
Member Reviews

The Estate by Sarah Jost is a magical realism story glistening with glamour and Arthurian legends...
Camille Leray has a magic power. She can enter art, transporting herself into the inspirational landscape of artists creations. As an art historian with an obsession with a famous artist, Constance Sorel, whose life was mired in mystery, an offer from a wealthy French family with connections to Constance invites Camille to their gorgeous estate where the mystery deepens. With Camille's magical ability interacting with the estate, Constance's sculptures, and the French family in strange ways, Camille will be forced to confront the past, its illusions, and her own connection to art.
This book left me breathless, enchanted, and spellbound. The beguiling nature of the story with its abstract concepts juxtaposed with old world elegance captured my attention. The unique take on the lady in the lake mythology was fascinating as were the Arthurian legends. Combining medieval aspects in a modern day setting brought a time slip element into the story which created an even more immersive feeling for me. The story was a complex mystery layered with themes involving art, reflection, feminism, and choice that will submerge the reader into its watery depths. I loved the plot and its examinations of the art world, toxic relationships, and self empowerment amidst a landscape of powerful men and ancient love stories. There is a lot of metaphor about art and what it means to create and destroy, but it was told with mystique, water, crystal, and clay. I love it when good writing gives me visceral feelings, and this story and dark glamorous atmosphere did just that.
I hope I have been able to review this story in a way that makes sense, otherwise perhaps I have found myself lost in Camille's world, where it can only be felt in order to be believed.
The Estate is a seductive speculative fiction piece of art that I will remember for a long time.

This felt like a low-budget Netflix show. Not very well done or memorable, but I had a good time.
Good premise. I was expecting the narrator to be able to walk into paintings, but she actually walks into the psyche of the artist, which was fascinating. I was immersed in the scenes where this magic was in action. The plot was good fun, with some interesting twists and turns.
That said, the writing was atrocious. Every other line was exposition that easily could have been shown to the reader in a more interesting, creative, and engaging way. The dialogue was redundant, the metaphors and similes were cliches, and, to top it off, pacing felt a bit off, especially in the early chapters.

A fun and engaging Gothic supernatural mystery! Very enjoyable! Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was somewhat of a new genre for me but it was so good. I read it in one sitting! If you love art, this is it!

As someone who loves art history, I really enjoyed this book. I don't give out many 5 stars but it was so worth it. I've read a lot of books but this is probably in my top 10 and I don't say that lightly! The twist and turns just *chef's kiss*.

What a thrilling book! I couldn’t put it down and was turning pages way past my bedtime! I loved it!