A well written story. That kept me glued to my kindle.
It was amazing and engaging.
I was instantly sucked in by the atmosphere and writing style.
The characters were all very well developed .
The writing is exceptional and I was hooked after the first sentence.

I really enjoyed this author's debut literary book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This story is dark with just enough Gothic to it to fascinate you and keep you reading until the last page!!!!!

Manor of Dreams is a richly atmospheric gothic novel that delivers on mood and setting. The manor itself feels alive with secrets — haunting, melancholic, and beautifully described. If you enjoy slow-burning stories set in crumbling estates filled with eerie details and emotional undercurrents, this book absolutely creates the right ambiance.

That said, the pacing is undeniably slow. While the prose is lovely and evocative, the plot takes its time developing, and readers looking for more forward momentum may find their patience tested. The story leans heavily into introspection and atmosphere, which works well for the genre, but sometimes comes at the expense of tension and urgency.

Overall, Manor of Dreams is a solid read for fans of classic gothic fiction — just be prepared for a quiet, lingering experience rather than a fast-paced thrill.

While this did start off a bit slow, I was eventually wrapped up in this haunting tale about two families and the tragedy that tore them apart. I really liked how Li built up the plot and slowly revealed the puzzle pieces from the past that make up the present. I'll definitely be looking for more from this author!

I was a huge fan of Evelyn Hugo and I haven't read Mexican Gothic yet.
This book pained me to read. I was trying to keep my eyelids open and nothing really got me. I was looking for more. I wanted horror but, I don't think that this presented any of that. The story was boring and felt like it was taking forever to get anywhere. The dual timelines to me didn't make sense and I felt like I was in another universe.

I still don't know what I read. I still don't have an ending or an understanding. I felt like there was a beginning..six middles..and no ending. It just wasn't for me. This book is being highly praised so don't take my opinion for your thoughts.

This was fine, though a bit slow. The amount of character perspectives we switch around to bogged down the pacing for me a bit, particularly with the addition of so many time skips and jumping between past and present. I enjoyed the past chapters more than the present day, and felt that the dual romances were unnecessary. Sophie and Ada were fine but Nora and Madeline's relationship was insta-lovey, out of nowhere, and could have been omitted entirely. I also wish there'd been some more explanation for the house being haunted, since it seemed to already be haunted before Ada and Sophie's deaths.

That said, I did like the creepy old mansion setting and the family dysfunction.

The manor of dreams is a haunted house story that takes a new take on the trope with mixed results. Vivian is the first Asian American woman to win an Oscar so when she dies her family thinks they are about to inherit a sizable fortune. However, at the will reading they are shocked to discover that the fortune is going to her housekeeper.s keeper. While the older generation fights it out the younger generation believes there is more to the story to the estate-especially with trembles in the ground, visions, and plants that seem intent to harm people. What follows is a story of grief, trauma, abuse, and loss over generations and multiple timelines. The story has a ton of promise but is disjointed and the timelines and characters are hard to follow. I loved the set up of the plot and the different spin on the haunted house trope-this just became more work to follow. Again, a lot of promise within these pages.

Thanks to the publisher for providing this arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Despite being marketed as a thrilling blend of Mexican Gothic's atmospheric horror and Knives Out's family mystery, this novel disappoints on both fronts. The promised horror elements are reduced to a couple of ghosts and a scary garden. Meanwhile, the plot suffers from too many competing storylines that fail to come together and answer all of the questions I was left with. Finishing the book became a chore rather than a pleasure, as I found myself pushing through pages. For readers seeking either a haunting gothic atmosphere or a well-crafted mystery, this did not deliver on either. It was more of a family drama with a couple of spooky elements. Thank you to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. I'm sorry I didn't enjoy it more.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Christina Li for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Manor of Dreams coming out May 6, 2025. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I really love Hollywood stories. I really love Gothic stories. I love a good mystery. However, I feel like this book was trying to be so many different things and it didn’t really work for me. Sometimes it does work, but this does not work for me. I got a little lost in the time jumps and the many different characters. I was just hoping for something different. I did really enjoy the Chinese heritage aspect of the book, but it wasn’t enough for me.

