House of Blight is a gorgeous fae gothic romantasy, and I felt llike I was transported to an enchanting and treacherous world filled with beautiful fae and twisted magic, where nobody can be trusted and nothing is what it appears to be. It is imaginative, thrilling, and un put downable. There is a great mixture of worldbuilding, magic, romance, and darkness. There is forced proximity, slow burn romance, crazy family dynamics, female rage, and an INSECT DADDY!! (that's a first for me) The author did a fabulous job enthralling the reader and immersing me into this world of grand beautiful wrong things. I look forward to the next part of this duology.


This book was such a great read. I was captivated from the very beginning. The prologue reeled me in and the FMC Edira secured the win.

This is an eerie, gothic romantasy book with a relatable FMC who would stop at nothing for the people she loves.

Edira lives her life in hiding due to her magical abilities. She has the ability to heal people but at a great cost. Where she comes from they have the Evers, who are immortal beings that have in the past taken all threadmenders with them to their "world" where they were never to be seen again. When Edira was a young girl he aunt was taken in a proposal that she couldn't refuse. She has gone to great lengths to stay hidden and low key so that her abilities aren't discovered.

When the most handsome man she has ever seen , an Ever, Orin Fernglove, comes into town with a preposition she literally can not refuse, Edira chooses to help him find a cure for blight (a fatal disease) and in turn help her brothers who have contracted the Blight.

When Edira is transported to a world of magic, wonders, and an eerie subtle unease. There just always seems to be a hint of something behind every stare and every spoken word directed towards her. Since agreements are magical binding contracts, Edira doesn't know who to trust.

When her hatred for Evers turns into attraction, Edira finds herself falling for Orin Fernglove but is she also falling for his brother Rorik? Although she can't seem to shalke the feeling that something is off about her new residence, Edira finds heself falling harder and harder for Orin.

But everything is not what it appears to be at House of Fernglove. There is this feeling that she is being watched constantly.

I was turning page by page trying to see which brother she would fall for first and why there seemed to be feeling of dread and uneasiness.

The story is easy to follow with nice imagery and world building.

The writing flows easily and the characters do a great job of being themselves in a world of lies deception and betrayal.

This book had me intrigued from start to finish. I can see this booking being a hit after it's released. and I just preordered my copy even though I have the ARC.

Thanks again to The Nerd Fam, Net Galley, Harper Voyager US, and of course Maxym M. Martineau for the gifted ARC.

Gothic romantasy may be a new favorite genre for me.

Edira is a thread mender with a unique gift. She can heal almost any ailment but at the cost of time off her life span. After watching the Ferngloves take her threadmending aunt, Edira has lived in hiding; however, after the blight infects her brothers, she's forced to make a deal with Orin Fernglove to save their lives.

The writing is atmospheric with a unique magic system. I love the way each family member is described. They're dysfunctional and all hiding a secret. The book has several twists and turns and you're not sure who to trust or who's on whose side.

House of Blight is a duology but does not have a major cliff hanger, so don't put off reading this one!

You should read this book if you love the following tropes:

Gothic Romantasy
forced proximity
Magical Vows
Haunted House
Slow Burn Romance



Thank you Harper Voyager US and NetGalley for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ooh, this was definitely one for the books! I enjoyed reading this novel. I believe this book is part of a duology. Our FMC is Edira. She has this wonderful healing power. Wonderful right? Nothing is more amazing than the power to be able to heal. She does whatever she can to hide her magical ability, and it explains as much as possible in the book. I really do not want to give any spoilers out. It's an enjoyable book. What I do like is that you can read this story in a short time. She's written as a selfless character, and even though her character can be frustrating at times, her intentions come from a good place. The book ends in a cliffhanger setting you up for the next book, and I really want to read what happens next. I like that it had the elements of magic, the romance didn't feel as if it was overpowering. I also felt like it gave the tone of Once Upon A Broken Heart type, except in a less YA form. She reminds me of Evangeline for some reason, just so determined! Anyway, its a great book. Worth reading!

Thank you to nerdfam

4.5 rounded down.

I was really impressed with this. The magic system was well explored, and Edira's power was super fascinating. I had some suspicions about how this would end so I wasn't quite as floored as I could have been, but it was an interesting twist.

I knocked off half a star because I'm not a huge fan of the love triangle vibes and also the middle dragged a hint - though it was minimal and the rest of the story more than made up for it. I'll be keeping an eye out for book 2!

Characters: 4.00⭐️
Setting: 4.25⭐️
Plot: 4.00⭐️
Themes: 4.00⭐️
Personal enjoyment: 4.25⭐️
Emotional Impact: 3.75⭐️
Overall rating: 4.00⭐️

Edira is a threadmender which is a rare, and special power that has lifesaving capabilities to cure diseases and heal injuries. Though she must keep it hidden. Any use of her power, she must sacrifice a part of her life. When her brothers contract the blight, a deadly virus that spreads rapidly on contact and is not curable, the powerful Fernglove family discovers her gift of threadmending and coerce her to live at their estate to research a cure and Orin, the Fernglove leader, uses his magic to slow the spread of her brothers blight.

