I'd like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC
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There were many aspects about this book that I loved and some I didn't enjoy as much. I loved the descriptions and the glimpses of the other world. I would have loved to see more of it explored, but I'm content with what we did see. The characters were interesting and I enjoyed getting to know them. I personally struggled with the pacing a little. At times it felt like the story dragged. Despite my few issues, I still loved the characters and world that was created.

This was 100% a very unique take on vampires, one I have never experienced before so I enjoyed the novelty of the idea. The book overall was very dark and sad, basically a grief spiral full of heartbreak, loss and suicidal ideation so if those are topics you do not want to read about then maybe stay clear of this read. I am pretty sure this is YA, but with the dark emotional aspect of the book as well as the sexual encounters, I would not recommend this to the younger readers, only older teens and adults. I will say the part I was the most unhappy with is the instalove. The whole story takes place over less than 2 weeks, the love interests do not know each other except through some violent/abusive encounters and then there was a lot of declaring of eternal love that came out of nowhere so I was not sold on the romance. I will say the ending was a giant WTF moment that left me with A LOT of questions that I need to discuss especially since I am pretty sure this is a standalone novel. Way to throw me a curve ball to keep me up at night.

I love gothic romance and haunting stories. This had potential but fell flat for me. The story went in an odd direction that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. The character development wasn't there. I was unable to relate to the characters and I just didn't connect with the story line at all. I know it's YA book but the romance was severely lacking.
Estela's parents died, she has no explanation of how it happened. All she knows is there was some black smoke and everyone was dead but her. She ends up being packed up and sent to live with an aunt she has never heard of in a castle she didn't know existed. Something is wrong with the castle and the town it's in. Her aunt is less than friendly and Estella is not thrilled with the arrangement. She begins to feel a dark presence surrounding her in the castle. When he finally makes his appearance, she's the only one that can see him. Does he actually exist or is she going crazy? Estela finds out that he's a vampire from another realm and his name is Sebastian. They decided to team up to figure out what the castle is hiding.

3.5 stars
Wellll ... that was weird. The synopsis of Castle of the Cursed makes it seem like a pretty straightforward haunted house novel. Going into this book, I was really into the premise, and unsure as to why there were so many mixed reviews. And the start of this book is pretty basic. I really enjoyed the plot and found it easy to follow for the first third of the book. I also liked the romance - it reminded me of Crimson Peak. Then, the first twist hit. Then another, and another, and another. And all of a sudden this story had transformed into something so complex and bizzare. I understand why some people don't like how the story progressed. It is admittedly quite weird, and sometimes the plot becomes muddy. That being said, it was also so unique and intriguing. Once I wrapped my mind around the plot, I really enjoyed it. My only other complaint was that the romance felt a little rushed. Overall, I would recommend this book, but perhaps only to a certain demographic - self-proclaimed weird girls who love spooky, alien vibes.
Thank you to the publisher and MacMillan Audio for the arcs in exchange for an honest review!

Castle of the cursed by Romina Garber was released out in the world at the perfect time because it's mid summer beginning of fall and so I read this in the month of October. and it was a perfect choice for me! Before I begin my review thanks to Wednesday Book for sending me an e-arc of this one and so happy Owlcrate did a special edition of this amazing read. All opions are my own!(:

We follow our main character Estela and she recently get this mysterious attack of claims for this haunted house. Personally for me I love a good haunted house setting and I wasn't expecting the love traingle happening and wasn't excpecting it and sometimes get mad at them but enjoy them this time around! The background knowlege was something I've never learned about so learning some new laungage is something i FIND VERY COOL!
Overall rating is a 4 stars, I read this in 2 days it was so fun if I didn't had work I would've read in one day cause of how quick the author's writing style is and the narrator for the audio was amazing too.

I really tried to enjoy this book because the intro was interesting tho the book lost me by about page 50 and I was done at about page 100.

