A good middle-school age book for kids who like things spooky and a little bit scary with a strong element of magic. Garnet knows little about her family except they have magic, like her, and live in the mysterious Crossroad house. Garnet's mom wants to keep it that way, but when Garnet develops a case of vomiting live frogs they have no choice but to return the ancestral home. But things are quite what she expected: the house is depilated, her grandfather seems to be sucking the energy out of the family and people have gone missing. Garnet will have to keep her wits about her to survive this visit.

There has a definite gothic feel about this story but nothing too extreme for most middle-schoolers and up. There is some danger and some gross scenes but I think that will be all the more appealing to the readers. I particularly loved the family connection here. Garnet has a strong relationship with her mother, but it isn't perfect. When she encounters her extended family she discovers support, love, dissatisfaction, and envy. Something you run in to in most families. But in the end love is the key to it all.

I really enjoyed this book. It reminded me of some of the spooky books I read at this age and still remember very fondly.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest opinion.

This was a really spooky, exciting good time! It has an awful lot of probable murder for a middle grade book, but it's such a thrilling, magic, ghostly adventure that I cannot complain. I have never seen the T.V. show Dark Shadows, myself, but my mother was a huge fan, and when the author mentioned being inspired by her own avid childhood viewing of that show it was so obvious, I recognized the influence just from my mom talking about it. Similar in tone to the Lockwood & Co. books, tons of fun.

I really enjoyed reading this horror-mystery. It ticks a lot a boxes in the horror genre- a creepy old house, a sinister (and I suggest evil) family patriarch (Garnet’s great-grandfather), mysterious disappearances, cursed ruins, visions, a premonition…plus a bunch of squabbling relatives and some family magic. The story flows well and I read it quickly, keen to find out what was going on. Apart from one minor point (no spoilers), I found the ending satisfying. This could have been a terrifying story but the tone is creepy and intriguing rather than frightening, so it is fine for middle grade (though I would say older middle grade) as well as teens.
The story features Garnet’s extended family, with first cousins, second cousins, cousins once or twice removed, uncles, aunts, great-uncle’s and great-aunts… I really liked this element of the book. It’s unusual to have so many pertinent and related characters in a story, in my experience anyway, and the family interaction was credible. The downside was that I found keeping track of the characters relationships difficult. My eARC had a family tree (I think) but it didn’t display properly. It’s needed, because after the first introduction, we’re not given any reminders of who’s who (well done, Garnet, for remembering them all!) so while I knew who belonged to Garnet’s generation, I was less clear on the adults.
I liked Garnet, who is kind, curious, persistent and brave. We’re told Garnet is twelve years old. However she seems far too mature in her reactions and reflections to be twelve. I had a few ‘a twelve-year old would think this?‘ moments throughout the story. I would have put her at fourteen or fifteen.
Overall this book has a great story, good characters and a satisfying ending. Recommended to those middle grade readers (of all ages) who enjoy horror.

Thanks to Netgalley for giving me a copy of this book for an honest review.

I keep wanting to say this is a ghost story, but it isn't. There are no ghosts in this book, but you get that spooky feel, in the best way possible. This story is about a family, their magic, and their mysteries. I had a great time learning about this unique family and solving their mysteries along with them.

This is a good book for middle grade children that haven't found their love of reading yet. I think this book might open up the reading world for them.

This will definitely appeal to younger audiences. They will find the adventures and mystery interesting. The plot was captivating and the mystery was understandable. It wasn't weighed down by too much exposition. On the other hand, the soul or energy stealing concept irked me a little but the target demographic will still immensely enjoy it.

This one started out a bit difficult to follow for me. Simply because there were many characters as members of this big family line that out protagonist meets at the very beginning. So we’re with her for the ride. I admit, it was hard for me to follow every single person at the start because they came at us from left and right, and there wasn’t much time to remember every single one. After a while though, I got the hang of it. But really, for the first third of the book I thought this wasn’t going to work me and that made me hella sad.

The story though, and the family dynamic, while intriguing enough at the beginning, really takes off after the second half, and then I couldn’t put it down.

I loved that every chapter started out with the name and description of a gemstone that was significant to the story. I also enjoyed reading about a big family, how they interacted with each other, a family secret here and there. I loved that the cousins, all around the same age as the protagonist’s twelve years, bonded right away. The one thing that I found hard to believe was the main character’s voice. She sounded much older than twelve years old.

