She stood in the middle of the gallery, studying the sculpture in front of her. Its lines were sharp, its angles harsh, the ominous aura surrounding it overtaking every one of her senses. Something wasn’t right with this piece.

The Estate is a thriller following Camille, a woman working in the prestigious art world. Camille has a special gift when it comes to observing and appraising art… a power that sets her apart from everyone else.

While this is marketed as a thriller, I would categorize it as a literary suspense with magical realism instead. It’s not your typical thriller, but instead explores the darkness in the art world and the emotion artists can evoke with their work. I found myself immersed in this story and even with the incorrect marketing, I still found it to be a good read. I didn’t always love the decisions the main character made, but the exploration of friendship and the love found in that type of relationship really made me connect with the characters in the end.

If you like books dealing with art/artists, magical realism, suspense with a romantic aspect, and a haunting atmosphere… then I’d recommend trying this one.

Many different topics evolve in this book and are equally given due. It is an intriguing plot with suspense in every chapter. I was left guessing right up until the end. Sarah Jost has written an unraveling mystery I would recommend to any avid reader.

The Estate is a dark magical thriller set in the world of art in France.

Camille is a well-known art specialist and auctioneer. She specializes in French sculpture and has studied Constance Sorel's work extensively . Sorel is thought of as just a muse for the better-known Bouisseau, but Camille is determined to make her a household name as well.

Camille has a gift - she can enter the world of any art piece she chooses. She can see what the artist put of themselves in the work. When a new Sorel piece is discovered, Camille enters the piece and thinks it is a fake. She accidentally pulls someone else in with her, and the woman is hospitalized. Camille is fired and goes home to regroup.

A collector and member of the French art world, Maxime, invites her to his estate to authenticate some Sorels they have. She has met him a few times before, once in their childhood, when she first learned of her gift. He lives near the Arthurian landmarks, and the sculptures he found are from that mythology. They don't feel quite right either, but soon Camille is enmeshed in the estate where Maxime and his family live, and their history. Sorel lived there once, with Maxime's ancestors, and Camille loses herself in her story. What happened to her here?

This book will keep you guessing and uncertain about what is real, what is right, and what Camille should do. I didn't want to put it down!

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book.

Thank you so much Sourcebooks Landmark for the gifted e-arc.

I was sold on this one by the cover and synopsis and the fact that this is compared to THE CARTOGRAPHERS which is a favorite book of mine.

Sadly, I just couldn't get into it and struggled with this one. I wish I had something better to say and hope this is a success!

This book is out now!

I think I'm still wrapping my head around this work of speculative fiction that takes place in the art world and is part Discovery of Witches and part #metoo movement. This book requires you to extend your belief, but if you can the payoff is very satisfying.

Camille is an art world wunderkind. She helps her clients make exorbitant amounts of money through their art sales. Her superpower? She can actually transport herself into the art and project the artist's emotions and feelings. Camille has been able to keep her hidden talent in check until she comes across what she believes to be a forgery of not just any artist, but an artist for whom she has long held an obsession. One slip of her carefully placed mask has Camille ostracized from the world on which she has built her whole life.

Enter Maxime, a man from Camille's past that she has lusted after. He invites her to his chateau in France- the place where Camille's beloved artist created the sculptures she has long studied, including the sculpture she tanked her career over, Night Swimming. Not only is there an offer of the chance to be close to Maxime, there is an opportunity to further understand what drove the passion behind Night Swimming- and maybe find the actual piece itself. What Camille is pulled into is larger than herself and puts her in a damned if you do and damned if you don't position, where- surprise, surprise- the men hold all the power.

I enjoyed the overall theme of the novel and the references and inside peeks inside the art world. I had trouble connecting with Camille when she dove into the pieces of art as I couldn't really visualize what the author was portraying. I know this is likely a me issue and not a writing issue, which is why this book won't be for everyone. But if you can take the deeper meaning from the book and you are a lover of art, you will find this a propulsive and satisfying read that will live rent free in your mind for a while.

Thank you, Sourcebooks, for providing me with a complimentary copy of The Estate in exchange for an honest review.

Camille has worked tirelessly to achieve success in the art world as an expert in her field. She possesses a unique gift: the ability to immerse herself in artwork and perceive the emotional and mental state of the artist behind it. Camille has studied Constance Sorel’s work extensively and is considered an authority on her art.