Without giving too much away in this review, I will say that there are many layers to this story. This is a romantasy with very little spice, which honestly, I was here for it. I don't think it needed it. The story was original, and I liked Edira as a FMC. What I also liked about the "magic beings" of this world were that they weren't your standard romantasy "fae" or "elf". It was never really explained what the Ferngloves actually were and I enjoyed that. It gave them this sense of mystery which added to the story.

The world itself was unique. The idea of a blight that was incurable for ALL magic and non-magic beings also was a breath of fresh air since most magical beings in other stories always seem to be immune to it. In my opinion, this was a higher stakes romantasy since there was a lot more at risk for the magical being side of the story.

I would have liked to get into Edira's family history a little more and a little more world building, but I can see the story unfolding more as the books continue. Though there were some standard romantasy tropes, they felt fresh and not too tropey. The pacing was great and I enjoyed reading this book.

Would I recommend this? Yes.

🩷 Book Review 🩷
📚 House of Blight
✒️ Maxym M. Martineau
🗓 8th April 2025
💫💫💫

What's your favourite form of magic in books?

I always like elemental or shadow magic ✨️

Thank you to @thenerdfam and @harpercollinsaustralia for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I would say this book was a blend of gothic and romantasy. We meet Edira, a woman with threadminder who heals people of her village in exchange for sacrificing a portion of her own. She helps everyone but must hide who she is, even dyes her hair to hide the stark moonlight shade.

Her two brothers contract the Blight, a mysterious illness that she is unable to heal them of. She makes a deal with the Ferngloves and finds herself drawn to Orin.

But her world is crumbling around her, and she must choose who she values more; herself, her brothers, or her heart.

I liked this book, but I found it too predictable. Nothing jumped out at me and made me go, "Oh my goodness!". The world building was also a little off, I got confused, and a few times, I didn't know where scenes were occurring in the world.

House of Blight focuses on our FMC Edira who is living in a small village where disease is rampart. When the blight, which has no cure, takes her brothers Edina is faced with a life changing opportunity to try and save them.
Edira is a threadmender which costs her time off her life every time she uses it. I thought it was such an interesting take on magic and really makes you think what is worth shortening your own life for.
Orin Fernglove of the immortal Evers makes a deal with her to try and help the blight and find a cure.
I enjoyed the gothic setting, the relationship between Orin and Edira even if some of the plot was a bit predictable.
It forces Edira to decide who to rescue and what price of that will cost her. This story pulls at the heart and makes you reflect on all the ways and the lengths one would go to protect and save loved ones.


-Dark fantasy romance
-enemies to lovers
-Forced proximity
-Secrets and intrigue
-Healer
-Gothic castle

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

You can tell that Maxym put a lot of effort into their writing with all the details that they put into their work! Looking forward to reading more from them.

4.5⭐️
I loved this one so much! There were some pretty predictable moments but I still enjoyed it. This follows Edira who is able to heal sickness, however it comes at a cost.
She is then tasked with trying to help those she loves when a deadly disease takes over her land.
I loved this one and can’t wait for the next one. I do think there are some areas that dragged a little, but I thought this was an exciting read over all!
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Really enjoyed this! Read it soon after One Dark Window and the vibes are very similar (in a very positive way!)

Enough the same and enough different within the gothic romantasy sub-genre to make it comforting but also interesting. Characters and atmosphere were very strong. Pacing had hits and misses, but that's often the case in 1st books in a series and I'd certainly continue reading!

3.5! ⭐️ The House of Blight weaves a gothic fantasy tale of sacrifice, secrets, and survival. Edira, a Threadminder who can heal at great personal cost, must navigate a dangerous bargain to save her brothers. The atmospheric world and intriguing magic system stand out, though some felt the romance lacked depth and the story didn’t fully realize its potential. A promising start to a series with room to grow.

This was insane. The emotional damage just from the first 30 pages had me eating this book up! Edira is a Threadmender, someone who can see the life threads of others and fix them. The downside though? It uses up her own life threads🫠 The Evers are fae that take in any Threadmender that they come across, never to be seen again, just like Edira’s aunt.

“𝑾𝒆𝒍𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝑭𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆, 𝑬𝒅𝒊𝒓𝒂. 𝑴𝒂𝒚 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒆𝒍𝒔𝒆.”

There was already hate for the Evers, but Edira’s forced to make a bargain with the head of the Ferngloves in exchange for her powers. As characters get introduced, I knew some shady shit was going on, but the who was down to the very last pages! It’s been a minute since I got full body goosebumps from reading a scene and when I tell you!!🙂‍↕️

“𝑰’𝒎 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒗𝒆.”
“𝑾𝒉𝒚?”
“𝑩𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆.”

There’s this mini love triangle going on, but I was more focused on Edira, her growing powers, and who tf was creeping around watching her like some kind of ghost always out of reach. I didn’t expect the betrayal, the savior, or really literally anything that happened in the last few chapters! I cannot wait for the next book because that cliffhanger got me SO bad😭

Thank you so much to the author, Harper Voyager US and NetGalley for the gifted copy!

