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💜

Thank you author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book!!


I was having an ok time with most of this book. I didn’t think it was the best book I’ve ever read but I enjoyed parts of it. I definitely feel like the pride and prejudice influence is a little on the nose during some scenes but it was ok.

Now! The end… I did not like the end. There was a point where I felt like it was trying have every trope you could think of like found family and chosen one and there was a big bad villain they were trying to defeat. But none of it was really fleshed out and then it was all wrapped up with a happily ever after ending. I don’t know! I was meh about the rest of the book and that was a bad ending lol

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

I went into this book wanting to love it more than I ended up doing. Witches, vampires, magic, all set in the Regency period—like a supernatural Pride and Prejudice? I was definitely all in! The premise was definitely intriguing and promised a delightful blend of historical and magical elements. While I didn't find myself as gripped by the story as I had hoped, I still found aspects of it enjoyable and appreciated the unique take on the Regency era.

The writing is beautiful, and the first half completely drew me in with its vivid descriptions and interesting characters. However, as the story progressed, it started to drag, and it felt like too much was happening at once. It seemed like the book tried to pack too much into this first book. Plus, I'm not a fan of long chapters, and some of these were excessively lengthy, which didn't sit well with me.

Overall, I still enjoyed the setting and the overall premise of the story. The world-building was well-crafted, blending historical and fantasy elements nicely. I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy and historical romance.

Thank you NetGalley and Rebellion Publishing Ltd for the eARC of Netherford Hall!

Sapphic, witchy Pride & Prejudice - that could be the whole review right there! There were a lot of things that I really loved about this loose retelling: great characters, beautiful and complex family relationships, inclusive romance, and a sprinkling of unexpected twists. At times, the writing style is reflective of Jane Austen as a sort of 'Easter egg'.

The world-building and magic systems are both very unique. I do think that the hierarchy of the magic system could be explained a little further, especially in the first half of the novel. The second half of the novel almost feels like a different novel with how much the pace changes and all the sudden revelations into the world and magic system.

This take on Pride & Prejudice was fresh, original, and something that I definitely needed to read! Great series potential, and the ending shows us a lot of what can be expected in the next novel - which seems to build more on the fantasy aspects of the story. Looking forward to more!
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Thank you Kensington for my free ARC of Netherford Hall by Natania Barron — available now!

» READ IF YOU «
✨ love any kind of Austen retelling, especially the wackier ones
🦄 ever struggled to let your individuality shine
🧙 adore the idea of Regency-era witches

» SYNOPSIS «
Edith is in a bind. To save her family home (and her family, really) she'll need to make a financially smart marriage match, and fast. But her annoying tenant Poppy keeps getting in the way — gosh she's infuriating......ly adorable. Secrets and enemies abound though, so Edith and Poppy will have to be smart, savvy, and true to themselves in order to save Netherford and secure the lives they truly desire.

» REVIEW «
This was such a cute little unique retelling of our beloved Jane Austen! The premise is very similar to P&P, but it diverges in the best kinds of ways to include all manner of wild characters and situations. I love Poppy and Edith and their banter, and am a huge fan of historical romance in general, so this story truly was right up my alley. Plus, witches?! Come on. What a great inclusion. This is a nicely paced, well-written retelling with characters you will fall for and be invested in. Would love to see more stories set in this world!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Actual rating around 3.25. While I still overall enjoyed this book, I'm a bit bummed because it doesn't entirely live up to the promise. Billing anything as pride and prejudice related is always dangerous territory because it is so beloved and well-known. I wish this book had leaned in less. It certainly delivered on the vibes, but the plot is pretty different, and the characters were a loose Elizabeth and Darcy (with a strong Jane for sure). Everyone else was not from P&P and even pulled from wildly different places (hello bro and sis ophelia and laertes). Anyway, I couldn't stop trying to compare which is really unfair and also pulled me out of this story, which could have stood well enough on its own.

Luckily the vibes were very good, the setting, the set-up, the queer-norm world were all great. The magic I have some quibbles with, and the story was way too jam-packed with characters and lead ins to future books. A stronger editing job would've really been helpful for the pacing and honing in on the key elements of the story.

Thank you to netgalley and Rebellion for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love a Regency book so I was excited to read my favourite era have more spooky and witchy elements.

I really love this book! It’s funny but also profound. I most enjoyed the setting, this alternative version of regency London with werewolf and vampire and witches. The mystery and the paranormal are really great!
I also love the romance and the character. The dynamic is lovely, I just want more. I hope we will have a second book about them, maybe. Or about other characters in this world with them as secondary characters. I would really like it!
And I love the references at Jane Austen’s works. This book is really my thing.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

My enjoyment of this books was very high. I had some problems with the pacing and the long chapters at first but later realized that was a part of the books charm and ended up not minding it at all.
It had witches, vampires, regency sapphics… What more can you ask for? The story felt very put together and i was reading the pages very fast. It had a large set of characters and I learned to love them all. I somehow do wish that we could have focused on the romance more and seen more scenes with the mcs interacting but other than that i enjoyed this book very much and found it super entertaining.