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tandemshelves 's review for:
House of Blight
by Maxym M. Martineau
medium-paced
This was such a fantastic and gorgeous read! I went into it without any expectations and ended up really enjoying it. It’s a gothic romantasy with eerie and vivid worldbuilding and a cool magic system based on equal exchange. The gothic and fantasy vibes were very *slightly* reminiscent of One Dark Window, Belladonna, and Cruel Prince.
Edira is a threadmender who can heal injuries and diseases by mending the “soul”-like threads of the afflicted, at the cost of her lifespan. When she risks using her magic on her brothers who get sick with blight (a deadly and incurable disease), she gets caught by an Ever of the Fernglove family. Under certain circumstances, she then has to work for them in their home to research and find a cure to blight.
The book has a slow start but it picks up once she meets the dysfunctional family of Fernglove House. Evers are a similar to faeries in this book, but I love how the author set up the worldbuilding and their magic system to give her own spin on it. The worldbuilding could still use some work in showcasing how the abilities of Evers and their lore, but I hope it’s something that will improve in the next book.
I liked Edira’s character and how she was so determined, caring, yet sassy, and fierce in her beliefs. She had a few frustrating and naive moments but i can’t really blame her, considering everything she’s been through.
And the family members of Fernglove house were all very interesting! I really liked Edira’s relationships with them as she constantly questions their motives and intentions that lead to her discovering a very big secret. Also shoutout to Ywena, Edira’s adorable moth companion! 🥰 She didn’t have a ton of page time and was more of a silent background “character”, but I would love to see Ywena have a more involved role in the next book.
The romance was also super fun and I loved the banter! I was scared of a potential love triangle at first, but it was obvious later on that it’s not a triangle at all. Don’t want to give away any spoilers as to who, but the slowburn chemistry between Edira and a certain character was so satisfying and I need more of these two ASAP🙂↕️The existence of an insect daddy MMC (hear me out, I swear it’s not as weird as it sounds and dont let it deter you) genuinely was a first for me.
The plot itself was well paced for most of the book. The twist was very foreshadowed if you read between the lines but it was exciting to see how things took a turn by the end. It doesn’t have a cliffhanger, but the ending definitely hints at what book 2 is about. Also, im hoping the romance develops even more because it had so much potential with that surprise angst🤭
Thank you The Nerd Fam and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Edira is a threadmender who can heal injuries and diseases by mending the “soul”-like threads of the afflicted, at the cost of her lifespan. When she risks using her magic on her brothers who get sick with blight (a deadly and incurable disease), she gets caught by an Ever of the Fernglove family. Under certain circumstances, she then has to work for them in their home to research and find a cure to blight.
The book has a slow start but it picks up once she meets the dysfunctional family of Fernglove House. Evers are a similar to faeries in this book, but I love how the author set up the worldbuilding and their magic system to give her own spin on it. The worldbuilding could still use some work in showcasing how the abilities of Evers and their lore, but I hope it’s something that will improve in the next book.
I liked Edira’s character and how she was so determined, caring, yet sassy, and fierce in her beliefs. She had a few frustrating and naive moments but i can’t really blame her, considering everything she’s been through.
And the family members of Fernglove house were all very interesting! I really liked Edira’s relationships with them as she constantly questions their motives and intentions that lead to her discovering a very big secret. Also shoutout to Ywena, Edira’s adorable moth companion! 🥰 She didn’t have a ton of page time and was more of a silent background “character”, but I would love to see Ywena have a more involved role in the next book.
The romance was also super fun and I loved the banter! I was scared of a potential love triangle at first, but it was obvious later on that it’s not a triangle at all. Don’t want to give away any spoilers as to who, but the slowburn chemistry between Edira and a certain character was so satisfying and I need more of these two ASAP🙂↕️The existence of an insect daddy MMC (hear me out, I swear it’s not as weird as it sounds and dont let it deter you) genuinely was a first for me.
The plot itself was well paced for most of the book. The twist was very foreshadowed if you read between the lines but it was exciting to see how things took a turn by the end. It doesn’t have a cliffhanger, but the ending definitely hints at what book 2 is about. Also, im hoping the romance develops even more because it had so much potential with that surprise angst🤭
Thank you The Nerd Fam and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!