The Estate by Sarah Jost sounded intriguing from the description.
Camille is an art expert with a hidden gift by which she can get inside an artists creation and experience what the artist was thinking and feeling at the time they were creating. This supernatural ability gave her an advantage inherent in her field.
However, after a public blunder that put a patron in danger and shed Camille in a bad light, she is fired from her job.
After a few weeks of wallowing in self pity, she is contacted by a man from her past and invited to his family estate where she is tasked to evaluate some recently discovered sculptures, seemingly created by an artist that has been a lifelong obsession for Camille.

Once she arrives at the estate, we begin to learn that the past, as Camille imagined it, is not as it seemed.

Here, we are introduced to a very dysfunctional family.

I’m not sure where this story went off the rails for me, but it did, in a hurry.

The characters were all very hard to connect with or even like.
Camille’s thoughts were too many flowery words with such a lack of substance, adding absolutely nothing to the actual story, that I began to feel like I would never finish this book.
There was very little having to do with her special ability.
While we are told that she and the main male character had a history, this is never fleshed out.
The family members came and went with no purpose or reason, with just the suggestion of difficult emotions toward one another with no basis, reason, or background to make me care.

I felt a very strong dislike Camille by the end of this book.
She was supposed to be strong and independent, yet she let Maxime walk all over her, manipulate her, treat her poorly and she kept coming back for more.
She repeatedly hurt her best friend with no remorse.

Don’t even get me started about how her behavior in her professional and personal life is all due to her mother’s treatment of her as a child. Over and over again we are told that “Maman” was responsible for Camille’s issues.

I just really did not care for this one.

I’m giving it 1.5 stars, rounded up to 2, because the idea of it was clever and creative.
It just fell short in all other areas.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this gothic story that has a spectacular theme - Art historian Camille Leray can enter the "world" of the art she sells. She can be part of the time that the art was created and even view the artists. It's an exciting secret that she has a hard time controlling and has only used sparingly. When a newly found famous work of her absolute favorite artist is unveiled, she is sure that it is incorrectly identified. Due to her secret power, it is easy for her to gain this knowledge, but impossible for her to share and thus she is fired from her coveted job.

Maxime Foucault, is a wealthy young man whose path she has crossed in Europe. When he requests her presence on his estate to authenticate art she has little choice but to go. From there, the story speeds up and the gothic components create a delicious tension. #sourcebookslandmark #theestate #sarahjost

This sounded fascinating and I couldn't wait to read it. I can see why it would appeal to a lot if folks, but it just didn't work for me. I lived the idea of the story, but Camille annoyed me much of the time times. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Thank you NetGalley & Sourcebooks Landmark publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This review can also be found on Goodreads.

Camille Leray has forged a way for herself into the art world, becoming an expert on artist Constance Sorel and her work. She was highly renowned until her special "gift" betrayed her, causing her to fall down the art world ladder. Camille's gift allows her to "tap" onto art, experiencing the moment and emotions of the artist in the moment of their creation.

But when she loses control or the gift and is fired from her coveted job, Camille is called to a powerful French estate to help the mysterious Foucault family identify hidden works of art that are believed to be Sorel's. She quickly discovers that the Foucault family, whom she has an interesting past with, has an ulterior motive. Camille and her gift become a pawn in their rich game. And, at the same time, she is forced to reckon with the truth that her beloved Constance Sorel's history may not be as she previously believed.

'The Estate' had a very unique concept that I believe will appeal to many. Unfortunately, it missed the mark for me. I was initially intrigued after reading the blurb, which states that anyone who is a fan of 'The Cartographers' by Peng Shepherd (my favorite book) would find this just as exciting. The magical realism of being able to "tap" into another medium to go into a magical world mirrors The Cartographers. However, I felt this idea was overshadowed by the odd dynamic between Camille and the Foucault family.

I wanted MORE of Camille and her art gift process, outside of her work with Maxime. A majority of the book is focused more on Camille and her pull towards Maxime and his schemes. I felt myself getting annoyed with both characters about halfway through, and I began to lose interest. I felt like the problem of the story could have been solved much faster, and it was all drawn out by filler. For this, I rate the book 2.75 stars, rounding up to 3.

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The Estate releases November 19, 2024

Camille is a French sculpture specialist with a “gift” that allows her to be transported to an alternate place that is in direct relation to the art and shows her the artist’s inspiration.