I devoured this in a day! What a unique cool magic system and world.

I loved the FMC she is a human with healer magic and she is forced to join forces with the very immortals she loathes… “the evers”

“It’s delightful to know that I make you squirm.”

“a flicker of awareness sparked in my chest, and my world froze. It was small, like the first star winking to life in the presence of dusk, but brilliant just the same. And with it came a soothing warmth that beat through my limbs in time with my heart. My breath caught in my lungs.”

With twists and action, I could not put it down.

I need book 2 immediately!


Thankyou for the arc netgalley & HQ!

Edira was a great character. I thought the magic she had was unique and enjoyed that part of the book. The world building and the setting for the book was great. There were some spicy scenes in the book. I can't wait for the next book.

3.5 Stars
2 Pepper Spice

Synopsis:
In the world of magic, saving people always comes at a cost. For Edira, it is her own life source where she can cure diseases and heal injuries but it will take from her own health. Having her aunt’s abilities taken advantage of, she has kept her abilities hidden.
The Fernglove family has discovered her secret, and they want it. A powerful family with immortal life and magical resources want to have her find the cure to the blight. With both of her brothers sick with the blight, she has no choice to help to find a cure. Can she save her brothers while staying alive?

Review:
There are many mentions of fans of ACOTAR enjoying this book with rot and gothic vibes, and they are absolutely correct. You will look to start enjoying bugs (possibly) and the book has lots of twists and turns. I did overall enjoy the book but felt there were a few plot holes and difficulties that the FMC would not have been able to obtain without a critical piece of information received later on in the book. Regardless, I will still be reading the second book as I enjoyed the book.

Bottom Line: If you like Gothic Fantasies, you will enjoy this book. However, there will be some plot issues. If that bothers you, this might not be the right book for you.

Thank you NetGalley for this absolutely incredible arc!

I was invested in this book from the start. The magic involved is incredibly creative and nothing I have experienced before and I truly cannot wait for the sequel to this duology. This gothic fantasy should be on everyones TBR and i will talk to anyone about this.

This book has everything you need in a romantasy. There is a FMC who is a caring badass who would do anything for her family, two brothers that both seem to care for her with questionable intentions, and a creepy manor which is the perfect setting for this thriller girlie that is in her fantasy era.

The story follows a threadmender who can heal any ailment but everytime she does, it takes time off her own life. Her family has died to keep her secret and it is suddenly exposed when her brothers contract Blight, this book’s equivalent of the Black Plague. It affect humans and immortals alike with everyone desperate for a cure.

This book does not end on a cliffhanger but the atmosphere and characters make me desperate to know more

If you enjoy gothic romantasy with a slight love triangle full of tension and secrets, I would highly recommend this book.

The world building was pretty on point, and the characters were easy to fall in love with.

The magic in the world was truly interesting, and the story kept me guessing right to nearly the end. I already cant wait for the next book!!

From the beginning of this book it had me in a death grip. It had a lot of similarities to fantasies already published and popular but had a great subplot to it that I haven’t seen much at all. As blithe attacks the world Edira, a thread meander, lives in she always thought it would be impossible to cure. With Evers (nearly immortal beings made from an ancient deal) seeming unaffected by the blithe there’s never been a huge cry to cure this plague from the world. Edira learns a lot about trust as she falls in love with Orin, the lord of the Ferngloves, and is trained by Rorik, his brother. It ended on such a cliffhanger that I’m not sure if there will be a second book or if you’re left to interpret how it goes. Either way I will be lined up when it does come out.

I am really enjoying darker fantasy stories right now. House of Blight would fall on the lighter end of dark fantasy, but it still hit the spot! There is magic with a deadly cost, strong family bonds, a powerful immortal family with layers of secrets, and mix in some romantic tension. I really enjoyed this book!

We follow Edira, a human with the power to heal, but at the cost of an unknown time off her life. She's hidden her powers her whole life, but of course that doesn't last. She gets pulled into the world of the Ferngloves, making a deal to save her brothers' lives.

I did notice some clunkiness in the first part of this book, some repetition that stood out to me. But that being said, by the halfway point, the writing felt smoother, or I was just too invested in the story to notice anymore! I flew through the second half of this in one afternoon.

Thank you, NetGalley and Harper Voyager, for an early copy in exchange for this honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for an eARC of this book.

House of Blight is the first book in a duology. It is the perfect dark gothic fantasy romance! I had a good time with this book from start to finish.

Edira is a threadmender who can use her power to heal others, but at a cost. Every time she uses her abilities, her own life shortens. When her brothers fall ill, she sees no other option than to accept help from the handsome Ever immortal, Orin. He wisks her off to his magical estate, where she soon learns that things are not as they appear.

This book was so wonderfully written. The imagery was spot on. The characters were well developed and easily relatable and likeable (or unlikeable, in some cases).

I would highly recommend this book, especially if you are a fan of:

-gothic fantasy
-eerie, dark settings
-powerful, magical immortals
-slowburn romance