Family drama and a touch of the paranormal all wrapped up into one. A then and now look at 2 families lives and how they are connected that will keep you hooked. Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada and NetGalley for my arc.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon& Schuster Canada for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

I cannot resist generational tales, strong female protagonists, familial conflicts and secrets, and creepy houses. The Manor of Dreams is all those things and more.

Our novel opens with the reading of the will of Hollywood starlet, Vivian Yin. Her daughters, Lucille and Rennie, along with her granddaughter, Madeline, attend. Also, in attendance are Nora and her mother, Elaine. At one time, Elaine's parents worked for Vivian and her husband, Richard, both accomplished in Hollywood. But it has been years since anyone has seen Elaine. Why is she at the will reading? Soon it is revealed that Vivian left money for her daughters and the house to Elaine. Angered by this, Lucille informs Elaine that no one from her family will leave until a further investigation is completed. But the greatest threat to all-just might be the house itself.


Wrapped in a gothic atmosphere with a whole of psychological tension, Christina Li weaves a slow burn of a tale as the narrative bounces from those present in the house to Vivian and Richard's tumultuous relationship. Once I began reading, I couldn't put this book down. As the vines from the garden began creeping towards the house, I was shaken by the growing fear of being claustrophobic and yet I couldn't look away.

A very chilling tale.




Expected Publication Date 06/05/25
Goodreads Review Date 06/03/25

Picture this: Hollywood's first Chinese American Oscar winner dies mysteriously in a decaying mansion. Her daughters start seeing things they can't explain. And suddenly, three generations' worth of family secrets start spilling out of the woodwork – literally.

That's the delicious setup of Christina Li's The Manor of Dreams, a ghost story less about things that go bump in the night and more about the shadows our families leave behind. Li ping-pongs between the glitz of 1970s Hollywood and present-day horror, following the legendary actress Vivian Yin and her daughters as they try to piece together why their mother really died.

The story is different from your typical haunted house tale. Li writes like someone who knows that the scariest ghosts aren't the ones in white sheets – they're the unspoken truths that follow families across generations. Her prose is beautiful without being pretentious, creating an atmosphere so thick you could cut it with a knife.

Sure, the middle section takes its sweet time, like a cat playing with its prey. But that slow burn pays off. Li uses this space to dig into what it really means to be "the first" – the first Chinese American to break into Hollywood's inner circle, the first to win that golden statue, and the steep price that comes with all those firsts.

The supernatural elements work because they're not just spooky window dressing. Every ghostly encounter, every inexplicable vision, serves the larger story about family, fame, and the darker side of the American Dream. This is the kind of book that makes you check over your shoulder while also checking your own family history.

The Manor of Dreams pulls off something rare: it's both a genuinely creepy ghost story and a powerful meditation on cultural identity. It's about the stories families tell themselves, the truths they bury, and how the past never really stays past.

Bottom line: This isn't just another haunted house story – it's a haunting one. Pack your bags for a stay at the manor. Just don't expect to sleep much once you get there.

3.5/5 stars

When I requested this book I thought the cover was cool and the plot interesting, and honestly did not expect to be blown away the way I was. The book starts a bit slow, but the writing is gripping had me interested and invested. I felt that the pacing was odd for the first half and most of it was context for the reader. The second half really picked up and had me engaged. I loved the switching between past and present and how neither felt like too much, they both made the story flow well. I honestly really enjoyed the past timeline and found the present one good but a bit boring. The present tense felt like it was mostly meant to be a reflection of past actions and the result of generational trauma.

I loved the main theme of generational trauma and how that manifested in the different ways it did. I felt the ending quarter was written very well, and had me frantically turning the pages. I love good symbolism and this book was full of it.

I would definitely recommend checking this one out!

Vivian Yin, the first Chinese actress to win an Oscar, is dead. And right before she died, she changed her will and left her manor to another family.

Now, her family is trying to figure out why and if there was a foul play behind this last minute change while the other family is trying to keep their new found home.

We follow three generations in dual timeline while the story unfolds and it was so fucking good! This is the kind of family drama horror I love! The writing was beautiful, the way multiple POV and dual timeline was used made the story flow so well that I could not put the book down, and the amount of horror vs family drama was just so perfect!

A tragic and haunting gothic thriller that exposes the truth behind the inheritance of a dead Hollywood star’s dark secrets.

Vivian Yin was an 80s starlet who eventually loses touch with reality and her daughters. In an attempt to right many wrongs, her life and legacy is left to the mercy of a house she desperately tried to make home.

Vivian Yin, an oscar winning actress captured the heart and married one of Hollywood’s leading men. Moving into her husband’s historical family manor, Vivian tries her best to raise her family and hold on to her declining fame. After tragedy strikes, she slowly disappears into the buried secrets that haunt the halls of the Lowell mansion. At the time of her death, ownership is contested when her daughters find out she willed the house to someone else. Eventually, the darkness that filled the walls of their childhood home comes crumbling down, bringing to light multiple tragic endings.

Written from the perspective of two Chinese American families and multiple POVs, The Manor of Dreams is packed with great storytelling. I especially enjoyed the dual timeline, because it gave us access to all of the challenges Vivian faced and how it ended up causing generational trauma for her daughters. Li covers abuse, LGTBQ+ relationships, identity and the intersection of expectations placed on the American born children of immigrant families. Throw all that under the roof of a colonial built house with a story of its own and you have yourself a tale that’s layered, complex and haunting. For me, Vivian is everything. I really felt for her and the hardships she had to endure, specifically because she was a product of her time, a Woman of Colour who was expected to bend a knee to her husband, motherhood and cultural expectations. And that plot twist, chef’s kiss.

The only thing I wish there could have been more of was background on Lowell and his family's history and legacy. I feel like there was so much history we didn’t have access to (including the history of Chinese railroad workers) and it would have filled out the story a bit more in understanding the genesis of the manor.

If you liked Mexican Gothic, I think you’ll love The Manor of Dreams

Thank you Simon & Schuster Canada and Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review

5/5 stars! I absolutely loved this book. I was very intrigued from the synopsis and was so excited to be selected for an arc of this book. I was hooked from the very first chapter and I couldn’t put this book down. I did not want this book to end. This book is releasing May 6, 2025. Thank you so much to Simon & Schuster Canada, Christina Li and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

The Manor of Dreams by Christina Li is a gothic story about the price of fame and the haunting secrets of a Chinese American family whose lives become entangled in a dark history that has threatened their family for generations.

The story follows Vivian Yin, the first Chinese American actress to win an Oscar and her tragic life as a once famous star, wife, and mother only to lose everything in the end, including her life. Her mysterious death and strange house in California beckons her family and friends back to the manor where unnatural things begin to occur. Soon, the family realizes that they have stepped back into a nightmare, built on the dreams of Vivian Yin and her troubled life.

The Manor of Dreams is a haunting story about family secrets and the immigrant experience that pulled me into its pages. It is very much a Gothic with a psychological horror aspect to it, with the explanations of what was really gone, never fully resolved. The juxtapositions between Hollywood glamour and Chinese culture was interesting and helped to highlight the challenges and bravery of Vivian Yin as she navigated the dark world of the entertainment industry. The story was a little slow paced at times but it helped to increase the tension and suspense, with the mystery deepening the further the story went along.

If you like Gothic stories involving generational trauma, I would recommend The Manor of Dreams by Christina Li.