I genuinely liked the premise of this book -- girl with sick mother always scrambling to make ends meet finds out she's the heiress to a wealthy philanthropist and inherits a strange house in a weird town. However, this read like a slightly altered Darkfever to me. Instead of Fae, we have witches; instead of whatever Barrons was we have vampires. The issues I had with Mac as a main character I also had with Zo. Despite caring for her always sick mother, Zo is a very self centered character. Her entire personality is anger, sex, and more anger. She's a very manic character which I think was supposed to show her grief, but it didn't feel genuine. The story moved at a fairly slow pace and then sprinted to the finish and ended on a predictable cliffhanger. The dialogue felt off in various places and I think it could definitely do with another editing pass. I'm undecided if I will continue on with the series, even if I am curious as to how it will all play out.

My Honest Review
The House At Watch Hill
By Karen Marie Moning

What an interesting read. I did enjoy reading it but can definitely tell this is a start to a series so felt like there were so so many more questions and half answered responses. However, there was fair share of cringy moments and MFC felt a bit flat for me. More than likely I’ll follow up with the next one.

📚Expected Release October 1, 2024📚
Thank you William Morrow, NetGalley, & the brilliant author Karen Marie Moning. I’m super appreciative for the opportunity.📚

I loved Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series and was hoping to love this book too. Unfortunately, it was barely “okay”.

Zo has lived a nomadic life, seemingly always on the run from an unknown threat with her sick mother. When a tragic fire takes her mom’s life, something awakens in Zo. Before she can explore it or grieve her mother’s death, she is contacted by a lawyer who says she is the heir to millions and a home in an idyllic town in Louisiana. She travels there to discover that the inheritance comes with many strings and begins to learn about her witchy roots.

The first 25% of the book moved at a good pace and was engaging. It dragged a bit in the middle and seemed to be gearing up to something at the end, but instead of even a small resolution/revelation, it ended on a cliffhanger and not even a good one. Some of the dialogue seemed stiff and the chapters were far too long (personal preference - but 30 minute chapters feel like they drag and is too long between stopping points to talk myself into “just one more chapter”). The story was told mostly from Zo’s POV, but there was an occasional chapter thrown in from an “Alisdair” but we never learn who this is or how they are connected to Zo or her story. Overall, this isn’t the caliber of book I was expecting from Karen Marie Moning. 2.75⭐️

This one was just fine. It really felt like it took awhile to get started only to end on a cliffhanger. It was pretty cookie cutter. Still love and will always read KMM!

Zo Grey, twenty-four years old and alone in the world, has just lost her mother in a gruesome way. She has no family left, or so Zo thought, when she is contacted by a lawyer in the rural town of Divinity, Louisiana, regarding an inheritance of a huge manor house and its attendant fortune. Zo is in a very dark place having been devoted to her mother who constantly moved them from place to place during her childhood. Drowning in grief and debt from her mother’s illness, Zo takes what seems like a lifeline leaving dark and dreary Indiana for the sultry, swampy, and mysterious environs of what may be her new home.

As soon as Zo arrives, things get really strange especially in the mansion that dominates the town. Not only is it huge, but Watch Hill has more secrets than can seem possible. Menacing forces are at work and most stunning to Zo, she finds out that the supernatural world is not just a fairy tale or in this case, a possible horror story. Zo is dragged into a strange environment with rules she does not understand and pushed unknowingly into her nascent witch powers.

This first book in this new series reads like a horror gothic Women’s Fiction with a witchy feel. Zo is so depressed and angry from the major loss as well as freaked out by her new environment that it takes some time get to know her beyond the turmoil of her emotions. This story, with its high angst level, has quite a bit of internal monologue that bogs it down at times. While this is a new trilogy, there is a connection to one of the author’s previous series especially since the founders of the town are of Celtic origins. The story has a slow build to get to the action; fair warning, this first book ends on a cliffhanger.

I absolutely loved this book! Karen has been one of my favorite authors for years and this book is on par with her other series I love. It had lots of world building but each detail seemed important and not just fluff. The twist at the end has me begging for the next book already!

"The House at Watch Hill" by Karen Marie Moning is a hauntingly atmospheric tale that weaves together mystery, romance, and the supernatural. Set in a secluded mansion with a dark past, the story captivates with its eerie setting and the slowly unraveling secrets of its characters. Moning's lyrical writing and ability to build suspense make this book a mesmerizing and unforgettable read.

If someone is looking for witchy vibes this would definitely be a good choice to pick up.

