I’m gonna be honest and say I got this book purely out of FOMO. Otherwise it would not have been on my radar. And yet somehow I became so invested in this book that by the time it was coming to a close I started to panic. I liked it so much. I liked all the twists and the way the story closed. It made me eager for more. This story surprised me and now I have yet another author to add to my favorites. Thanks for making this a read now. I would never have discovered it otherwise.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc

Everything starts with the mysterious deaths of Estela's parents and over twenty other strangers on a subway car. There are no clear answers, and the clues available don't make sense to Estela or the authorities. She is shipped off to her only remaining family in Spain to live in a decrepit castle with an aunt she does not know. Everyone around her seems to know more about the situation than she does. What secrets do her aunt, the castle itself, and another inhabitant of the castle 👀 keep?

With everything going on, I felt like I was still missing some little something to help tie it all together for me. There were times I'd forget about other plotlines because they wouldn't be addressed for a bit. The magic was interesting, but just a lot of moving parts.

Sidenote: Just a reminder, this is YA, folks. Don't go hunting for spice here. There is a romance plotline, but it's a fade to black situation.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc of this book!

Listen, the mixed reviews should not deter you from picking this book up. If you like gothic YA romance, then you need to sit yourself down and devour this book.

A cursed castle. A hot, mysterious vampire. Secrets, lies, betrayal. Even more mystery. <- don't tell me you read that and weren't at least a tiny bit intrigued... I won't believe you.

Estela is a FMC you don't meet often. She was fleshed out, in depth, and not the typical run of the mill FMC you tend to run into in the YA genre. Add in a little bit of Spanish, the atmosphere of this book gives our main girl an air that is just... delectable.

The pacing of the book could be a bit better, but overall it was extremely delightful to read.

When I initially read the premise of this book I was instantly sold. It sounded so interesting, and I couldn't wait to dive in. After reading the author's note in the beginning of the book, I started to think that maybe I wasn't the target audience for it. I was so nervous to give it a shot, but after seeing so many great reviews for it on bookstagram, my curiosity won. And let me tell you, I may not sleep for a few days, but it was SO WORTH IT!

This may be one of the darkest books I've ever read. For the first couple of days, I couldn't read it at night; but in my last reading session, I just had to know how it ended so I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish. It was SO GOOD! While there were a few aspects that felt familiar and like I'd read them before, the entire book as a whole was so incredibly unique. After reading the last page, I legit just sat in my chair trying to think of any plot wholes, and I could not find a single one. Every little clue and detail were well thought out right down to Estela realizing that she practically forced herself onto Sebastian and acknowledged it and apologized. There were so many details to keep up with surrounding the house, but they were all woven together immaculately, and I never felt confused or like I had missed something,

I didn't guess the twist, and to be honest, the twist is what is going to keep me up at night. It was low key horrifying, haha. I don't want to give anything away in my ramblings, so I'll leave it at that. I definitely recommend it, though!

Read if you enjoy:
- vampire MMC
- enemies to lovers
- morally gray characters
-"cursed" Spanish castle setting
- dark, gothic vibes
- witchy vibes

***There are quite a few trigger warnings that I would check before going in.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the chance to be an early reader! All opinions are my own.

CASTLE OF THE CURSED was such a treat! Great Gothic vibes and romance. Was I the only adult swooning? I hope not. The gothic fantasy and world=building were excellent and inventive. I honestly don't think I've encountered a story quite like this one before in all my years as a reader. Estela was also a very relatable character, particularly in regard to her mental health struggles. There are some content warnings you should heed at the beginning of the book, fyi. I really enjoyed this book and I think most teens and new adults into fantasy or romantasy will enjoy it too!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC of this book!

This book is definitely a must read for 2024 and perfect timing to get into the fall mood.

Castle of the Cursed was a fantastic murder mystery gothic horror novel.
The author has me captivated from the beginning and we can tell that Estela is no ordinary girl and doesn’t come from an ordinary family. To get the full picture, you really need to make sure you’re paying attention to the characters within, just how Estela is trying to solve her parents death.
There are unexpected turns, surprising outcomes, and an unforgettable ending. The only reason this is not a five star for me: Sebastían and Estela’s relationship. Not much time happens between their meeting and the conclusion of the novel. Their ending is unrealistic and in my honest opinion, not healthy. However, I ate this up and I hope there’s more to this in the future.
There are many dark themes to this novel, to include murders, suicide, mental health issues, violence, and death of parents.
Thank you to net galley and publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Vampires, gothic romance, evil twins, and a haunted house. Estela's life is forever changed when a mysterious incident kills both her parents and 23 other individuals on a train... leaving Estela the sole survivor of the event. Estela has no idea what happened or why she is the only one to make it out alive. She is determined to find out why and when a mysterious invitation from an estranged aunt arrives asking her to come live with her overseas in their ancestral Spanish Castle, la Sombra, Estela agrees. The castle is a gothic, haunted, and mysterious place made only more mysterious when Estela's investigation into her parent's death becomes linked to their past... and a mysterious silver-eyed boy who drinks blood and talks about being trapped in the castle appears. His name is Sebastian and he cannot appear during the day. Sebastian first assumes that Estela is the witch who trapped him but when he realizes she has no idea what he is talking about they reluctantly agree to work together to find the answers into why they are both connected to the house. Yet as they spend more time together a romance begins to bloom... but Estela's family has many more dark secrets than she could have ever imagined and finding the answers to her parents death as well as other family members relationship to her will lead her into a world she never knew... and will ask her if she even wants to know the answers. This was definitely a fun dark gothic romance to read with a touch of haunted house/vampire romance. I love the constant twist and turns in the story and no matter what happened Estela kept digging and trying to find out what happened. Estela was a strong protagonist to read about and she never gave up. I also enjoyed the romance between Sebastian and Estela and how she brought out the best in him while also understood that he would kill for her and that he would do anything to be with her and protect her. It's a great read and one I'd highly recommend for spooky season!

