Rating / Recommend: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/🌶️🌶️.5/ Yes

My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this and definitely want to read book two. Especially after that ending!
Team Rorik IDC!
It has great world building which is definitely needed for a fantasy series.
I don’t wanna say too much and spoil things but definitely add this to your TBR!

If you like dark gothic romantasy you’ll love this.
Similar vibes as One Dark Window & Cruel Prince.
With a horrible illness corrupting things.
Magic wielding immortals, insect companions, two possible love interests.

CW:
One open door scene that wasn’t too descriptive. Easily skippable.
Grief.
Death of loved ones.
Family illness.
Lies and Betrayal.

This was an extraordinary read that grabs you from the first page and doesn't let go. Seriously, just reading the prologue alone will have you completely hooked! I went in knowing nothing and ended up absolutely loving it. It's got this fantastic gothic feel, and the world-building? Stunning! Chef's kiss to the author; she nailed it.

All the characters were super fun and interesting to follow. Edira stole the show for me; she was such a strong, caring, and fierce character, even if she had her naive and frustrating moments sometimes.

However, the romantic chemistry in this book was to die for! The banter and slow burn between the main male and female characters were just amazing. I'm not going to mention the MMC's name to avoid spoilers, but trust me, it was fantastic, and I cannot wait for book two to see more of their story.

The plot itself was really well-paced for most of the book, and I absolutely loved the plot twist; it totally left me on the edge of my seat!

Thank you so much to The Nerd Fam, NetGalley, and Maxym M. Martineau for the ARC copy!

This was great. At first. I thought it was giving 'Beauty and the Beast,' but then it was almost 'Snow White.' It felt so familiar and new at the same time.

This was a really great romantasy in a complete and unique fantasy world. I'd definitely recommend it for fans of ACOTAR. The world building was especially interesting and hooked me in.

This one’s got a mysterious plague, creature love interests, magical mystery, political family heirs, and twists that make you not trust anyone. I really enjoyed the dark tale and brooding characters. The heroine is a self-sacrificing optimist, which I could totally relate to. I thought most characters were well developed and relatable, and the plot pacing was good. The twist was somewhat predictable, but still good and satisfying. I was gifted an ARC copy of this title from NetGalley and the publisher and this review is my own opinion.

I didn't know much going into this... but when I tell you this turned out to be one of my favorite books of the year so far!
The writing was so atmospheric, it really pulled me into the story. You have characters that you really don't know if you can trust or not until the end. The tension with the morally grey character was just so well done. I truly didn't want to put this down at all.

I am literally waiting on bated breath for the next book!

This book is described as an eerie, gothic romantasy and that is exactly what it is giving. If you like love triangles, complex family dynamics and intriguing world-building I recommend checking this one out! I’m excited to read the finale when it releases!

Thank you to Avon, Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

House of Blight
By Maxym M. Martineau
Narrated by Alexandra Hunter and Stephen Dexter
3.5 ⭐️

I loved parts of this story and was annoyed by others. This review is slightly spoilery - proceed with caution.

Keeping things as spoiler free as possible, the FMC has power to help heal. She’s enticed into putting those powers to work for the mysterious Fernglove family. I loved the banter between Edina and Rorik and even between Edina and Seville. The story focuses heavily on relationship development between 3 main characters. The FMC is depicted as being fairly perceptive. Yet, she’s blinded by - Lust? Wanting to be wanted? Charm? Then there’s the heartbond plot line. I felt the hints were too on the nose and too plentiful. The ending - solid 10/10. I have more thoughts but don’t want to drop spoilers more than necessary. I do have a thought or 2 at the bottom of this review I couldn’t keep to myself.

The audiobook was entertaining and well done. I think overall this is a good story. There are aspects that didn’t fully mesh with my preferences. I’ll likely continue onto book 2 if the mood strikes.





Legit spoilers below — don’t look if you don’t want insider info!










