This book grabbed me from the prologue! After that opening scene, I knew I had discovered something amazing. This book feels vaguely reminiscent of that one certain red book but does it SO much better: immortal fae-like beings with political/court intrigue, a magical bargain, and one of the most unique and well-described magic systems I’ve read in a while. This book feels familiar but wholly unique at the same time.

Edira and her human brothers toil away in the shadow of the Ferngloves: a family of immortal beings known as the Evers. Edira is a threadmender, a human who possesses the power to heal and cure any ailment. But this power comes at a cost to her own life, and has its limitations: it cannot cure Blight, a terrible disease that preys upon the humans. When her brothers fall victim to the Blight, Edira makes a bargain with the Ferngloves in the hopes of harnessing her power to save her brothers.

My favorite aspect of this book was the magic system. I loved the idea of the threadmenders and how their magic works. As a healthcare professional myself, I’ve always had a soft spot for main characters with healing magic. I too, attach much of my self-identity to my ability to heal others and found Edira to be an extremely relatable main character. She is inquisitive, intelligent, and dedicated to her family and her practice of healing others, often to her own detriment. Even the magic of the Evers was very interesting and I can’t wait to get more in book two.

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ★★★★★
𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐞: 🌶️
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: Maxym Martineau
𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 384
𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞: April 8, 2025

This book had me hooked from the description alone, so I am very glad that it lived up to my expectations. It was like Beauty and the Beast meets ACOTAR, but with it’s own unique elements that made the story feel completely different. Some plots/subplots can definitely feel overused, so I was excited that this storyline still felt unlike anything I had read before.

Edira is a very endearing character, who is in charge of a magic even she doesn’t quite fully understand. However, she doesn’t hesitate to use it to protect those she loves, and proves to be even more of a badass that I thought she would be. The love interest situation (no spoilers, people) had me anxiously questioning what would happen, although I had a feeling I knew how that would end (although I didn’t see it ending EXACTLY like that lol). That plot twist at the end definitely had me screaming and kicking my feet all at the same time. I cannot wait to see how the next book plays out. This book was full of secrets, and while we uncovered some, I have a feeling there are still many more to discover.

Marked as Spoiler on Goodreads

5/5 🌟 5/5 🎧 1/5 🌶️

Fae/Humans. Gothic Vibes. Magical Vows. Slow Burn.

Favorite Quote: "This was fury, and I wanted to see him, all of them, burn." 🔥

If you have a chance please for the love of god listen to the audio for this book! 🙌 The narraters did such a good job!

The prologue immediately sucked me in and I just knew this book was going to be so good! The magic concept is so unique and interesting and I LOVED Rorik! 🥵🪲

The whole book gives me gothic/cottagcore vibes and is so mysterious. There is also a little bit of a love triangle and it was giving Tampon/Rhys hardcore! 👊

Thank you to Harper Voyager for an ARC of this book.

Oooof... It always feels so weird to go against what so many are saying and being an outlier. This book really could have been great, but something was missing when it came to the romance portion. The chemistry between Orin and Edira wasn't doing it for me, it felt more forced than natural. I did like Rorik better, but I've always been a sucker for enemies to lovers. I also couldn't stand so many of the characters, just insufferable.

Other than that, I can see what everyone is talking about. I did enjoy the magic, as well as how atmospheric the author made the descriptions. It was all so easy to visualize.

Edira is a threadmender, she is able to cure others from illnesses and ailments but it takes time off her life for every person she helps and of course she is fiercely protective of those she loves. When an incurable disease is taking everyone she loves from her she finds herself in a bargain with the people she least likes and trusts, the Evers, specifically the Fernglove family. They are “beasts” who glamour themselves to look beautiful and this is the same family who took her aunt to work for them and eventually died trying to help them. Despite several warnings, Edira finds herself opening up to and developing feelings for the head of the house, Orin, but she can’t seem to shake his dark, broody, and very good looking brother, Rorik. There are so many lies and tricks Edira doesn’t know who she can trust. The time stamp with saving her family, helping the Ferngloves, and keeping herself alive adds the best bit of drama. By the end of the book your head will be spinning and you’ll be dying for the second book in this duology, like myself! Did I mention that Edira finds herself with the cutest little bird companion who saves her life many times?!

