I put off reading this book because I couldn't quite get into it, and that kind of held through to my review. It was a bit slow at times, and while it had some real strengths in the creepy gothic genre, it generally had a strange end that lost me. The reviews seem to be a bit polarizing, and I get that.

Why did I wait so long to read this one???? It was SOOOO good!! Definitely my new fav Hester Fox book hands down. Set in post WWI England, a young orphan inherits an old house with a haunted library. Except this library isn't just haunted in the 'normal' sense, instead it possesses a dangerous book that sucks the memories and soul right out of the house's owners. Creepy, Gothic perfection, I couldn't put this book down and it was great on audio too. HIGHLY recommended. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

This was an interesting yet slow-moving work of fiction. Major Gothic mystery vibes but maybe a bit too redundant in places that it distracted from the overall story. It was loosely entertaining , if not my favourite.

This one is so slow and I got so bored with this book that I just quit it at about 70%. I was so hoping it would get better but unfortunately, I just couldn't read it all.

I do not recommend it.

Rating 2.5
This started out very intriguing, with a grand secluded house with many mysteries and maybe a ghost or two...I even thought the main character Ivy would make for a good protagonist. Sadly, my reading experience quickly devolved and I should have just DNFed it. I just kept waiting for it to make sense but as I read more it was even more confusing the way the book is written. Ivy's character also seemed to be replaced with a dumb-downed version of herself. She made the most ridiculous decisions and it became really infuriating. I just feel like the bones of the story was good but the execution was not done well. I think if we got more breadcrumbs throughout the stories and maybe more flashbacks to the past it would have made for a more developed story.

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was really excited for a new Gothic novel. I always am. This however, didn't either deliver on being better at the form than older ones, or on innovating on the form in my opinion. I do think the mystery element means that you want to finish once you've started, but I'm not sure that I would have kept going with this if it was in another genre. In the end, the <spoiler> memory loss </spoiler> element was just not that gripping or that helpful in terms of being able to follow along.

*Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the ARC of this*

The book is set in post-WWI England and our main character is Ivy Radcliffe, a young, independent 23-year-old woman living in a boarding house with her best friend, Susan. Out of the blue, Ivy receives a letter from an attorney informing her that she is an heir to Blackwood Abbey, an estate in the Yorkshire moors.

In fact, she’s the last heir to the estate and thus becomes Lady Hayworth. I think Ivy was so ready for a change that she didn’t really think things through when she agreed to take ownership of the estate. It’s cold, dreary, and drafty; not to mention eerie. The estate's servants are less than welcoming with house rules and they try to limit where Ivy can and can’t go in the estate.

However, Ivy is drawn to the Abbey’s magnificent library. She ignores the warnings of the staff forbidding her from frequenting the library (as if!) and begins cataloging the hundreds of books, manuscripts, and every document in the grand library. Though she finds comfort in the library, Ivy can’t help but notice strange happenings. Time begins to pass strangely and as Ivy becomes more sucked into the library’s enchantment, she begins to lose touch with the reality surrounding her and distrust everyone except the one person she should avoid at all costs.

This was a truly wonderful read full of magic, the supernatural and dark magic that is over 300 years in the making. The question you should ask is, will Ivy snap out of it and come to her senses before the Abbey takes her as it has taken every other heir in her bloodline?

I loved this book, but I couldn’t give it a full 5-star review. There were times when the story lagged a bit and I wanted to jump ahead and skip the mundane parts. I read the book in roughly four days, and it gets 4.25 stars.

Loved this title! It was the best cozy and all about a fabulous book in a secret room in a huge library. It was amazing and I've recommended it to so many people!

The Last Heir to Blackwood Library by Hester Fox is a solid historical gothic fantasy with an intriguing mystery. My hands down favorite aspect of this novel is the main character's love of books. Let's just say, I could really appreciate that! The novel starts off pretty well and I really appreciated the World War I time period for the setting. One of my least favorite aspects of the story, unfortunately, was the main character as the story went on. She makes a lot of dumb decisions and became a little too grating for my tastes.

