I really enjoyed this book! It kept my interest the entire time. I needed to know how the story would play out and if blight was curable. And then for them to be bonded, but realizing they were rid of it yet! Can’t wait for the next book.

What can I say? I devoured this. The House of Blight is a fun new twist on a genre that has become pretty saturated in the market. I was not at all disappointed in the ending, which is always a plus. I finished it in a day, I couldn't put it down.

House of Blight by Maxym M. Martineau is an enchanting blend of gothic fantasy and romance that immerses readers in a world of magic, mystery, and dark secrets. The story follows Edira Brillwyn, a threadmender with the rare ability to heal injuries and cure diseases at the cost of her own life force. When her brothers fall victim to a deadly blight, Edira is compelled to ally with the enigmatic Fernglove family, particularly their leader, Orin, in a desperate quest for a cure.

Martineau's elegant prose crafts a richly detailed world where magic is both a gift and a curse. The narrative is imbued with a haunting atmosphere, and the unique magic system adds depth to the plot. While some readers have noted that certain plot developments are somewhat predictable, the overall storytelling remains engaging and immersive. The character dynamics, especially between Edira and the Ferngloves, are intricate and evolve throughout the story, keeping readers invested in their fates.

For fans of authors like Sarah J. Maas and Rachel Gillig, House of Blight offers a captivating tale that seamlessly weaves elements of romance, fantasy, and gothic intrigue. It's a story that lingers, inviting readers to ponder the delicate balance between sacrifice and salvation.

This novel has a Unique magic system, one where a threadmenders life span is tied to how much they are willing to sacrifice. The dark side of the ruling class is hidden from most. This was a great read with a gothic vibe. I highly recommend for those who enjoy fantasy, magic and deception.

I felt the concept for this book was really interesting but unfortunately I couldn’t get into it. It might just be that I’m not currently in the mood for this sort of book but I ended up Dnfing around 30 perfect. It did seem like it would be good for people who love romantasy and fantasy so I’d still recommend checking it out if you are in the mood for it!

Thank you Nerd Fam for the ARC of this book.

I LOVED this book. It has some similar feelings of other books I’ve loved in the past (think ACOTAR vibes mixed with One Dark Window and Cruel Prince).

I loved the easy world building that gradually took place.

I was not super surprised about the twist but I didn’t care, the ride was still good.

I will be reading book 2.

reviewed on Goodreads and Storygraph and I’ve told all my friends my love for this book!

I couldn’t connect with this one. The writing was entirely too flowery and focused on describing mundane things and I truly just did not connect with any of the characters.

Thank you for an opportunity to read this early and the eARC.

I need to read more gothic romantasy IMMEDIATELY!! This was so good! I went into this one really not knowing what to expect and now I am at the edge of my seat wanting book 2 to find out what happens next for Edina!!!

3.5 Stars
If you are looking for a book that twists, turns, and is full of lies, loves, and secrets, you're in the right place. Edira is a pretty badass character who gives up her life to save her brothers by living with a Fae family and all the secrets she has to figure out. With her world being stricken with a blight, something that is quickly killing many, she is trying to figure out how to use the powers she has hidden most of her life to try and save her brothers and the Fae matriarch, but the price is her life. The book had an amazing description of setting, and it was a really good gothic romance. I thought it was a little too long, and it isn't a book you can pick up and put down in a few seconds because you will be trapped within its pages in seconds. I enjoyed this book heavily. If you are looking for a dark, gothic romance, that will keep you on your toes, this is it! Readers of Sarah J. Maas would definitely like this book!

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins/Avon Books for giving me the chance to read this book!

House of Blight is the first book in a gothic fantasy duology. Maxym did a wonderful job with the world-building and cozy, yet mysterious and gothic aspect of the book. There's an aspect of mystery that follows you through the entirety of the book that pulled me in. It reminded me of when I was reading One Dark Window.

House of Blight follows Edira, a smart, dedicated, and hard-working woman who has been left to care for her brothers after her parents passed from a sickness that infects everyone and everything it touches. Edira has a special kind of magic - "Threadmening" that heals with a catch. The more she heals, the less she lives.

Edira has to strike a deal with her enemy in order to keep her brothers safe. She is tasked with finding a cure for the blight, in exchange for protection, however, once she sets foot in the mansion, strange things begin to happen, and she is warned "Trust no one. Heal no one."

What you'll experience:
🪲Dark/Gothic Romantasy setting
🪲Hate to Love
🪲Slow Burn Romance
🪲Love Triangle
🪲Betrayal and Heartbreak
🪲Unique Magic System
🪲Forced Proximity
🪲Plot Twists

I’m expecting full on grovel for book two. 🙂‍↔️

Thank you so much Harper Collins, The NerdFam & Netgalley for the ARC! I need the second book to come out soon, respectfully. 😂

To me, a captivating book begins with an intriguing prologue. If that captivating introduction piques my interest, I can confidently anticipate an extraordinary reading experience. The prologue was exceptionally well-crafted. The magical system feels unique and original, setting it apart from other stories I’ve read. Edira inherits a remarkable magical ability that enables her to perceive people’s life threads. With this power, she can choose to heal individuals at the cost of temporarily manifesting a subdued version of their ailments. When her brothers fall ill, Edira makes a deal with an enigmatic entity known as an Ever. While the author doesn’t explicitly describe these creatures, I speculate they might be fae beings.