Our main character, Zo, lives a hard life working multiple jobs just to make ends meet and on top of everything she is dealing with, she is caring for her mother who has several forms of cancer that aren’t able to be cured.
After a house fire that claims her mothers life she is called by a lawyer who claims she is a relative to someone who has recently passed and is left not only a mansion but a fortune of money and assets. With nothing left for her where she lives she decides to follow up on the mysterious call and find out not only what she inherited but how she has a distant relative she’s never heard of. As she uncovers more about her inheritance she also will unearth her powers and why she never knew she was born a witch.

Overall this is a tough book to rate for me. The places it bode well for me was I did enjoy the ending (even if predictable) but it makes me really wish I could just open up the second book right away. I also felt that the descriptions of some of the places Zo visits were detailed in such a way I could visualize it exactly as it should be.

Many parts just fell flat for me though. I felt the writing itself could have been polished more. The characters themselves need way more detail. I think had this been the type of book to have pictures it would have been better to have pictures commissioned of the places (ex. The mansion or the clubs) and use that space instead for character development.

The book didn’t start picking up until about the 50-60 percent mark. It made it really hard to get into. Getting that far into the book, to basically have just slightly more info than the back of the book could give wasn’t a great feeling. And then to be left on a cliffhanger made it feel like this trilogy could have been one really good bigger book. Some places are really wordy and three books definitely could’ve been just one book and then maybe some novellas or books that focus the other characters POV.

The character herself wasn’t super lovable for me. And adding in the vocab not many people would know was jarring (we don’t learn why until pretty late in the book but still). The way words were placed and used just seemed forced.

My biggest irk would be on top of it all we get random dialogue from future Zo, as in everything we are reading already happened. To me it means that the issues we face don’t feel as real because we know she will make it out the other side alive and alright.

I do think books two and three will be better. And I would definitely read them. Overall I’m just left unsatisfied with book one but I do love the trajectory we are headed and what secrets Zo will uncover next.

(There is lots of talk about lust and sex in the book but the “sex scenes” aren’t very detailed or steamy. It’s a .5/5 spice level).

(Lastly one thing that still really bothers me is female empowerment is woven through the book- amazing! - so why then do we tear down two random girls just going about their day at the beginning of the book? This stuck with me and is still eating at me).

Characters: 2/5 stars
Plot: 2/5 stars
Writing: 2/5 stars
Overall: 3/5 stars

I’ve read many books by Karen Marie Moning and I don’t think its possible for her to write a bad book, or for me to give her one. Lol The woman can world build like no one’s business and she writes in a way that always makes the readers want more. She takes a strong FMC and evolves them into something so much more and I will always seek out her books.
I want to thank the publisher and Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this book. I like the trope of an average joe (jill) having the unknown relative & inheriting something, plus I like the trope of finding magic power/coming into magic power, especially if it had been hidden...so yay for both. I did not realize it was part of a series, so I was deeply bummed at the end cliffhanger. I had tons of questions. I hope the mfc gets plenty more answers as well, and hopefully mends her friendship with Este. I also hope the person who was severely injured at the end is not truly down for the count. Alisdair talking throughout was weird to me because we never really "met" him (is he Rufus the owl, or maybe the stag?)/figured how he fit in with the bigger picture. I think the phone conversations were odd too. I realize that's likely intentional now since there is more than one book. I see it's supposed to be a trilogy. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC opportunity. I was excited to read a new story from KMM!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Okay my gothic/witchy/mystery/haunted house readers…this one released October 1st and is for YOU.

Zo Gray and her mother have been on the run her whole life, that she can remember. At 24, the last decade of Zo’s life has been filled with working multiple jobs and racking up debt over her mother’s medical bills. When her mother passed away in a tragic house fire, Zo feels lost.
Not long after the fire, she is contacted about a distant relative who has left her their estate. She travels from Indiana to New Orleans to meet with the attorney over the details and hopefully learn about this relative she never knew existed.
As she arrives in this seemingly hidden town, she feels weird things happening but can’t explain them. And the stipulations over this estate? Absolutely weird. She must reside in The House on Watch Hill for three years to receive the $147m inheritance as well as the mansion. And when I say mansion, I mean gothic, spooky, and living. By live there, she’s not allowed to spend more than one month of nights away from the estate per year, and she’s allowed one overnight visitor twice a month for 48 hours.
Zo takes the deal, because she has nothing to lose anymore. But the longer she resides and explores the mansion, the more she questions her heritage, who she really is, whether her mother knew about this, and what they spent her whole life running from.
And the men she finds herself surrounded and protected by? Grab an ice pack, ladies.
And that cliffhanger?? Book one hasn’t even released yet and I NEED book two…

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER
As a fantasy reader, I’m accustomed to the first in the series setting the world. I feel like the author did well with this. However, I dove into this for the gothic, haunted house and wish there were more thrilling revelations from the house included with the gothic descriptions. I am hoping more takes place in book two.