At 55%: If Edira wanted to know who she should be wooed by all she needed to do was ask Rorik what he would have done if he found her and her power vs Orin. Rorik told her about 10% later that he didn’t want her expending any of her life force for anyone else. He wanted her to cure her brothers and no one else. She launches herself at Orin about 5 pages later. 🫤

I was team Rorik after their first interaction and was fully annoyed by Orin therein after - which likely fueled my meh-ness for a chunk of the story.

This was such a wonderfully written book with such an interesting concept. I keep seeing posts that mention an ‘insect daddy’ and I suppose we’re right - Rorik is indeed an insect daddy. I love that I almost thought we had a happy ending and just like that there was a cliff hanger.
Looking forward to the next book!

This was a rather fine romantasy that just got so predictable and rather boring to me after a while. While I was a bit confused at the importance of the prologue and some world-building and magic, the plot just lost all point to me when it became rather predictable and introduced a love triangle between the main character and two brothers. 🙄

The story is narrated by Edira, who is a magical healer living under cover due to her fear of being exposed and sold into servitude to the local fairy-like beings called Evers. While she is described as being in her mid-twenties and the start of her narration was good, as soon as she was off to the Ever mansion she just said and did things that just screamed freshly turned nineteen-year-old who thinks they know all about the world. I just couldn’t grasp how she went from being a rather sane mid-twenty year old into nothing more than a fawning love-struck girl who gets swept off her feet by a sweet-talking, centuries old magical being of great power. This and the fact that her magic was never really explained very well in my opinion like how her family came to have threadmenders in their lines in the first places and how they find others who are also threadmenders without ousting each other. 🤔

The other thing that really just baffled me with this book is that I thought it was focusing on one particular love interest only to be slapped suddenly with two in the form of feuding brothers. I just don’t understand the fascination of love triangles involving brothers since that screams nothing more than unnecessary DRAMA to me. The attraction between Edira and the brothers came off a bit too insta-lovey in my opinion and I would’ve liked a bit more tension and slow burn . . . and the focus on one single brother instead of two. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Really though, I just became more and more baffled the longer I read this and was heavily contemplating DNF’ing it but ultimately decided not to when I saw that I only had 2 hours left in the eARC. . . While the ending did get a bit better, it still didn’t help the book get up to a a solid 3 stars. It also didn’t help get me excited for a sequel, so I guess this is going into the list of series I won’t be continuing in the future. 😑

Thank you goes out to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for accepting my request to read this in exchange for an honest review (and for waiting for this review since it’s over a week after publication). I wish I had enjoyed this more than I did. 😞

Publication date: April 8

Absolutely loved *House of Blight*! Maxym M. Martineau really knows how to weave an addicting story—there’s action, heart, and just the right amount of dark magic. Martineau’s world-building is lush and immersive. The morally complex cast, slow-burning romance, and high stakes make this novel impossible to put down. If you’re into fantasy with high stakes, fierce bonds, and a touch of mystery, this one’s a must-read.

I started reading this as an ARC prior to it being published. I enjoyed the beginning and find the concept quite intriguing. I'm planning to buy the physical copy to continue my reading of this book. So far, really enjoying the plot and characters.

The House of Blight was one of the first Gothic Romantasy books, I've read...and I think I have found a new addiction! From the captivating premise to the beautifully poetic opening, I was hooked right away.

Our FMC, Edira is a rare healer known as a threadmender, able to cure any illness—but the blight is beyond her reach. Each time she mends, she sacrifices some of her own life, so she keeps her power a secret—especially from the Evers, the immortals who control her village’s mine. But when her brothers fall ill, Edira strikes a deal with one of the Evers: work together to find a cure, and he’ll put her brothers in stasis to buy her time.

The story is a perfect mix of dark magic, tense gothic vibes, and unexpected twists. The world-building is vivid, and the characters range from fascinating to downright frustrating in the best way. The new take on the magic system is refreshing! I know there are only so many plots and story lines, and most fantasy stories seem regurgitated...but it was interesting to see the way Martineau tweaked things!

