This book drew me in with its unique concept and gothic atmosphere, and it absolutely delivered! The plot is rich and layered, blending dark fantasy, romance, and mystery in such an engaging way. Edira is a compelling protagonist—strong, selfless, and relatable—and her magical ability as a threadmender adds a fresh twist to the fantasy genre. The Fernglove family is fascinating, especially Orin, who quickly became one of my favorite characters. Their dynamic is complex and full of tension, both romantic and suspenseful.

While the pacing is a bit slow at times, the buildup pays off with plenty of twists and a growing sense of unease that kept me turning pages. The world-building is vivid and immersive, and I loved the eerie, gothic vibes throughout. Just be warned—it ends on a cliffhanger, and now I’m desperate for the next book!

Perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Rachel Gillig who enjoy a mix of slow-burn romance, dark secrets, and high stakes.

I hope everyone reads this book! After reading it I have a feeling this is going to be big. It’s slow burn with bouts of action, culminating in such a great ending (total cliffhanger though we absolutely need book 2 like right now).

Love the magic system of threadmending, and the prologue at the start grabs you immediately. There’s romance and a touch of spice but the character build made this book. And c’mon gotta love Rorik. Might be my book of the month /top ten of the year.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperVoyager for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When Edira is hired by the Fernglove family to search for a cure for an illness that has killed too many people, she does so only to save her brothers. It was odd that Orin showed up at her house when something terrible happened to Edira. We found out later why that it is, but at the time, I just thought it was some strange coincidence. While Orin seems to be a good person, something about his actions makes you question whether he is hiding something. Rorik, on the other hand, was always himself, and I appreciated his character so much.

Thank you to the author and Net Galley for the ARC!

This was such a fantastic and gorgeous read! I went in without any expectations and ended up really enjoying it. It’s a gothic romantasy with eerie, vivid worldbuilding and a cool magic system based on equal exchange.

This was so good and hard to put down. Can’t wait for the next one to see where the story goes. Can’t wait to see what else Maxym has for us.

I think this is fine for those who enjoy a little magic, a little romance, and a setting in a creepy gothic town. While I enjoy the setting and the characters there is a slow start to the story. It took me about 20% to become invested in where the story was going and what was going to happen next.

⭐️⭐️⭐️️⭐️/ ️🌶️🌶️

If you had the power to heal anyone, in the blink of an eye, but every time you did, it cost you time of your own life, would you use your gift for good or keep it secret? It definitely isn’t an easy question to answer, but this is one of the questions our FMC has to ask herself over and over. Maxym has written a powerful book where secrets are around every corner, questions are always answered with 5 more questions, and sibling rivalry is brought to an art form. With wonderful gothic tones, this fantasy guarantees to keep you on the edge of your seat and unable to put the book down.

Edira has a powerful gift, but one that costs her greatly. She has worked hard to keep this gift a secret, but can’t when her brother’s lives are at risk. Upon using her gift to save her brothers, she is found out by a powerful family and taken to their home to find a cure for Blight, a disease with no known cure and is spreading quickly. Once there she finds herself surrounded by mystery, two brothers who are always trying to one up the other, and the family dynamic is questionable at best.

As the story progressed, it was impossible to put this book down. The banter and sass that Edira partakes in had me laughing, gasping, and smiling numerous times throughout the book. While not super heavy, the romance definitely was noticed and I really hope to see more in the next book. No spoilers, but the chemistry is real!

This is my first book by Maxym M Martineau, but I know it won’t be my last. As I anxiously await the second book in this duology, I am excited to read other works of hers.

As always, review any author notes before reading.

What to Expect:
🖤Dark, Cunning Immortals
🟪Dorian Gray Vibes
🖤Female Rage
🟪Gothic Romance
🖤Powerful FMC
🟪Tension and Secrets

House of Blight by Maxym Martineau follows Edira, who is a threadmender. When a blight is ravaging the world, she tries to help where she can without losing too much of her life. I really enjoyed the idea of threadmending and the entire world was described beautifully. I found the twist to be unexpected but so well written. It does end in a bit of a cliff hanger, to which I’m not opposed to reading I’m just impatient to find out what happens next. Overall, this was such a great read and wonderful for fantasy lovers!