As for the story, it definitely picks up and is very engaging towards the end. I just really liked it but could use some more details in the beginning for a smoother entry into the story in general. And any more stories from this family would be welcome. I feel like this family could get into more shenanigans that I’d be more than happy to read about.

The Addams Family meets The Westing Game and the haunting of hill house in this funny light read. I was so delighted with this story

This is a middle grade book following a family where people mysteriously vanish. It does have a very Haunting of Hill House feel to it, and I absolutely loved that books. I loved the whole vibe of the book, it was such a quick and fun read.
I'm a sucker for fantasy mixed with mystery and a little family secret so this book was just incredibile.
In this book we had action,adventure and mystery. I liked going along with Garnett to figure out her family history along with trying to solve a mystery surrounding her family. This is such perfect! You have to read it!

4.8/5 stars
(It just feels right)
Warning: Spoilers

Thank you, NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review
Non-Spoiler Section
Let me begin by saying the this book is going on my favourites lists. It was a wonderful read, and I can’t wait to re read it in a few months. The storyline is absolutely gripping. The best thing about this book, that I haven’t seen in a lost of other book, is the lack of an over dramatic reveal. The twists and turns are absolutely perfect, and sometimes not at all what I was expecting. The pacing is so good, that I read this book in two sittings (only because I had to sleep - I had classes the next day), but you will find yourself reading late into the night.
The formatting was a bit off, and for some reason, the family tree wasn’t showing in my kindle, but since this is an ARC, I’ll let it slide. But because of that, I found it a bit hard to keep all the relationships straight, but it wasn’t terribly difficult.
I also kinda wish that the magic was explored further and deeper, instead of being left basically at the surface level, but that’s just me, I think. I like hard magic systems.

SPOILERS!!

I didn’t like the way Rose basically wanted to kill Jasper, for leeching off of other’s magic even though he was a dick, and everybody was sort of okay with it - like nobody told her off, or even said that this is problematic.
I didn’t understand how Tana was still alive in the Old House after 20 years, and others weren’t, there wasn’t much explanation, except “time passes differently in the old house”. It would have made more sense if she was dead. (Also, out of the many traps in the old house, our dear Garnet stumbles upon the same trap Tana was lead to)
But at this point, I’m just nitpicking.
This was a really great story, and a fun read, and I’d highly recommend it!

This was a delightfully creepy, gothic middle grade with magic and fantasy elements. The Carrefour family practices earth magic and as our main character, Garnet, soon finds out some family members have been using it dangerously. When Garnet and her mother are forced back to the family home, Garnet learns about the people she has been kept away from her whole life. She also learns about the mysterious deaths and disappearances that follow her family. Will she be able to stop the curse and save herself and her family?
This book reminded me a bit of a cross between Gallant by V.E. Schwab and The Winterhouse mysteries by Ben Guterson.
Overall I just loved the spooky atmosphere, the mystery and the unique magic system. This was definitely a fun and quick read.
Thank you to netgalley and holiday house publishing for providing me with a digital copy for review.

We LOVED this book. It is so deliciously gothic in tone. Perhaps not so suitable for younger children (dead people, stealing others life force) but all of my grandchildren (except the youngest) read this with me and enjoyed the story. Feisty Garnett fixes a curse on her delightfully dysfunctional magic family. Great family read.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. This book had action,adventure and mystery. I liked going along with Garnett to figure out her family history along with trying to solve a mystery surrounding her family.

This text has a lot of twists and turns that the target audience will enjoy. I believe the added graphics in the finished novel will add to the text and aid readers in remembering plot details.