Thanks to Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of Christina Li’s exciting and intriguing new novel The Manor of Dreams. I enjoyed this book for its genre bending story and plot twists, as well as tracking how the characters have changed and what events affected them throughout their lifetimes in the alternating timelines between past and present. Furthermore, Li has some lucid and haunting descriptions of the atmosphere, landscape, and decay for the setting of this novel in a renovated family mansion that has fallen into disrepair once again. While this supernatural mystery might not be for everyone, I thought that Li’s writing, plot twists, and characters created a compelling and engaging world that kept me reading during the second half of the book. I also loved the play on words with the title, how it might refer to a dream house, but it is also about the nature of our dreams and what they mean. Vivian Yin, one of the main characters, experiences strange, haunting visions once she moves into Yin Manor, the house of her husband’s family that he has renovated for both of them. Other characters also experience similar strange visions, tremors in the middle of the night, and plants that seem to want to consume people.
The Manor of Dreams starts with the recent death of one of its main characters, Vivian Yin, the first Chinese actress to win an Academy Award. Her surviving daughters, Rennie and Lucy and Madeline, Lucy’s daughter, arrive at the house to review the will and sort through their Ma’s items. However, they were unaware that the daughter of her mother’s housekeeper and gardener, Elaine Deng, would be in attendance with her daughter Nora. “Part One: Root” establishes an incredible amount of tension between these two groups of women, the Yins and the Dengs. Lucy and Rennie have not seen Elaine for some time, and based on the tension and Elaine’s rule that Nora should not speak to the Yins, Li has established that there is some bad feelings and resentment between these two families. To add to the tension, Lucy and Rennie are surprised to learn that their mother only had about $20,000 to leave them as an inheritance, and Vivian left the house to Elaine. This surprise gift, along with learning that Vivian changed her will about one week prior to her death adds to Lucy’s suspicion that Elaine had something to do with Vivian’s death. Lucy begins to investigate, while Elaine digs in and claims the house as her rightful inheritance, although she does allow Lucy, Madeline, and Rennie to stay in the house and sort through Vivian’s things for the week. Lucy really wants to search around for evidence of Elaine’s involvement in the will change and Vivian’s death. This section also establishes some of the traits of these characters as we learn that both Lucy and Rennie lived privileged lives, attending boarding schools. Lucy became a lawyer, while Rennie pursued acting and modeling. Neither was particularly close with Vivian in her last years, as Vivian seemed to become a recluse, rarely going out and even firing home help aides that Lucy hired. We also learn that Elaine was in a PhD program, but eventually left since it was not a career for her and Nora was about to be born. Both daughters, Madeline and Nora, are right around the same age, yet have had different experiences that bring them to this strange encounter over a contested house. Furthermore, both daughters receive warnings to keep out of the garden, yet both are somehow drawn there, with Madeline eventually ending up there. This garden appears strange, and offers some of Li’s most atmospheric and interesting descriptions: “She leaned in, expecting the buds to have a faint, sweet scent. But instead the petals emitted that raw, sharp odor of rust.” Flowers, especially these kinds of strange, decaying and rotting varieties, feature prominently throughout the book, and not only contribute to the atmospheric mood of the book, but also represent the kind of decay and rot that is apparent throughout the house as well. Li’s writing and descriptions of the various decay around the house contribute to the feeling that death and decay are all around, and this kind of rotten decay is gradually overtaking the living, having some kind of impact on their behavior, their well-being, and their interactions with one another. I loved the way that Li includes this kind of symbolism throughout the book, and how the decay permeates throughout the plot. This section ends with Madeline somehow being engulfed by the plant and Nora coming to her rescue, tending to the wounds that the plant inflicted. I read The Ruins by Scott Smith last summer, and Li’s The Manor of Dreams might come in second to having some of the creepiest plants in a book.
