This was a solid four-star read for me until the last sentence. It cheapened the entire book. I don't understand what purpose it serves the overall story. How does it enhance what we've read? Spoiler: it doesn't.

I did appreciate that we dove into some cosmic horror here. I truly wasn't expecting it in a YA novel that already had paranormal/gothic elements. The magic system was pleasantly creepy, and most of the plot twists well done.

This Gothic fantasy missed the mark for me, mostly because it really wasn't truly Gothic. It had some of the elements from the castle, but it was far more of a romantasy. I feel like this story tried to explore way too many fantasy tropes at once: alternate realms, vampires, witches, blood magic, it's all just too much. It doesn't feel like this story was fleshed out very well and that the characters weren't given much thought beyond how they could benefit the main character. It was confusing but also kind of boring.

Thank you so much for the ARC, NetGalley! This was a book that I really wanted to love. I was so excited based on the description and overall plot. I found myself a little overwhelmed at times and had troubles following along with the plot. I desperately wanted to know how this book ended, though! It was full of angst, tension and mystery. I liked the vampire aspect here and found the love story to be quirky but fun.

I received an ARC by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Castle of the Cursed by Romina Garber is a contemporary YA fantasy with Gothic and horror elements. When Estela’s family and twenty-three others are killed on a subway in NewYork and she is the lone survivor, she’s sent to live with her aunt in Spain in their family castle, la Sombra. Estela struggles to adjust to her new life without her parents and in a new country where she doesn't speak the language, but the castle isn’t going to wait for her to adjust.

There’s a lot of Spanish used throughout the novel, which is great practice if you’re studying the language. Estela learns Spanish under her aunt’s instructions to become reacquainted with her ancestral hometown, Oscuro, and her own past, something that really resonated with me and my family’s experiences with language loss.

The Gothic and horror elements mostly take shape in the vampire who haunts Estela and the castle itself. I thought they were woven in in a really interesting way, particularly in how la Sombra is tied to the residents of Oscuro.

I would recommend this to readers of YA looking for a Gothic fantasy, fans of vampire romance subplots, and readers who enjoy rediscovery plotlines in their fantasy novels.

Loved this book! It was beyond creative in the world brought to life in its pages. The descriptions were vivid and at times a bit disturbing in the best way! Definitely recommend if you like a sinister light horror twist to your reads.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 40%

For me, Castle of the Cursed had an amazing cover, an intriguing premise, and a fantastic first chapter, but it really dropped off after that. The characters felt flat to me and, despite empathizing and relating to Estela's struggle (I applaud the mental health rep), I just couldn't get myself to LIKE her. She felt like a character, not a real person. When I'm reading a book, I want to be so invested in the characters and their story that I need to put the book down after an emotional scene and come back once I've gathered myself.

I don't "see" things when I read, so it's extremely important to me that the writing draws me in and paints a vivid picture. The writing wasn't bad, but it wasn't all that great. It felt extremely childish, which contributed to the scenes being rushed (some of them—others seemed to really drag on for no reason). I'd also like to point out that at 40%, we'd just seen the same three scenes over and over again. Estela goes to the bookstore for Spanish tutoring. Estela goes home and takes/sometimes pretends to take this weird pill from Beatriz. Estela wanders around the house at night (against her aunt's wishes) and meets Silas. That's it. That's all that happens, with slight variations to the outcome of the scene and the dialogue.

What I saw of the romantic interest was not it, guys. I get the tropes we're trying to fit in here, but it wasn't working for me. Also, as soon as he started mentioning other "realms," I was out. I don't know why, but I just couldn't continue after that. I liked the direction that the novel promised to go (a supernatural YA thriller), but it seemed like it was quickly becoming a fantasy. I could be wrong, since I didn't finish it, but that's the vibe I was getting.

Beatriz. I think we're supposed to hate her, but I really hated her. Not for anything she'd done, really, just the way she was written. What little I saw of her character bugged me to no end and I still don't know why. She felt like such a card-board cut-out.

After deciding I couldn't finish it, I looked at some of the other reviews, and I am honestly glad I didn't. I'm sure the plot twists could have been handled well, but I was at 40% and there was absolutely no hint of any of THAT going on. It also indicated a further departure from the supernatural thriller I'd been expecting into full-on fantasy.

