I try to stay away from novels that are labeled "gothic" because I am inevitably disappointed in them. I'm not sure why I struggle with them so much. So when I see one that looks interesting, I think long and hard about it and the storyline really has to grab me in some way. I want to love them, I do. But in all honesty, I have never yet met that one gothic book that I just adored and can't stop raving about.

This book tried valiantly. The anchoress at the beginning, back in medieval times, that was an interesting chapter. That pulled me in. And then the book dragged until nearly halfway through and even when the action sped up, I was never excited. I tend to yell at my books. I cheer, I yell, I cry over and laugh at characters. It didn't happen here. I found some of Ivy's choices just silly, given her level of education, informal as it was.

I think if you love gothic books, this is the book for you. I could see this book coming to life on the big screen, though. It would be more interesting visually, for sure. However, it just wasn't the book for me. I remain in search of that one gothic book that's going to knock my socks off.

Ivy Radcliffe has inherited a piece of property that includes a library, that sets her heart pounding. A believer in the supernatural she is more comfortable with the strange things that occur. The servants are distant and off little clues as to what is really going on at the manor. It’s a learning curve that almost ends her . A good read.

2.5/5 stars

... Meeeeeeh. This was... okay? I think? I'm still not 100% sure of the rating, but figured I'd write my thoughts out so that I can maybe figure it out.

What I liked:
I loved the beginning of this book! The set-up was great, and it had me intrigued right from the get-go! The fact that it was also set in the 1920s had me intrigued--I'm watching Downton Abbey right now with my library watch club, and so it felt very reminiscent of that. I was having a good time! The imagery was all very vivid--the foggy moors, the little towns Ivy visited, the bustling streets of London... I also really loved the mystery and the feeling of not quite knowing what was going on. It was very twisty and I felt very untrustworthy of pretty much everyone, especially Arthur. (ew. he was horrid, by the way. Great villain setup). It had all of my favourite things in it, and I generally like gothic novels quite a bit! The writing also flowed very well and had a nice middleground--it was descriptive without being too flowery.

What I didn't like:
I found the progression of this book quite strange. The beginning, like I mentioned above, was incredibly well-written--it had me intrigued right away. But as we moved farther into the story, I found myself losing steam and desire to read on. It got quite confusing the more Ivy forgot, and though it's a big part of the plot, I just felt... lost in a way that could have been rectified if the pacing had been fixed. It was just all over the place. I could have done without the romance plot, as well, because to be honest, I felt like there was too much going on to really set it up, and it took away from my reading experience. I just got bored by the end, and the way the novel wrapped up had me feeling very dissatisfied.

Like it was fine but... It's not something I'll read again.

Historical fiction typically isn't my jam but this honestly could've been set in any time period and the premise would've worked. This book is just the right amount of unsettling and isolation to keep me invested.

The Last Heir to Blackwood Library by Hester Fox is a historical mystery set in a fantasy world with a gothic feel to it. A ghost story for the books lovers set in a mysterious library bringing books to the forefront.

Ivy Radcliffe is living in London after the war trying to come to terms with being left alone after losing her family. Out of the blue Ivy receives notice that another distant relative has passed and left an inheritance to her. Ivy soon finds her inheritance comes with a few catches, she must stay in her new property but things are not normal at Blackwood Abbey.

The Last Heir to Blackwood Library by Hester Fox is not the first book I’ve read from this author and won’t be the last. Again I found the author has a way with a creepy gothic setting and I found myself pulled into the somewhat darkness. I did find that there were a few things happening I kind of wanted more with but overall this one landed at three and a half stars for me.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Everything about this seemed to be exactly the type of read I would go for! However, I feel like this one missed the mark a little bit for me personally. I wanted more spooky elements to it, and it almost went there but it felt like it was holding back a little bit. What I did love about this was the gothic atmosphere, and seeing how well that part was written. I also loved that the main character was a fan of books, given the setting of this having a gigantic library!

This one surprised me. I thought it sounded like something I would like but it ended up being more than like. It is one that has stuck with me. I still think about this book days after I read it. This author is someone to read.

Ivy Radcliffe's life had been filled with tragedy. Her mother died when she was young and, during the war, she lost both her father and her brother. Her father had been a professor until a theory that he was working on was ridiculed and he was pushed out of his position. He taught Ivy to love literature, reading, and solving puzzles. But he never mentioned being related to a family with an abbey.

It was a surprise for Ivy to learn she was the last blood relative to Lord Hayworth and his will left everything to her provided she would live at Blackwood Abbey, the home of the Hayworths and the famous Blackwood Library. Ivy signed the papers and immediately became Lady Hayworth. She hugged her roommate, Susan, goodbye and made her way to the Yorkshire moors and Blackwood Abbey.

by Hester Fox is a very atmospheric Gothic novel. How could it not be? There is a real abbey, with dark long corridors, rooms, creaky noises, strange breezes, and a library the staff warns her to stay out of. Then there is her fear that she's not Lady material. Into all this confusion, Ivy learns that there are ghost stories and legends about the abbey. There are also missing memories, crushing headaches, and the belief that there's a dark menace living in the abbey.

There's also a bit of witty dialogue, romance, and wonderfully descriptive prose that pulls you along into the fear and confusion Ivy is suffering from. Who can she trust? People keep warning her of unspecified danger but are clearly hiding something. Ivy's only consolation is the library. It is beautiful and a bibliophile's dream. But there's something not right about it. The library seems to be at the center of all the strange happenings and the presence she feels in the house.