Castle of the Cursed was a highly anticipated read for me. Just look at that cover! Unfortunately, I was not able to finish Castle of the Cursed. I adored the Gothic vibes and the castle setting. The writing and descriptions were all there including the eerie atmosphere, but the main issue was I just did not connect with young Estela. I appreciate all the care that went into her character’s development but I just feel like maybe I wasn’t the right reader for it at the time. Thank you, for the early readers opportunity.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Selling Pitch:
Do you want to read a ridiculously convoluted YA Mary Sue vampire novel that's somehow both incredibly cliche and impossible to follow?

On my do not read list.

Pre-reading:
Love the tagline for this. Genuinely can't decide if I like the cover.

(obviously potential spoilers from here on)
Thick of it:
This is VERY YA.

I fucking love gazpacho.

I'm not like other girls. I don’t wear makeup. Shut up, you pick me.

I'm bored. DNF. (Except I don’t do that because I’m a masochist.)

This is bad.

Her being dead is a good twist. (Except it’s not even true.)

Lmao every book is bears.

Should I stay or should I go now🎶

He doesn’t understand reality but he understands Tupperware lmao.

This is some soap opera shit.

Because plot armor that’s why!

If no one else is gonna say it, I’ll say it. Stockholm syndrome.

I have plot whiplash.

Why does this feel vaguely anti-vaxer.

This book has given up entirely on making sense.

So much info dumping. Like oh, I didn’t explain this, but here’s a sentence to explain away a plot hole.

I’m so checked out from this book. It is badddd.

This book is so dumb.

What is this random smut doing here lmao? No THANKS.

Barely legals doing bondage play for a sentence or two is NOT my idea of a silly goofy time lmao.

I DON’T WANNA HEAR ANYTHING ABOUT A MAN’S BLOODY SACK. TODAY IS NOT THE DAY. (It’s post-election day in America.)

Maybe I’m projecting because I’m fragile rn, but that pregnancy stance feels very pro-life to me, and I’M NOT IN THE MOOD!
Also like kinda insensitive to the infertiles. You can't have a baby because you’re not in love enough? Fuck off.

This book sucks, man.

I know twins run in families, but this is unreal.

Also, their whole thing about how the magic works because the twins have identical DNA, but then they have boy girl twin pairs and non-identical twins- that doesn’t make any sense.

What in the childbride nonsense is this.

This book is firmly YA, but there's too much sex in here for me to be comfortable with a YA label, you know. And like it’s not well done, so I wouldn't even call it smut, but it’s just too much for the children lol.

This is unreadable.

Oh, by all means, choose to live again for some boy.

It’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to🎶

How is this not over? Only my stubbornness is keeping me here.

I don’t think they’re letting girlypop into med school after the lack of schooling and the felony investigation, but go off. (You know, I take it back about the felony investigation. We’ll let it slide for a president, so who knows.)

That’s not- that’s not how any of this works, but I’ve been saying that all book, so I don’t even know what to do at this point.

I like that she has time to be a world traveler, hunt pedophiles, go to med school, bang her vampire husband, and garden. She’s a multi-hyphenate girly. Oh and be the mayor. Can’t forget that. Silly me.

Post-reading:
Y'all, what was this? It’s an incredibly cliché YA vampire novel. It also takes every cliché and just throws it at the wall in the hopes that something will stick, but it just becomes an incoherent mess. There’s a lot of plotholes. There’s a lot of info dumps. The pacing is very disjointed. The romance feels insta lovey. There’s random smut in this that feels so out of place, and I hesitate to even call it smut because it’s only a few sentences, but at no point do I want to read about a 17-year-old playing with bondage. One of my pet peeves is when a book tries to sell itself as diverse but the only diversity in it comes from food and using a different language, only to restate the exact same words again in English. Either you want your reader to translate it or you don’t. The characters are so flat. The main character is a Mary Sue. The romance isn’t romantic. It can’t decide if it wants to be a gothic, or some folk horror, alien, urban fantasy nonsense.

