This is rather hard for me to review, as I had mixed feelings about it.

I absolutely LOVED Karen’s Fever series – namely, books 1-5. After that, the series kind of lost me. I mostly enjoyed books 6-8, but they started to feel a little monotonous and I never continued past that. I enjoyed most of the Highlander series, too, although Immortal Highlander is my favorite far above all the rest (ADAM BLACK!!). So, when I saw that she was coming out with a new book, I was ecstatic.

Overall, I think maybe my expectations were too high. Not that I didn’t enjoy it, I did for the most part! But the book left me wanting in some way I can’t define.

The beginning was a little rocky, not gonna lie. Zo is quite arrogant about her looks – she’s gorgeous, and can get any man she wants. A fact that she reminds you, often. Confidence is great and everything, but the fact that she’s just sooo hot and flaunts TF out of it makes her hard for me to relate to. I was also on the fence about her sexuality. I think it’s great for women to be open and unashamed about sexuality, but she was almost over sexualized…and here’s where things got a little weird. Because she had this thing where she talked about looking at someone, and the two of them having a full on conversation with their eyes. As in, literally, not figuratively. It was soo fucking weird. No one talks like that. No one even thinks like that. It almost lost me, to be honest. [spoilers removed] I’m grateful it was explained, but it was still very odd and jarring.

There was a lot of focus on the sex in all of the Zo’s relationships. A distinct difference between the Fever series and this is a complete lack of any chemistry or tension. There are a couple of male interests, but it was all insta-lust and no chemistry. Nothing like the sexy slow burn between Mac and Barrons. It’s actually crazy to me that it’s the same author that wrote that relationship. How can I have any attachment to a man that the FMC barely even knows?! They had almost no interaction. I also didn’t care for there being too many love interests.

This is definitely a slow-burn novel. It takes forever to get any kind of background or answers. (And even then, I feel like we still didn’t get a full explanation?) The pacing is quite slow and not much happens. I did love the gothic setting and vibe of the story and the house itself, it kept me going! Also, who doesn’t dream of suddenly inheriting a mansion and a shitload of money?! Lmao.

Something about this story that really spoke to me was the poignant portrayal of grief. I can tell it was KMM writing something quite personal to her, because it had me tearing up multiple times at how visceral Zo’s grief was. It was a little hard to read, having lost both my parents (and one of them to cancer, just like Zo’s mom).

I am also super excited about the reveal at the end of the book, what a cliffhanger! [spoilers removed] While I didn’t love this book, I do want to pick up the second one to see where the story goes.

Original review with spoilers posted on Novel Heartbeat.

I have loved this authors previous books, so I was extremely thankful to get this arc.
A lot of the areas Moning excels in shined here: setting, pacing, and descriptions of emotion. There was a lot emphasis on symbolism and imagery, imo, too much. I did struggle with connecting to the story and the main character, but I'm hoping that the next book illuminates that for me.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing this advance reader's copy for an honest review.