There's not much I can say other than I tore through this book wishing I could leave Ivy notes to explain what was going on. Urging her to be wary of who she trusted because, honestly, I didn't trust most of the people in Ivy's life once she moved to Blackwood Abbey.

It's an edge-of-your-seat story almost from the first page with a stubborn, intelligent woman, who's in an untenable situation, dealing with centuries of a dark history related to her inheritance without a rulebook.

I couldn’t put it down! Loved the feminist message and magic of books. The monk was a perfectly evil and spooky touch.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝑯𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒘𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝑳𝒊𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒚
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲: gothic, historical fiction, haunted libraries, ghosts

Sooo what if you were just living your life and then all of a sudden you found out that you have just inherited a whole estate from an unknown relative? Then you move to said estate and what does your book loving heart find there first? A whole library with a huge collection of books! Naturally you appoint yourself as the new librarian. But then you start hearing voices and footsteps at night so you start asking the house staff more about this new place you just inherited and find out all previous estate owners (aka your relatives) died an untimely death with no solid reason. Will you stay?

RIGHT?! i was so intrigued by the premise of this. Ghosts and haunted libraries? Um yes please! I flew through the first 100 pages. But thennn it got a little bit slow for me after that. And I even thought I would DNF it. It’s just sooo hard for me to root for a lead character who always needs saving- especially if said character claims to be smart and independent. The whole time I was reading, I was like “no, don’t do that. Please don’t” but then ofc she still did 😅

I also really want to read more HF but I get why I tend to stay away from it now. 1. Most of them are sad. 2. Women were still considered second citizens then and sometimes it’s just so triggering to keep reading about it. Therefore I conclude (lol) that I would only read mystery type of historical fictions.

This book did have an eerie past that I really like. There were some twists that were also good but I might have liked it more if it was a little bit fast paced and more plot driven.

Thank you @htpbooks for sending me a review copy!

💭 Haunted libraries, will you visit?? Any plans for the weekend?
☕️ I’m here in MA for the weekend for Taylor Swift’s concert. I AM SO EXCITED!

This was a great read! I have recommended it to many Patrons at the Library. Thank you for the opportunity to read it.

I enjoyed the first few chapters of this book, but the story took a turn that lost my attention.

When Ivy inherited Blackwood Abbey and became Lady Heyworth, I was intrigued. The servants of the abbey were reserved and not very forthcoming in regards to the secrets surrounding the estate, but especially when it came to the magnificent yet mysterious library enclosed within its walls. The staff warned her to avoid it, but Ivy was drawn to it like a moth to a flame. There were rumors of ghosts, curses, and a long lost manuscript that was being sought after by others who desired its arcane power.

This is where the story lost me. The focus drops away from Ivy and redirects to a lack luster group of men and anticlimactic supernatural events. None of these characters were memorable enough to write about, and to be honest, Ivy was the biggest disappointment because of her naivety. She just wasn’t a strong enough character and that alone kind of ruined the story as a whole for me. This book had a lot of potential but the writing and characters weren’t captivating enough.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Grayson House for providing a copy of this book to review.*

I love books about libraries, magical books and I liked this story that kept me hooked and reading.
Ivy is not always very likeable, a bit silly at times, but there's an evolution and I liked the atmosphere of the Abbey and would like to visit a library liked the one described in this book.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Read if you like: historical mysteries.
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This was a fun book about a young woman who inherits a haunted Abbey. I liked the mystery aspect of the book and think it is fun when there are supernatural elements to a historical mystery. When Ivy moves to the Abbey, mysterious things start to happen and she needs to work out the curse that is on the house/family.
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Overall though I didn't love Ivy. She made some silly choices, which I understand was part of the curse but I struggled to root for her.

I'm not big on historical fiction but I think this is a lovely novel for anyone new to the genre and lovers of historical fiction alike. This book combined history and magic with a dash of romance and is a perfect escape to the moors. The only thing I wish I would have gotten more of was more back story of the mad monk. I would have loved to know more about him and his story and motivations.

What a disappointment.

The premise is excellent, and the beginning is a strong start, but things go downhill soon after.

The characterization of the MC is extremely inconsistent: we are told (very clearly) that she is stubborn, and yet for something extremely important to her, she suddenly becomes someone who gives up immediately. Her life experiences up to the beginning of this book coupled with the intelligence she has seem to often go out the window and we suddenly have a naive character. We are also told over and over again, and again, that she loves books. So much "telling", not enough showing.

Eventually it felt like Ivy was just "there" and the world was happening to and around her, but she could've easily been replaced with any other character and the story would have remained just as uninteresting.

The author took on more than they could handle.

‘The Last Heir to Blackwood Library’ by Hester Fox was insanely atmospheric, full of mystery, and had a great, strong female protagonist. Definitely recommend!

A bit mystery, a bit occult, and romance to mix it all up with. Fox managed to keep me hooked even though the main character annoyed me quite regularly.

I loved this novel. The author is so descriptive of the setting. Imagine lots of moors. I found myself trying to figure out what was happening with the main character and unable to put the book away.

I loved the gothic feel in The Last Heir to Blackwood Library and the main character, Ivy Radcliff is the perfect protagonist to carry this haunting story!

Ivy is alone, having lost her family post WWI when she inherits Blackwood Abbey. Cold and remote, Ivy’s delighted by the library despite warnings from others to avoid it. From the beginning, there’s something strange yet familiar about the library – a home away from home but soon, Ivy wonders if the words of warning should have been heeded as she senses a malicious presence within the Blackwood library.

Wonderfully eerie and gothic with the perfect setting, The Last Heir to Blackwood Library is a cozy read with a light romance that didn’t disappoint.