I loved the gothic vibes, but felt overwritten. It was just not for me unfortunately. First 30% of the book , middle part and ending felt like three different books.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for access to an eARC in exchange for my honest review!!

what's it about? ⬇️

When a sudden tragedy leads to the deaths of Estela's parents and everyone else in the Subway car with them other than Estela and media attention turns her into a spectacle, Estela is checked into a facility to monitor her mental health and, for a while, stuck feeling like she is suddenly all alone in the world. Until a letter arrives from her estranged Aunt who lives in Spain, inviting her to come and live with her in her little village called Oscuro. And though her parents never spoke of any other family members, there is no other choice for Estela but to go along with this relocation plan and make the best of things.

When she arrives, she is met by a tiny village cloaked in the shadow of the castle--actual castle--where she's meant to live, and as if that wasn't already strange enough, things only get stranger from there, from the strange shriveled seed-pod 'pills' her Aunt prescribes for her to the oddly fervent attitude of the village boy teaching her Spanish to the horrific--and hauntingly beautiful--shadow creature that stalks her through the castle at night.

But this is only the beginning of Estela's journey, as Oscuro and la Sombra have far more secrets and mysteries and dangers to reveal as she settles in, and many of them may threaten her safety and even her life.

my thoughts? ⬇️

I had such high hopes going into this book. It seemed like it would be right up my alley, and there was so much promise in the first half of the book. But things very quickly went off the rails, and while I love a good plot twist, there were so many and they were so outlandish each time that it was hard to suspend my disbelief that far and to keep up with the plot as the roller coaster kept getting even crazier.

I considered DNF'ing more than once, but I stuck with it to see Estela through her journey and to see just how wild things got, and by the end...I did end up enjoying it, even though I think I have more complaints than praise.

(view spoiler)

All in all, it's a 2.5 star rounded up to 3 for me. I wouldn't not recommend it for fans of gothic lit in search of a chaotic, crazy ride, but it's not one I'd recommend for anyone outside that niche.

trigger warnings ⬇️

death of parent(s), child death, blood, murder, death, gore, body horror, violence, grief, injury/injury detail, fire/fire injury, suicidal thoughts, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, self harm, dysphoria, drug use, medical content, forced institutionalization, mental illness, panic attacks, bullying, body shaming, gaslighting, abandonment, child abuse, media abuse, sexual assault, sexual content, eating disorder, body dysmorphia.

I was blown away by this book. I flew through it and could not put it down.

Castle of the Cursed is easily one of my new favorite books I’ve read this year. It’s beautifully written, with intriguing characters and a unique storyline. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC of this book!!

Estela grew up traveling all over the States with her parents. Never knowing the peace of having a home and staying in one place. When tragedy strikes and her parents die, Estela moves into a castle in Spain with an aunt she didn't even know she had. But the strange incident in which her parents died isn't the only uncanny thing she's discovering and she'll have to be on her toes if she wants to survive the curse of la Sombra.

It's more a forward-leaning 3.5 stars than the full 4 stars because it's not a fantastic read but I really enjoyed some of the things Garber incorporates into the story. Almost everything that happens in the book is incredibly obvious if you've read any YA in this genre. There were literally zero surprises when it comes to the plot, but you can't help but feel for Estela and get pulled into her story. Even knowing where things are headed, tagging along with her as she discovers one surprising truth after another kept me turning pages and that's all due to Garber's writing. The narrative just flows without you really noticing that you're 100 pages in and you can't put it down until you see how the next part will develop.

Overall, a well-written entry into the genre that suffers from oversaturation.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the read!

YALLLL this book was so good!! If you love any or a mix of the following, you will love this book! It’s got gothic horror, a castle, a vampire, a centuries long curse, and a to die for (literally) mystery!
I couldn’t put this one down, I just needed to find out what was happening next. There were just so many layers, and I couldn’t even imagine the next plot twist or revelation! This book follows a format where the world building just grows and grows almost until the end. It’s not just limited to the castle in Spain. The tragedy at the beginning of the book you think is the mystery, but as she travels to Spain and begins to learn about life in the castle, we realize that the subway tragedy is only a part of the bigger picture.
Now our vampire MMC, Sebastian… LOVE him. Talk about going from “i’m going to kill you” to basically “I bow before you, Queen”, like yesss we love to see it.
There’s so much I want to say, especially about some side characters, but I feel like any details I give will be a spoiler because it’s all just woven THAT intricately. If I was our FMC, Estela, I don’t know at what level of revelation I would have just cracked. Like it’s a lot to suddenly believe and take in. I also loved all the Spanish in this!

