I enjoyed the writing and the development of the characters. The setting felt real and well thought out.

House of Frank is a charming cozy fantasy story exploring grief and how hard it can be to let go. It follows Saika, a young witch showing up at Ash Gardens' Arboretum to finally lay her sister to rest. But she is not quite ready to bury her yet, and so she busies herself with being useful to the eclectic household she's been welcomed in. As time goes by Frank, the head of the house, comes to trust her with his secrets, and the house's impending doom. Saika will do anything to save the place and—especially—its inhabitants, even without power and a body that's failing her more each day.

With its cozy, autumnal vibes, a found family of various fantasy species we don't often see paired together, queer characters and a narrative centered on grief, House of Frank had everything to be right up my alley. And it was—only partly.

My first gripe with the book is the narration, though that is a very personal preference. First person P.O.V is not my thing, but it could have worked fine here... if it wasn't constantly interrupted by second person P.O.V as Saika addresses her deceased sister. I suppose this was a way of showing how paralysed by her grief Saika is, unable to let go of Fiona and still talking to her as if she was alive; the result is a stilted, repetitive narration which tells more than it shows, as Saika explains events to her sister. Despite her constant internal dialogue, we're not shown enough of their relationship to truly empathise with her grief.

There is an overall lack of development, both of the characters and in terms of world building. The magic system seemed interesting enough, but I would have liked to learn a little more about it. I could only summon up very surface level care for the characters in this book, including the main one—who was actually quite annoying at some times.
The queer representation was nice, though the outing of a trans character, whose trans identity has no impact and is never mentionned again, felt performative.

Overall, I still thought this was a lovely book, with fun characters and sweet moments. If you want cozy magical vibes with a heavy topic, this is the book for you, but I think it would have benefited from being longer, and having some more in depth editing.

Bonus points for the gorgeous, gorgeous cover.

Thank you to Bindery and NetGalley for the e-arc of this book!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this arc. It was a powerful story about grief, love, and loss. The characters were interesting and the array of representation was beautiful to read.
If you have experienced loss, grab a box of tissues, and enjoy.

4.5 stars

“House of Frank” is the delightful tale of grieving witch Saika, who is unable to move on from the loss of her sister Fiona. She has brought Fiona’s ashes to Ash Gardens, where the remains can be planted in a magical arboretum to become a beautiful tree that will serve as the resting place for her soul. When Saika arrives, she encounters a group of entirely disparate magical beings who are united by the fact that they’ve all lost people, and chosen to stay and work at Ash Gardens together; Saika opts to join them until she feels ready to let go. Their host Frank is a Minotaur grieving the loss of his wife, talented witch Kye. But Saika is not being forthright about the circumstances of her sister’s death, or the gradual decay of her body and her power; similarly, Frank is hiding secrets as the house begins to fall down around them, and Frank’s mind seems to be going with it.
This story is utterly charming and hauntingly beautiful. The cozy atmosphere, the lovely friendships, all is lovingly described and heartfelt. Saika’s journey, along with all the other denizens of Ash Gardens, is deeply relatable to anyone grieving the loss of a loved one or in search of family and community.

If someone were to ask me for a book recommendation, House of Frank would definitely be on the top of my list. When a book is described as a cozy read, I often find it hard to truly feel that cozy vibe. But with this one, I felt like I was wrapped in the biggest, warmest hug. I savored every moment of it, taking my time because I didn’t want it to end. House of Frank beautifully explores the theme of grief. Our main character, Saika, travels to Ash Gardens at the request of her late sister, who asked her to plant her remains there. Once she arrives,Saika meets other creatures who have experienced their own grief, creating a poignant journey of healing and connection.

Grief profoundly transforms individuals, and we witness its impact on the characters throughout the story. Some have lost their smiles and struggle to move forward, while others need time to process their emotions. Our main character, Saika, embodies this struggle; her moments of frustration and occasional unfairness toward those around her highlight her difficulty in navigating her grief. Although some readers may find her behavior frustrating—especially her frequent mental conversations with her sister—I believe she authentically represents the complexities of the grieving process. In addition to coping with her sister's loss, she grapples with feelings of blame and guilt. Despite the book’s fast pace, I appreciated seeing how Saika evolves from the beginning to the end.