However, I will say that I adored the setting. I'm neither Spanish nor Hispanic, but I lived in Spain for several years while growing up and it's the place I consider to be home. All the foods mentioned made me so nostalgic for my favorite restaurants. I feel like she also captured the very loud, very large, very close family dynamic with the bookstore guy's family (I can't remember his name, sorry), and how odd it was for Estela's family to be so estranged.

All in all, this could have been an amazing book. But the characters were flat, the on-coming plot twists felt so random, and it didn't deliver on what it promised.

Estela tragically loses both her parents in an unexplained train accident that also takes the lives of 25 in total with her being the only survivor. 7 months after their death, Estela travels to Spain to live with an aunt she had never met. The first few pages mention how her parents shut down when Estela here asks about learning Spanish (a language they would use to communicate without her understanding) and about their life in Argentina.


The first half of the book is really good, but the second half, where it gets really fast paced, is good, but so many details that are not thoroughly explained. The twists and turns of the book are amazing. However, the concept the writer was aiming for and the horror in this book were spot on. I would give this one 4 ⭐️.

I enjoyed this book, but it felt like there was too much going on and not all of it made sense. With so much happening it became slightly confusing and I think made it harder for the author to shape up some parts. Overall, I enjoyed the story, it kept me interested.

Castle of the Cursed had a mix of genres, starting with thriller, then easing more into gothic, paranormal mystery, and adding in romance. I initially didn't like this, but then as I became more and more intrigued, it grew on me. The way Romina Garber blends it together was very well done.

It was a little overwhelming at times with the secrets. I had to take breaks to flip back and forth to get it straight, which was daunting. I don't mind flipping back and forth, but sometimes I dreaded reading it in fear that I wouldn't remember something that was about to come up.

Estela was an interesting character; she is a shell of who she was before the accident, having been numbed so much in the aftermath by pills and now she's trying to reawaken herself as she solves the mysteries surrounding her. She's bold, defiant, and felt very real for an 18 year old and Romina captured the angst perfectly.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book! As part of my review, I’m giving this book 2 out of 5 stars. I honestly really wanted to like this book, the cover was super intriguing and it sounded so good, but I found myself becoming more and more disappointed as I continued to read it. The trigger warnings and content warnings at the beginning of the book were a nice heads up for what to expect outside of the synopsis and they are definitely warranted in some parts, but nothing got too dark or too… much to deter me from reading.

Before I go any further, there will be spoilers in this review, as it is tagged as such too, so just as a warning if you continue to read this (it’s quite long so I don’t blame you if you don’t). Now, I will say that as I continued to read one of the main questions I had was: what is the age of Estela? In the beginning she seems to be a young tween/teenager, but as the story progresses it seems she’s an older teenager based on some of her actions, but I can’t recall ever being told her actual age until more than halfway through the book when you find out she’s going to celebrate her 18th birthday in a few days time. This could very well just be me not paying attention or not remembering this being mentioned early on, but given some of the events of this story and Estela’s actions, I feel like her age should have been addressed a lot sooner in the book (and apologies if it was and I just completely blanked on it). Estela as a main character is actually quite interesting though. She is very flawed, she’s quite dark, she’s broken, she’s selfish and she makes mistakes. It’s nice to read a story where the main character is a woman and has all of these characteristics; they grated on my nerves sometimes, but I still found myself enjoying, for the most part, Estela.

