A fantasy filled Jane Austen novel, Netherford Hall is the promising first in Barron's series. This novel is perfect for an lover of romance, regency, or raucous fun!

I was expecting this to be a retelling of Pride and Prejudice, with how it begins. I did not end up minding that it wasn't, though. It was enjoyable as its own story. The magic system was a bit vague but ultimately the story did not need many details on it. I do wish some of the characters communicated more, though, that's a romance trope I don't enjoy much. All in all, a fun time.

Nethford Hall by Natania Barron feels like stepping into an alternate version of a Regency England you think you know, only to find a world filled with witches, vampires, and more. At the heart of this novel is a story about love, not just the romantic kind but the love we feel for the places and traditions that shape us, as well as the courage to defy them when they no longer fit.

Edith Rookwood, the story's protagonist, is a complex character. She’s not just grappling with the usual expectations of a Regency-era woman—finding a suitable marriage to secure her family’s future—but also with the added burden of her magical abilities. After a fire forces her family to return to their ancestral home, Netherford Hall, Edith’s carefully ordered life begins to unravel. The Hall itself is a character in the novel, representing not just a physical space but the weight of family history, legacy, and expectations.

The novel's magic, while present, is woven subtly into the world rather than overwhelming the story. It’s not about flashy spells or dramatic displays of power but about how magic can coexist with everyday life. Edith’s abilities as a gentlewitch add layers of depth to her character, showing how she navigates her responsibilities not only as a woman but as someone who carries an ancient lineage of power. This magical undercurrent shapes her decisions and the way she interacts with others, especially with Poppy Brightwell.

Poppy’s arrival in Edith’s life turns everything upside down in the best way. From their first encounter, you can sense the tension between Edith’s rigid sense of duty and Poppy’s vibrant, free-spirited nature. Their relationship unfolds slowly, in small, tender moments that feel earned. What’s beautiful about their love story is how it’s built on mutual respect and admiration, even as they challenge each other to see the world in new ways.

This is not a fast-paced book, and that's one of its strengths. The slower pacing allows for a more intimate exploration of character and setting. You feel the weight of every decision Edith makes, every glance exchanged between her and Poppy. This slower, deliberate storytelling feels reminiscent of classic Regency novels where the stakes are as much emotional as they are material. For readers who enjoy immersion into period details, Netherford Hall delivers richly—whether it’s the description of clothing, the layout of the Hall itself, or the social etiquette of the time.

That said, the novel does take a darker, more thrilling turn as secrets are revealed, and the stakes escalate. There’s a sense that the walls are closing in on Edith—not just because of financial pressure or family obligation but because there are forces, both magical and human, that threaten her future and her happiness. The introduction of vampires and other supernatural creatures adds a gothic flair to the latter half of the story, creating a satisfying tension between the mundane and the otherworldly.

One of the things that makes Netherford Hall stand out is its approach to queerness. This is not a story where the characters’ identities are hidden or coded—they are fully themselves, unapologetically. Edith’s journey is not just about finding love with Poppy, but about confronting what it means to live authentically in a world that tries to impose limitations. This theme of self-discovery and acceptance is woven throughout the novel, making it as much a story about personal growth as it is about romance or magic.

Overall, Netherford Hall is a beautifully crafted novel that invites readers into a world of quiet power. It’s a slow burn, but one that pays off emotionally and narratively. If you’re someone who loves deep character exploration, atmospheric settings, and a touch of magic in your historical fiction, this book will be a rewarding read. Its themes of love, identity, and family legacy will resonate long after the final page is turned.

This book had me at Pride and Prejudice and Witches. The summary really made it sound like it would be right up my alley.

I did end up liking it well enough, but I didn't love it. I liked the writing and the overall tone of the book. I just never felt fully connected to the characters or the main relationship.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

I hate to be mean but this book was just a mess. There was virtually no work done to develop the romance effectively, the magical/adventure plot line was baffling, and the POV jumping was atrocious. Everything about this books marketing indicates that it’s going to be Pride and Prejudice inspired but that didn’t pan out aside from the original set up. This book just needs a whole restructuring because it feels like it doesn’t know if it’s supposed to be a whimsical regency romance or a magical regency adventure. Just so so clunky. I need to read a Freya Marske as a palate cleanse.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 STARS

As it is said in the synopsis and on the cover, this is Pride and Prejudice and Witches. It is exactly that, and it is delightful.