“Part Two: Bloom” begins to examine the past to learn more about how Vivian Yin met her husband, the actor Richard Lowell, and how Vivian eventually broke into acting and attained acclaim and an Academy Award. These chapters alternate between the 70s, 80s, 90s, and the present. I also enjoyed the structure of the book, how readers are confronted with this mystery of why Vivian didn’t leave the house to her daughters, but rather to the daughter of her gardener and housekeeper with whom she seemingly had no contact for decades. These chapters gradually reveal what happened, helping readers understand not only Vivian’s background, but also those of Elaine and her younger sister Sophie. We not only learn more about Vivian’s experiences and struggles as a single mother and aspiring actress in 1970s California, but we also see the challenges she faces as a person of color and how limited roles were for her in films. Richard, on the other hand, seems to be a coveted actor who winds acclaim and seems to easily take on roles in popular and acclaimed movies. Nevertheless, the couple has a kind of competitive spirit between them that pushes them to excel in acting and to seek out other opportunities in filmmaking. Furthermore, Richard is interested in renovating his mother’s childhood home, which the family sold years ago. His fixation on the past and desire to recreate the past glory of his family in his own image bring about challenges, as he and Vivian experience a long period of fixing up the house, that almost never seems to end. Furthermore, when they move in, there are strange occurrences like tremors that only Richard feels, burst pipes, and hallucinations that Vivian witnesses. Vivian learns more about Richard’s family, although she learns through local library research since Richard doesn’t seem to want to discuss his family’s background. I found this a little odd, not only with Richard, but with so many of the characters in the book. While Richard especially seemed interested in rehabbing his family manor and reshaping it into his own vision, he didn’t really want to talk about his family history. Lucy, Rennie, and Elaine also don’t like to discuss their pasts with their daughters, and it seemed strange that they were all willing to meet up in this decrepit house and fight over its ownership, despite not really acknowledging the painful pasts that they share. However, I think that this is part of the message in the book- that there are consequences for failing to acknowledge one’s past, and that sometimes, failing to acknowledge the past can create a kind of haunting experience.
I won’t provide any additional plot details because there are many twists and unexpected turns throughout the book. Furthermore, Li’s parallel narratives that move between the present and the past help to unravel the mystery of why Vivian was leaving the home to Elaine and not her daughters. Initially, we are only left with Vivian’s final words to her lawyer, Reid Lyman, that leaving the home to her daughters would “ruin them.” As we move through Vivian’s past, her relationship and marriage to Richard, and the challenges she faced in Hollywood as an actor of color trying to find parts, we learn more about the steps she’s taken to protect her daughters and ensure they have the best in their lives. We also see that Richard’s family, including his mother, whose microaggressions towards her new daughter-in-law, distance themselves from the house, leaving readers to wonder whether the house itself is cursed, or whether there are other factors that may affect inhabitants of the house. I appreciated the ambiguity and mystery in this story, and Li’s gradual reveal of the backstory presents some intriguing events and twists. However, Li’s descriptions of the house, gardens, and flowers were especially evocative and effective in conveying the sense of decay and decadence within the home. This was the section that I couldn’t put down, and the short chapters that offered alternating perspectives of the different characters and their histories kept me engaged in the story. There is a final part of the book, “Rot”, that jumps back to the present and provides a climatic end to the story. Again, I don’t want to spoil this book since I hope that others will read it. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed this book. It wasn’t exactly what I expected. Although it is mysterious, I appreciated Li’s use of a kind of gothic horror throughout. Li presents a unique portrayal of the haunted house story, and leaves readers wondering about the nature of deceit, evil, and violence in relationships. Furthermore, it was interesting to note that these aren’t just romantic relationships, but we also see family relationships, and how withholding information and past events can impact our relationships with parents and siblings. Li’s symbolic use of decay throughout, whether in the house, plants, or even the hallucinations that some characters experience, also help to create the mysterious and eerie atmosphere of the book. I also appreciated how Li included Chinese language- characters and words- throughout the book to emphasize Vivian’s heritage and how she worked to maintain her culture in an industry and city that tended to stereotype her. It’s not something that I mentioned throughout this review, but it is another important part of the book. This is an exciting and engaging read. Highly recommended!