And the first half of this is readable. It’s not well done. It’s crazy boring, and you’ve definitely read it before and better, but it’s readable. The back half is such a jumbled mess. I think the author was aiming for plot twists, but it just felt like a lot of explanation after the fact and everything got resolved too quickly with little to no consequences. There was really nothing worthwhile in this for me and nothing to redeem it. It’s going on my do not read list, and I wouldn’t pick up the author again.

Who should read this:
YA vampire die hards
Telenovela fans

Ideal reading time:
Anytime

Do I want to reread this:
Nope.

Would I buy this:
Nope.

Similar books:
* The Witch and the Vampire by Francesca Flores-YA queer fantasy romance, enemies to lovers, vampires
* Court of the Undying Seasons by A. M. Strickland-YA fantasy romance, magical school, enemies to lovers, vampires, shadow daddy
* Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli-NA witchy fantasy romance, enemies to lovers
* Immortal Pleasures by V. Castro-historical retelling, urban fantasy, romance, vampires
* Garden of the Cursed by Katy Rose Pool-YA urban fantasy mystery, enemies to lovers romance, family drama
* Bring Me Your Midnight by Rachel Griffen-YA witchy urban fantasy, enemies to lovers, family drama, shadow daddy
* A Crown of Ivy and Glass by Claire Legrand-NA fantasy romance, enemies to lovers, shadow daddy
* Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros-NA fantasy romance, magical school, enemies to lovers, shadow daddy

I DNF’d this one. I just couldn’t get into it. I felt no connection to the MC and found the plot a bit boring.

First time reading this author but will be on the lookout for more of her books!
Perfect book for Halloween-time! This had me absolutely addicted and I couldn't wait to finish this!
Highly recommend this!

Thank you to the publisher to for allowing me an advanced copy of this book to enojoy!

I am trying to finally work on my eARC list and this is next on my list. Yes, I know it's incredibly late, and I have no excuse for that. With that being said, I checked out some reviews on Goodreads, and seeing that it only has a 3.36 star rating is enough for me to not even give it a try. It's possible I could be someone who absolutely loves this book, but I also am a firm believer of not wasting time reading books I don't think I'll enjoy. I still want to congratulate the author on their work, but I will be passing on this one.

I wanted to like this book. In fact my review is late because I was trying to re-read the book just to like it better the second read....that didn't work. I found it odd, confusing, and the pacing is unbelievably quick - like the entire story takes place in a span of less than a month!! The first part was intense and captivating and then it just sort of fell apart. So much potential but just not for me.

Scary and goth AF - For lovers of Beetlejuice, Wednesday, the Addams family, or Silvia Moreno-Garcia

DNF @ 48%. This is billed as a Gothic telenovela, but it doesn't lean into its Gothic or campy elements enough to fulfil the brief set forth in its marketing. I had a tough time following the plot and investing in the characters.

This enchanting fantasy weaves a rich tapestry of magic, intrigue, and self-discovery that kept me hooked from start to finish.

Garber’s world-building is phenomenal—every detail pulls you deeper into a realm filled with mystery and danger. The characters are wonderfully complex, each with their own secrets and desires that drive the story forward. I particularly loved the protagonist’s journey as she navigates the challenges of her past while uncovering her true power.

The pacing is just right, blending action with moments of reflection that make you invest in the characters' journeys. There were plenty of twists and turns that kept me guessing, and the emotional depth added layers to the narrative that I really appreciated.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was… interesting? I liked the beginning best. The second half was a little TOO paranormal for me. I mean everything got thrown into this book like some kind of drug induced dream. Vampires? Yup. Alternate dimensions? Yup, even have the creatures to go with them. Magic? Why not, that’s always the good part. But together it was all just too much.

