So these sisters show up at their deceased mothers house to read the will. But someone else is there. Everything goes down hill fast as some unresolved spirits make themselves known.

The story was like Inheritance games but with horror added in. The first part of the book I had a hard time figureing out who was talking and was really confused. By the end I enjoyed the name of the POV being bolded once their paragraph started.

I really enjoyed Nora and Madeline. Seeing how their relationship developed. They got thrown into a situation they didn't ask for because of their parents.

The book was OK and I enjoyed the story. It was a little long for me but if you love horror you should check it out.

There was a point in the novel, maybe 90% in, when I got incredibly sad and teared up, and I was genuinely sorrowful. This doesn't happen much to me while reading, and I attribute this to the author's skill with the written word.

This multi-generational tale about Chinese American families was brilliantly woven together, and while it took me a little time to figure out all the familial relationships, once I did things made perfect sense. I was absorbed in the tale fully, and I cared about the characters.

My one complaint, albeit a major one, was the paranormal/spectral part of the novel, which became a rather large part of the story. It didn't really work for me, and made my rating 4 stars instead of 5 stars.

That aside, this is masterful. Will I read more from the author? Yes, absolutely.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being left freely.

This is not a horror. It’s a family drama with a tiny tiny bit of ghosts. It’s a story about generational trauma with the use of a haunted house as a metaphor for passing down trauma and trying to break it. But it had a lot of extra unnecessary plot lines that distract from that.

It simultaneously had a whole lot going on, but also absolutely nothing of substance. Boring, slow. Confusing. The random smut scenes in this were completely out of place.

The Chinese family dynamics were interesting. could’ve been done a lot better.

i finished it in a day (or two) but mostly i couldn't stop reading and when i wasn't reading i kept thinking about it, this is the kind of book that makes you remember why you liked reading in the first place.
the atmosphere, the fully fleshed out character and the thrilling plot just made me keep on reading until the last page, i would say i loved reading about vivian's timeline more than the present one but as a whole it was just incredible and i really enjoyed every second of reading it.

Hey Netgalley - Thanks! Here's the honest review, just like I said I would! ;)

It appears I am in the minority for this book, but I have a lot of issues with it. The premise is right up my alley - a combination of Evelyn Hugo and Mexican Gothic? Sign me up. However, the problems with this book outweigh my enjoyment.

This story is told through the stories of three generations of a family, a matriarch who rose to fame through her acting in the 70s; her daughters, coming of age in the 90s; and the modern day storyline, partially told through her granddaughters, but through two of her daughters. None of these time periods are really represented in the novel. There's no touchstones, no remarks on the cultural, only the date stamped at the beginning of each chapter. I wanted to be immersed in these decades, but the timing was left ambiguous when it needn't be. Why put me in the 70s and then deny me feathered hair? Come on.

From here on out, things are going to have some spoilers, so read on at your own risk. Major spoilers will be hidden.

One relationship in this book features a lot of domestic abuse, and the scenes with this are very intense. There are also many of them. In fact, I would hazard that there are too many. I understood where they were at and what kind of a guy he was looong before those scenes were over. I was also able to see pretty clearly what she was going to do about it. Since this book tended to drag for me (until the final 15%, but I'll get to that), I think some of these scenes should have been cut. Each time it was brutal, and it hit a point where it wasn't adding to the story.

Speaking of relationships, there are two sapphic ones in this book. One feels organic, and the other does not. Unfortunately, the one that doesn't comes first. One girl kisses another without any of the build up or any idea that there was a sort of attraction there. At first, I thought the author didn't know how to handle this well, but she later featured another sapphic relationship where I could see the two girls were curious about one another and was not surprised when romance blossomed. It felt way more natural.

In fact, the first sapphic relationship was supposed to deliver a plotline where the two girls work together to solve the mystery that is at the crux of this story. (Was grandma killed, and if so, who did it?) Instead, that plotline goes to the side and they just dawdle into a storyline with sex and a vehicle for minor confrontations. I had been so interested in them working together to figure things out, and I was completely let down.

The book wraps itself up incredibly fast in the final 15 - 20%. In fact, it's too fast, and unfortunately, it leaves some loose ends and unanswered questions. Prepare for spoilers. [ At the end of the book, we come to find that two girls who died there in the 90s are haunting the premises, causing all the problems and horrors that are plaguing the folks in the modern day storyline. The fact that grandma was also haunted and saw terrible things when she was there in the 70s can't be explained by this. There is a suggestion that maybe she is haunted by a former tragedy that took place there, but this isn't fully fleshed out. All of her hauntings are left as loose threads, and as a reader, that felt unfinished.

Overall, this was a very unsatisfying read for me, which is unfortunate.

loved the sudden gays moment also yay berkeley representation! interesting and creepy horror ish, good use of chinese throughout

Christina Li has created an intriguing and atmospheric mystery in The Manor of Dreams.

Told in dual timelines across three generations of two families, this gothic tale is best described as a slow burn. It begins with drama around the inheritance of a crumbling mansion and, as secrets are revealed, becomes something more complex and haunting.