I absolutely adored the protagonist and the wonderfully diverse cast of side characters. I found myself wanting to learn even more about their backstories because I grew so attached to each of them. The setting, with its enchanting house and serene arboretum, struck the perfect balance between melancholy and whimsy—an ideal sanctuary to say goodbye to a loved one after enduring such a profound loss.

A heads-up for anyone picking up House of Frank—while the cozy vibes are certainly there, be prepared for an emotionally heavy read. Grief is at the heart of this story, and it delves deep into the pain of loss. That said, if you're looking for a book that explores the complexities of losing loved ones while offering comfort and hope, House of Frank is a beautiful, heartfelt journey that reminds you that healing is possible even in the darkest times.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Bindery Books for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!

This is a beautiful story about love and grief. I’m always here for cozy fantasy books and this is another great entry. I’m also a huge fan of the found family aspects. The fantasy genre could always use some WLW romance.

This story broke my heart and put it back together. I also love the cover. It’s so simplistic yet has a lot to say for the book. Thank you again to the publishers!’

This book is the perfect autumn book. It's cosy fantasy in a nutshell. I recommend reading it when it's raining outside and you have a hot cup of tea to warm your hands. Frank, the owner of Ash Garden, is my favourite character, he gives me so many safe space vibes. The love story in this book is just a side story (I personally like that more) but it was cute in its own way. I can't recommend this book enough. I just pre-ordered it for my bookshop.

Sigh...

This is one of those books where a 3-star rating feels like a defeat. And this is going to be one of those reviews where I talk more about what a book didn't do than what it did. It could easily be a 2 or a 4 stars, but the truth is that, for a book whose whole premise is supposed to make you emotional, I personally felt very little emotion. Grief manifests differently for everybody, I get that, and I have nothing but respect and sympathy for those who will love this book and felt moved by it. But I also believe that a book that relies on you relating the the specific type of grief portrayed by it in order for you to like it can only feel sort of weak.

Grief was the engine of this book. It drove multiple characters' decisions, it made them who they were, and it moved the plot. So much so that, even if you could somehow relate to this specific grief, every other aspect of the book fell flat. The found family was only there because we were told that's what it's supposed to be, but I couldn't always pinpoint why these characters were supposed to all be together. The romance just...happened.

What I liked is how diverse book was, and the fact that the magic world didn't need a ton of lengthy explanations to get into it. And despite my review being what it is, I never felt like I wanted to DNF and I (almost) never actively disliked what it was trying to do, despite not always liking the result (note that I use dislike and not like as two very different concepts here).

Despite all, it is a respectable book for a debut, and I'd be willing to see where the author will take future books, maybe exploring different themes.

House of Frank is a cosy fantasy about grief. I have to admit, the stunning cover is what initially drew me to this book. As for the story, I loved it from the first page. The writing is beautiful and the cast of characters were amazing. This book is an amazing debut and I can't wait to read more from Kay Synclaire. I highly recommend it if you want to read a heartwarming story about dealing with grief, finding amazing friends, and finding yourself along the way. Thanks to Netgalley and Bindery Books for the arc.

My favorite part of House of Frank was the different grief depictions. It’s a beautiful foundation to this book that I think will be relatable to so many readers. Grief doesn’t come in the same shape or size, and this is the first book I’ve found to show multiple representations.

I think it’s important to show the myriad forms of grief. I personally don’t think we have enough examples of it in media, so it was heartwarming and occasionally heartbreaking to read it throughout HOF.

Saika was a perfect protagonist to have because she essentially went through all stages of grief. She considers allowing it to overwhelm and destroy a part of herself, but because of Ash Gardens and the people living there, she slowly begins her healing journey. She even becomes a sort of stable force for Ash Gardens, which is currently going through its own problems and uncertainties.

Asking for help, especially during times of grief, was another underlying message from the characters. Time and time again I saw characters rejecting help because of their fear or insecurities or pride, but Saika and other Ash Gardens people repeat that they’re always there to help.

Overall, I do have complicated feelings for House of Frank (reason why there’s no rating), but the grief depictions certainly were the best part.

As my first Bindery title, I was very satisfied with my reading experience! I cannot wait to read more from this imprint and the publisher.

I am so glad to have gotten this book to review. What an incredible look into the ways people grieve. Magic realism all throughout, diverse magical and non-magical creatures, LGBTQ+ representation and done in such a way that it's completely normal in the world; something I absolutely adore. We walk through the FMCs pain and grief as she talks to her deceased sister. We get to know the other characters, their great losses, the way they have dealt or have not dealt with those painful blows. It was mysterious and dark and very emotional. Beautifully done.