I was so excited to read this book. I adore Karen Marie Mooning and her Fever Series and I was STOKED that she was starting a new series. I tried very hard to not compare Zo to Mac and really immerse myself in this new world. A few things I loved. I loved the tragic back story of Zo with her mother on the run until her final death. It leaves so many questions and kept me guessing on what was going on there. I really loved the idea of Divinity, a very unusual town with vibes that you just aren't quite sure of what is going on but you know it is not normal. I loved that Zo was going to inherit the house and all that goes on with it, good or bad cause I was kept guessing - even know. I love ambiguity in characters of if they are good or evil, it just makes reading so interesting if you aren't sure who you are routing for.
A few things I really didn't like. I didn't like that Zo was so insistent on telling us about all her one night stands. It made her sounds shallow and vapid instead of strong like I think it was meant to be. Even in her interaction with Kellan (who I am assuming will be one of the love interests eventually) she seemed very shallow in her reasoning for being with him. I didn't feel like it was well explained or thought out her need for one night stands.
I also found the use of her friend to "explain" everything to her was odd. She came, explained poorly and badly what she was and how long she had known, got her really upset which I found off from her character but forgiveness as a vehicle of moving the story forward. I kinda of liked her being immersed in the town alone and trying to navigate all the characters. I also would have like a lot more of those characters so that the ending of the book would make a million times more sense. We are only getting the lawyer and a few closer characters but not what her actually being in the town means to the people of Divinity. The ending where everything kinda blew up and they weren't going to except her seemed almost out of nowhere because we really didn't have the background of other characters.
Her relationship with Devlin seems weird and off also...it is like she RUSHED into that just to create a nonexistent love triangle because we haven't seen Kellen since the beginning of the book. I would have liked a slower burn on their relationship.
I also really didn't like the moments in the book where the "foreshadowing" of things to come are explained in the sentence. The storyline was pretty easy to see the red flags, where the story was going, what was going to be problems, but the author kept spelling it out with breaking the 4th wall comments - It brought me out of the story.
Anyway - was it my favorite No ..will I be reading the next one...Absolutely - I really like the world of dark vs light vs grey and I am very intrigued by where Zo is going to fit it. I always love a coming-of-age witch novel and this has really good bones of a good series.

"The House at Watch Hill" by Karen Marie Moning is an intriguing 4-star read! Zo Grey is in the middle of a job interview when unexpected news sends her life in a completely new direction. Soon after, she is summoned to Divinity, LA, forcing her to make life-altering choices about her future.

At first, I struggled with the book and questioned whether I had made the right decision in requesting it. However, by the end, I was completely hooked, turning pages as fast as possible to see what awaited Zo. My advice? Push through the awkward romantic musings early on—once past them, the story truly takes off.

While action is sparse, the novel focuses heavily on world-building and character development, setting the stage for the next book in the series. Most of the story unfolds through Zo’s perspective, with occasional chapters from the mysterious Alisdair. Some phrases are overused, which may be distracting for some readers, but overall, the book left me eagerly anticipating the sequel.

Thanks to William Morrow, Karen Marie Moning, and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read this ARC and share my honest review.

Not sure what I thought I’d experience as I requested The House at Watch Hill, but what I got was a masterful story full of twists and turns, magical realism, and found family. I could not put this down.

Overall I really enjoyed this book .
It started out a bit slow for me but once we get a good interduction into most of the characters and world, it picked up for me.
I loved that there was always a new mystery and kept you interested in the book and kept you reading along.
I am looking forward to book two even more now that we much more involved into the world.

Some things though were a little to predicable and easy to pick up from but I'm honestly not sure if t was meant to be that wat or not,
I give it a 3.5 stars and excited for book two

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy! I just couldn't get in the mood for this one, but I do love this author!

Firstly, I love this author, her fever series was my favorite to read in Highschool, I reread them nearly every year, carried them around with me LOVE, and they look well loved too. T

This book the blurb sounded so very good, and it had great concepts. I just felt like it fell flat, and it could of been partly my fault for having such high expectations for this author. The story was a little hard to follow along, I could not figure out who, what, when, where was going on, had to go back and reread several times, and a few times still could not figure out. I have to say I love the environment, the atmosphere, wonderfully done, reminded me a bit of Casper, House on haunted hill a bit, and many of those haunted house classes.

I will still read everything and anything by this author.

I just finished The House at Watch Hill by Karen Marie Moning, and it was everything I wanted in a supernatural mystery! 🏰✨ The story follows Zo Grey, a young woman who inherits a mansion in the hauntingly beautiful Divinity, Louisiana, but with one catch—she has to live there alone for three years to claim her inheritance.

What makes this book so captivating is Moning's ability to weave mystery, romance, and the supernatural into one enticing package. The mansion and the eerie town of Divinity come alive through her writing, and the suspense kept me hooked until the very end. Plus, the characters—especially Zo—are complex and relatable, making the journey feel all the more immersive.