The Manor of Dreams is how ambition and silence can corrode family ties, and how confronting painful memories offers the only path to healing. Christina Li writes with clarity and emotional precision, allowing the mystery to unfold organically within a vividly drawn setting. Readers who appreciate novels that balance character-driven depth with subtle suspense will find this an absorbing and memorable exploration of legacy, identity, and the burdens we inherit.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced digital read in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Manor of Dream is a disjointed horror about how one act can destroy multiple families.
Vivian Yin, the first Chinese woman to win an Oscar, is dead. At the height of her fame, family trauma caused her to become a recluse, shutting out both work and her family. What is left of her family—two daughters and a granddaughter—gather for the reading of Vivian’s will. They expect to receive the family mansion as well as a small fortune, but to their shock, the house is given to the child of the housekeeper and gardener who lived with the family. Elaine and her daughter are surprised, but Elaine seems to believe they deserve it. The three middle-aged women are at each other’s throats while the young adults know something deeper must be going on. They try to get the women to tell them what the tragedy was that made Vivian a shut-in and what that has to do with their mothers telling them both not to go into the garden. They are met only with anger or silence. Meanwhile, the vines outside begin to move, or is it only the girls’ imagination?
Christina Li truly frustrated me through a large part of the novel. There are too many characters and readers are given too many perspectives. Especially in the beginning. Worse, we get very little information from most of it. And many of these could have been cut to streamline the story. For example, several characters get the same information, and it’s just repeated. The reader is smart enough to know that if the daughter has the information, then we know the mother has it and what she is going to do with it. This writing method also gave very little room for character development. In fact, one woman is just a walking caricature that is used as a throwaway scare at the end. She had no arc whatsoever. It was hard for me to finally get to the good stuff Li had buried in the book.
But there is good stuff. The past hides one act that creates a spiral of tragedy that leaves the house tainted. Sadly, most of the house’s creepiness is left to the climax, but what a climax it is! Rage and sadness take over, and Li creates a horror landscape that elevates the natural world, taking something so mundane and making it so deadly. This is where characters have any kind of moral development. The fear of death does that to a person. Li has proven that no one has plot armor, and the reader has no idea who will actually die and who will live. That is the truest horror of all.
I found myself often frustrated with The Manor of Dreams. But at least Li sends the reader away with an amazingly scary send-off.