House Of Frank
Kay Synclaire
4⭐️

“Young. Old. We all experience life whether we’ve had lots of it or very little.”

This was a beautifully touching story. Our FMC Saika is a witch who has experienced a terrible loss. We follow her journey managing that grief and the friendships she makes along the way.

I like that the story was very character driven. Although the character's are whimsical, their reactions to grief are so very human and relatable.
The pain & suffering that comes with loss can lead to some poor decisions , our cast of characters including our FMC are no different.
I felt their sadness and frustration, but also their hope that things could be better.

The style of writing interchanges from first to second person throughout the whole story. In other books I've read I have found this to be quite jarring, however (without giving too much away) this style of writing flows perfectly when you see how it is used in this story.

I believe this is the author's first novel, I'm very much looking forward to reading anything they write in the future.

Thank you NetGalley and Bindery Books/Ezeekat Press for providing the ARC.

Unfortunately this is a DNF.

I'm sad to say that as much as I like the concept for the story, the narration is driving me up the wall. I read three chapters in one go but the main character talking to her dead sister in second person was so distracting. And it intensified going into chapter 4— I just can't do this. For the entire book? Nope.

This is a really sweet book that explores grief and found family. The characters are wonderful, and the worldbuilding is pretty on-point. There are a few minor issues with the pacing - it takes 70% of the book to find out what is going on with the MC - but the story itself does a pretty good job of making up for it.

This is like cozy fantasy, grief edition and I cannot wait to reread it once my audio preorder comes in next month! The story is super heartwarming and magical, featuring a diverse cast of creatures and histories. Saika, our main character, has suffered the devasting loss of her sister and is trying to fulfill her last wishes, to have her ashes planted at the ash gardens. When Saika finally works up the courage (or desperation?) to visit the ash gardens, she doesn’t expect to find such a group of welcoming characters and that’s where the bulk of our story takes place.

Told from the perspective of Saika sharing her thoughts with her dearly departed sister, Fiona, the voice of this story stands apart and feels so real and intimate. The cast of characters who live and work in the ash gardens are so well done and different, creating a wonderful found family. The story deals heavily with grief, but ultimately is a hopeful and heartwarming tale of life and death and what it means to live and love.



House of Frank releases next month on October 15th. It’s being published by Ezeekat press via Bindery and is the first book Ezeekat is publishing with his imprint.

Be sure to check out storygraph for the full blurb and content warnings:

https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/c8fe051e-5eeb-4f7e-b090-77026f6154f0

I really enjoyed the premise of this book and how it gently addresses grief. I do think there were some pacing issues, as it felt like the questions I had were answered fairly late in the book.

Thank you NetGalley, Bindery books and Kay Synclaire for the ARC of House of Frank.

I am still crying while writing this review. This was a magical heartfelt book that deals with hard topics but makes you want more. I fell in love with all the characters in their own way. They were all different but so special. This is a book that will stick with me long after and reminds me of TJ Klune. I will revisit this book over the years and most definitely read anything this author writes.

Give me a fantasy or horror that targets grief and I'm there for it. I was sold this as a grief driven story in a cozy mystery/fantasy setting. Mystery where? Each conversation of grief felt surface level, much like the character's we're exploring the concepts through.

DNF at 13%

House of Frank by Kay Synclaire should have worked for me. I love cozy fantasy stories, including the works of Travis Baldree and TJ Klune, whose works this book was compared to. A story with witches, creatures, found family, and nature ticks many of my typical wheelhouse boxes. Sadly, I had to put this one down at 13%.

I wasn't feeling connected to the main character or the cozy world. The slight hints of a deep backstory of grief were not intriguing to me. I did not feel compelled or drawn to pick this one up and when I did, I only got a few pages before getting bored. I often struggle with stories where I feel plopped down in the middle of a story with little context and I think that was the case for me here. We get no world-building or backstory on the main character when the story begins. I assume those elements unfold as the book progresses but that is too late for my reading preferences. Not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bindery for the advanced review copy.

This was a lovely, gentle book. It does a good job of showing the different and sometimes desperate reactions to grief. It’s not plot heavy but the characters are nice to spend time with. I felt like explanations took too long to arrive for certain things and that often made the pacing slower at times. But overall I really liked it.