House of Blight is a gothic romantasy and the first book in a new duology, The Threadmender Chronicles. Edira is a threadmender who can heal people. But her healing powers always come at a cost to her. Every time Edira heals someone, she loses a little of her life span.

When her brothers contract a deadly disease she can't cure, Edira has no choice but to make a deal with the powerful magical family, The Ferngloves. If she agrees to work for them, Orin, the head of the Fernglove family, will help Edira find the cure for her brothers. When Edira arrives at the manor, she slowly learns that everything is not as it seems. The Ferngloves use glamor to disguise their true monstrous nature. The manor is more spooky than splendid, and the glamor hides death and decay. Some family members are not welcoming to Edira and even downright hostile. Orin's motivation to help Edira find the cure is not as selfless as it initially seemed.

I enjoyed the setting with its gothic vibes, a crumbling manor, and an intriguing magic system. There were a lot of interesting characters in the Fernglove family, some likable and some horrible. There is a love triangle between Edira and two brothers, which I wasn't a big fan of. Also, the book read more like YA than an adult fantasy, as Edira often behaved immaturely for her age. The ending was satisfying, if a little rushed. House of Blight is rich in gothic vibes, but it fell a little short in other aspects, in my opinion.

This book review had me battling with myself over how many stars to give. Normally I have a definite decision made in my head between 2 or 3 stars…..not this time.
Let me explain. This book started out with a promising premise. Healing magic , a dangerous disease, magical beings all rolled into one book.
The struggle is that this book felt like a mix of at least 2 books I have read recently. The magic very similar to The Last Bloodcarver, and the love triangle/ the twist very ACOTAR.
I might have been able to overlook all that except the characters felt undeveloped when compared to the others. There were no real meaningful interactions between anyone, but we are supposed to believe the bonding? Every single EVER plays a stereotypical character that could be exchanged for anyone. Added to all that…….probably because of all that to be fair…….i saw the twist coming from the second we meet the Evers. And had zero doubt of the outcome for the entire book.
If you’ve read this far, know that there is only one spicy scene in this book. So if you’re not a fan of spice you can just skip over it. If you’re looking for a steamy read, you will be disappointed.
A lot of people love this read. And a lot of people really will are going to read and love it. So this perhaps goes out to those of us jaded by romansty/fantasy books that don’t quite bring the magic.
Overall I had to go with my instinct. I had to give it 2.5 stars as I firmly feel that it is slightly higher than a two for me. I just couldn’t round it up to 3.
I received a ARC of this book, all opinions are my own.

House of Blight - Maxym M. Martineau

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
SPICE: 🌶️
TROPES: magical sickness, slow burn, gothic romantasy, duology

“The only pain I’d ever intentionally inflict on you is the agony of making you wait to feel the pleasure of release.”

Wow… what an amazing book. Where do I begin?!

The characters within. Edira is such a sweet soul but can be feisty when need be. She was like a Disney princess. A little naive at times but cunning when it mattered most. The Fernglove family were a bit creepy though. The twins were like something out of the Shinning. They just gave off creepy vibes.

Now the concept of this world built within. I really really liked Edira’s threadmending magic. Not everyone has magic but Edira is able to sense a persons life threads and mend any damage. There is a price to pay. You shed a bit of your life depending on the level of severity. Then we have the Evers who want nothing more but to use the threadmending powers, but due to this anyone with the power tries their best to remain unknown. Hidden.

I loved the plot twist at the end and I can’t wait to read the next book to see what happens!!!!

House of Blight had me hooked from the very first sentence! Edira is a threadmender, meaning she can heal others. However, that also means that every time she uses her power, her lifespan is shortened proportionately. The blight has infected their lands and their people, and it's the one thing that Edira can't heal. The Ferngloves are also magic wielders as well as the ruling elite, and when Edira's brothers contract the blight, Orin Fernglove is there to help save them, at a price.