What worked:
The opening hook will grab young readers with its grossness. The scene finds young Garnet in the back seat of her mother’s car, regurgitating frogs into a bucket! The chapter goes on to reveal her mother’s reluctance, maybe outright defiance, to return to Crossroad House, the place where she grew up. This fact establishes a conflict and will make readers wonder what’s wrong with the family. On the other hand, Garnet has always wanted to visit Crossroad House but isn’t aware of her mother’s reasons for staying away. Maybe Garnet shouldn’t have sabotaged her mother’s plans.
The plot keeps readers wondering about the identity of the actual antagonist. Grandfather Jasper has lived longer than expected and is able to absorb the life force from others to continue living. Garnet experiences his power on her first day at Crossroad House. But then, there’s the house itself that has magic of its own. It won’t let anyone tear down a dangerous, damaged section of the property and now it won’t let anyone leave. Garnet experiences events from decades before that she attributes to the house’s power. Finally, a stranger summons Garnet to the cemetery and tells her some things that are hard to believe. He says he can help but Garnet isn’t sure if he can be trusted or if he’s dangerous.
The plot unfolds like a mystery as Garnet tries to understand her family and the danger surrounding Jasper’s transition. She hears stories of relatives and others who’ve suddenly died or disappeared on the property and an uncle dies while she’s there. Almost all of the relatives feel fear and anger toward Jasper and some of them silently wish he would die. Jasper says they’re ungrateful and don’t understand what he’s done for them which makes Garnet even more determined to uncover the truth. Jasper seems to be the obvious villain but is there more going on here than meets the eye? Why can’t his transition of power and death occur smoothly as with so many ancestors before?
What didn’t work as well:
There are many family members living in Carrefour House resulting in many names to remember. However, only a handful are critical to understanding the plot so readers will need to figure out which ones to focus on. Garnet and Ash are probably the two most important characters with others enhancing the story.
The Final Verdict:
This book is quite entertaining with the creepy house and energy-sucking patriarch at the center of the conflict. The blend of elemental magic with twists thrown in elevates the problems derived from broken family dynamics. I recommend you give it a shot.

"The Carrefour Curse" tells the story of an old family with a magical secret, all bound to a haunted house and a mysterious patriarch. We follow Garnet Carrefour, the twelfe year old daughter of Emerald Carrefour, who left the family before her daughter was born in order to protect her from the secrets which lie within the old walls of this mysterious mansions.

Before going into the criticism, here are a few points I really enjoyed about the book:
- all the characters (especially the young ones) are really likable and I really rooted for Garnet to solve the mystery
-the plottwist(s) and the story in generally were a real page turner
-the bits on the power of certain stones was a nice touch.

However, this books for me only gets 3/5 stars. Reasons for that:
-Although I liked the characters, there is way to many of them. There are at least 40 names important to the history of the family and I had quite some struggle especially in the beginning to remember who is who
-the idea of an old and creppy family patriarch somehow stealing life from the rest is...well...not new
-there are a few scenes which made me really question who this was written for as they were rather disturbing and horrific
- it is rather hard to belelieve Garnet is 12, she behaves way older.

All in all, this was a funny and quick read. Maybe not suited for a very yound audience and needs a warning that a few scenes are really scary, but all in all I enjoyed it.

The story follows 12-year-old Garnet, who is summoned by a curse along with her mother back to Crossroad House—the ancestral home of the Carrefour clan and magic. Garnet is excited to finally meet her family and learn about her families history but this soon turns to dread. The family is unable to leave and Jasper the head of the family has a past littered with unexpected illness, accidents and unexplained disappearances.

The Carrefour Curse is a really interesting quick read, with a mix of mystery, supernatural, magic and gothic elements it has something for everyone. I really loved the dynamics between different family members and how the characters were believable yet so unique to each other so you're provided with a wide range of personalities. Although this is intended for a middle-grade audience I do believe this can be read by all ages as it does have a gothic feel with some darker elements. I really hope this will become a series because I would love to read more about the families history and their future.

3.5

Thank you, Netgalley and publisher, for the review copy of this book!

This is a middle grade book following a family where people mysteriously vanish. It does have a very Haunting of Hill House feel to it, and I absolutely loved that show. A lot of family issues and creepy goings on. Also, I really enjoyed the additional things like the information on crystals at the start of each chapter. It was equal parts mysterious and creepy with a little bit of adventure thrown in too! A really fun and Gothic read.

I was lucky enough to win an e-ARC of THE CARREFOUR CURSE by Dianne K. Salerni through a Shelf Awareness giveaway. Thank you for the early look, and have a safe and happy 2023!

The Carrefour Curse by Dianne K. Salerni

This book has everything for those who love magic and mystery! The power of gems and stones, an old house, time-travel, a creepy old man, a possible murder, a large and quirky family, elemental magical powers, and so much more! I didn’t know what to expect when I started this book, but I was hooked almost instantly! The book reminded me a bit of A Series of Unfortunate Events. From the moment Garnet arrives at Crossroad House, one bad thing after another takes place. Everyone in the family is on edge waiting for the next heir of the family’s magic to be named. The book had me on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next!

I would like to thank NetGalley, Dianne K. Salerni, and Holiday House (publisher) for allowing me to read this advanced copy of The Carrefour Curse. It was an exciting read with a lot of twists and turns. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys magic and discovering hidden powers. I would also like to mention that I loved the cover art!

Loved it, very original and enjoyable read. Will defo purchase when it comes out as a physical copy :)