I was not expecting the Vampire Prince aspect to happen in this story as a romance option that’s for sure or another realm either, though given how the synopsis reads, another realm isn’t too far of a stretch. I’m also not a fan of the romance in this story for the sheer reason that it took away from the plot for me; the age gap and the love interest being a vampire prince is fine, it’s just that it was all so rushed and seems so forced with no chemistry between Estela and Sebastían that took me away from it. They’ve known each other for a week and already are talking about how their feelings for each other will lead to love and then this conversation leads into a long make out session. Which, granted is pretty on brand for a teenager to think that their first feelings for someone will instantly lead to love, and especially so quickly, but for a book that’s as dark as it is and is listed as adult fantasy, I expected a little better. It’s down to just preference at this point, but personally I prefer more of a build up before any of this happens, like the characters properly getting to know each other and build a relationship over the course of a few months or longer rather than just a week. It also just really strikes me as odd and way too rushed considering a week before Estela even arrives at La Sombra and before she and Sebastían have any significant romantic interaction that Estela was mute, she wasn’t talking to anyone, she was extremely closed off and literally suicidal. Her interactions with Sebastían, in my mind, aren’t enough to warrant going from being mute and suicidal to make out sessions every night in a week’s time, talking about love and Estela calling him her boyfriend (once and completely randomly) even with everything else that’s going on. The time they’ve spent together, by the end of the book, is two weeks, two weeks and by the 13th day, Sebastían does the equivalent of his kind and proposes to Estela which then ends in them having a ritualistic ceremony (for lack of a better description) that binds them to one another; they literally get married within 14 days of knowing each other, not even Twilight was this rushed in the romance. And then, as if things couldn’t get any more rushed, the ceremony ends with them kissing, taking each others clothes off, her grabbing whatever he has between his legs (as Estela even questions if they are anatomically compatible), she asks him to kill her if her twin is even visible in her after the final battle plays out and then the chapter ends and the next begins without any mention of what just happened. The “spice,” as well as the romance is just so forced for me and just too awkward. It is just so, so, so horribly rushed that I literally laughed when the proposal, into marriage into possible sex scene happened. The “romance” in this book is just too forced for my liking and I cannot get behind it at all. There’s also a slightly spicy scene that happens later in the book (but very much so before the proposal scene) after some extremely major events happen, that just comes out of nowhere and is so unwarranted. Major spoilers, but Estela literally loses another family member and soon after finds herself in preparation for the upcoming events, but before she can properly prepare, of course, Sebastían and Estela have a little spicy moment involving ropes and then carry on as if nothing happened. I know this is the new trend with romantasy being the next big thing, but this particular “spicy” scene was so completely out of left field that I was half baffled and half sadly amused. I’m sure others will love this aspect of rushed romance between a teenager and a vampire prince and will appreciate these “spicy” scenes, but personally, it takes me out of the story completely and just comes across as being thrown in for the “spice” factor rather than that the relationship between Estela and Sebastían has grown to a point that warrants such scenes. And for anyone reading this far, the spice factor is 0.5 out of 5 stars. It really truly isn’t even all that spicy, the rope scene is the spiciest part of the whole book and is the only reason this book gets any spice rating at all.

The twist of the reveal of Estela’s uncle was so out of left field; there was no hint of an extra family member or twin brother to her aunt or anything. There was nothing leading up to the reveal to warrant it. It was just so random. It definitely has its place in the story given how the plot progresses from the big reveal, however I just wish there were more hints dropped leading up to the reveal to make it really impactful and not just coming across as totally out of nowhere. This also applies to the reveal that Estela has a twin. Now, this likely comes down to me just not cluing into things and not cluing into any possible foreshadowing that Estela does in fact have a twin, especially after the reveal that Bea and Teo are twins, but the reveal that Estela does didn’t come across well for me because of this. Maybe it’s just by the time of the reveal of Antonela I had pretty much checked out of the book, but I just didn’t feel the proper shock and awe of the twist that Antonela was the one who experienced a lot of what Estela thought she did when she was younger and that Antonela was her twin and had been sent to another realm by her uncle Teo and aunt Bea.

I found that there were some things that kept repeating that became more and more frustrating as the story continued. Like when Bea and Estela continuously try to use the syringe to restrain Teo - even after their many, many failed attempts. I can excuse the first few times as “maybe this time will work,” scenarios, but when it’s been four or five or six times or more and they continue to try it? Come on, that’s a bit excessive to keep trying the same thing when it’s clear it isn’t going to work as it hasn’t the previous times you’ve both tried. And the constant mistrust that Estela has in Sebastían. I get it, she’s broken and damaged and has lost so many people in such a short amount of time and given that her and Sebastían have only known each other for two weeks there hasn’t been enough time to properly trust each other, but the vampire literally turned his back on his own realm, as the prince! He made her his blood bound! He tells her three separate times that he’d give up everything for her, and proves it over again, and still Estela distrust him! Again, I get that this is likely because she’s 18, she’s a teenager and she’s traumatized and is dealing with so many things, but it definitely grew tiresome even though it happens over the course of two or so chapters and towards the end of the story. If anything this proves to me that this relationship isn’t actually built on anything, and is just the hormones of a teenager rather than actual emotions, but I digress.

