Ivy is alone in the world. Her brother, a casualty of of WWI, her parents passed soon after. She boards in London with a friends, barely making ends meet. Until, she received a letter from a solicitor informing her that she is the heir to Blackwood Abbey. With few other choices, she heads of to Yorkshire to to claim her inheritance, which comes with the curious requirement that she live n the property.
Met by a unwelcoming housekeeper, a closed off house and of secrets, Ivy is still determined to make the best of her situation. After all, the food is better than what she is used to and being a Lady may just take some getting used to, right? Things seem to pick up when she meets a neighboring Lord at a local bookstore and he expresses interest in Blackwood's extensive library.

But there is more to Blackwood that the solicitor initially explained. Mysterious ghosts, memory loss, a dark history, a curse, a huge library (where the books seems to have some unusual properties), and secrets..

Overall, a good, spooky gothic read. The ending seemed a little quick and I felt there was a lack of explanation as to how to monk corrupted the nun's original book though. Given that that is the reason for everything horrible that happened to Ivy (and those who came before her) I would have like to see a little more about his part. There was a nice prologue about the nun and her part, and her motivations... but no real story behind HOW the monk got his hands on her writings and ruined them.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book!

This book sounded amazing, the writing was good but it ultimately ended up falling a bit flat for me....

Historical and gothic! It was incredibly immersive and I got swept away into the novel! Really good and I'm hoping to read it for a book club this year.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.
Magical, mystery filled story with old books, an old house and mysterious goings on.

I received a temporary digital advanced copy of The Last Heir to Blackwood Library by Hester Fox from NetGalley and the author in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Ivy Radcliffe inherits Blackwood Abbey and in turn is requested to reside in the abbey permanently. Despite not understanding what she has inherited, she tries to acclimate herself to this new life as Lady Hayworth and in doing so uncovers a wonderful library at the Abbey. Ivy is thrilled as she was brought up in libraries and loves books. Little by little Ivy begins to forget moments and conversations and soon she is almost unable to function. Can she figure out what is creating these aliments before evil forces and a secret society kill her?

I requested The Last Heir to Blackwood Library as I was drawn to the premise--impoverished girl without a family inherits an abbey with an amazing library. Unfortunately, this book is slow moving in the beginning and then the ending was incredibly rushed, which is so disappointing. The author's want to tie everything into a perfect bow so quickly created more questions and was so anticlimactic. This novel reminded me a lot of Mexican Gothic so if you were a fan of that, you will probably very much enjoy this. I enjoyed neither.

* SPOILERS *

If your child had a traumatic experience and did not remember you, you would absolutely tell them you were their mom/dad. This detail, along with many others (like how to stop the library from "feeding,") made no sense at all.

This was a fun, creepy read about the power of knowledge, books, history and, ultimately, love - and definitely a warning for anyone who finds themselves with a sudden inheritance that seems too good to be true!

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC.

The Last Heir to Blackwood Library is set in post-WW1 England and follows Ivy, a young woman who, at the start of the book, lives in poverty in London. A lawyer approaches Ivy and tells her that she is the sole heir to Blackwood Abbey, a huge estate with an extensive history. She arrives to find a small, suspicious staff and an empty, deteriorating mansion. From there, strange and ominous things start happening almost immediately. The housekeeper does not want Ivy wandering the property, and especially does not want her poking around in the library. But Ivy loves books, and she is the lady of the house now, so she insists on restoring the magnificent old library. I don’t want to spoil the main conflict here, but of course the center of the sinister nature of the house lies in that library.

All the classic hallmarks of a gothic novel are here: a spooky old house, a main character in a new situation surrounded by people who may or may not be trustworthy, and, of course, lots of secrets. This is not a ‘scary’ book exactly, but I did find myself getting pretty creeped out at times, especially when I stayed up late reading. I also always appreciate a third person limited perspective; it's one of my favorites and makes Ivy’s slow mental deterioration so effective.

In the prologue, we are introduced to a nun who has shut herself in a room of the abbey to focus on learning and introspection. People come to her window for advice and, in return, they give her gifts of parchment, ink, and news of the outside world. I thought this was so interesting, and, while it does join back up with the main story in the end, I wish her story and Ivy’s had been more clearly intertwined throughout. I felt that it lost some of its impact because it was only mentioned at the very beginning and the end. I also just can’t get over her hairbrush flying across the room on her very first night there. That was a bit silly. Overall, a solid 4 to 4.5 star read and further proof that gothic novels are something I really enjoy.