I enjoyed the gothic vibes of this book and the premise behind it. Where I ran into some trouble was with how the main character was portrayed. Ivy tries to be a take-charge woman, putting her mark on the abbey and the village, but pays absolutely no attention what is going on around her. Even when she starts to realize that something is going on and she's being manipulated on multiple fronts, her response is almost passive. There are times when that strong woman we were promised shines through, but she never quite seems able to hold onto her.

I'm bummed because this had everything I'm attracted to in a book, but it didn't do it for me. I think it got a little too messy and lengthy for me, but I could not stay focused on this one. At a birds eye view, the premise was amazing. I love a historical fiction, paranormal events happening in an old mansion and I think it gave me just that, but maybe it was the characters I couldn't get attached to.

I don't know if this is just a "not right now" book for me, but maybe I will try to re-read this one again when it's calling for me.

Ok…so I have very mixed feelings about this book.
Cover art: gorgeous
Concept: great
Plot unfolding: this is where it loses me

I love the idea of an old haunted library, post WW1, independent woman MC. I just felt like there was a LOT of jumping around between plot points and sometimes I was like “what?! How the heck did we get here.”

I understand that part of the book was about losing time and memories but it felt so jumpy and like a fever dream. The relationship with Ralph felt forced and too much like Insta-love. He felt under developed and the end wrapped up too quickly but the beginning felt long.

I felt that the ease of the writing was what kept me reading. Fox has an easy, enjoyable style to her writing where you can really hear the MCs voice and easily read along. I loved Lullaby for Witches and hope to see more from Fox in the future.

2.5-2.8⭐️ - rounded to 3.

Ivy, a twenty-three year old unemployed woman living in London after World War I, is notified that she has inherited an Blackwood Abbey in rural England. With nothing to lose, Ivy, now Lady Hayworth, moves to the dark, mysterious estate. Ivy received a chilly reception from the small staff who are annoyed by Ivy who demands they unlock the library that is said to hold a remarkable collection. Ivy's impatience with the staff leads her to the bookstore a few towns away where she meets an eager, handsome young man who is eager to visit the abbey library. What follows is a dark mystery of how the local men's group of scholars winds their way into controlling Ivy's life. The Heir to Blackwood Library is an excellent read for historical fiction fans.

This was fun, but it feels like the author ran out of mystery before the end. It felt rushed and somehow also too long.

I really enjoy the way Hester Fox spins a tale and this was a fantastical read. I liked following the story and watching all the elements unravel.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

I was not expecting this book to be as spooky as it was but I enjoyed it nonetheless. So, let me start off by saying, if you’re looking for historical spooky season recs, look no further, this is for you.

I liked the setting and the spooky vibes so much in this story. I always enjoy historical with a touch of fantasy and Hester Fox does such an excellent job of that. My issue was with the romance. It just wasn’t really romantic? Maybe that’s why I wasn’t crazy about it. It felt kind of “you’re here, I’m here, we should be together”.

But, all in all, I liked this one a lot and will continue to read Hester Fox’s books.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This novel did not truly live up to the engaging plot described...not to say that it wasn't well-written. I was hoping for a thrilling historical fiction with some mystery embedded in the story. My aspirations were eventually crushed, but I will recommend this novel to readers that need a quick read.

An interesting and original story told at what felt like a snail's pace makes this a 3.5-star read for me.
Ivy Radcliffe becomes Lady Hayworth after inheriting the title as the only surviving relative of the last Lord Blackwood. Tired after the atrocities of the war and barely making a living in London, Ivy is happy to move into Blackwood Abbey. But things are not as they seem, and Ivy soon begins losing time and memories even as she works hard to make the abbey her home and open up its library to everyone who could benefit from the books inside. The rumors of curses and ghosts quickly start becoming more than just hushed whispers as the residents of the abbey face off against the ghosts of the past and those hungry for the power that Blackwood Library contains.
There is so much to explore and enjoy in this story, but it honestly felt like it takes too long to get from one point to another. I get prolonging things to add to the mystery and the uneasy feelings Ivy feels throughout, yet I feel like it could have been done in a less dragging manner.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and Graydon House for the original read!

Set after the first World War, Ivy is sent a notice that she is now the heir of an estate out in the country side. When she gets there many strange things start happening and the staff leaves mysterious clues. To me this was jumpy and the FMC was kind of annoying not heading any warnings from herself or others. Unfortunately not my cup of tea.

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.