Also, we dealt with the dreaded insta-love trope. Less than two weeks- 13 days to be exact- and she’s saying she loves him? Calm down, sweetie, this could very well be a trauma response.

I wish that the focus had been more on her solving the case as in the beginning. Not so much her making doe eyes at Sebastian. More mystery, less “Sure he’s a bloodthirsty murderer, but it’s in his nature and he can’t help it.”

I loved the gothic vibes, but felt overwritten. It was just not for me unfortunately. First 30% of the book , middle part and ending felt like three different books.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for access to an eARC in exchange for my honest review!!

what's it about? ⬇️

When a sudden tragedy leads to the deaths of Estela's parents and everyone else in the Subway car with them other than Estela and media attention turns her into a spectacle, Estela is checked into a facility to monitor her mental health and, for a while, stuck feeling like she is suddenly all alone in the world. Until a letter arrives from her estranged Aunt who lives in Spain, inviting her to come and live with her in her little village called Oscuro. And though her parents never spoke of any other family members, there is no other choice for Estela but to go along with this relocation plan and make the best of things.

When she arrives, she is met by a tiny village cloaked in the shadow of the castle--actual castle--where she's meant to live, and as if that wasn't already strange enough, things only get stranger from there, from the strange shriveled seed-pod 'pills' her Aunt prescribes for her to the oddly fervent attitude of the village boy teaching her Spanish to the horrific--and hauntingly beautiful--shadow creature that stalks her through the castle at night.

But this is only the beginning of Estela's journey, as Oscuro and la Sombra have far more secrets and mysteries and dangers to reveal as she settles in, and many of them may threaten her safety and even her life.

my thoughts? ⬇️

I had such high hopes going into this book. It seemed like it would be right up my alley, and there was so much promise in the first half of the book. But things very quickly went off the rails, and while I love a good plot twist, there were so many and they were so outlandish each time that it was hard to suspend my disbelief that far and to keep up with the plot as the roller coaster kept getting even crazier.

I considered DNF'ing more than once, but I stuck with it to see Estela through her journey and to see just how wild things got, and by the end...I did end up enjoying it, even though I think I have more complaints than praise.

(view spoiler)

All in all, it's a 2.5 star rounded up to 3 for me. I wouldn't not recommend it for fans of gothic lit in search of a chaotic, crazy ride, but it's not one I'd recommend for anyone outside that niche.

trigger warnings ⬇️

death of parent(s), child death, blood, murder, death, gore, body horror, violence, grief, injury/injury detail, fire/fire injury, suicidal thoughts, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, self harm, dysphoria, drug use, medical content, forced institutionalization, mental illness, panic attacks, bullying, body shaming, gaslighting, abandonment, child abuse, media abuse, sexual assault, sexual content, eating disorder, body dysmorphia.

I was blown away by this book. I flew through it and could not put it down.

Castle of the Cursed is easily one of my new favorite books I’ve read this year. It’s beautifully written, with intriguing characters and a unique storyline. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC of this book!!

Estela grew up traveling all over the States with her parents. Never knowing the peace of having a home and staying in one place. When tragedy strikes and her parents die, Estela moves into a castle in Spain with an aunt she didn't even know she had. But the strange incident in which her parents died isn't the only uncanny thing she's discovering and she'll have to be on her toes if she wants to survive the curse of la Sombra.

It's more a forward-leaning 3.5 stars than the full 4 stars because it's not a fantastic read but I really enjoyed some of the things Garber incorporates into the story. Almost everything that happens in the book is incredibly obvious if you've read any YA in this genre. There were literally zero surprises when it comes to the plot, but you can't help but feel for Estela and get pulled into her story. Even knowing where things are headed, tagging along with her as she discovers one surprising truth after another kept me turning pages and that's all due to Garber's writing. The narrative just flows without you really noticing that you're 100 pages in and you can't put it down until you see how the next part will develop.

Overall, a well-written entry into the genre that suffers from oversaturation.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the read!