The book was beautifully written, maintaining a fast-paced and engaging narrative. It’s an easy read, making it the perfect starting point for the series. While I had hoped for a more prominent romantic element, this story takes an intriguing turn into an “enemy-to-lovers” trope.

THANK YOU @netgalley for sending me an E-ARC of this book.

An absolutely solid 5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins and Nerd Fam for sending me this ARC to review.

WOW where do I start? This was extremely refreshing and very different to any fantasy I have read. It felt completely authentic and original and I absolutely devoured it! The magic system is SO unique in this book and it gripped me straight from the beginning, I genuinely could not put this down.

One of my fave things? Yearning. LOVE IT, LIVE FOR IT, HERE FOR IT. To see this written so perfectly tugged at my heart strings 🥹 I am so excited for this book to launch so everyone finally has the opportunity to read this incredible book.

KEY POINTS:
- Unique magic system
- Beautiful world building
- Enemies to lovers (ish)
- Forced proximity
- The most INSANE plot twists
- A pinch of spice
- Slow burn/yearning

If you're looking for a new fantasy to pick up, PLEASE choose this one. I'm so stupidly excited for the next book in the series!

Thank you so much to NerdFam, NetGalley, and Harper Voyager for an Advanced Reader Copy of House of Blight in return for an honest review.

Mysterious
Treacherous
Enchanted
Love Triangles
Betrayal

This book has a lot to love, and it also has room for improvement.

Edira, our FMC, is a rare Threadmender. She is able to mend sickness and ailments through magic at great cost to herself. Every time a Threadmender uses their magic it takes away a portion of their life as a balance exchange. I loved this new magic system, I thought it was unique and the rules of the system made sense.

Edira's brothers come down with blight, which is a fatal disease that affects both the evers (think fae) and humans. Humans die very quickly from this affliction and evers experience a long, drawn out and painful death. In order to save her brothers she brokers a deal with the evers and all is not what it seems in this exchange.

I enjoyed Martineau's writing style for the most part. I was never pulled out of the story because of continuance problems or feeling like the writing was juvenile. I did however feel like there were MANY parts of this book that were unnecessarily long winded. I found from 40-70% I was seriously contemplating a DNF because it just felt like the story was stuck. I think that this story would benefit greatly from speeding up the pace in this section of the book.

Overall, I thought the story was OK. There were moments where I was fully enthralled and there were moments where I didn't care much about what was happening, which mirrors what I was saying above. I don't think that the FMC's character was strong enough either. I don't really have a sense of who she is other than "she needs to save her brothers." She has a wild self sacrificing kink and overall isn't that intelligent. She fell into a romance trap that in my opinion was pretty clearly not a good idea. I just felt that both the romance story lines in this love triangle were a bit insta lovey. I don't understand where the attraction came from. Hating a person you're training with does not equal love. Being lied to continuously AND finding out about said lies and not seeming to care much does not equal love. I think if the FMC was a bit more wise and the interactions within the love triangle were a bit more in depth this story would be GREAT.

I think that this book will be well received. There are a lot of people who are looking for a book that has the tropes that this one has.

For me it was a generous 3 star.

So grateful for this ARC! This is one of the better fantasies I've ever read. The magic was detailed but easy to understand and follow along without needing a map close by. The pace was really good and the story kept me engaged. I genuinely enjoyed this one!! Edira showed me that women are still women even in another world. We make bad decisions and go color blind when red flags are being waved 🤦‍♀️. Rorik 8 out of 10. Orin big ole fat 0 out of 10.

I am honoured to have received the opportunity to read an advance copy of House of Blight by Maxym M. Martineau, in exchange for an honest review. The following review contains my own thoughts, opinions and feelings about the book.

If you are looking for a dark gothic fantasy. Look no further. This story was absolutely amazing. The main character Edria has a rare magical ability that allows her to heal individuals of blight but all magic comes at a price. Her price, is losing a little piece of her life every time she uses her power. She believes she is safe from being discovered, until a powerful immortal convinces her to come work for him to help search for a cure for the blight. She is forced to make a bargain to help save her brothers.

If you are looking for a romantasy story that incorporates slow burn, forced proximity, magical bargains and forbidden magic, I highly recommend reading this book.

I truly cannot wait to continue this story and dive back into this magical realm. Thank you to the Nerd Fam and Maxym M. Martineau for a digital ARC of House of Blight.

House of Blight is my first gothic fantasy novel I have read. The story follows Edira, a threadmender who has a rare healing magic that comes at the cost of her own lifespan. The magic system was definitely engaging and overall unique, but the pacing was somewhat slow throughout until about the last 20% of the book and the romantic elements felt a little forced. I felt somewhat disconnected from the characters. There is definitely potential for this book, I just felt there could have been more world-building and a bit more depth would have made the story more captivating. Those who love dark fantasy and gothic romance may like this novel!