The house actually being sentient, in a way, and being “bloodthirsty” lost me, it really did. And again, given the synopsis, it’s a dead giveaway that this was going to happen, but I did not expect it to be so literal. Same with there being all these other realms and monsters/creatures; it’s not abnormal for a fantasy novel, it’s just that, in this novel, nothing pointed to other realms and monsters/creatures for me. Obviously with Sebastían there’s the argument from the beginning that he’s from another realm, as I stated earlier in my review, but given that this version of Earth deals with magic in some regard, it’s easy to also assume that Sebastían is simply from Earth and not also from another realm. I think if there was more clues and/or lead ups to other realms existing than I probably would have been more okay with this revelation, but there wasn’t and so I felt myself become completely taken out of the book and my read when I came to this part.

The author writes in the big climactic ending (I was actually disappointed in how the final battle played out) that Estela’s “hope and resilience” are what powers she has that her twin Antonela fears, but I don’t see that at all. Literally a paragraph before this revelation, Estela is ready to give up, to let Antonela win, to let Antonela rule and create a new world on Earth all because their uncle Teo will love Antonela unconditionally while Estela has “no one.” But then Estela sees Sebastían and suddenly she’s filled with love again and remembers that Sebastían is her blood bound and that he loves her and then Estela gets up and fights against her sister again. Estela had literally given up. Like, she was done. Throwing in the towel. Admitting defeat. Fading away so that Antonela could claim her body for her own. Estela was done. By the end of the book she doesn’t have any hope or resilience, she’s just fueled by her love (regardless of my feelings on it) for Sebastían and that’s what drives her. To me, her love for Sebastían is what Antonela actually fears, not this so-called hope and resilience of Estela.

Overall, this review is largely negative and I do feel bad, but this book just wasn’t it for me. Like I said, I wanted to enjoy it, the cover is stunning, the synopsis intriguing, the concept interesting, but it all just fell apart for me as I continued to read it. I’m sure many others will enjoy this gothic, supernatural romantasy book, but unfortunately I am not one of them.

I was pleasantly surprised with this book, I’m not usually a fan of vampires (and I’m really trying to, ever since playing Baldurs Gate 3). This book felt very fast paced which I enjoyed. The love story was a little too much of a insta love for me, but they were still cute. The storyline was interesting and was easy to follow. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

What a strange book this was. It was not at all what I was expecting and I am still not sure if I liked it lol. I will say that it was very unique in some ways but also felt a lot like some other vampire books in other ways! I was super engaged until the other worlds and dimensions were mentioned- that just seemed like too much in a book that’s was already too much.

I would like to first thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. I greatly appreciate it!

"Castle of the Cursed" is a unique story that does not stick to just one genre. What first feels to be a detective novel, swiftly becomes something of a gothic romance with subtle blends of horror. Right from the start, the reader is immersed and it becomes difficult to put it down. There were certain aspects of the story that felt random and unexplained, as if I had picked up the second book of a series while not having read the first. The number of days this story occurred was unrealistic, which, in my personal opinion, took away the story's potential. If the timeline was expanded, the story would've had more room to breathe and grow into something greater. However, at the end of the day, I loved this story for its entertaining purposes and even for the romance.

The gothic vibes were really cool! And omg the plot twists were totally unexpected and good, they really elevated the story!

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for giving me the chance to read an ARC of this book! I had such a fun time reading this book. It was such a fast-paced, adventurous, mysterious journey and it kept. my full attention from the second I started it. Every single time I thought I knew what was going to happen next I was proven wrong. A very great read!

A YA gothic fantasy following 17 year old Estela as she uncovers the mysteries of her past, makes new friends, and even falls in love. Her parents were nomads, never staying anywhere too long. One day, Estela is on a train of 26 people, including her parents, when the other 25 suddenly drop dead. She is institutionalized and eventually ends up going to live with an estranged aunt in Spain. Repressed memories rise to the surface and Estela works to figure out what's real and who she can trust.
For fans of vampires and insta-love. Young readers will be able to find parts of themselves in Estela as she navigates emotions and hormones, and finding where she belongs. Some of the plot is a bit predictable, but the excitement persists throughout. The pacing slows as the story progresses, but I think that's to be expected given how we start the story. Romina Garber gives trigger warnings at the start of this book - which I do recommend younger readers review. Overall, I found it to be an exciting and engaging YA gothic.