Usually, sisters in books are one of my pet peeves, so let me start with this: here it wasn’t! And I am so happy to say it! Viola and Poppy are amazing together! Their relationship was great, and I want more of this kind of sisterhood around! It was one of my favorite things in the whole book!
Mind me, the book is centered around Poppy and Edith, that’s true, but around the main lead, we get to know so many secondary characters, and I really loved that not only they are portrayed in some satisfying ways, meaning they are not bidimensional or plain, but we get to see the relationships between them grow and evolve. And I appreciated that we also have a real second lead! It is a thing I love and it is pretty usual in Korean dramas, for example, (but, usually, in dramas has the function of comic relief) but I don’t often see in books (it may also be that I am reading the wrong books, I am not discounting the possibility!). And I am not talking about the couple that would probably be the main lead in the next book, I am talking about a new love developing between two secondary characters. It is so refreshing! And it was soooo cute!

But there is more to love in there. I loved the relationship between Poppy and Netherford Hall, and I loved the explanation the author gave for it. I loved the vibes and the atmosphere of the book. I loved the idea of the gentlewitch and I loved that we see Edith growing into her role (and not only her, but Auden too, he is such a good character, too!).
This book is compelling and delightful, and I think it is the perfect book to cozy up with and spend an amazing afternoon!

Lady Edith Rookwood was never meant to be the Liege of Netherford. As a younger daughter of a powerful mother, she is, at best, adequate with her witchery and, at worst, mediocre; middling is the polite word for it. While Edith wasn’t happy, she was at least surrounded by her family and her coven. She served the Coven Council at Parliament, until a fire took all of that away. She is the last witch of her line, along with her uncle, Auden, and their cousin, Henry, a child whose powers have yet to manifest.

And now she has come to Kent, to the last house left to her: Netherford Hall. Netherford has not has a goodwitch in residence in a very long time. The families have had no one to serve, no purpose to their existence, and now they have Edith. It’s a lot of pressure to put on a grieving woman, a confused uncle new to his role as majordomo, and a child who has lost his family. Edith is brusque, Auden is trying his best, often retreating behind formal manners, and the village is keeping its opinion to itself.

Like a ray of sunshine after a rainstorm, Poppy Brightwell shines her smile upon Edith. It’s a brilliant smile, full of personality, compassion, and friendliness, and Edith is in no way ready to return it. Thus begins a series of misunderstandings which will, inevitably, turn into friendship and maybe even more.

For all that the house is Netherford Hall, and there are a few clunky insertions of lines from Pride and Prejudice, this book is not a retelling. It is its own quiet and lovely story about a young woman who knows what she wants, and a witch who thinks she is less than she is. It’s quiet, with excellent world building, a slow and building plot, and a romance. Honestly, though, the romance is neither the strongest part of the book nor the most interesting.

Edith is composed and restrained, trying desperately to live up to her new role of gentlewitch — the magical guardian in charge of her territory, responsible for the people within it, both human and not. She’s also looking for a wife, someone who will help her start a family and return her family to power, return her life to its order and purpose. Edith isn’t charming, isn’t social, isn’t a lot of things. She’s tall and broad shouldered with few curves and a face more strong and arresting for its character than a beauty.

Poppy is a soft, curvy ball of opinions. She is quick to make judgments, slower to change her mind, but always willing to forgive. She is also the reason her family is poor, eking out a living at a social disadvantage. When Poppy was young, she fell ill, and her father had to bargain away their family’s wealth to save her, causing them to leave town for the country. Even now, Poppy and her sister and mother work as best they can to provide enough money to send her brother to school so that he can find decent employment. Her father uses a wheelchair, and it’s all because of Poppy.

Both Edith and Poppy shoulder the responsibility of their family and both feel unworthy of being the one to benefit. Edith is alive and now a goodwitch, and Poppy is full of life while her father wastes away from illness and the curse he took upon himself. For all that they have so little in common — background, education, magic, interests, social standing — they are kindred spirits. And once Poppy knows Edith is interested, she’s quick to offer up a picnic and seduction.

Auden is the other point of view character, a young rake full of gambling and drink who was out carousing the night of the fire. If Edith hadn’t been looking for him, she would have been at home that night, and he’s both grateful for it and ashamed of not being with his family when they needed him. Auden has no idea what he’s doing, flailing about but never giving in to self pity. When an old vampire flame shows up, Auden’s torn, but he is now duty bound to Edith and her service.