With supernatural elements and slower pacing, this book won’t be for everyone. However, it is a compelling and intricately woven story with complex characters and will likely spark great discussion in book groups.

Unfortunately this one was just not for me. maybe if I listen to it it would be different. I just could not figure out what this story was trying to do and the pace was quite slow. Hopefully I can give it another chance when it is officially published. thank you for the opportunity to read this!

The Manor of Dreams is a high 4 star read! 💭

This book sounded so good initially, but as I read it, it was so much better than I expected. There’s a lot of beauty in these pages as well as a lot of struggle. Generational trauma and secrets are in every chapters. It seems like a lot goes on in this book but it’s very well written so that it hits on the points but it isn’t overdone. This was my first book by this author and I would love to read more!

Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This one had me struggling. It wasn't exactly a pacing issue, though, if there was a pace, it could be best described as "glacial." It was more of an identity problem - horror? family saga? love story? A little but of each but never simultaneously?

Wow! A hauntingly beautiful story. 4.5 stars due to some pacing issues in the beginning, however I absolutely loved this book! The setting, plot, and characters are so wonderfully written. Definitely recommend

I'm not usually someone who reads thriller and horror, but this plotline intrigued me. I loved the set up and the prose. It kept me hooked from beginning to end.

I really love the dynamics at play and can't wait to read more from this author!

This is a nice, solid gothic horror + queer romance. Lives echo lives, and a grand mansion built on the blood and suffering of many. There are mystery elements, secrets of all kinds, some truly horrifying ghosts, and a nice little twist at the end. On a larger scale, the novel grapples with anti-Asian racism, domestic violence, and the Hollywood entertainment machine. The characters are well-developed and grew through the book, and Li's writing is so evocative and detailed that I could easily envision all of the house and its terrifying garden.

The Manor of Dreams by Christine Li is not the usual genre that I read but this story really did keep my interest from beginning to end. It is abour two Chinese families who are fighting for the rights to inherit a house owned by the mother of one of the families. The combination of family.The combination of gothic horror and family drama is very compelling and interesting,. Ultimately it was a very good and different story experience!!

I tried this one and just couldn’t get into. Maybe if I listen to it, I would have enjoyed it more.
Thank you Netgalley and publishers for this ARC for an honest opinion.

The Manor of Dreams
Twisty suspenseful tale
WE INHERIT THEIR HISTORY
Who is at fault? the abuser or the revenge taker? Taking care of 2 families was a deciding factor in her actions which the family could not relate to .. since their lives were not lacking because of her sacrifices. I did not understand how the house was tied into the terrifying events or who or what was behind it. I can see the anger stemming from the original couple..but the tie-ins didn't quite fit.. unfulfilling ending

Love this cover. It is what caught my attention. Tjus book was very atmospheric and do well written. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

I just didn't like this one as much as I thought I would. I appreciate getting the ARC. And I try and be as honest as I can. But it just wasn't for me. But the cover is so cute!

4 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avid Reader Press for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

It's been a long time since I've read an arc so quickly. From the first chapter, I couldn't put this book down without immediately wanting to pick it back up. "The Manor of Dreams" begins when matriarch, Vivian Yin, dies and her daughters return to their childhood home for the reading of her will. Things take a turn when a second family is asked to attend the reading, and after a last minute amendment, end up acquiring the mansion. Tensions rise between the two families when they both refuse to leave, in the hopes of claiming the mansion for themselves. During their story, the families end up uncovering hidden secrets and slowly realize that the house holds more skeletons than they thought possible. Told in dual timelines and spanning multiple generations, Christina Li's adult debut wraps its roots around you and refuses to lessen its grip.

I think Christina Li did a great job differientiating the two timelines. The present day timeline sets up the hostility between the opposing families, as well as the confusion these women feel as they try to piece together Vivian's life. The question they're working to solve is why did Vivian Yin, on the precipice of becoming a household name, disappear from the public eye? While the present day timeline is interesting in its own right, the story truly comes to life when we are introduced to the second timeline. Vivian is an immediate standout, full of cunning, ambition, and intellect. Watching her navigate the Hollywood landscape as a Chinese immigrant as well as her relationship with Richard completely held my attention from start to finish. I found the gothic horror elements very eery and unsettling at times. I wasn't expecting to feel so tense during certain moments. I enjoyed how the horror elements interact with the story's themes of abuse, trauma, and colonialism. The relationships between the women were very compelling, especially the mother and daughter dynamics. Each pairing has so much love between them, yet continue to misunderstand each other, unintentionally leading cycles of trauma to continue.

I do wish we left the story with more concrete answers. There were questions about the house and the history surrounding it, that weren't given a definite conclusion, which was somewhat disappointing. I feel like certain elements, that were present throughout the story, were forgotten by the end. I wish we could've gotten to see more of the Deng family as well.

Overall, I really enjoyed my time with this story. This was a solid adult debut, with the author weaving in many themes and discussions. This was my first of Christina Li's books and I am very excited to check out the rest of her backlist. I reccomend this to those who enjoy gothic horror, female-driven narratives, sapphic romances and explorations of generational trauma.

3.5/5 I had high hopes going into this based on earlier reviews, but found the pacing to be slower and more drawn out than expected.