At a work presentation featuring The Night Swim for sale, Camille shocks her colleagues by declaring that the piece is merely a copy, not an original by Constance. This outburst costs her her job.

Soon after, Camille is invited to Maxime’s estate—a place that holds sentimental value for her mother and evokes childhood memories for Camille. Maxime has discovered artwork he believes to be Constance’s and asks Camille to authenticate, appraise, and prepare the pieces for sale. Camille agrees to stay at the estate for a few weeks to take on this intriguing project.

The plot of this story is fascinating, with an eerie and dark atmosphere that adds a lot to the reading experience. I thoroughly enjoyed this aspect of the book. However, I felt that some parts dragged and didn’t fully hold my interest. Additionally, I struggled to feel a strong connection to Camille at times.

Overall, I found the book engaging and would recommend it to readers who enjoy atmospheric stories with intriguing mysteries.

Art historian Camille Leray has done well in her career at an upscale auction house as a specialist in French sculpture. She has been singularly focused on the work of an artist named Constance Sorel, who is mostly known as the “muse” as a more famous male artist named Boisseau. Camille is passionate about, almost obsessed with, Sorel’s work and aims to bring more attention to her.

When a statue thought to be Sorel’s lost masterpiece is found and put on sale at Camille’s auction house, she loses her job when she makes a scene about it not being Sorel’s. She can’t share one vital piece of information that makes her reaction make sense: Camille has a gift of sorts, which allows her to enter a piece of art and see its past, feel emotions about it, know about those who created it or owned it. This secret gift has given her a lot of advantages in her work, but now it has ruined her career.

When she gets the opportunity to go to a gorgeous old estate in France to assess statues that may have been sculpted by Sorel, Camille jumps at it. It could save her career.

What complicates matters, at the same time as making the opportunity more enticing, is who owns the estate: the family of Maxime Foucault. She has been fascinated by Maxime for years and hoped for a relationship with him. Now she will be staying at the old chateau with him as she does her work.

It seems that she could achieve everything she had ever wanted: prestige, wealth, love with a man she has admired. But things are not as they seem at the estate. Camille will have to be very careful as she navigates layers of secrets and temptations.

The Estate has many of the elements that satisfy me in a book: a gothic feel, mystery and secrets, intrigue, magical realism, references to Arthurian legend (the chateau is in Brittany, near the forest of Broceliande). I enjoyed the book and how the elements came together. I found myself talking to our heroine, urging her to do or not do certain things, because the stakes were high. I’m not sure I loved all of it (and some didn’t quite work the way I wanted it to or thought would be best), but it was overall a good read.

DNF :( I just could not get into this one. I think Kindle made it challenging because the formatting was bit off at times. The premise still sounds interesting and I would definitely try again in the future, however, in this moment, this book wasn't for me.

Unfortunately this book captured my attention but wasn’t able to keep it. I was not a fan of the storyline or characters. Thank you for the advanced copy

This book started out really good like so good I stop adulting for a few hours but the book fell apart for me in the middle.

The main character Camille annoyed me and it got worse and worse as things went on. I didn't really like any of the characters to be honest. I thought the ending might save it... It didn't. I thought the writing quality was decent but it seemed like it was trying to sensationalize where it didn't need to and it didn't sit well with me.

I felt less may have been more here and was a bit disappointed in the end.

3 stars

After sitting on this review for a while, I just can't rate this any higher. It falls squarely into the art thriller category with books like The Goldfinch and The Berninin Bust, but the repetitive writing and unnecessary romantic aspect really took away from the already difficult to follow storyline. Throw in the paranormal aspect and I'm out.

The Estate is all about the art world but with suspense, an intensity and some magical powers. A woman, fired from her job as an art historian, returns to a French chateau she visited as a child, to help the owner appraise some sculptures by a famous artist who disappeared. Or so she thought. First of all, she has magical powers and can immerse herself into the art and the artists. Second, there is drama and suspense in the chateau that sucks her in. This book was so different than my norm and I found myself fully immersed into the story. Reality and imagination were blurred, secrets were revealed and I was guessing the truth until the very end.

This was one of those very slow burn books that inevitably loses me. I found it difficult to really get into and to stick with.

However, I'm just not the right reader for this book. I know others will find it perfect for them.

As always, thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to have an advanced ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm giving it 3⭐️ because I know it has a good plot, and I wish I could've stuck with it.