I wish that Balfour and Este would have done more to help Zo discover herself. Once her powers were revealed, her mistakes should have been approached rather than covered up so they could help her on the path of the light. I feel confident we will learn more about what her mother was hiding her from in book two.

As far as the ending, I did find myself suspecting the “who” in the cliffhanger as events unfolded, but I’m still excited for where this leads.

Thank you NetGalley, Harper Collins Publishing, and Karen Marie Moning for this ARC and the opportunity to provide a voluntary review.

I really enjoyed the world building but this is the first in what is going to be a trilogy so it’s slow going and definitely leaves you with more questions than answers. You get excerpts from future Zo which eludes to things that haven’t happened yet that are bad but we don’t actually get to in this. I like how she starts discovering her powers and that her mom hid a bunch of secrets about who they were. So I am intrigued about what will happen next and can’t wait for book 2.

Thanks to William Morrow and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

Holy S@&$ KMM can write. And she writes a beautiful, atmospheric, novel with a strong FMC at the center. Karen can take all my money as I will forever be a fan and forever thankful to the friend that introduced me to her books. That ending though… I’m gonna need the second book real quick.

Brand new series by the wonderful Karen Marie Moning!!! Loved The Fever series by KMM and could not wait to get my hands on this new series by her!!!
Zo Grey has always been struggling working 3 jobs and trying to take care of her mother who’s dying of cancer. Yet she has always felt like she was missing something. That something is she’s the sole heir to a huge gothic mansion and a fortune. However, there are stipulations to receive this fortune, she must live in the house by herself for 3 years.
I really enjoyed this book, it did start off slow and the details at times seemed to be a little much, but loved the story of witches light, dark and grey. This book does leave on a cliffhanger and I’m dying to know what happens to Zo in the rest of the series!!!

ARC courtesy of NetGalley. I’ve been a fan of Karen Marie Moning for nearly 20 years, from her time-traveling Highlanders to the Fever series, so I was beyond excited to dive into her new series with The House at Watch Hill. This book brings a more mature, refined writing style that fans of the Fever series will appreciate. KMM is a master at giving us so much while keeping just enough hidden to leave us craving more.

One of the things I loved most was how the narrator constantly brings in reality checks when her younger self does something oh so dumb—haven’t we all reflected on our past selves like that? The gothic horror setting is pitch-perfect, making The House at Watch Hill feel like a character in its own right.

The story weaves together classic elements: an orphan stumbling into a wealthy birthright, a spooky house, magic, and dark, mysterious men. It all comes together in a way that’s both captivating and thrilling. Starting this series was so much fun, and I can’t wait to see where KMM takes us next!

The House At Watch Hill is a promising start to a new trilogy and introduces the dark, mysterious new world of Divinity, Louisiana.

Top notch southern gothic atmosphere, witchy elements, a multi layered plot, and a strong sense of anticipation for where the story will go once it fully gains momentum had me finishing this book in less than 24 hours. This is very much a world building book, which I wasn't expecting. Once I mentally adjusted my expectations and settled in to begin gathering the hints and clues for what will be a multi book story, I enjoyed my time in Divinity. 

A few things held me back from giving a higher rating. Some sections felt repetitive, too drawn out, and the overall pacing lagged as a result. Zo was a frustrating character.  She often had me rolling my eyes and desperate to see some character growth and maturity. Admittedly, I can see my opinions changing for the better once I read all books in the series and see a complete picture instead of just a few pieces.

I'd have loved more story progression and answers than we're given, but this is clearly only part 1 of a much larger story and the beginning of Zo's journey. The world has been introduced, and the stage is set. I suspect everyone and trust nobody, which I suspect is exactly where the author wants us to be. I can't wait to see where book 2 takes us!

Inheriting a mansion might sound like a dream come true, but there is something different about this house!

After her mother’s death, Zo Grey finds herself adrift, with no family, no home, and no hope. A call from a lawyer in changes everything when she learns that she’s the heir to a fortune and a mansion!

The catch? She must live in the house, alone, for three years before she can claim her inheritance.

She quickly discovers that the mansion is more than just an old house. It’s filled with secrets, strange happenings, and a connection to Zo’s past that she never could have imagined.