I will say, pay attention to the cover! There’s more details in it than you might have realized.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and St. Martin’s for my physical copy. It is definitely one of my favorite reads so far this month! I tabbed so much I ran out of 3 of my colors LOL

A YA book that has all the elements for a classic gothic horror. The stand out character in the book was definitely the castle itself. The actual characters and storylines were a bit more lacking and did not necessarily resonate with me. While some budding fans of gothic horror might still appreciate this books dark ambiance, it just was not the right fit for me.

This book never managed to fully grab my attention, so I was unable to finish it. Interesting premise, but the start was just too slow.

A haunting tale filled with gorgeous gothic imager. Romina Garber has created a masterpiece with all the ambiance of a Dracula novel.

Being the lone survivor of a mysterious massacre on a subway train, Estela is carted off to Spain to live with an aunt she knows nothing about in a creepy castle of local legend. Wracked with survivor's guilt and desperate to find out the truth of what killed her parents, Estela dives into her past to track down any clues about what may have happened. But what she discovers doesn't make her feel any better... or safer. An aunt who couldn't care less about the arrival of a long-lost niece, a vampire who only she can see threatening her, and a new local friend who is maybe a bit too friendly, Estela has a lot to deal with and a lot of leads to follow. With secrets closing in on her day after day, will Estela be able to solve the case, or will she die trying?

What a gothic powerhouse of a story! I really loved the atmosphere, the vibes, the characters, the mystery. This gave me way more than I was expecting, and I loved it the whole way through!

I really love it when the setting of the story becomes a character in it's own right, and that was definitely the case with this novel. La Sombra had the spookiest gothic vibes. With the castle itself being a local legend in the book, it definitely took on its own characteristics. I don't want to give too much away by going into specifics, but the castle definitely let you know if you were wanted or not.

The plot was a really fun mystery, but at the same time delved deep into the trauma of grief and loss. The beginning was very dark and challenging to read, with Estela suffering so much survivor's guilt and depression after the loss of her parents. That suffering was definitely a key point in Estela's character and how she dealt with all the surprises and problems in Spain. Her character development was incredibly well done in that respect. I also really loved Sebastian's character, and Bea really grew on me.

The romance didn't really do it for me... there wasn't enough build-up and it felt very shallow to me. The few spice scenes also just felt very out of place and didn't seem necessary. I can appreciate why the romance needed to be there for the ending to work the way it did, but I just wanted more between them. I think the chemistry was there, I just needed a bit more spark.

I really loved the conclusion, and I do feel like the pacing was done well for a standalone fantasy book like this, especially one with so many elements. I loved the cross-genre elements and the mystery really tied everything together. The fantastical elements were really cool and well thought out, and the gothic vibes were spot on.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. The setting and plot were very immersive, the characters were easy to root for, and the conclusion was fantastic. I will definitely be looking out for more from Romina Garber and going back to read some of her backlist!

*I received this eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

While riding the subway with her parents in New York City, Estela’s vision is obscured by smoke followed by a starry burst. When her vision clears, she’s surrounded by corpses. While staying in the Rainbow Center, a woman named Beatriz Bralaga writes, claiming to be her aunt. She invites her to come live with her at Castillo Bralaga. As she explores the castle at night against her aunt’s orders, she meets Sebastian, a vampire shadow beast who keeps calling her a bruja, threatening death if she doesn’t restore his memories. Teaming up with the vampire, Estela works to uncover her family’s past. Who really is Sebastian? Who really is Beatriz? Who really is Estela?

The plot is engaging, full of gothic elements, and well written. The characters are brooding, believable, and engaging. With romantic element similar to Beauty and the Beast and Dracula, readers who like fantasy, adventure, and magic will want to pick this one up. Recommended for most library collections.