I was really excited about this ARC I received from NetGalley. The cover, title, and description all sounded like this novel was right up my alley. Recently, I have really been into books that are dripping with a dark academia aesthetic. My reading experience was overall positive, as I finished the book quickly, but there were things that did not make sense to me. I will touch on my dislikes first, then end on a positive note.

To begin, some of the plot points did not add up for me. When I first cracked open the book (via kindle), I found myself happily succumbing to the fear that the ghostly characters inspired. This thrill pretty quickly diminished as the story carried on and the focus shifted from the exciting paranormal activity to headaches and foggy memory, conflicting romantic feelings, and malevolent power that appeared to come from the library itself. Perhaps my disappointment in this stems from my own expectations, but nonetheless, I kept reading!


Second, the story was full of little inconsistencies. We are first led to believe that Ivy is the first heir of Blackwood Manor to have found the cursed manuscript, but then told that her precessor had also found the book and that her father may have even gazed upon its pages.


I would also have liked to see more ghost content. It would have been interesting to see the spirit of the Mad Monk and the nun interact on the other side. However, I can see how the lack of ghostly interaction adds to the mystery, causing the reader to wonder what is really happening the whole time. More on the Monk, I wish we got more of his story. Where exactly did he come from? The opening of the book begins in the 13th century with the nun, but it is unclear as to when and why our antagonist came to power.

My final criticisms lay at the end of the book. The destruction of our Mad Monk is a strange scene for me. I am uncertain as to how Ivy seemed to know the Monk was buried in the floor of that secret room and how she knew dismembering him would be the salvation of them all. It is also unclear to me why Arthur and his men set up a gory replication of a ritual depicted in the Blackwood manuscript. From my understanding, there are several rituals outlined in the manuscript, so I would have liked to know the reasoning for the particular one chosen and what it was intended to accomplish.

Now for the things I liked! As I said above, I read this book pretty quickly. I was engaged with the story and liked the protagonist a lot. Her adoration of books was loveable and charming. She seemed relatable. Believable. I also really REALLY liked the gaps in memory we got to experience right alongside Ivy. Things that she forgot we also had no knowledge of, and it really added to the effect of lost time. She even carved a clue into her own skin lest she forget what happened? Awesome. This was icing on the cake, totally adding to the thrill. While I am not sure that in Ivy’s place I could still bear to live in that house of horrors, I am pleased there was a happy ending and lovely theme of rebuilding what has been broken.

3.5 stars!

A book that is wrapped in the power of libraries and books, The Last Heir to Blackwood Library is a thriller that will have the reader turning the pages to discover what is going to happen next and how it will all end. You will find yourself as confused as Ivy is at many parts of the book, but in the best way as the book is not overly predictable. I am not usually a big thriller fan, but this one kept me turning the pages hoping to figure it all out. Plus, I always love a book that points out the power that libraries and books have.

Lesson learned from this book? If you suddenly inherit a spooky abbey on the moor and the title of Lady...that's a red flag. Ask some questions before signing anything. This book grabbed me and forced me to read it. It appeals to fans of gothic fiction, romance, and the paranormal. If you enjoyed Mexican Gothic, you'll love this one.

The Last Heir to Blackwood Library by Hester Fox is a story of a young girl in England after the First World War, whose fate is changed when she is told she is the last descendant of a great family. She moves to an Abbey, home to a magnificent library, but things quickly start to go awry.

This book was more of a ghost story than I expected, and in general time was very hard to understand in this book. It was difficult to know how much time was passing for the main character. I could see the reason for this being that it was supposed to put the reader off kilter just like Ivy seemed to be, but really it just added to the confusion. There was also a prologue that I thought would have more affect on the story, and it really did not.

There were plenty of times in the book I questioned why something was happening. Other things just didn’t make much sense. For example one character tells another, “You’re the first person to find X, hopefully this other person won’t find it!” Then that other person finds it immediately after. The claims of female agency by the main character fall on deaf ears and the book doesn’t quite stick the landing in that regard.

