You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
psychonautjournaling 's review for:
House of Blight
by Maxym M. Martineau
Thank you so much to Harper Voyager for the finished copy and LibroFM for the ALC!!
House of Blight hooked me right away with its premise: Edira, a threadmender whose gift to heal others comes at the cost of her own life, hides her powers after her village betrayed her aunt to the powerful Fernglove family. But when her brothers catch blight—an incurable virus—she’s forced into the clutches of Orin Fernglove, who promises to keep their illness suspended if she helps find a cure.
The setup felt like the perfect ‘cozy romantasy’ with a unique magic system that grabbed my attention early on. I was ready to love this book. The idea of life-draining magic, the gothic manor setting, and the tangled political games between magical families had so much potential.
Unfortunately, after about the 30% mark, it started to fall apart for me. While the story kept moving at a decent pace, the characters just didn’t live up to the strength of the premise. The FMC quickly became insufferable—making frustrating choices, trusting too easily, and rarely questioning the obvious red flags around her. The other characters felt fine but mostly forgettable. And while the romance leaned into the expected enemies-to-friends-to-lovers trope (with the genre-standard “everyone is heartbreakingly beautiful”), it was also predictable and, at times, eye-roll inducing.
Speaking of predictable—the plot, the twists, the character intentions—I had most of it figured out by halfway through. Even the ending landed exactly where I thought it would, leaving little surprise or emotional payoff.
There is some violence, though not overly graphic, and the romantic content probably makes this better suited for readers 16 and up.
In the end, I’m sad I didn’t love this one as much as I wanted to. The magic system and early vibe were spot on for what I was craving, but the execution, especially the character work, just didn’t deliver.
House of Blight hooked me right away with its premise: Edira, a threadmender whose gift to heal others comes at the cost of her own life, hides her powers after her village betrayed her aunt to the powerful Fernglove family. But when her brothers catch blight—an incurable virus—she’s forced into the clutches of Orin Fernglove, who promises to keep their illness suspended if she helps find a cure.
The setup felt like the perfect ‘cozy romantasy’ with a unique magic system that grabbed my attention early on. I was ready to love this book. The idea of life-draining magic, the gothic manor setting, and the tangled political games between magical families had so much potential.
Unfortunately, after about the 30% mark, it started to fall apart for me. While the story kept moving at a decent pace, the characters just didn’t live up to the strength of the premise. The FMC quickly became insufferable—making frustrating choices, trusting too easily, and rarely questioning the obvious red flags around her. The other characters felt fine but mostly forgettable. And while the romance leaned into the expected enemies-to-friends-to-lovers trope (with the genre-standard “everyone is heartbreakingly beautiful”), it was also predictable and, at times, eye-roll inducing.
Speaking of predictable—the plot, the twists, the character intentions—I had most of it figured out by halfway through. Even the ending landed exactly where I thought it would, leaving little surprise or emotional payoff.
There is some violence, though not overly graphic, and the romantic content probably makes this better suited for readers 16 and up.
In the end, I’m sad I didn’t love this one as much as I wanted to. The magic system and early vibe were spot on for what I was craving, but the execution, especially the character work, just didn’t deliver.