What worked: Intriguing paranormal world-building where a girl finds she plays a part in a tragic past. This novel introduces readers to Estela who after a horrific accident ends up in Spain with an aunt she knows nothing about. The gothic atmosphere grows with evocative hints of her true heritage. There's a cold aunt who is insistent on Estela taking a black seed instead of the meds from back in the States. A huge creepy castle with many secrets. And a shadowy personage who demands to be released from a spell. The problem is only Estela can see him.

Add to all this is the grief Estela carries from losing the only family she knew.

Lots is going on in this novel. A mystery behind the tragic death of her parents and others on a subway where only Estela survives. Why does her aunt have the blood supply of the small town? Mysterious locked rooms inside the castle. And the shadowy personage Sebastian, who she finds out is a vampire from a multi-dimensional universe.

The sinister purpose behind the castle is slowly revealed which includes Estela's part. A part she can accept or deny with deadly results.

At times the pacing slows with the telling of the castle's history and the other realm. The chemistry between Sebastian felt forced and too sudden. One minute he wants to kill Estela and the next she longs for him. Felipe, her Spanish tutor, had a stalker quality to him. Also, the reclusive uncle came out of nowhere. I felt this took away from an otherwise engaging unique paranormal tale.

Secrets, blood, and betrayals meet Estela where she needs to solve not only the mystery behind her parent's death but find hope in her future.

Summary:
After Estela's parents fall victim to a mysterious death, she is consumed to uncover the truth. Estela has no choice but to live with a distant relative in their ancestral Spanish fortress, la Sombra. The castle holds secrets, like a boy who claims to be imprisoned within the castle. The two embark on a journey to unravel mysteries, their partnership evolving into a tangle of romance interwoven with distrust. Estela is followed by a shadow, pulling her into a monstrous world.

Review:
I was drawn at the beginning of the book. I was very interested in Estela and the tragic situation. The writing was descriptive and eerie. This book was the essence of a historic gothic tale. The characters added to the mysterious, devious element and the storyline. Estela begins to break and is unsure of her reality, while her aunt treats her poorly. It was unnerving to have the one person who is to be your caregiver treat you as if you have a mental illness and with disregard. It does have several twists and turns throughout the story, which I was surprised to find out. The main issue I had was the romantic relationships. I understand it added to the plot, but it gave me the ick. There were too many triggers for a YA book. The book has several triggers listed, which you should review before reading. I recommend it if you love gothic stories and enjoy illuminative writing.

I received an ARC audiobook copy from Netgalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity.

I did not vibe with the writing style or the main character. it was a struggle to get through. the ambience was lacking despite it being set at a castle in spain.

I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy this one bc it is a fantasy horror...but I ended up really enjoying it! The only thing I didn't care for was the insta-love but this is YA and I understand why it was included in the story.

You can check out more thoughts in my April Wrap-up! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGl7T9PBJas&ab_channel=KatrinaBrown

Thank you, NetGalley for this arc!

This book follows Estela through some traumatic points in her life, and as she makes some choices to try and reclaim parts of her life and connect to her past as she works through the grief of having lost her parents. (I'm avoiding spoilers so this description is very vague)

It's difficult for me to rate this book fairly, but I will endeavor to do so. As an adult in the place that I am, I did not enjoy this book. The biggest reveal for me was that Estrela was turning 18, as at some point in the book she shifted to being 14 in my mind. Some of the twists were well executed and I enjoyed them, but I just found that the book was written in such a fast paced way while holding your hand that the payoff wasn't there for me.

I think this book would have benefitted from slowing down to earn the relationship building and drama. Had I read closer to thirteen I would have given this four stars, it fits the bills for a lot of things I loved at that age and the hand holding would not have been as noticeable for me.

Ultimately this is not a bad book, but it has scenes to make it feel older while being written to skew younger YA.

I feel like all I really need to say to convince you to read this book is: Shadow Male
A new and fresh take on gothic fantasy with other worlds, bruja (witches) and bleeders (vampires).
When Estela arrives at her family's castle after the loss of her parents, she's quick to note that this little town has the vibe of a cult built around her family name. Within the walls of the castle she meets Sebastian, who is certain that she has cursed him, while outside the castle she bonds with Felipe, who is determined to belong to the castle. Who can she trust, when even her memories aren't her own?
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC, 3.5*

What's the horror version of Romantasy? Romorror? Horantasy? Either way, this novel fits that description for better or worse. The pieces I enjoyed most were atmospheric: the vibes of la Sombra and Garber's efforts to build tension and mystique. However, I couldn't bring myself to care much for the characters, and found the protagonist's initial circumstances unbelievable to a degree that took me out of the story. Despite spending some time focusing on Estela's trauma and grief, I didn't feel that it was given nearly as much space as soon as the romantic elements took center stage. Speaking of, the "romance" was rushed and to market it as enemies to lovers feels a bit silly when the pair start out as strangers who fall "in love" within days of meeting each other. I can't even blame this on genre convention as I've seen plenty of other YA stories include romance to superior effect. All in all, a story that leaned heavily into concept without a true ability to execute.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc! Just like they taught you in English class, a good hook will hook you from the start and that's exactly what happened here. Our protagonist, Estela, is likeable except when she's being crazy because she's lonely. But we've all been there Tela it's okay. The romance was very fast but I liked it anyways. There's a lot of Spanish in this book, as it takes place mainly in Spain, but everything in Spanish is translated to English so I really appreciate that (I did check with Google translate lol). The writing I love so much. There were so many bad guys that I wasnt expecting the main bad guy to be the bad guy you know. So many twists. This one kept my interest and I can't wait to buy it when it comes out! We love Sebastian and poor Tela. I kinda hope for a sequel!