Please Note: A copy of this book was given in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are our own. No other compensation was received.

A young woman ends up back at her ancestral home in Spain and finds herself investigating the house with a mysterious man (boy? unclear).

This was a very confusing book. I am still not quite clear where Sebastian came from and it felt like multiple different books in one. I also did not get the gothic vibes I was wanting here.

After hearing Romina Garber speak about this book, I could not wait to read it! The atmosphere and the culture made this book come alive. The mystery of what was going on and who could be trusted had me turning the pages so fast. I enjoyed watching Estela's character arc unfold throughout the pages also! Thank you to Wednesday Books for an advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

This premise had such promise but the execution fell so flat. Around the halfway mark i was like “huh?” She’s in insta love with the scary guy? It unraveled from there into a nonsensical story that totally lost the plot.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Macmillan publishers for sending me this arc in return for an honest review.

We delve deep into what is like to struggle with mental health struggles as Estela struggles with the sudden death of her parents and being the sole survivor of a strange incident. I really connected with the beginning and struggling to come out of a place that can being difficult to come out of. From there she is led to the mysteries of who her mom's family truly was, and the darkness that surrounds her family and the castle her mother grew up in.

I loved the twists and turns the story took, the Gothic feeling of the castle and mystery as Estela tries to uncover what really caused the death of everyone on the subway. Some aspects of the story took a turn that I felt was pushed, especially the love story, I feel like it needed to be slightly flushed out a little more, and other aspects of the story we found out later I feel could have been hinted at from the beginning, as it is suddenly goes in that direction. It was minor things, and despite them I really enjoyed the story and the Gothic imagery around the whole story.

Castle of the cursed pulled me in right from the start. A cursed castle and a silver eyed boy only Estela can see had me wanting to know all the secrets. After experiencing the mysterious loss of her parents, Estela begins to lose touch with reality. When she receives an invitation from an estranged aunt to a castle in Spain she accepts. The longer she is there the more strange things happen. Estela starts to uncover the secrets of her family. She is not sure who to trust. I loved the story. The mysteries were so good. I did not want to put the book down. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

"THE HOUSE IS ALWAYS HUNGRY…"
Castle of the Cursed is a dark gothic romance that drew me in by the cover. I loved the eerie atmosphere of this book and the characters were good in it. The mystery in this one was super intriguing. This was my first time reading anything by this author and it was written well. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to any YA readers or readers who like horror. Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this Young Adult read in exchange of my honest review of Castle of the Cursed by Romina Garber.

A dark gothic mystery,with drama, suspense,supernatural elements,twists ,secrets and romance.
Set in a Spanish castle with Estela who sees a boy Sebastian but is he real or just imaged .
Very intense and intriguing.
Voluntarily reviewed.

Going to be completely honest, I only requested this book on NetGalley because of the cover. The plot was interesting enough that I was still excited to read it, but my interest was 100% because of the cover. I really enjoyed how the author put her culture into the story, including language, setting, and folklore. But overall, I had a pretty ok time. The romance in this felt rushed and a bit unnecessary and this book didn't do one of my favorite tropes justice (not saying which one because I feel like it could be spoilers). The setting is really what saved this for me.... a gothic castle? YES PLEASE! I do think that this would've been more enjoyable to me if I read it as a teenager so that bit of nostalgia is what kept me going.

So, Umm....I'm not really sure what I just read... This strange book kept me intrigued but I don't know if I actually liked it or just kept going because I was so confused I needed answers. This is a dark gothic romance but that is not the feel I got from it at all. Yeah, there is a dark (literally the castle is black) creepy castle and shadow beast only the main character can see was interesting but it was just not romantic in any way for me. It was more confusing than anything. I had problems with the main character and her story line then there was all kinds of wack-a-doodle things happening that I didn't care for so this was not really one that I overly enjoyed. 2.5 stars rounded to 3.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Romina Garber's Lobizona and Cazadora and so had to check out this standalone gothic horror story. While it didn't become a new favourite, I enjoyed reading it and thought it was very atmospheric. Garber knows how to set a scene and is a compellingly visual and engaging writer. I look forward to future books by her!