3.75 stars

This is not really normally my jam at all, but I enjoyed this one! The absolute definition of an unreliable narrator. You definitely get glimpses of what may really be occurring, but you are never totally sure. You are always rooting for the independently spirited Ivy, who goes from orphan just scraping by in post-WWI London to inheriting a foreboding abbey in Yorkshire. She is a likable character, even as her narration becomes cloudy. The supporting cast is mysterious, of course. Suspenseful and interesting without being scary, this was a great October read.

Thank you to NetGalley and there publisher for an ARC in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

This was a great book to read during the beginning of Fall. It has Gothic elements, and is about a Library. Right up my alley. Some of the plot seemed a little loose, but it worked.

The Last Heir to Blackwood Library is a dark story about a woman who inherits a mansion from people she never knew she was related to.
It comes with servants and of course a haunted past - it was formerly an abbey.
Central to this home is a large library - that Ivy (now Lady Radcliffe) is warned not to enter. She ignores the advice and finds it a lovely place to be. Until she begins to feel a presence.
What is happening to the library and what evil is it wrecking?

The book has the flavor of a gothic novel - and is set in post-WWI - a period with it's own haunted past.

I enjoyed this. I love everything Hester Fox writes. This was not my favorite though. It was overlong, and overly convoluted to the point of being torturous at times. It was a very interesting concept; I loved the ideas of the books of the past heirs. The monk was only vaguely mentioned and then thrown in at the end so it felt a bit rushed. I also wish the romance had been more on the page, and I feel a little robbed that we didn't get to see Ivy and I forgot his name fall in love. Still it was gothic and a Hester Fox, so still a very good time!

A solid story. It did not wow me in any particular way, but I was not upset by that. I was hoping that it would have gone back and forth in time a little bit, but that is only because I love a dual timeline.

Whoo! I loveeeee books set in libraries that have this gothic mystery surrounding them. I really enjoyed this story and can see this one being a hit.