I DEVOURED this book in less than 24 hours. House of Blight is beautifully atmospheric and eerie, with a mystery aspect that keeps you guessing at what is going on. The characters, the world and magic system, the plot, everything was perfection - it's all I've been able to think about! There were several twists in this that I found predictable, but the twist at the end left me reeling and also sad because now I NEED to know what happens next. Thanks Netgalley for the e-ARC!

Edira can mend illnesses, but with a devastating cost.

<i>House of Blight</i> contained lush world-building and an intriguing plot, as well as a love triangle between the main character and two brothers.

The author put a lot of effort into descriptive passages, which really built out the scene. But there was a definite lack to character building in contrast.

I was intrigue by the unique threadmending magic system and stayed for the mystery surrounding the Ferngloves! I adored this book and cannot wait for the next one. Edira is a threadmender, she can heal injuries and diseases but at a steep cost, She the thrust into the world of the Ferngloves, the immortal ruling elite and works closely with the head of that house, Orin. It was a little slow in the beginning but really picks up and is so wortb it. The ending of the book is phenomenal.

Edira has a rare gift known as thread mending. When her brothers become ill with Blight she turns to the Fernglove family, a magical family called Evers. They offer to help her tap into her powers in order to cure her brothers.

This book was so good! I will say it’s a little slow to start but it pays off in the end. It has gothic vibes, a little romance and a good twist at the end.

Thank you to Net Galley for this ARC! I found this tale to be fascinating. It was a new take on magic and healers in general. Maxym did an excellent job of describing the setting and the characters that really helps you envision what you are reading. The plot took many twists and turns as the young woman strives to save her family from the blight. I do feel like the romance was more of a subplot, but since this is the first in a series, I would imagine the romance will develop more. I’m eager to continue the series!!

I decided to stop reading this book at 56% after realizing I wasn't the right audience for it.

While it had an intriguing start and a promising premise, the story unfortunately began to drag, which made it difficult to stay engaged. The characters felt one-dimensional and lacked the depth needed to make their interactions compelling—many of them were unnecessarily awful to one another, making it hard to connect with or root for anyone. The world-building, which had so much potential, also fell flat due to a lack of detailed explanation, leaving it feeling underdeveloped.

One of the major disappointments was the love triangle. Both relationships seemed driven purely by initial physical attraction, with no real chemistry between the characters, which made those dynamics feel forced and unconvincing.

That said, I did enjoy the gothic atmosphere and the concept of the threadmender, which added a unique element to the story. However, the pacing was too slow to keep my attention. Overall, this book didn’t work for me, though I can see it appealing to readers who prefer a more atmospheric story with insta-love.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I unfortunately did not finish this book. I was unable to get into it right from the start - there wasn’t anything pulling me in.

I absolutely devoured this book. I went into this book without having looked into it too much. It is my first book by this author, and I was pleasantly surprised. This is a solid gothic fantasy romance.

If you liked Belladonna, you will like this. While not completely similar in plot, they both share the same gothic aesthetic with mystery lurking in every corner.

House of Blight is a delightful and addictive gothic fantasy romance. The magic system is unique. I generally enjoyed our main character (although she could be a little naive sometimes) and I couldn’t find out what was happening hast enough.

4.5/5 stars rounded up

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you so much to Avon, Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for this ARC! This book was phenomenal -- I was completely hooked from the beginning. House of Blight is a gothic fantasy romance that follows Edira, a threadmender who is able to heal others at the cost of sacrificing part of her lifespan each time she uses her ability. She lives in a mortal village where she must keep her powers secret, especially from the magical, immortal Fernglove family, who preside over the territory and steal away threadmenders in search of a cure for the fatal and mysterious blight.

When Edira's two younger brothers fall ill with the blight, she makes a bargain with Orin Fernglove. She reluctantly agrees to go with him to the Fernglove Estate to work on a cure in exchange for buying precious time for her brothers, whom Orin places in a temporary coma to halt the illness's spread. As a threadmender, Edira is believed to be the key to finding a way to cure the disease.

Nothing at the eerie Fernglove manor is as it seems. The Ferngloves are mysterious, deceptive, and even cruel: each of their true intentions are never clear, and hidden agendas and trickery run amok. Just when I thought I'd figured something out, there would be a captivating plot twist. This will undoubtedly keep readers on the edge of their seats, as it did for me!

I fell in love with Edira's character: she is kind, empathetic, and selfless-- willing to do anything to save her brothers. I loved following her journey as she navigates being plunged into the orbit of the Ferngloves. And, of course, Orin and his brother, Rorik. I cannot wait to see how the dynamics between Edira and each brother will play out in the sequel in the wake of all of the twists and turns in this book, and a crazy ending! I was so immersed in the fast-paced plot and the treacherously captivating world of the Ferngloves.