When she loses her job after being involved in an incident that results in sending someone to a psychiatric hospital, Camille is contracted by an old friend to appraise a large collection of Constance Sorel’s work — a late artist that Camille is rather fascinated with.

The ability to not only transport yourself into a piece of art, but to take others with you is such a unique premise, however the plot progression was very slow.

To me, Lila ended up being a more compelling and mysterious character than Camille or Maxime and I kind of wish we got her pov to add some more dimension within the estate and to portray Camille as even more of an unreliable narrator.

The unrelenting lust and desire that Camille had towards Maxime even when she knew he was in a relationship came across weird at times and almost overshadowed the origin stories of the sculptures.

An underlying theme I really enjoyed was the characters discovery that ones greatest love could translate to a non-romantic friendship.

Quick Overview: Camille Leray is an art expert with a very unusual ability to enter into the fantasy world of an art piece and to bring others with her for the experience. After she falls out with her employer and is fired, she receives an offer from Maxime Foucault, heir to a chateau in Brittany, to travel to France to assess and value a sculpture found at the chateau. Camille met Maxime in childhood and never forgot the experience, so she readily agrees to his plan. However, neither Maxime nor the family is anything like she had expected. Slipping in and out of the fantastic world of the sculptures and the feverish grip of the chateau, Camille struggles to decipher reality from fantasy. Can she solve the mystery of the sculpture and make her way back to reality?

Thoughts: I wanted to love this novel as it contains elements that I find fascinating – a historic chateau set in Brittany, a tense gothic atmosphere, long lost artwork. It sounds magical. The characters of Maxime and Lila are well-written, particularly the slow reveal of Maxime’s true character. However I had difficulty wrapping my head around Camille’s “gift” which is just a little too fantastical for me. I cannot say much without introducing spoilers, but it is sufficient to say that I found Maxime’s long-term plan patently unrealistic. If you are looking for a French gothic suspense novel with a fantasy element to it, then I would recommend that you give this a try. Overall though it just didn’t deliver what I was expecting.

The Estate by Sarah Jost is a magical realism story glistening with glamour and Arthurian legends...

Camille Leray has a magic power. She can enter art, transporting herself into the inspirational landscape of artists creations. As an art historian with an obsession with a famous artist, Constance Sorel, whose life was mired in mystery, an offer from a wealthy French family with connections to Constance invites Camille to their gorgeous estate where the mystery deepens. With Camille's magical ability interacting with the estate, Constance's sculptures, and the French family in strange ways, Camille will be forced to confront the past, its illusions, and her own connection to art.

This book left me breathless, enchanted, and spellbound. The beguiling nature of the story with its abstract concepts juxtaposed with old world elegance captured my attention. The unique take on the lady in the lake mythology was fascinating as were the Arthurian legends. Combining medieval aspects in a modern day setting brought a time slip element into the story which created an even more immersive feeling for me. The story was a complex mystery layered with themes involving art, reflection, feminism, and choice that will submerge the reader into its watery depths. I loved the plot and its examinations of the art world, toxic relationships, and self empowerment amidst a landscape of powerful men and ancient love stories. There is a lot of metaphor about art and what it means to create and destroy, but it was told with mystique, water, crystal, and clay. I love it when good writing gives me visceral feelings, and this story and dark glamorous atmosphere did just that.

I hope I have been able to review this story in a way that makes sense, otherwise perhaps I have found myself lost in Camille's world, where it can only be felt in order to be believed.

The Estate is a seductive speculative fiction piece of art that I will remember for a long time.

This felt like a low-budget Netflix show. Not very well done or memorable, but I had a good time.

Good premise. I was expecting the narrator to be able to walk into paintings, but she actually walks into the psyche of the artist, which was fascinating. I was immersed in the scenes where this magic was in action. The plot was good fun, with some interesting twists and turns.

That said, the writing was atrocious. Every other line was exposition that easily could have been shown to the reader in a more interesting, creative, and engaging way. The dialogue was redundant, the metaphors and similes were cliches, and, to top it off, pacing felt a bit off, especially in the early chapters.

A fun and engaging Gothic supernatural mystery! Very enjoyable! Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was somewhat of a new genre for me but it was so good. I read it in one sitting! If you love art, this is it!

As someone who loves art history, I really enjoyed this book. I don't give out many 5 stars but it was so worth it. I've read a lot of books but this is probably in my top 10 and I don't say that lightly! The twist and turns just *chef's kiss*.

What a thrilling book! I couldn’t put it down and was turning pages way past my bedtime! I loved it!