I loved the gothic vibes of this story, the sinister nature of the Ferngloves, the secrets hidden, and determination of our main character. I was really intrigued by the magic system, Edira's abilities, and the way that the blight affected different species. It's atmospheric with high tension and a fast paced plot, propelling you to keep turning the page. Edira wants so much to save her brothers that her decisions and actions aren't always rational, leading us down a twisty path of never quite knowing who to trust.

This is the first book in a duology, and I cannot wait to see how the prologue comes back around (it has one of my all-time favorite tropes, but was not active in the main story).

The writing and pacing was done well, it was easy to follow along and held my interest. The vibes were unreal! The premise really hooked me in, but the drama kept me coming back for more!

I just loved getting to enter this world. I just loved getting to meet these characters and see what they are currently getting themselves into. This book was just a really fun read. I just lost myself in this great story and I didn’t want to put it down. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

After reading this I think there's some great potential for this duology. There is unique world building and plot. The threadmending was really cool. Our FMC can cure and mend but at the cost of her own life. When her remaining family has been hit by the blight she has to work together with the MC to find a cure. I enjoyed the plot and looking forward to book two.

Thank you @thenerdfam, @avon for the gifted ebook.

Oh I loved and hated this book equally. I hate that she went for the easy brother the light to the dark. The dark brother you could tell was the right path from the start. Or I could anyways. The first meeting of light brother just gave the wrong vibe.
I wanted to hit our heroine so many times. lol. But I don’t like the cliffhanger for this one bit lol. I need their story. They need a happy ending.

House of Blight by Maxym M. Martineau is out now! Thank you NetGalley

House of Blight is a gothic fantasy that follows threadmender Edira as she navigates healing her village while also keeping herself and her brothers safe from the Evers. Threadmending is a rare power that can save lives, but comes with a cost. Edira has been hiding her powers so as not to attract the attention of the Evers, but that all changes once her brothers come down with the deadly Blight.

This story hooked me in right away! I never suspected how it would end and it blew my mind! The author does a great job of showing each personality and explaining how the magic system works.

I love a good dark fantasy book and this one didn’t disapoint! The haunting manor, strange family and deadly disease, all contributed to creating the grim athmosphere.
The pacing was perefct, I read half of the book in one sitting! I also enjoyed the mystery plot of both the family and the Blight. While I wasn’t a huge fan of the romance (love triangles aren’t my thing), it wasn’t the main focus, so it didn’t bothered me too much. All the characters, main or secondary, had well-developped and believable arcs.
Overall, I absolutly recommend this book if you enjoy Dark and Gothic Fantasy with a touch of romance.

Ohhhh this was fun. I was stressed from the moment I started reading this so I knew it was gonna pay off and be a good one 🙂‍↕️ I couldn’t put it down from the moment I started reading it. The writing was addictive and the worldbuilding and magic were so good 🪲🌱

"House of Blight" is the first in the "Treadmender Chronicles" by Maxym M. Martineau. After loving "The Beast Charmer" so much, I knew I definitely wanted to read the new series from the author!

Edira Brillwyn has a rare gift that allows her to stitch life's threads back together - but she always has to give up a small part of her own life to do so. When her brothers fall ill with the insidious blight, she has no choice but to make a pact with the powerful Fernglove family. In order to save her brothers, she becomes increasingly entangled in a maelstrom of secrets and intrigue.

The magic system is innovative and has been described by the author in a very tangible way. Once again, I can praise the vivid and fluid writing style, which made reading easy for me.
The story mostly takes place on the Fernglove family estate. Even though the plot has some quieter scenes that create authenticity and shed more light on the characters, it never gets boring. On the contrary - the search for a cure for the blight turns out to be a race against time and uncovers more and more secrets.

In the last 100 pages, events come thick and fast - if you thought you finally knew the truth, you now have to realize that this assumption is simply wrong.
Edira is a strong female protagonist who, despite foul play, pulls the right strings to save the ones she loves.

"House of Blight" is a successful start to the series that I can only recommend.