

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