Release Date: July 30,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This book is a 3.5 for me, but I had some issues with it, so I gave it a 3. I was immersed in this novel pretty much immediately. The first chapter grips you, and then it doesn't let you go. But then the story gets to be a bit too much and I think there is a combination of too many elements. There are so many twists and turns that are extremely unexpected and I know this can be divisive amongst readers. There are some writing devices I don't particularly agree with, but I understand why they were used. (Not a fan of info dumping during a flashback). I loved that this took place in Spain, and enjoyed the use of Spanish sprinkled throughout the book. It made me feel exactly how Estella felt at first. Like her, I didn't understand (but context clues helped). I enjoyed Estella as a character, but some of the choices she made! UGH! I wanted to scream every time Felipe made it past her. C'MON GIRL.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Castle of the Cursed was enjoyable. It had a good flow that made it easy to get through. The reason I am rating it a three star instead of four is because it just didn't feel unique enough.

I really wanted to like this book but this was a total struggle to finish for me. I found the writing to be clunky and the overall plot to be ridiculous.

She gets shipped off to creepy castle in Spain to live with an aunt she never knew existed. She meets a vampire who wants to kill her but then they make out a lot and he decides he doesn't want to eat her anymore. At least not her blood. Wink wink nudge nudge. The romance happens within a 13 day timespan and poof they're in love and married. Also he's a Vampire Prince from another realm, whose been trying desperately to get back to said realm, but now doesn't care to because he's found love in a 17 year old. Oops, she celebrates her 18th birthday. The magic healing power of a teenager!

But wait the haunted house is actually a hungry house from another realm courtesy of her grandfather who likes to spread his seed across multiple realms and needs blood to survive.

There's also a secret twin uncle. And then ANOTHER secret twin, but this time it's HER secret twin, who was stuck in a bad realm and now wants to come here and take over the good twin. So of course we get a twin fight!

Of course good twin wins and then her and her Vampire Prince live happily ever after in their blood hungry castle. What does he eat what with being a vampire and all? Why criminals of course! Criminals she traps in the house for him to bleed and then the house gets to eat the scraps!

This book got a star just for the absurdity of that scenario.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGaelly for the arc.

This gothic novel is fantastic. Loved the setting and characters. Fun read with a great plot and pacing. And that cover is gorgeous!

The immersive setting in Spain and the deliciously dark atmosphere of la Sombra create a perfect backdrop for this creepy tale. After a bizarre, unexplainable event that killed her parents, Estela loses herself in grief until her aunt sends a letter inviting her to stay at the family castle Estela never knew existed in Spain. Her arrival awakens buried memories of her past and she encounters a supernatural being named Sebastián that only she can see. Together, they unravel the truth of la Sombra and the mysteries of their unremembered past. I highly recommend this one for fans of YA spooky romantic fantasy fans.

This is a fantastic YA gothic romance, and that cover is absolutely gorgeous as well! The world-building, the characters, the plot--they were all so compelling and I was drawn into this world at the first words. This story is lush and vivid and so well done, I crave more in this world and more from this author!

I'm not sure what I was expecting from Castle of the Cursed, but I enjoyed what I got. It was gothic romance and a twisty mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital review copy.

What an incredible story. I was riveted and couldn't stop reading.

Thank you Wednesday books for the e-arc for an honest review.

The mysteries were so well-written, full of twists. I didn't see anything coming.

The author wrote a perfect fantastic/mysteries with complex characters.

Estella is the only survivor of an accident in the subway. Her parents died too. No one understands why she's still alive. She's depressed, full of grief and she doesn't want to live anymore.

When an aunt from Italia writes to her so she could live with her, she enters a life full of secrets, mysteries and dangers.

There, she meets a vampire, Sebastian. Someone, only her, can see. Is he something that her mind created ? Or is he real ?

Read this book if you love :

✨ Mysteries ;
✨ Curse,.magic ;
✨ Romantasy ;
✨ Vampires and Witches ;
✨ Family secrets ;
✨ Standalone ;
✨ Romance with a little bit of spice.

What an incredible gothic fantasy! I live for this genre and this book was so absolutely stunning! Romina Garber crafted such an interesting story and magic system that enraptured me from start to finish. Looking forward to reading more from this author!