His path starts out more interesting, and he’s matched up at the end, but I didn’t feel any chemistry, there. Auden had more of a spark with the vampire, and with the Warder — magical servants of a coven specializing in wards — than he did with the modiste. Honestly, I found that relationship to be rather disappointing. Edith and Poppy on the other hand, well, I also didn’t feel the chemistry there at all, but I think the set up and the idea of the relationship worked. However, other readers may find that they felt the spark between them.

The writing is good — minus the few forced Pride and Prejudice-isms — and the pace is solid. Everything is set up nicely and the world building is a delightful accent, without the author stopping for exposition dumps or long informational lectures by characters. Small lines like, “Vampires and witches aren’t so different. We are all descended of the first witch — just by different sires.” implies so much and sets up witches and vampires as both kin and rivals in a single moment without having to take up a chapter to do so.

This book is set up as the first in a series and I am very much looking forward to the next one, which feature be Poppy’s sister, Violet. If you’re into witches, world building, mythology, and regency stories, you might enjoy this. But if you’re looking for a Pride and Prejudice retelling, this isn’t it. Enjoy the book for what it is, and have fun reading it!

First, thank you NetGalley and Rebellion for the ARC.

As a huge fan of “Pride and Prejudice”, I was very excited to read this book, but sadly, it’s a DNF for me.

I liked the idea behind it—a sapphic retelling of P&P with witches seemed like everything I wanted in a book. Plus, the cover also caught my attention.

Unfortunately, I found “Netherford Hall” a very slow book, almost boring in some parts. Additionally, I didn’t feel any particular connection with the characters.

Also, based on what I read, it didn’t seem like a retelling. Although it's not explicitly labelled as one, I assumed it was since it’s marked as 'Pride and Prejudice and Witches.'

I really enjoyed the witchy regency era setting. The magic system was incredibly interesting and the mystery well set up. The romance was a tiny bit underdeveloped but the characters were charming enough that I was rooting for them anyway. I'm interested to see what happens next. It's definitely a solid read - though less of a Pride and Prejudice re-imagining than the blurb would have you believe.

Thank you to Natania Barron and Solaris Nova via NetGalley for the eARC of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I really really wanted to like this book. I love “Pride and Prejudice” and enjoy seeking out reimaginings and retellings of the story. Unfortunately, I didn’t like this book. Also, I don’t think it should be marketed as “Pride and Prejudice and Witches”, because there is very little of the original story in here. The plot isn’t the same in anyway. Only a few of the characters are reminiscent of those in P&P, and only so far as stoic gentle(wo)man and carefree heroine. I also didn’t get along with the writing. I wasn’t invested in the plot beyond the romance between the two main characters. There is a bit near the end, before the climax, that I found interesting and was invested in, but then even the climax fell flat for me.

I might try out Barron’s sequel. I would recommend this to someone looking for a regency witch/lesbian romance who wants a slow burn and a lot of people falling in love seemingly within days of meeting.

All in all, this book was an excellent way to pass the time! Throughout the day, I frequently found myself giddy at the thought of getting to read another chapter between my daily work. It became a highlight of my day to check in on these characters; they felt right at home in my head. The atmosphere of both Netherford Hall and historic England itself made for the perfect dose of escapism in the shape of a sapphic romance that was rather reminiscent of Bridgerton. While there were a few instances where I felt the prose was a bit stiff or awkward (namely the dialogue) Netherford Hall made up for it with its vibrant characters and thrilling (yet slightly predictable) plot. I will definitely be recommending this book to my audience and I can't wait to read more of this world!

This was pitched to me as "Jane Austen, with queer witches." And yes, that's exactly what it is. It has the Austen-esque mannerisms and attention to sartorial detail that I expected from Natania Barron based on her social media presence. It also has a ton of heart, sacrifice, gentle humor, and pointed truths about found family and the challenges that come from trying to find yourself when you don't feel as though you quite fit. The characterizations are playful without being overly broad. Barron has built an inclusive Regency society where queerness and non-whiteness is just How Things Work Because Of Course It Does. And that is always, always welcome. What a warm hug of a book.

Highly recommended.

Natania Barron has created something special with this new series. This crazy enjoyable read had all the historical, paranormal, romance elements wrapped in a throughly inventive plot. Highly recommend for the reader who like a little magic in their life.