A new fantasy duology that follows Edira, a woman whose magic has the ability to heal others but comes at the cost of shortening her own lifespan. A blight has taken hold in her world that ravages the bodies of those infected so quickly they die within minutes of infection and Edira’s magic cannot save them. Edira finds herself entangled with the Evers, the magical beings of her realm with near-eternal life (think Fae). They have tasked Edira to use her magic to find a cure for blight.

Giving this book 3 stars. I think the world building was good, but the storyline was very easily predictable and the FMC’s attitude, actions, and inability to see how she was being manipulated was extremely frustrating. Not sure if I will read the second book when it comes out.

I did not vibe with this. I think it had a very cool idea with just lackluster execution. The worldbuilding was lacking and I get that our FMC was a fish out of water but I still needed more. I think this will appeal to a specific crowd!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC

An excruciating slow burn. A magic system that puts you through all the emotions. Enemies to Lovers.

Edira, our FMC, is exhausting. Her history. Her sacrifices to help others. A true heroine. Of course, there are times you want to throttle her. But you get over it. Orin, the MMC, I'm still questioning. But his sisters .... horrible.

The first part of what is sure to become a epic Gothic Fantasy Duology. I'd highly recommend.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Just after reading the prologue I know I’d be in for a world of learning and wisedom. Can one really cheat death permanently? Then, after reading more, I realized I was in for a world of heartbreak. The world building in this book is fantastic and it definitely had me feeling like I was emersed in this world. Some of the characters I loathed, well because they were turds lol. Some of them had me changing my mind by the end. I didn’t know I’d be on an emotional rollercoaster that would make me mad and cry. The pure amount of betrayal. I feel like I saw it coming but was just waiting for boom to drop and it dropped hard. The two characters I loved through the entire book was Edira and Vora. Ediras journey is wild and left on a cliffhanger. I was like wait no this can’t be the end 💩 is gonna hit the fan again!
Dark…fantasy…mystery…some spice..love this book.

This is my first book by Maxym Martineau, and I am in love with her writing.

I love the vivid world building. I am able to clearly see the events in my head. She clearly describes the scenes with out bogging down the story.

The characters are so filled with emotions, thoughts, ideas, that it is impossible not to love (or hate) them.

Edira Brillwyn is trying to take care of her brothers after her parents die from blight. She is also hiding that she is athreadmender, cure disease. When her bothers come down with blight, Edira's power is discovered by the Orin Fernglove, a member of one of the elite ruling families. Edira is forced to make a deal with him to gain the needed power to save both of her brothers.

I am so ecxited for the second part of this story to come out, I have to know what happens!!!

I was really looking forward to this one after reading the premise but unfortunately, this wasn’t my favorite. I felt it was very slow in the beginning & I found myself a bit bored & skimming through the pages. Once there was maybe 35% left in the book, that’s when I felt things start to pick up but at the moment I just wasn’t invested in the story anymore. The character were alright but not my favorite. The romance between Edira & Orin unfortunately just felt a bit flat for me.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced ready copy . It took me almost two weeks to get 64% in and it’s just not the vibe I look for in a fantasy book. The concept of the story is great but takes to long to get to the point

This book was, excuse my language, FREAKING INSANE! I loved it. The idea of the magic system was well laid out and the world building was done in a way that would even be easy for new fantasy readers to understand. I loved the FMC and Rorik. I gave it 4 stars because I predicted the ending early on but it was truly an amazing read.

Exactly what I am looking for in a gothic fantasy romance. The writing was decadent and the romance was so intriguing.

It had been a while since a book thoroughly left me wanting for more! I need the sequel like … right now 🤭 and idk why I’m even surprised it gripped me the way it did as I read the authors’ Kingdom of Exiles some years ago & really enjoyed that one, too. And I still have more of that world to discover as well 😍

“Trust no one” is a steady theme and lesson in this fantasy and it really rings true. The characters you start off loathing end up burrowing their way into your heart and staying there 🥰 I can’t really say much more without spoiling anything so y’all need to read it to find out 🤭

It was also really refreshing to read about a female character who is so .. I guess sex-positive, I could say? I really liked how the author described the attraction between the characters, could cut the sexual tension with a knife 😏🔥