Castle of the Cursed was a good gothic story. I liked the tales that reveal what is going on and the setting was a great one for this type of book. It lost a star for me because the atmosphere never felt quite right to me. The house never felt enough of a character itself that I think it should have.

Note: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a unique story. It had so many elements that I love. Spooky castle with secrets. Vampires, mystery, and romance. Oh and folk lore. I loved that I has no idea where the story was going. I did not want to put it down as a result. Could there possibly be a book two?

Months after inexplicably surviving a disaster on a subway train that claimed the lives of her parents and several other passengers, seventeen-year-old Estela Amador departs to Oscuro, Spain to live in the Brálaga family castle-known as la Sombra by the village residents-with her recently-discovered aunt.

I was drawn to Castle Of The Cursed by its summary and I was intially captivated by the gothic atmosphere within the castle and Estela’s nightly explorations of it. The writing is beautiful and descriptions of the architecture, of the looming gargoyles within the building, a mirrored wall and a purple room where something horrific took place all add to the novel’s gothic mood.

Even later descriptions of a garden where the plants resemble human body parts and feast upon the blood of the village’s inhabitants are fascinating. The chapter titles were also a unique touch and a nice way of connecting the occurrences in the story to Estela on a more personal level.

Unfortunately, the romance between characters, the execution of certain aspects of the story and the ending made it difficult for me to enjoy Castle Of The Cursed as much as I wanted to.

Estela is intially presented as being wholly mute and suffering from the severe trauma of her experiences, yet due to most of the story taking place rapidly over the course of thirteen days, she is dealt blow after emotional blow and yet is able to function and even fall desperately in love with the morally gray, memory-challenged and shadow-controlling vampire Prince Sebastián.

Because Castle Of The Cursed is meant for a YA audience, Estela is young and experiencing a whirlwind of emotions, I could almost excuse her shift from fear to overwhelming attraction. But Sebastián’s own attachment, going so far as to give up his chance to return to his home and his eventual decision to perform the equivalent of a vampire marriage just seemed far too much far too quickly.

The revelation of the main antagonist being Estela’s twin sister Antonela felt very jarring and while her background is somewhat sympathetic, her overall behaviors lack nuance.

But it is honestly the ending of Castle Of The Cursed that led to my disappointment. As a fan of horror, I am not always expecting happy endings. However, the final three lines of the novel were so unexpected that I went back into the previous chapter to verify if I had missed something.

When stories involve twins, there is often the trope of “good” and “evil” twins and the potential for them to switch places. Planting the seed that Antonela is actually in control of Estela’s body-despite previously depicting otherwise-as a means to shock the reader felt absolutely unnecessary.

Throughout Castle Of The Cursed, Estela grapples with PTSD, Survivor’s Guilt, Depression, Suicidal Ideation and struggles to find a reason to continue living despite her loneliness. And yet when it seems she has finally found happiness and is moving her life forward…it may be her murderous sister in her place and Estela is left permanently trapped and utterly abandoned.

It’s such an undeserved fate for the character and made even worse by the fact that the love of her life doesn’t even realize something is amiss when his “wife,” who previously and constantly requested he not murder others starts serving up criminals on a silver platter for him to slaughter.

I honestly stuggled with this review as I know that authors put so much time and care into their work and I loathe being negative. But perhaps I was just the wrong reader for this novel and nevertheless, I am very grateful to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Wednesday Books for providing access to this ebook.

Title: Castle of the Cursed
Author: Romina Garber
Genre: Fantasy
Rating:4 out of 5

THE HOUSE IS ALWAYS HUNGRY…

After a mysterious attack claims the lives of her parents, all Estela has left is her determination to solve the case. Suffering from survivor’s guilt so intense that she might be losing her grip on reality, she accepts an invitation to live overseas with an estranged aunt at their ancestral Spanish castle, la Sombra.

Beneath its gothic façade, la Sombra harbors a trove of family secrets, and Estela begins to suspect her parents’ deaths may be linked to their past. Her investigation takes a supernatural turn when she crosses paths with a silver-eyed boy only she can see. Estela worries Sebastián is a hallucination, but he claims he’s been trapped in the castle. They grudgingly team up to find answers and as their investigation ignites, so does a romance, mistrust twined with every caress.

As the mysteries pile up, it feels to Estela like everyone in the tiny town of Oscuro is lying and that whoever was behind the attack has followed her to Spain. The deeper she ventures into la Sombra’s secrets, the more certain she becomes that the suspect she’s chasing has already found her . . . and they’re closer than she ever realized.

I feel like there was a lot going on in this novel: romance, magic, a bit of scifi, a mystery, family drama, and a whole lot of darkness. I enjoyed the read, but it did feel a bit chaotic. I liked how the opening scene gave a glimpse into Estela’s life and relationship with her parents, which later turned out to be only the tip of the iceberg. This was a solid read, and I’d be interested in seeing more in this world with these characters.

Romina Garber is a bestselling author. Castle of the Cursed is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)