Thank you to Rebellion | Solaris Nova and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

this book is so frustrating because when it wants to be romantic it is so good at it and yet manages to be boring and dry in the rest instead of leaning more into the romance which it refuses to do so. it's a shame because the comparison with freya marske is obvious and this book feels like a pale copy of her romantic writing EXCEPT when it commits to the romance. But we get so little of it, it is frustrating. the fantasy worldbuilding is not properly introduced which makes it hard to get in for a type of book which should be entry level. historical elements are few.

This wasn’t for me unfortunately but I can appreciate it for what it was. Sorry but thank you for the opportunity to read and review it

I'm sad to say I had to DNF this one. The concept and story initially grabbed my attention, but the pacing really dragged. The author's writing is solid, but the way the chapters were structured made it difficult to follow. It wasn't clearly labeled when the narrator changed, so it took me about eight pages to realize a new character had taken over! I really wanted to like this book more than I did. I don’t have external review links because I avoid sharing anything under three stars. While this one wasn’t for me, I’m sure plenty of readers will love it.

Rating: 3.5

tldr;
Netherford Hall is a fun read and though I had some issues I will still recommend it and will continue reading the series. I’m invested in the characters individually and hope to see more interactions and growth in the coming installments!

What I loved
* The characters — all of the characters were whole and individual. They all had wonderfully different personalities and felt very real! I’m so invested in them individually that it’s the reason why I can’t rate this lower than 3 stars!
* The imagery — everything was so wonderfully described and made it so easy to feel like I was there. Could be seen as a bit flowery but not overly so in my opinion
* The setting — I adore that this took place completely in the country. Not many historical or regency tales take that route and it was very refreshing.
* The magic — the magic and magic system felt very similar to other magics but also completely unique in the way it was approached and I think as we get to see more into the magical world it will get even more interesting

What I didn’t love
* The pacing — it was very slow. I do think there were many scenes that could have been replaced with something else to help move the plot forward
* Multiple storylines — I think that this is the crux of my issues. There were simply too many stories and plot lines to be fully explored in a novel of this size. The story technically has three main characters: Edith, Poppy, and Auden (who isn’t even mentioned in the blurb but gets his own POVs and romance storyline). There are internal and external conflicts for all three to face and not enough time to expand on any of them.
* Not enough time to build the romance — at the end of the novel we are supposed to believe that three couples have fallen in love. I do not. I believe they could fall in love but I don’t believe them to be so when such confessions are made. The story was so focused on all the the internal and external conflicts of the characters that there were not nearly enough interactions between the love interests themselves in order for such strong feeling to have been formed.




spoilers, please to not read unless you’ve finished the book!




The only thing I’m actually concerned about is the relationship and romance between Viola and Silas. He’s supposedly in love with her and vice versa but we only saw their initial interaction and so I think if the second book picks up where book one of ends then it’s going to be very difficult for Barron to make their romance believable for readers

Sadly, this book was not for me. I found the characters one-dimensional, and the relationships between the characters staid. There is zero chemistry, despite this supposedly being a romance book.

There was limited plot, and I really wish that the author had spent some time world building, particularly as they use terms like gentlewitch, and mention a number of otherworldly creatures.

I received an ARC from NetGalley, and all opinions are my own.

A really charming book with a lovely pace and depth, I thoroughly enjoyed reading and fell in love with the characters, setting and story. I loved the regency-era style and clothing, especially Edith’s.
This book has Sapphic romance, Witches, Vampires, Bridgerton vibes, monsters and magic, what’s not to like?

Poppy is immediately fun and loveable, Edith seemed grumpy but intrigued me from the start, and I loved her growth and thawing as their longing and relationship developed. I can’t quite figure out if I love wild and vibrant Poppy more, or strong and steady Edith, but I definitely love them both.

It did have my immediate intrigue and attention when I picked it up, but the point of view and individual characters are not very clear or easy to distinguish until you know them well enough.
The dialogue is a little stiff but I can see the idea they were going for, and it grew on me as I read. This wasn’t a style of writing I would ordinarily love, but it worked for the character of this book.

I recommend this fast paced and classic themed book, original, emotional and full of personality.

Poppy— ‘Bluntness was an art, and she its most devoted mistress.’ 😂👌

I rated this somewhere between 2.5 and 3 stars, so I haven’t publicly posted a review.

Let me start off by saying I really do not think this is a bad book. I just don’t think it was for me. I really struggled to get into it so it ended up taking me significantly longer to read than most books do. I do think I’ll try this book again as maybe I just wasn’t in the right mood/headspace for it. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book💜