If you’re into magical healing, enchanted vows, haunted houses, and gripping plots, this one’s a must-read. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

This book got under my skin in the best way. It is gorgeously unsettling.

House of Blight feels like a slow fall into something soft and dangerous. Edira, a healer who gives up pieces of her life every time she saves someone, is one of those characters you root for even when you’re scared for her. When her brothers get sick, she ends up at the Fernglove estate - a place full of beauty, power, and secrets.

Orin, the head of the family, is charming and unexpectedly kind, and the romance between them builds with this quiet tension that makes you hold your breath. But the longer Edira stays, the more the cracks show. The estate is full of strange moments... too-quiet halls, too-perfect smiles....and it becomes clear that the real threat might not be the illness, but the people offering the cure.

The writing is soft and eerie, never overdone. It’s not a loud story, but it stays with you. If you like slow-burn gothic fantasy with a little magic, a little rot, and a lot of trust issues... this one’s worth it!

Wow! This was a new take on immortals that I have not read/heard about before. Edira is a threadmender with the ability to heal grievous injuries and illness but at a cost to her own life expectancy. She has been hiding this ability her entire life but now her brothers need her.

Sometimes I felt Edira was smart and strong, other times I was slapping my head with her naivety and poor judgement of character that led her to making dumb decisions. Overall I could understand since she was out of her depth and I can appreciate a character that grows throughout the book, which she did.

I was never a fan of Orin but I also am a sucker for morally gray MMCs. So when he came in trying to be sweet despite the circumstances he has allowed humans to live in, I hated him more for it.

This was such an interesting read! I liked the different type of magic that Edira used as a threadmender and how the Ferngloves were able to hide how much the blight actually affected them. All of the twists and especially the ending kept my attention and I couldn’t put it down!

Loved this book, it gave me all the things I needed. I really enjoyed the story and the relationship building.

This started off as giving cozy romantasy vibe but did end up taking on a darker tone, which I loved. But the predictability and basic characters/ character development was what I ultimately didn't enjoy. Will I be reading book 2 of the Duology? Probably not.

I enjoyed this gothic cottagecore fantasy and its blight filled world building for the most part. The plot was pretty slow paced and the middle dragged for me. It was pretty obvious the Ferngloves had shady intentions and I was annoyed by how fast Edira threw all her disdain and suspicions out the window and fell for Orin. Even when deceptions come to light she continues to make excuses. Which is odd because she’s portrayed as having always been distrustful of Evers.

Now I immensely dislike insects but I couldn’t not love Rorik. A book has finally made me love an insect shifter 😂😂. And Ywena was so freaking precious I adored her 😭.

The last act of this book was fantastic and I loved Edira’s wrathful side. The ending has me hopeful for more friendships in the sequel as well as excited to see how things are going to play out!

Thanks to the Nerd Fam and publisher for the eARC, thoughts are my own.

I really enjoyed House of Blight! It felt fresh & unique, while giving off vibes reminiscent of The Cruel Prince with a touch of ACOTAR. From the prologue, you're immediately pulled into this dark fairy tale world. But what truly grabbed me was the unique concept of threadmending. The magic system involves healing others but at a significant cost to your own health. The story builds this magic system that revolves around a blight that puts your life at stake AND inherited/lineage magic, creating this overall tension.

The main characters are Edira, Orin, and Rorik who were all complex and had their own compelling backgrounds and stories. I was invested in their individual journeys and their relationships, especially the romantic tension and wondering which brother Edira might ultimately choose!!

Beyond the plot, I got the strong feeling that there was more going on beneath the surface. I kept thinking about the potential deeper meanings woven into the story. The struggle between good and evil is true with the blight and threadmending itself, but the book also explores the idea of the masks we all wear, the facades we put on for others when there might be deeper, darker things hidden within us.

If you're looking for a gothic fantasy romance with an edge, a creative magic system, and some thought provoking undertones, you should definitely pick this one up!

Thank you NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyage for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!