This book was one of my most anticipated reads, and it did not disappoint! The author’s previous series was a favorite of mine, so I had high expectations going in, and I’m thrilled to say this story delivered on all fronts.

The plot was gripping, with just the right amount of creepy, Gothic vibes that kept me turning the pages! It was a perfect fall read!

If you’re a fan of Gothic fiction, this book is a must-read!!

Thank you NetGalley and Williams Morrow for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this book, but the writing wasn’t doing it for me and the FMC was irritating and immature despite her circumstances. I DNFd this book

*3.5 STARS*

Content Warning: death, violence, death of parent, illness

I was obsessed with Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series so I was very curious to see what this new series would be about. Here are my thoughts:

Likes:

*I really enjoyed the world building especially because it’s centered around a town and a monstrosity of a house. There is a lot of mystery about the town and the house itself. It’s dark and fits the vibe of something bad coming. I like the paranormal themes of the story and we have witches and vampires and who knows what else as the series continues. I usually find mysteries slow but I was mostly engrossed in this one.

*Zo is a fighter. Her mom just died and it’s turned her world upside down. She’s now supposedly the heir to a fortune, but that’s not all. There are conditions of her inheritance and she finds out there’s is more to the town than what is presented. We learn a lot about her upbringing by her stories of struggle and I don’t necessarily feel like I know a lot about her to like her, but I admire her strength in taking care of her mom. She’s a woman who has learned not to make connections with people, because she never had a chance to do so.

*There are a a lot players in this story and I can’t say I have a good grasp on any of them yet. But many of them are intriguing. Este, seems like Zo’s only friend. The rest of the cast is untrustworthy at this point of the story.

Dislikes:

*Nothing much happens in this book except it’s building the story for whatever is coming. I didn’t mind that so much until the second half of the book when I wanted Zo to stop wallowing in her thoughts so much. But there are conditions to her will and she has a lot of waiting to do – that makes us wait as an audience too. When Zo sleeps with men, we don’t get any real details, it’s more telling than showing and I hope that changes in book two.

*I thought with how the beginning was written that the house was sentient and it would have been cool if it was! But it’s not (at least so far), it’s got weird energy though, that’s for sure, and I have to say there is a lot of detail about the house which I thought was nice. I love the darkness of the atmosphere but yeah, a sentient house would have been very interesting.


My Thoughts:

This book has the best vibes for fall reading and that’s actually what kept me reading. It’s dark, mysterious, and there are plenty of secrets and also so many sexy men. But I feel like not much happened in this book except for laying the groundwork for what’s to come. I feel like Zo is strong which is admirable but she was also about to hurt the one person she has on her side. So clearly she needs help and control and it will be interesting to see who she can actually trust going forward. So I’ll be waiting for book two and hope we get so much more out of this story because it has so much potential to be amazing. I have lots of questions so I hope we get answers in the next book.

"𝙁𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙣𝙤 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙕𝙤 𝙂𝙧𝙚𝙮, 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧."

We were 𝗘𝗖𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗖 to receive this ARC from NetGalley! We are the biggest KMM fans and could not wait to dive into this new world of hers. This review will be as spoiler free as we can make it!

When we first meet Zo, she's at the lowest point in her life. She works tirelessly just to have medicine, food, and shelter for her and her ill mother. Then the absolute worst thing imaginable happens and suddenly, literally 𝘴𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺, she inherits this large estate. How...𝙘𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙡. She was homeless, with no money, nothing she could call hers. And out of the blue, a long lost relative passes away and leaves her not only a house, not only a fortune, but something much bigger than she could have ever imagined.

"....𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙠, 𝙨𝙡𝙪𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙩. 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙚. 𝙆𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙢𝙚. 𝙇𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙚."

The sheer scale of this house, and even the grounds, are nearly impossible to imagine. If KMM has taught us anything in the past, it is that nothing is ever 𝗝𝗨𝗦𝗧 as it seems. 𝗔 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲. It has secrets that Zo is determined to figure out, whether it wants her to or not.

We want to say so many spoilery thoughts about certain characters, but we will leave you to make your own decisions about them.

This book was a little spooky, a little gothic, and a lot witchy. It has KMM's signature style and intelligence, along with the strategic evasiveness we have come to love from her. No one can keep us guessing quite like Karen. We absolutely recommend this, not only to KMM fans, but for those wanting a bewitching read!

"𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙡 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙣 𝙘𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙛, 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙛 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙢𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙚, 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣 𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙡𝙮 𝙜𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙙."


Thank you NetGalley!