~ARC Reader~

Thanks so much to The Nerd Fam, Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for this gifted ARC!

3.5 🌶
I really enjoyed this book! We have an FMC who views her magic as a curse which is a twist that I adored (after all "all magic comes with a price, dearie" - any Once Upon A Time fans?), and values her family above all else. She also has a view on pleasure that is a great departure from some of these romantasy-type books as of late; Edira views pleasure as something much more down-to-earth rather than putting it on a pedestal and I really loved that take. Also her seething rage at the species called the Evers that she ends up in forced proximity with really amps up the emotion she's dealing with throughout the entire story - she keeps coming back to an inner turmoil that she's trying to untangle. Edira is a dynamic and strong FMC who carries this story well, and makes me excited for the conclusion to the duology.
Alongside Edira, we have the cohort of the Fernglove Evers - a fae-like, magic infused species that bring Edira into their employ to attempt to cure the devastating disease blight. While they share a family name, they all feel pretty distinct, with rather unique abilities and characteristics. I hope to see more from Maxym in the sequel about the way the Evers powers work, especially how they were inhereited from the original Ever.
Overall, this was a great story with some unique magic and a beautifully described world that I highly recommend you dive into!

I found this cozy gothic fantasy utterly captivating. I flew through it in a day and a half. Something about it was so all-consuming that I couldn't put it down. It flowed really well, with lots of twists and turns that were really well paced and left me excited for more.

Edira lives with a secret; she is a threadmenader. She is able to heal, but for every person she mends, she sacrifices a fraction of her own life. The one thing she isn't able to heal is the blight, a vicious disease that is taking over her town, and her brothers have just contracted. Being a threadmender makes her valuable, especially to the Evers. Her secret is discovered by the powerful Fearnglove family. They offer to help preserve her brothers while they work together for a cure for blight. Now living in their world at Fernglove Manor, Edira is starting to see them for who and what they really are. Which has her questioning who she can trust and what they are all really trying to hide.

Edira captured my attention right away with her selflessness and heart, but it was her determination and fight that ultimately won me over. As for the enigmatic Fernglove princes, Orin and Rorik...well...there is one clear choice in my morally grey loving heart.

I thoroughly enjoyed this spellbinding world. I found it a more classic fae depiction, and who doesn't love an MMC with a tail?

House of Blight is the first book in The Threadmender Chronicles by author Maxym M. Martineau and will be published on April 8, 2025. I received an advance copy courtesy of NetGalley. I previously read part of this author’s earlier series – Kingdom of Exiles – and you can find my review of that book on my blog.

I found many aspects of this book to be promising, but overall it didn’t come together for me. I loved how the author portrayed Edira’s threadmending magic, and how she had to hide herself from everyone except for her family at the opening of the story. I found the Blight to be a terrifying affliction at the outset, but as I learned more about this world, the Blight made less sense to me. It was presumably a very contagious magical infection, but it didn’t seem to behave consistently. I did love the cover design and felt like it fit the story and atmosphere of the book well.

The Evers struck me as an elf-fae hybrid, common to much of the current romantasy genre. The author gives them a unique creation mythology and I liked how each family had their own form of magic. However, as Edira adjusted to her new role among them and acknowledged that Orin seemed attracted to her, I found this reaction from the Ever to be unconvincing. Other than giving the Evers some attitude, I wasn’t sure why she was “different” to him. I don’t want to say more on this aspect to avoid spoilers.

I didn’t feel like the other characters were very well developed either. The two younger Evers act out like spoiled teenagers and bully Edira when she first arrives. But after their punishment is over, Edira seems to earn their friendship too easily. The Evers have human servants, but the one who helps Edira tries to communicate danger by giving her mysterious looks and gestures, leaving Edira in a frustrating situation which could have been easily solved with a few words.

The pacing of this novel was also uneven. I felt like Edira pondered her situation and didn’t do much for most of the book. In the last 20%, things finally started to move along.

I though this was a stand-alone, but it looks like the first book in a series. It does wrap up enough of the story in this first book that you could be satisfied with the ending without reading more. However, I don’t think I’ll be continuing with this series. I do still plan to finish reading the author’s other series.

This book started off incredibly strong, and I was immediately drawn into its captivating magic system, which I believe is one of its standout features. The concept of the main character being able to heal and "threadmend" at a great personal cost, tying off her own life in the process, is absolutely fascinating and kept me hooked. And I can't forget the prologue—by far one of the most gripping ones I’ve read in a long time. It pulled me in right away and had me eager to know more. The central goal of healing the Blight, a disease devastating the land, was established early, setting a strong, compelling direction for the story.

However, around the 40% mark, I began to feel a bit less engaged as the story took a turn towards the "insta-love" trope, which isn’t my favourite. This shift, combined with the main character's struggle for much of the book, left me feeling somewhat disconnected. It wasn’t until near the end that everything came together, and she suddenly grew into a strong, knowledgeable figure - while I was happy for the change, I was left feeling frustrated about the pacing and speed of the development.

I really enjoyed the family dynamics within the Evers, and I can’t help but wish there had been more world-building to explore the richness of this unique world. There’s so much potential here, and I think a bit more depth would have made this story even more immersive.