This story follows Edira. Edira has been in hiding since she was small. She dyes her hair, barely speaks to people, doesn't go out much except for work all to hide the secret that she's a threadmender. Threadmenders are rare. Everyone has life threads and she can cure almost anything. Only catch is everytime she uses her power she loses some of her life threads and can experience the pain of the injury. The only thing she can't cure is blight which is basically like a plague. Her brothers end up catching blight and Edira is desperate to save them. Orin, an Ever (basically an immortal with magic) makes a deal with her. Learn to cure blight and save his grandmother in exchange for keeping the blight from spreading in her brothers.

This book was so interesting and captivating. It aggravated me to no end that I had a life where I had to stop reading and go to work. Edira had cunning moments. I liked her character a lot but she was so naive too. There was so much sketchy things going on around her and she was so oblivious to it all. I wanted to shake her so bad and just tell her to open her eyes! It took her a while to get there but eventually she got it. She was pretty bad ass at the end.

Rorik, I fucking loved him. He was dark and mysterious and super dangerous and kind of a sarcastic smart ass but holy fuck he was perfection. I wanted Edira to be with him so bad it physically hurt. The rest of the family had things that annoyed me but they also had charm once you get farther into the story so it was hard to hate or even dislike them.

I never liked Orin. I don't know if it was how he was written but dude never fooled me. There was something off about him. I felt it and it bothered me so much that Edira fell for it and fell for it hard.

That ending though, I cannot wait for the second book. I need to know how this duology ends!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC! I recommend giving this book a read.

The House of Blight offers a blend of gothic horror and fantasy. While the beginning of the novel is a bit slow-paced, the story quickly picks up momentum, becoming a page-turner.

The main character is likable, the gothic atmosphere adds a nice layer to the novel, and the plot is well-crafted.
While the romantic relationships feel a bit forced in places, and the foreshadowing could have been more subtle, these flaws do not detract significantly from the overall enjoyment of the book. The House of Blight is a solid read that will appeal to fans of gothic fiction and fantasy alike.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

DNF

Ever read a book with an amazing prologue and the book fall short? This was it for me.

I was quite excited to read this book considering how it was compared to Rachel Gillig's One Dark Window duology. And it's a shame I just couldn't find myself to finish the book.

I read 89 pages and if something or someone was introduced, it was in full length paragraphs. The Fernglove manor, gardens, characters, and the town was just explained in paragraph after paragraph. I started skimming at that point because I didn't want to read about how the walls were decorated or how polished the floors were.

And the characters were so flat and had no depth to me. I knew the romance was a love triangle from reading other reviews and the fact it was introduced after 60ish pages just was the last straw for me.

I guess I can't really give the book a solid review because I dnf it and didn't see it to the end but the fact that it's compared to Rachel Gillig's books is crazy.

The gothic world was fun and I enjoyed seeing another book with those vibes. But everything felt too rushed and instant. There was so much potential for this book and it makes me sad to review books so low when authors spend so much time pouring everything into them.

*𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘤*

I felt pretty indifferent towards this. It was fine when I was reading it, but I didn't find myself reaching for it or getting excited to read. The characters all felt a little flat, and the dynamics between them, stale. When the betray came around (spoilers) I didn't feel shock or sadness. The premise was cool, and the author's writing has a lot of potential, but this just fell a little flat. As for what I liked, the world building was incredible. I felt like I could reach through the pages and look around. There isn't much more to say about the worldbuilding, but it was phenomenal, and that balanced out my issues with the book. I would consider reading another book from this author, but this just didn't quite work for me.

This one hurts me to rate as a 3! I enjoyed so much of it: the plot, the atmosphere, the magic. I love romances centered around the "oh no we're trapped together in this creepy house" trope. The Gothic vibes here were perfect, as were the sinister fae-like Evers. Beautiful, elegant, but also disgusting. There's a thrilling climax and some very descriptive and disturbing imagery. Fungal horror here we go!

But the sexual banter and some of the profanity that are so common in the romantasy genre felt dissonant here. I wish it had been a slower burn with more relationship development and more "who can I trust" angst. There's a love triangle with two Ever brothers (sibling romantic competition... ☹️) and the relationships are HEAVY on initial sexual attraction and not much else. There is a valid reason why one of the brothers is trying so hard to seduce our FMC Edira, but I'd rather she played a little harder to get. Because she didn't. At all. She also didn't seem weirded out by the sibling aspect, and I feel like most people would be? Edira flipped from making out with one brother to perving on the other lightning fast, like in the SAME DAY. No inner moral turmoil about that at all.

The setting and conflict are interesting and unique. I would've really enjoyed this if it leaned more into that and less into the brother love triangle. That's done with by the end of the book, luckily, so I think I'll be safe to fully enjoy the sequel.

(I'd run away with the brothers' lesbian sister Seville myself. Unfortunately Edira is straight and has worse taste than I.)