House of Blight follows a threadmender, Edira, who has hidden her identity from the world because each time she taps into her magic to heal she loses time off her own life. She is discovered by the immortal family that oversees her village and it tasked to help cure the blight, a dangerous disease that is always deadly (and coincidentally that her brothers get around the time of her discovery and only an Ever’s magic can hold them in stasis while she develops her magic to try and work on a cure).
This was a book that I had to pick up and put down a few times to get through it. There are some really interesting pieces and lots of potential, but it just didn’t grab me like I was hoping it would. Edira wasn’t the easiest character to connect with, either in an I love you or love to hate you way, and the pace didn’t pick up until there was only about 10% of the book left. If the rest of the book had mimicked the last 10% I think it would have been more enjoyable. This book also leans heavily on the mortal girl falling in love with an immortal man trope and, when done well those are great, but I didn’t find myself rooting for Edira and Orin. Ywena the magic moth who helps Edira learn to breathe properly was maybe my favorite character.
Overall, not a bad book but not great either.

House of Blight hit the nail on the head for gothic fantasy. It managed to be creepy and suspenseful while also having cute and romantic scenes sprinkled throughout. It was very well balanced.

Edira is a threadmender in hiding due to the Evers stealing away those with magic. But then the Blight grabs hold of her brothers and she has no choice to but enter a bargain with Orin Fernglove.

Edira is a bleeding heart. She wants to help everyone she can even knowing every time she uses her abilities, it lessens her lifespan. I love how much of a spitfire she is. Never backing down. Standing by her morals and who she wants to be. I truly appreciated her character.

The Ferngloves were super interesting! Every character has their distinct quirks and it was fun seeing them come to light. There is still so much about the Evers and magic that I can't wait to see more of in the next book.

I found the plot twists to be a tad predictable but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story or the writing. This was a refreshing read in the genre and now I want more gothic esque stories to fill my shelves!

Thank you to the author, Netgalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for the earc. This is my honest and voluntary review.

DNF @ 44%
Thank you so much to Harper Voyager and Libro.fm for the advanced copies of this book. All thoughts and opinions are still my own.

I was so excited for this gothic fantasy romance and thought for sure it would be a favorite - how could it not when it's being compared to Rachel Gillig?! But sadly this was not the win I was hoping for.

This is another fantasy with a fantastic premise that just didn't quite deliver in my opinion.

This opens up with an amazing prologue where we learn about a woman who beats death and is gifted with immortality. In present day, the towns are controlled by Ever, or immortals, and the world is infected with Blight, a rotting disease that kills you almost instantly.

While the Evers hold most of the magic, the heroine has the ability to heal by seeing and repairing the threads of someone's life - in exchange for some of her own threads & life.

I loved all of the setup, the world, and the magic. But I didn't care for the characters... like at all.

Personally, I'm a very character driven reader, so I need to connect to a character - their motivations, relationships, something. But I found the heroine to be somewhat insufferable and the heroes to be bland cookie cutter fantasy heroes.

They were all so bland as individuals and the dynamic of sheltered heroine + gorgeous seemingly perfect savior + mysterious brooding bad boy is worn out in my opinion. I'm just so sick of seeing it that I immediately lost interest.

I do think the writing itself was lush and eerily beautiful. And if you're more of a plot driven reader, I think this fantastical, mystery premise is really intriguing. But if you're looking for character development and/or romance, this isn't one I'd recommend.

Thanks for this ARC netgalley. Thanks Martineau for the awesome read. But you did hurt my heart a little lol. I just finished this book right now and I'm at a loss for words to describe it without spoilers. But it was heartbreakingly beautiful. It has a happyish ending. It's not sad. But not where you expect it to end. That being said I can where this can be remedied in a second book, which I have hopes for given this Goodreads page is titled threadmender Chronicles number one. So please make a book two. You can hurt me a little and then make it all better. I want more beetle man😂😂😂

This story has everything and more that a reader would want in a complex romantasy. Magic, hate to love, a gothic castle, healing magic, and more. The FMC has the power to heal but as always, magic comes at a steep price. In Edira's case, it is her own life. I absolutely cannot wait for the next book in this duology. I will definitely be recommending this book to anyone and everyone who is a fan of dark fantasy with romance. I definitely feel that it was much more of a fantasy with romance than an outright romantasy. Did I also mention the dark gothic castle? Because of course we have a dark gothic castle and I'm convinced no story can be bad with a dark gothic castle in it.