A powerhouse debut (pun intended)! A house that has been in a family for generations is at the center of this novel, but the spinning cast of characters, Hollywood deals, tragic love stories, and an out-of-control garden had me hooked. There is some “light” horror FYI, but mainly this stands as a great dual (almost triple) timeline gothic novel.

4.5

The Manor of Dreams throws you into an ownership dispute regarding a family estate after the matriarch makes mysterious decisions right before her death. As two families start fighting over the estate, the author takes you back into the past to see how the families were once intertwined. What at first seems an easy to guess mystery about a haunted house, turns into an unraveling of complex characters spanning decades. There’s sapphic romance (a double dose) that parallel one another and makes you feel all the feels.

At first, it took some time for me to gain some traction in this story, but once you begin to understand each person, the story comes alive. For me personally, once Nora and Madeline let their guard down and we begin to discover the parallels between their connection and the past, the story starts to bloom. With the interwoven timelines, you see how one action tips into a domino effect that sets these families into a downward spiral where everything begins to crumble.

I wish I had more. There was a resolution I was waiting for at the end that never came and now I can’t stop thinking about it. I feel like these characters deserved so much more, especially one in particular (IMO). I loved the way the author wrote these characters and how real they felt while reading them.

I don’t normally list trigger warnings, but I will say that the DV was intense and upsetting.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press for the gifted e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t think I had it in me to truly appreciate a horror storybut this book totally threw me for a loop. I found this to be a very engaging tale that wove two timelines but I got a little confused over the haunting’s motivations. Keeping this spoiler free, but I felt at times the story became a little muddled with all the present day drama between Elaine’s and Lucille’s families, hence the rating.

I absolutely loved how mysterious and unpredictable this was though! Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book 🙌🏼

A story of festering family secrets. It was an enjoyable read. The story ebbs and flows in a constant, engaging pace, but it wasn't scary or horrific. More of a paranormal aspect to secrets that family holds dear. So much pain and grief and holding in, that the house absorbs all that and haunts everyone around. It was interesting, and well told, very beautifully and respectfully written, a bit of a heartbreak for all involved, but not one I will come back to and thing about.

Thank you to the publisher for my gifted review copy.

Promising premise - three generations of Chinese women must grapple with a cursed inheritance. Unfortunately the story never came together for me. I found Vivian’s flashback sections compelling but the rest of the story seemed slow and, at times, unrelated to the main story. Thanks to NetGalley for a chance to read and review this book.

I was so hoping to love this one, and I certainly did enjoy some aspects that I enjoyed, but I wasn’t completely in love.

The different and frequent POVs started out a bit confusing for me, and I wish I felt a better connection to the development of some of the characters. Sometimes I felt the pacing was a bit off, which is where I struggled to feel pulled in to the story. I enjoyed the concept of weaving all the plot lines and characters together, but as mentioned before there were at times a lot to keep track of.

Dual timelines are always intriguing to me but often times, as was the case with this book, I find it difficult to be equally connected to both. In this one, I was drawn to the past timeline, and felt not fully invested in the modern day.

Always love the inclusion of sapphic love!

TW: domestic violence

Nice read. This one is labeled horror but I’d considered it a slowwwww burn lit fic with some heavy themes. There is some horror adjacent elements and the ending goes pretty wild, but beyond that it’s more of a family drama.

In The Manor of Dreams we follow two families who seem inevitably intertwined through time, trauma and emotion. Following the death of one matriarch the two families return to their childhood home for the reading of the will. It’s definitely slower in pace but strangely I don’t really know what the characters did all day? We move between three time periods to learn the history of our characters. While this part was great some of the more interesting parts of the modern story (Elaine, uh wtf?!) are never fully fleshed out. There’s a fair bit of romance in this one. Not my usual genre but I found them well written and not an overwhelming piece of the plot.

Li is a fantastic writer and I would definitely recommend this to fans of Evelyn Hugo, although there are supernatural elements and some super heavy themes (tw dv) so I’d keep that in mind. I enjoyed the book but would have loved more expansion into the more horrific sections of the book, but that’s more of a genre preference. If you vibe with decades spanning, slower burn queer love dramas then give this a read. It’s a beautiful book but I could have used more history on the supernatural aspect.

I really enjoyed this story. This is the first book that I’ve read by this author, and it certainly won’t be the last. Li’s writing was immersive and the story was haunting and tragic. I loved the chilling atmosphere and the Gothic vibes. The story started off a bit slow, but I quickly became immersed in all the family history and drama.

The story revolves around two Chinese American families, and is told in the past and present timelines. I thought both timelines were compelling and interesting. I loved getting to know more about the characters’ pasts. it helped me to connect more with the characters, and it made the events that took place in the present that more impactful.

I loved the supernatural elements. The estate was an eerie backdrop that was the perfect setting for the story. There were touches of eco horror throughout the book that I loved. The characters also experienced paranormal encounters.

I liked that the story included sapphic rep. There were several sapphic relationships that were explored. I thought both relationships were intriguing.

I really liked how everything wrapped up in the end. It was a good conclusion to the story.

I recommend this book to fans of multi-generational family sagas and Gothic fiction.