I truly loved this fantasy novel, the characters, especially the main female, are compelling and well-developed. She stands out as a strong character, avoiding the typical "pick me" or helpless tropes. The unique magic system adds depth, making the healing and magical elements truly intriguing. It was breath of fresh air to have a truly different magic system. The expertly executed plot twist leaved me eagerly anticipating more, and the author sets the stage for a potential sequel or series. This story has me thinking about it throughout the day, I can’t wait to read the next book. I’m hoping that we get more in this universe. So many engaging characters that I want to know more about.

Thank you to the author and publisher for my arc!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc!

Really cool and interesting new fantasy world that I ate right up! Cannot wait to dive into book 2.

The romance in this book felt a bit contrived, but also hindsight is 20/20. Most authors cannot pull an SJM here.

But the magic/world building and the characters and development are divine!

Rating: 4 stars!/Review Contains Spoilers
Spice: 🌶️🌶️ (would have been higher, but as I've learned in Romantasy, rarely can we trust the first love interest)
***Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I'm so mad because this was so good and I'm going to have to wait forever for Book 2 (I've played myself). The story line was easy to get into and I like that the FMC is just...Edira (no whining/pick me attitude that is very prevalent in saturated fantasy market right now). She's a secret Threadmender, who has to hide her powers from the town. (Her powers allow her to see other's "threads" and can heal them, but doing so gradually shortens her life). Meanwhile, she's selling tinctures/potions to help survive along with her brothers who work in the mine. Her parents have passed, and her aunt was taken by a family of Evers, the Ferngloves. While at the market, Orin Fernglove appears while she's selling things, and she gets herself out of there as quickly as possible. That same evening her two brothers are exposed to blight and quickly succumb to the illness, but Orin shows up at her home to talk to her (literally, the *sus* started here, why does he just show up at her home? the moment her brothers get blight? How convenient.)

She goes with Orin to the Evers home, on the condition that she can heal her brothers. Orin uses his powers to slow down the illness and keeps them preserved while they're sleeping. As she goes there, it's clear that none of the family members can truly be trusted.

I thought the writing style/set up was so well done. There are a lot of moments leading up to the climax where you just get this vibe that Orin cannot be trusted (FACTS). I felt like the spice was fine--my only complaint that is the romance/"I love yous" felt a bit forced for the storyline, because obviously Martineau is trying to set up Orin as the villain but give us romance at the same time. I think my reaction was more like, "Edira, girl! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
Also the ending is so quickly tied up with the confrontation/Orin's death/her becoming Heartbound to Rorick (excellent c'mon Book 2) and her returning home with her brothers." I do like the ending from Rorick's POV and the knowledge that will be another book without a significant cliff ending or anything. Just that Rorick's father is likely the villain in the 2nd book and there's going to be something that's gotta occur to start the next one.

Great read, knocked down a star for the rushed ending and forced romance connection (just no real natural chemistry/banter). Excited for the next book!

*Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC in exchange for an honest review*

I absolutely loved this book! I thought the premise was unique and the plot kept me engaged throughout. The characters were all really well-developed and I thought Edira was a strong MC, but also not over the top and unbeatable or a damsel in distress like other similar books. I had kind of predicted the climax of the book, but not in the way that it happened and I was pleasantly surprised.

The first 80% of this book, I couldn't put it down. I loved it. The last 20% for me kind of dragged because I predicted what would happen, so I was just waiting for it to happen.

I think the writing is well done and immersive. The plot is interesting but I do think in some places the blight could be explored more in depth. The pacing for the most part is page-turning.

I found myself connecting to the FMC and her plight to save everyone including her brothers. The villain, to me, is obvious, and he is a jerk. The love interest is perfection. I'd like more of him in the next book. He is just the right amount of broody with banter. I enjoyed the character interactions.

I think this series has a lot of potential and I will definitely check out the next book!


Thank you to Avon books and NetGalley for the eARC.

First and foremost, thank you netgalley for the eARC! I will cherish this book as it was my first ever approved netgalley 🧡

Secondly, this cover is EVERYTHING! It was one of the first books that caught my eye and I applied for the arc so fast, and was ecstatic when I was approved!

Thirdly, I ADORE this book - it’s the perfect cozy fast paced gothic-read of the season! The beginning was so intriguing with the intricacies of the world building and magic system. A world of beasts and blight, a decaying realm of darkness brought to light by Edira Brillwyn and her unique and sacred thread bending magic. She finds herself in a Tamlin situation, brought to a new home of glamoured prestige and unlocks the secrets of the beasts that dwell there.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 (rounded to 5) 🌶️🌶️

I could not put this book down, it was a page turner for sure with top tier banter and mystical intrigue and ethereal beauty. & don’t even get me started with that ending UGH! This for sure will be an amazing fantasy/romantasy pick of 2025!!! Highly recommend for readers who enjoy an eerily darkly vibe like One Dark Window! I am beyond excited for book 2!!

TROPES:
✨Ethereal beasts
💀Death & Decay
✨Healing Magic
💀Hidden Vows & Secrets
✨Sexual Tension
💀Female Rage
✨Maple Moth Familiar