I tried hard to get into this story but just couldn’t. I wasn’t able to connect with the characters although I was intrigued by the plot. For me it was the flow of the story that felt off. Also wasn’t a big ban of the MC. Still would recommend others give it a shot but it wasn’t for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Set mostly in 2018 at D’Arvor Castle in Brittany, France. Camille Leroy is a French Sculpture Specialist who has a special interest in Constance Sorel. Constance Sorel produced some famous works of sculpture before she died in 1923, and Camille has helped verify works sculptured by Constance.

Camille has a special skill where she can experience a connection with a piece of art and feel what the artist was feeling at the time the art was produced.

Camille is invited to stay at D’Arvor Castle in Brittany to assess some sculptures that are believed to have been works created by Constance Sorel.

I loved the descriptions of D’Arvor Castle and the way Camille experienced the feelings of an artist.

This was about artists, supernatural experiences, secrets and family relationships/

I had very mixed feelings while reading this one. I found myself quite bored at times, but intrigued enough to keep going. The concept was definitely unique and interesting, but also quite odd at times. I just had to find out where the story was going. I am glad I stuck it out, as I enjoyed the ending. Overall though I’m not sure it’s one I would recommend.

This is the telling not showing Final Boss. I thought the premise was interesting, but the amount of info dumping would have gotten the author eviscerated in a college intro to creative writing class. The writing style and overall atmosphere reminded me of Deborah Harnesses' Discovery of Witches, especially in the slow burn nature of both plot and romance. I enjoy stories that explore complex family dynamics in an enclosed location - the titular estate provided a great staging group for the slow familial implosion. However, the telling now showing piece seriously grated on my reading experience, and I can't say I'd recommend this to others bothered by this particular conceit.

Sarah Jost very convincingly combines themes involving art, obsession, class, and gender politics within a speculative mystery in THE ESTATE. The book takes place in two timeframes, current and several generations past. In modern day London, Camille Leray, an expert on the sculpture of a woman artist from the past, spectacularly flares out. While in the midst of a breakdown, she is invited to a castle to authenticate some sculptures. The castle, and the family who owns it, have ties to both Camille and the suspected sculptor. What Camille finds, as she falls under the spell of the castle's owners and occupants, is a darkly dangerous plot to use her talents in the service of greed and social striving of the aristocracy.

Camille's talent is the ability to truly get into the minds and worlds of artists whose work she analyzes. There's a bit of fairy tale to the plot, but it's more darkly gothic than lightly magical. As Camille confronts the consequences of familial trauma and male misogynistic dominance, she further develops her skills as a means to protect herself and others.

This is a complex mystery with strong characterization and an almost palpable atmosphere. The plot is compelling, the characters well developed, the setting transportative, and the integration of art fascinating. I found this hard to put down and will definitely be watching to see what Jost brings us next.

Art historian Camille Leray has spent her career surrounding herself with fineries and selling pieces worth millions. But she harbors a secret: she has the ability to enter the world of any piece of artwork, and she can take others with her. But tapping into history comes with great risks. And someone has been watching, someone who knows about her magic, and her mistakes...

After Camille ruins her career and reputation by misusing her powers, she vows to get her old life back. So when Maxime Foucault, an enigmatic aristocrat who owns a sprawling French estate, enlists her help in authenticating the statues of a mysterious artist, whose disappearance she has been trying to solve for years, she knows this could be her chance to turn her career around and get the man she's always wanted.

But something isn't right about the family and the grand chateau they inhabit, and as Camille gets sucked into its walls, she finds a world of luxury and greed that causes her to risk losing herself, and everything she has ever known.

The premise is something I've never read before. Unfortunately it was hard to get into the story. The present tense narration didn't work for me.
The.story is creative but I'm not the right reader for it.

The Estate by follows Camille Leray, who is an art historian who has sold art for millions. She holds a dangerous secret, though. She can enter the pictures and take people with her. Someone has been watching that wants to destroy her. She is fired after she misuses her magic. After a few weeks of wallowing, she is contacted by a man from her past to go to her families estate and evaluate a few sculptures. Her past is not what it seems.
This was a very highly entertaining and atmospheric novel about the nature of art. This was a very suspenseful and creative story, and I could see all the fictitious works of art in my mind. I was very impressed and would definitely recommend it.💕