The premise is intriguing but this book didn’t really get there for me. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

This was so good! The atmosphere was absolutely spot on and I completely got lost in the book. There were a few questions that popped up (spoilers for another unrelated book below), but overall the book was really well done! Definitely reccomended for those that enjoy brooding and spooky big bad houses.


Spoilers for Mexican Gothic bu Silvia Moreno-Garcia;
why is the house always feeding on its inhabitants?? Like i kinda love it and thank god this one was more exciting than mushrooms but it's still super weird no??

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC!!!

#TheLastHeirtoBlackwoodLibrary #NetGalley Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this novel. I encourage you to check this one out! Really solid read.

Creepy, claustrophobic and foreboding. I loved this book but was grateful to read it on a bright, winters day far away from the brooding moors.

The sense of dread that leaked from the plot was skillful and enticing. Who could we trust when all the characters seemed capable of deceit. Even Ivy was morphing into a stuffy, superior lady, far from the girl she was at the beginning of the novel. Hester Fox did a marvelous job at setting the scene and her descriptions of Blackwood Abbey and the gloom of the Yorkshire moor.

If you like gothic tales and twists with a little supernatural thriller this book won’t disappoint. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

While I’m a sucker for any gothic romance, this story felt so disjointed to me. It was almost like the author couldn’t quite make up their mind as to what kind of story they were writing. Is it supernatural/magical? Is it a romance? Is it a mystery? None of these genres felt as though they merged well in this particular story.

The premise was excellent though. Impoverished, but smart/kind girl inherits mysterious manor with equally mysterious library? I’m all for it. The execution of it fell a little short in my eyes.

I still enjoyed the story, and when I was able to sink into parts of it, it was still a fun read! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

This book was spooky and had great Simone St. James vibes. It was so fun to read, and I loved the way the library worked. It was well-written and an enjoyable read, although I wish the story had been more diverse. Overall, it was a great read.

Hester Fox's The Last Heir to Blackwood Library is nothing like what I usually read. And I'm glad. It's a wonderful Gothic novel wrapped around an allegory about the experience of reading. It's tense, fascinating, and mysterious. I have no idea how this book got published under a Harlequin imprint--and there is, admittedly, a rather tacked-on romance element. Mostly, it is eerie, well-written, and best compared to a book like Rebecca. Strong recommend.

This review contains spoilers

3.5 stars rounded up

Post WW1. An unexpected heir inherits an old Abbey estate in Yorkshire England. It contains a magic library possessed by a centuries dead monk that eats the memories of its caretakers until it can finally ressurect. A secret society of gentlemen set on using the powers contained within the library for their own nefarious purposes.

I liked the overall story. I didn't even hate the "I don't need a man to live" narrative in this one because Ivy was believable as independent in her time, and didn't bend to the modern ideal. Keep it believable to the period please and thank you!

Having to slog through with Ivy and her missing memories was part of the mystery, though I do think it took away from getting swept away in any romance developing between her and Ralph. It just felt out of place, especially because she could remember most of her interactions with Arthur.

Arthur was terrible and a gaslighter toward someone with already missing memories. He didn't deserve sympathy. I don't like at all that the author expressed any toward him. He was straight up a deceptive villian.

Also, poor Agnes!

If I knew there was a book laying around the library that contained all of my missing memories, you can best believe I would be scouring that thing till I found it, then never letting it out of my sight. The fact that she just took in that info and then went on with her life and wrongly based opinions, I don't know what she was all about.

Downton Abbey meets the Brontë sisters meets The Skulls meets Memento.

Clean from sexual content and profanity. There is murder violence, gaslighting and post war PTSD.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review

I wanted to like this book so much - historical fantasy featuring a library! It’s right up my alley. Unfortunately, I just never got into this book. The characters didn’t seem well developed, and the story often came across as clunky.

This was an engaging, enjoyable read that will inspire me to pick up more by Hester Fox. I enjoyed the atmospheric, Yorkshire Moors setting and the blend of historical and paranormal genres. I like how the flow of the text changes as Ivy begins to lose her grip so that we can feel along with her that something is not quite right at Blackwood. The sense of dread grows as you read in a really tangible way. This is a good read for fans of Kate Ryder and Nicola Cornick.