If you’re into stories with mystery, a touch of the supernatural, and a bit of romance, The House at Watch Hill is definitely one to check out! 💫📚

The House at Watch Hill by Karen Marie Moning is a captivating blend of mystery, romance, and supernatural intrigue. Set in a coastal town with a haunting atmosphere, the story follows a protagonist drawn to an old, mysterious house where dark secrets and buried truths unfold. Moning’s signature storytelling shines through with rich descriptions, emotional depth, and strong character development. The chemistry between the leads is palpable, and the mix of suspense and romance keeps readers hooked until the very end. Fans of atmospheric, paranormal romances will find this novel an enjoyable and immersive read.

My Selling Pitch:
A CW witch drama with a cliche and incredibly convoluted plot.

On my do not read list.

Pre-reading:
I get this book and Strange Beasts inexplicably confused with one another. They’re not the same.

(obviously potential spoilers from here on)
Thick of it:
I’m as rah rah feminist as they come, but you can’t tell me women are the improved upon model and we get periods like we do by design.

Oh bummer, I kinda hoped that the male narrator was gonna do the whole book.

This is asking for a LOT of suspension of disbelief.

Oh don’t she’s an empath me.

What circular drivel is this?

Can you fly with human remains like that or do you have to check them specially? (Google says yes, but you need a permit.)

VIABLE PETCOCK is crazy.

Dude, what in the Wattpad not like other girls is this shit?

It’s giving Anastasia Steele’s inner goddess.

This is going on worst books. What the shit.

It has every bad fantasy romance cliché.

“His edges had edges.” Girl, please stand up.

I know I’m a whore for him, but tell me this isn’t Killian Jones from Once Upon a Time and succubus fanfiction.

Bdsm you will never convince me that a submissive has all the power especially when you’re spreading it irresponsibly to the masses for these dipshit men to be like baby, I just abuse you and am emotionally unavailable because I’m like SUCH a dom. It’s some red pill shit, and in this essay-

Oh honey, you don’t have to tell us you’re not impressed by IQ. We can tell.

No. Actually, I don’t think I can read this book. Oh my god.

And she’s got her token black bestie. #Girlpower!

This author exhaustively reuses her vocab.

You know I’m too old for these books when I’m like she’s 24. How much younger can she get to make these rules?

Honey, you’re not becoming a vet with that IQ and those grades.

What are the income taxes on that like lol? (On this episode of how to know you’re too old to still be reading this shit.)

Uh, who is the alternate?

What if she was married? Could they stay with her? (The book will remember to answer this in a few chapters.)

Tenebrous

Caliginous

This is such an unnecessary vocab workout.

Passing out is lazy writing.

Is Devlin a water horse? (I WISH.)

In this economy? Uh yeah. I can absolutely be bought.

Gelid casually is crazyyyy.

Saprophytic

There’s too much Princess Bride in this.

This is no plot just architecture.

This is so CW

It reminds me of that show Lost Girl.

So help me if we’ve got another Rowan Whitethorn situation.

You really just have to commit to not knowing what’s going on but having a vague idea of what’s going on because it’s so cliche.

If I didn’t have the audiobook. I would not be reading this.

Neutered was a choice.

I genuinely believe that if you cut out every description of the house, this book would be 20 pages.

This is exactly like the Temptation of Magic book where I’m like wow, this is the most awful writing, and literally nothing is happening in this book but also the audiobook is like compulsively readable. It’s no thoughts just vibes, but like not even vibes cause it’s not good but like I’ve read so much worse. There’s just so many empty words.

Like a what?!?

Sirocco

I don’t understand this book.

So literally no reason why she had to wait to open this letter. None. Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada.

I like how the book is summarizing all the questions it hasn’t answered and I’m like, babe it’d be shorter to list what we DO know.

Every book mentions bears sin lol

I haven’t seen Vampire Diaries, (le gasp, I KNOW) but I’m assuming this two brothers and their reincarnated girlfriend is like basically the same plot.