I love the setting in this book. I love the castle and the village.
I just could not stay focused after the 35% mark. It was likely just not the book for me.

I love love love everything Romina Garber writes! Lobizona and Cazadora were stories i kept close to my heart and passed down to my younger nieces to read. There is a lot for us to relate to, the language, the traditions, the characters, i adore her books. While Castle of the Cursed had a different twist to it, i enjoyed it just as much! Definitely set the dark and moody with this one here. From the MC, relationships and burjerias along the way, i was here for all of it! Thank you for the ARC!

I blew through this captivating gothic noir. Thrilling and suspenseful plot, perfectly paced, and chock full of supernatural magic and family betrayal. One of my favorite elements I was surprised to see in the novel was the dark romance, but l assure you it's safe for non-spicy readers!

Is love stronger then magic… this novel is different from anything that I’ve read. A dark fairytale, magic, strange beings. I loved it from the first few pages. Binge read it and the ending didn’t disappoint.

A twisting dark, mysterious tale that captivated me with every new turn and element. Estela is a smart protagonist who navigated a new world filled with family secrets with a steadfast attitude.

Solid YA paranormal gothic romance. This was a quick read with a story that flows nicely. Characters and plot were entertaining and the magic aspects and gothic vibes were a nice addition. I think the romance aspects and timeline were a bit rushed and could've been fleshed out more. Overall, I'd give another book by this author a go.

Thank you for the ARC.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for access to the eARC!

I am a lover of gothic fiction above anything else, and had high hopes for this book after reading the description. I was a big fan of the setting, and the creepy nature of not only the mansion but the village living in its shadow. The characters aside from our main character felt like they were creepy and i got the sense they were hiding something almost from the get, which really added to the atmosphere of the story. And I was really enjoying it until about the the 60% mark, when it seemed to confuse several plot lines together, and eventually became a kind of muddled mess it was hard to follow along.

A gothic horror novel with a dash of romance.
A castle that holds secrets of generations. A family that holds a towns power in its hands. If you like a gothic supernatural feel this book is worth the shot for you

Oof. I hate having to write bad reviews, but I honestly feel like I'm being generous with my 2-star review here.

"Castle of the Cursed" started out fairly strong, but by the 35% mark, I was already considering DNF-ing it (which I very, VERY rarely do), and that feeling only intensified as I kept reading. I trudged on, though, because as an ARC reviewer, I felt like I owed it to the author to see if the story improved before I gave up on it. (Spoiler alert: it did not.)

The plot is super jumpy and disjointed, and the twists feel like they're way out of left field, even for a story that's driven by the supernatural. The characters were flat, the dialogue was unnatural, and the insta-love from multiple characters was just too much for me.

I'm sure this book will find its audience, but sadly, it was not for me.

Well, the author said it was gothic, so: alternate dimensions, blood, curses, cursed castle, castle/garden that lives on blood, family, vampires, vampire prince who falls for teen protagonist, teen protagonist who falls in love with said vampire, mysterious relatives, twins and secret twins, dead twins, twin magic, magic, spells, spellbooks, journals, secret rooms, forbidden parts of the castle, weird foods, early deaths, possession, convoluted plot and "rules," isolated city, weird inhabitants, strange power relationships (did I mention the vampire and the teen protagonist), Spanish lessons, sexual assault, self-harm, attenpted murder, sudden language re-acquisition, fire, trapdoors, towers, tower libraries, teen protagonist who becomes a serial killer (but only of "bad" people), much, much, too much more. The action is forced and poorly paced, the characters are all cut-outs and stereotypes, not everything makes any sense, This feels like it was rushed in the writing and hasn't had any revision or editing yet. Maybe it'll get some of that and become better, but as it is, yikes, what a mess, do not approach vampires, do not take spellbooks, do not pass go, do not read this one.

Castle of the Cursed really hits the mark as a gothic story. There are ghosts, forbidden blood magics, and many secrets within the old castle that has been passed down through one family for hundreds of years. Garber gave a unique spin on narration as she wove in the past and present in unique formats. She unraveled information only the moment it was necessarily, which kept me on my toes. She wrote an interesting main character, and I felt like I was really in the small Spanish town.

One problem I had is with one of the main characters, the "boy" referenced in the synopsis. If he wasn't mentioned as a boy, I never would have guessed it. Very little information was given about his appearance, and he gave off a very strong vibe of being alive much longer than our main heroine has been alive. This wasn't a major deal, but it was still enough that threw me off.

Another problem -- much larger this time -- is the plot. While the first 50% kept me utterly captivated, around 50% it started falling apart a little, and by 60% there was a huge pivot that was very off-putting. It very sudden and out of place, and I didn't necessarily enjoy where the story turned to. It did help answer questions about the plot, but it was just too out-there for me.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves a gothic read and stories with huge plot twists. There is no spice, so I'd recommend to any age group. Overall a 3-star read for me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC!

I was intrigued from the moment I requested this book! The cover is beautiful, and the premise sounded right up my alley.

From the start, I found the book to be a little slow in its development and setup, which is ok, but I ultimately struggled to develop a connection to the characters. I just didn't care about any of them. I think part of the problem was the slow setup considering the short length of the book, and had it been longer, the appropriate character development may have taken place to make me form deeper attachments to Estela and Sebastian.

I had a difficult time wanting to pick this up off my side table, and when I did, my mind was wandering. It fell short of the supernatural ya gothic thriller that I had hoped for, and I'm so sad it just wasn't for me!