After a tragedy, Estela has to move to a family castle with an aunt she doesn't know, in a town whose language she doesn't' speak, while deep in grief and experiencing mutism. The aunt? Creepy. The castle? Creepy.

This is a rare book where I really wish I'd known MORE going into it than I did. I was completely taken in by the first few chapters. Romina Garber can write a story and she can set a mood. I was fascinated with the idea of a protagonist who can't speak.

Even during the very early US parts of the book where I didn't know the story would take place in Argentina, I wondered if this was written in translation because the phrasing and tone was very distinct and I was so there for it. (It is NOT a translation, but the author speaks several language).

Anyway, once the plot actually started moving towards the romance and 'our heroes vs those who want to stop them' things changed for me as a reader. It's funny, I don't like it when books are advertised by their tropes in theory. Yet I think if I'd known I was settling in for a YA vampire romance I'd have been able to accept the transition from big gothic mystery to more of a genre mismatch a little more easily. DNF at 40%, I peeked in at several places beyond that and the story does seem to move quite a lot and seems frankly kinda wild. But-- frankly -- I didn't have enough interest in Sebastian or the very fast love story to want to move forward.

I'd absolutely read something else from this author.

Thank you for the ARC to NetGalley & St Martin's Press.

Please note: read the content warning in the beginning of the book prior to starting to read!

Estela, the only survivor of a horrific accident, travels to live with her aunt in a Spanish castle, la Sombra. But soon after Estela arrives she realizes a silver-eyed boy she’s been dreaming of since the accident is in the castle: and only she can see him.

The opening of the story was intriguing. I found myself unable to put the book down as Estela traveled to la Sombra and met her aunt and the mysterious and sometimes creepy townspeople. Estela’s relationship with Sebastian is compelling, and each piece of the puzzle falling into place kept me reading until I reached the next reveal.

The real stars of this story are the food and the setting. Please don’t read without a snack because the incredible descriptions will make you hungry. The castle, la Sombra, is a character of its own. I loved every scene where Estela was exploring it.

I didn’t see either of the big twists in the story coming, and it gave me several jump scares. If you’ve always wanted Twilight meets Crimson Peak, you’re sure to enjoy this read.
Overall this was a darkly romantic page turner with an ending I will not forget!

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the earc.

Castle of the Cursed
by Romina Garber
Pub Date: 30 Jul 2024

THE HOUSE IS ALWAYS HUNGRY…

After a mysterious attack claims the lives of her parents, all Estela has left is her determination to solve the case. Suffering from survivor’s guilt so intense that she might be losing her grip on reality, she accepts an invitation to live overseas with an estranged aunt at their ancestral Spanish castle, la Sombra.

Beneath its gothic façade, la Sombra harbors a trove of family secrets, and Estela begins to suspect her parents’ deaths may be linked to their past. Her investigation takes a supernatural turn when she crosses paths with a silver-eyed boy only she can see. Estela worries Sebastián is a hallucination, but he claims he’s been trapped in the castle. They grudgingly team up to find answers and as their investigation ignites, so does a romance, mistrust twined with every caress.

As the mysteries pile up, it feels to Estela like everyone in the tiny town of Oscuro is lying and that whoever was behind the attack has followed her to Spain. The deeper she ventures into la Sombra’s secrets, the more certain she becomes that the suspect she’s chasing has already found her . . . and they’re closer than she ever realized.

I really enjoyed Romina Garber's new title. I want to give a -SPOILER FREE- review to give anyone who reads this a good chance. It is fast paced and highly immersive. You can always count on Romina Garber to make her stories diverse and addictive (If you happened to have read Lobizona, yk) After the main character, Estela, experiences a traumatic and life altering event, she moves to Spain with a long lost aunt, to a dark ancestral castle called LA SOMBRA ( the shadow) ,where she learns she has lived in the dark about the truth of her family for too long. If you liked Starling House, this one's for you- but it is fast paced. Really hope you'll enjoy it!