Post-reading:
Look, this book’s incoherent. There’s about 4 chapters of actual content, and it can’t stand on its own.

The plot is unnecessarily convoluted, yet so cliche, you’ll know exactly where this book is going from the second you pick it up.

The main character’s a not like other girls Mary Sue. The writing is gratingly repetitive and feels like it was written with a thesaurus set to find and replace.

It’s not sexy. The romances, if they can even be called that, are painfully underdeveloped and insta lovey. The magic system doesn’t even attempt to make sense.

There’s nothing here for you. Don’t bother picking this up.

Who should read this:
CW show fans

Ideal reading time:
The book takes place largely in April, but it’s a witchy book so you could also pick this up in October.

Do I want to reread this:
No

Would I buy this:
No

Similar books:
* The Temptation of Magic by Megan Scott-CW show Wattpad fare, urban fantasy, fated mates bullshit, family drama
* Phantasma by Kaylie Smith-Wattpad fantasy romance, competition trope, family drama
* Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli-historical urban fantasy romance, witches, family drama
* Castle of the Cursed by Romina Garber-YA vampire Mary Sue romance, family drama
* The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic by Breanne Randall-small town family drama, second chance romance, witches
* Immortal Pleasures by V. Castro-historical retelling, vampire romance
* Lucy Undying by Kiersten White-Dracula retelling, queer romance

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

I am a longtime fan of Karen Moning so was SO excited for this book. Thank you so much for an early copy. to read.

I unfortunately struggled with this book. For some reason I couldn't connect with the characters or story. The pacing felt very slow and I just couldn't really get interested in what was happening. The beginning was slower than the end and things did get a smidgen more interesting but sadly for me this one was a miss. I also struggled with this book because my dad was diagnosed with cancer so some of it was triggering for me. I would have thought sharing that commonality with Zo I'd be more able to connect but sadly that was not the case. I did request this prior to knowing my dad had cancer.

I really wish I could have connected to Zo and liked her and this book. I really hope the second book will be stronger and allow for me to connect. Maybe this was a case of my mood not being right.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

There was something about this that just didn't work for me fully, but I was still entertained all the way through. The atmosphere and the world was great, and I loved this weird house in this weird town. Zo is an interesting character to follow. However, I struggled with the narration style. For example, most of the story is present day to build suspense and mystery, but there were moments where the narrator would reference something in the future which pulled me out of the story and broke any tension that was building. Also, I would've loved some more character development and interaction outside of Zo. Regardless, I will definitely be picking up book two since there is a lot in this that can be built upon a create a truly great book.

One of the best books I have read in awhile. The only downside, I have to wait until the next one comes out. I had different expectations having read the Fever series and was shocked that this book checked off every want in a book about witches. Ms. Moning, please do not stop!

Published on my birthday! Which is probably why I loved it so much. I don't even have a single idea of what is happening, who is who, future Zo, present Zo, the various witch houses. This book was jam packed but I feel like I learned nothing and now desperately need the next!

This was wonderful! I loved the writing style, the characters, the world-building…everything about it was top-notch. I will definitely be recommending this book!

Captivating tale. This book was full of secrets and I’m still suspicious of everyone. Zo simply could not catch the tiniest of breaks. Everybody was either lying, withholding, or scheming against her. Trauma should’ve been her middle name. I love the gothic setting, the house, and the grounds, everything. I do feel at times the plot moved rather slow, Zo was literally almost in the house for the whole book. Free her. The ending was wild, I need the next book ASAP.

I am a huge fan of this author's Fever series so I was very excited to get this one. This didn't disappoint and Moning really delivered. I was enthralled from the beginning, and I couldn't put it down. I am new to fantasy and loved this. I highly recommend this book if you are a fan of the author's other works. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The House At Watch Hill will meet you somewhere between The Winchester House - Knives Out - Midnight is the Darkest Hour.
The creativity was very interesting and the fantasy was enchanting. The storyline was more fantasy than expected. Recommend if you like Fantasy and Witchcraft.