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A review by queer_bookwyrm
Castle of the Cursed by Romina Garber
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
4.5 ⭐ CW: (from the author) grief, suicide, mental health issues, death of a parent, sex, violence
Castle of the Cursed by Romina Garber is a YA fantasy Standalone. I have loved everything I've read by this author so far, and this is no different. This book, however, is much darker than all her other books. It focuses most on grief and mental illness.
We follow Estela, a girl living a transient life with her parents in the US until a mysterious tragedy strikes the subway they are riding, and 25 people died including Estela's parents, making her the sole survivor. Estela experiences deep grief and despair while inside a mental institution, until she finds out she isn't a US citizen and is claimed by an unknown aunt in Spain.
When Estela gets to Spain, her aunt's house is a massive Gothic castle that is creepy AF, and so is her aunt Beatriz. There are only two rules: don't invite anyone into the castle, and don't explore the closed off sections of the house. These rules are of course immediately broken. Estela finds hidden rooms in the castle along with a vampire only she can see. She is pulled into family secrets, supernatural plots, and a whirlwind love.
This was very dark, and had many twists that I didn't see coming. It was kind of like a mystery as well, with Estela fancying herself a bit of a detective. Everything about this story was wild. The romance wasn't my favorite thing with its whole "love conquers all" theme, but everything else more than made up for it. I love a creepy Gothic castle shrouded in lore and family secrets, and hidden realms.
Castle of the Cursed by Romina Garber is a YA fantasy Standalone. I have loved everything I've read by this author so far, and this is no different. This book, however, is much darker than all her other books. It focuses most on grief and mental illness.
We follow Estela, a girl living a transient life with her parents in the US until a mysterious tragedy strikes the subway they are riding, and 25 people died including Estela's parents, making her the sole survivor. Estela experiences deep grief and despair while inside a mental institution, until she finds out she isn't a US citizen and is claimed by an unknown aunt in Spain.
When Estela gets to Spain, her aunt's house is a massive Gothic castle that is creepy AF, and so is her aunt Beatriz. There are only two rules: don't invite anyone into the castle, and don't explore the closed off sections of the house. These rules are of course immediately broken. Estela finds hidden rooms in the castle along with a vampire only she can see. She is pulled into family secrets, supernatural plots, and a whirlwind love.
This was very dark, and had many twists that I didn't see coming. It was kind of like a mystery as well, with Estela fancying herself a bit of a detective. Everything about this story was wild. The romance wasn't my favorite thing with its whole "love conquers all" theme, but everything else more than made up for it. I love a creepy Gothic castle shrouded in lore and family secrets, and hidden realms.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent