Thank you NetGalley and HarperAudio for the eAudiobook ARC! House of Blight is a gothic romantasy that follows Edira Brillwyn, a threadmender with the ability to cure illness and injury (though at the expense of a sliver of her own life). She's kept this a secret her whole life, but when the secret is discovered by the wealthy Fernglove family, they will stop at nothing to recruit Edira to their service. When Edira's brothers fall ill to the blight, Orin Fernglove offers them safety in statis, if Edira will work with them to find a cure. Soon Edira finds herself working and training with the family and herself growing ever closer to Orin. Can the Ferngloves be trusted or are they hiding more dangerous secrets?
The audiobook features compelling narration by Alexandra Hunter and Stephen Dexter.

Short synopsis: Edira is a threadmaster, trying to rescue her brothers infected with blight. She finds herself at Fernglove Manor trying to find a cure.

My thoughts: This took me a minute to get into, but once I was immersed in the fantasy world I couldn’t stop. This is a duology (which I love) and I’m so excited to see what happens in book 2.

I loved how fiercely Edira loves her brothers, she’s so selfless and determined. All of her choices reflect her desire to help them. The familial love is so refreshing.

The gothic vibes in this are a fun addition to the fantasy genre, and the magic was unique and different.

I thought the audio on this was really well done. I love when the narrator brings a book to life and the narrator achieved that!

Read if you love:
* Gothic vibes
* Magic
* Selfless characters
* Love triangle
* Feminine rage

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.

I am a bit confused by the decision to have only a fraction of the book read by a different narrator. I understand it was from a different POV, but the main narrator had been doing that character's voice for most of the book.

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.

Narrated by Alexandra Hunter who did a superb job at delivering this story in a way where you felt every emotion. I was happy with the distinction in characters, delivery of emotions, and pronunciation of words and dialogue (I’m weird and that bothers me in some narrators lol).

House of Blight follows Edira as she tries to understand the Evers, a family that never ages and can't die. In their understanding, she hopes that she will find a cure for a magical illness that is killing her brothers.

This book starts off with the story of a woman who tricks death, and honestly, that was my favorite part. I found the main story a bit slow and kind of boring. Now, I do think a great many people will enjoy this book, but I am not one of them. The book feels as if it is written for a younger audience that likes the back and forth of who is the love interest, who is the bad guy, will Edira ever learn anything about her magic, etc.

I think folks who enjoyed ACOTAR will enjoy House of Blight.

Lastly, the narration was wonderful, it pulled me through otherwise lackluster moments.

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.

You can’t always judge a book by its cover, but in the case of House of Blight, you absolutely can. This gorgeous facade is just the icing on a riveting fantasy story filled with romance, magic, and betrayal. This story is the perfect blend of gothic vibes and fantasy mantas whimsy. Edira is an incredible FMC and her journey as a threadmender trying to eradicate an incurable virus, blight, is heartfelt and thrilling. I really enjoyed this one and the narrator was excellent!

I loved the audiobook narration, they took the story to a different level. Without it, the story was lacking a little bit for me. It just felt like something was missing. There were so many things going on, but they were all pretty surface level. I think this is an excellent story for someone coming to romantasy for the first time or if you want a fantastical novel that doesn't ask the reader to a lot of work to understand the world and magic system they're in.

Edira is an apothecary in a village, however she has a secret magical talent that very few know about - she is a threadmender. While this can cure far more than her natural remedies, using this talent snips her life a little shorter every time, so she keeps this hidden. There is one thing that she cannot heal though: the blight which ravages her world. Her parents have already died, so when her two brothers, her entire world, contract the disease, she'll do anything to save them - even make a deal with the powerful Fae family who rule over their village. The head of the household, Orin moves her to their creepy gothic castle where she works and trains with this terrifying but brilliant family to attempt to find a cure for the blight, but of course, things are never so straight forward as that

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Harper Audio for this digital audio e-arc.*

This book was soo good! I can't wait to for book 2! The love triangle felt soo Vampire Diaries and I ATE IT UP!!!! The ending was perfect.

Crimson Peak x Love Triangle x Bugs

I’m starting to think I have a type lol. This book was such a fun ride from start to finish.

Our fmc, who has the magical ability to heal is suddenly faced with the ultimate challenge when her brothers become sick with blight—one of the only diseases her magic can’t heal.

Our fmc finds herself staying with a group of powerful Evers to help formulate a cure to save her brothers and them as well.

This book was eerie, suspenseful, and all around a spooky gothic fun time.

Also, am I finding a new love for Love Triangles!?!👀👀👀

Thank you so much Maxym, Harper Audio, and Netgalley for the arc!

This one has some well-loved aspects of typical romantasy stories but also has a unique storyline with the spreading blight and thread magic. I was taken in by the love triangle, and some of the side characters were especially fun to read. I’ll definitely be recommending this one to romantasy lovers.

House of Blight by Maxym M. Martineau
⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Gothic romantasy that ate and left NO crumbs

Y'all. Y'ALL. I'm still processing what this book did to my emotions!

Imagine a world where healing magic comes with the ULTIMATE price tag - your own life force. That's what our girl Edira is dealing with as a threadmender, and honestly? The magical system in this book is chef's kiss BRILLIANT. No convenient magic here - just delicious consequences.

When Edira's brothers catch the blight (which is exactly as disgusting and terrifying as it sounds), she ends up making a deal with the enigmatic Orin Fernglove that screams "this is a terrible idea but I'm going to do it anyway." And I was HERE FOR IT.

The vibes we're tracking:
🖤 Gothic manor with secrets in EVERY corner
🪡 Life-thread magic with actual stakes
🐛 Insect-based powers that are equal parts beautiful and horrifying
🔥 Slow burn tension that had me SCREAMING
👑 Family drama that puts the "fun" in dysfunctional

Let's talk about the Ferngloves. This family? CHAOS. Some with wings, some with horns, all with agendas that had me suspicious of EVERYONE. The sibling rivalry between Orin and Rorik? Deliciously toxic.

The atmosphere Martineau creates is absolutely immersive - I felt like I was wandering those creepy hallways alongside Edira, jumping at every shadow. The way the manor itself becomes almost a character? Gothic perfection.

Fair warning: this book ends on a note that had me clutching my pearls, and the fact that it's only book one of a duology means I'm now in a state of emotional distress until the next one drops.

If you're into gothic vibes, magical consequences, and a slow burn romance that will have you throwing the book across the room (in the best way possible) - this needs to be your next read! Also, definitely snag the audiobook if that's your jam - perfect for getting those eerie manor vibes while you're driving or cleaning!

Huge thanks to Harper Voyager for the ARC and finished copy! This one's going on my favorites shelf, no question.

Read This Book If…you enjoyed the Spring Court vibes in ACOTAR!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
House of Blight by Maxym M. Martineau

Genre: romantasy
Series: The Threadmender Chronicles # 1
Spice Level: 3/5🌶, 1-2 open door scenes
Setting: fantasy world
POV: single, 1st person, past tense
Tropes: forced proximity, Fae-style vows, slow burn

Audiobook Thoughts: I really enjoyed the narration on this one! I read this immersively (audio + e-book) and thought it added a lot.

My Thoughts:
If you wanted Feyre to spending a little more time in Spring Court, but add in a little academia and gothic vibes, this is the book for you! There’s plenty of suspense and intrigue and angst and I loved it.

Overall, this is a slower and more predictable read, but it set up the romance and drama for book two so perfectly! I can’t wait to find out how this duology ends.

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

Thank you to the publisher for my advance copy!

Sometimes you just read a book and you know that the romantasy crowd is going to eat it up. House of Blight is one of those books. Two immortal brothers and a human girl with some special powers? Sold. The female main character isn't still a teenager, and is, in fact, firmly in her 20's?! Bonus points.

It's easy to say I enjoyed reading this one. I thought the premise was fairly unique while incorporating well loved tropes. I thought the author, Maxym M. Martineau, did a good job painting a picture of who the three main characters are, while still leaving room for us to learn more about some of the characters in the next book. I also loved the love shown to insects. Bugs aren't appreciated enough. There was also some nicely subtle foreshadowing which is always a good addition.

I will say, as someone with a VERY detailed imagination when it comes to visualizing what I'm reading, I had a hard time during some scenes. Got a bit of the ick. The visuals I conjured up took me out of the moment a bit. Especially when there are references made to Edira (the FMC) having some of her own visuals, though conveniently for her, not in the places I was thinking about it. I don't think this would be a problem for many readers though.

When it comes to the audiobook narration, I thought it was great. I can be picky about narrators but had absolutely no qualms with the voice actor this time! I'd recommend both the traditional copy and the audiobook.

In general, I would absolutely recommend this book to any fans of romantasy. I really enjoyed reading it and I'm only sad that I'll have to wait even longer to read the next one than folks who will read it upon release.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon & Harper Voyager for the chance to read this book as an ARC for review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Harper Voyager for the ARC and Harper Audio for the ALC.

The House of Blight is a gothic fantasy focusing on Edira, a healer—except when she heals someone, she loses minutes, days, months of her own life. And she’s living in secret, until the fae leader (Orin Fernglove) finds her and makes her a bargain she can’t refuse and she’s moved to their castle/home.

I imagined their home on the moors; foggy, decrepit, filled with the Ferngloves but no staff. Creepy. Meanwhile, Orin and his family are basically at each others’ throats at all times, particularly his brother Rorick. Nothing like a bit of fae family feuding to make a human feel at home?

I’m suspicious at baseline so I kept side eying some of Edira’s choices; but I get it girl, you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place. I loved how she kicked ass at the end, she finally took charge and was the strong HBIC I knew her to be.

While this is the first in a series, it still felt like a complete story, with just enough of a cliffhanger to keep me hooked and on board for more. And I hope to read the next as audio! Alexandra Hunter (and the tiny parts of Stephen Dexter) fit the characters so perfectly, it made the reading experience that much more enjoyable.

This was a fun romantasy! It was one of the more unique ones, with a healer FMC (I really don’t see a lot of them in the books I pick up) who can mend “threads” for others at a cost to her, which is a shortened life. The dark, gothic vibes made this a very atmospheric read and I loved it. The moth sidekick was fantastic, and I really enjoyed the tension and conflict at the end. Very excited to continue this series!

Thank you to HarperAudio for an ALC in exchange for my honest review!

House of Blight follows Edira, a threadmender with the ability to cure disease and heal injuries. The only thing her powers are limited to is curing blight, so when her beloved brothers fall ill with the disease she has no choice but to turn to Orin Fernglove — head of a family of elite magic wielders who rule her village. At Fernglove estate, Edira will research ways to manipulate her magic to rid the land of blight, all while getting swept up into immortal feuds and dangerous secrets that have the ability to upend everything she’s ever loved.

I legitimately couldn’t put this book down! It took me no time to fall into the world and I devoured this story extraordinarily quick. I found the pacing to be consistent and the captivating energy had me anxious to see what happened next. I enjoyed hearing the narrators describe the sensory details and the audiobook really helped build the imagery of the world up in my mind.

Alexandra Hunter takes on the majority of the book’s narrations, as almost the entirety of the novel is told from Edira’s perspective. I loved the way she captured Edira’s wry sarcasm and the way she performed the banter between Edira and Rorik specifically had me giggling and kicking my feet!

The few chapters we get from narrator Stephen Dexter are very good as well. His deep timbre taps into the dark, puzzling nature of Fernglove and its inhabitants. There are still so many questions left unanswered and the way he performed his sections added to the mystery.

I would absolutely recommend listening to this on audio. Between the fast-paced energy and the high quality performances, House of Blight is one that I think romantasy fans are going to eat up!

Thank you HarperAudio and NetGalley for providing me with an ALC in exchange for my honest review!

This book sits somewhere between ACOTAR by Sarah J. Maas and A Court of Sugar and Spice by Rebecca F. Kenney and I LOVE IT.

This book gave me all of the good vibes a Romantasy book should—complex magic system, intriguing family and character relationship dynamics, and of course, a human out of place with non-human beings. It is everything I wanted and I need to read book two (which is not out...) IMMEDIATELY.

This book is magical, in a gothic and slightly creepy way, and the choices the characters have to grapple with all come with dire consequences.

High stakes, high fantasy, and I LOVE IT.

~~Tropes~~
✨Gothic, Dark Romantasy
✨Magical Vows
✨Fae-Like Beings
✨Slow Burn
✨Forced Proximity
✨1st Person, Dual POV

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️/5

✨Thank you, HarperAudio Adult | HarperAudio, Avon, and Harper Voyager | Harper Voyager, for the ARC/ALC and finished copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.✨

📚House of Blight by Maxym M. Martineau📚

Thank you @harpervoyagerus @maxymmckay for my free copy and @harperaudio @netgalley for the alc💖.

🗓️Out 4/8/25

✨What it is about:
Edira is a threadmender with the power to heal,but it comes at a personal cost. When her brothers fall ill, she’s drawn into the mysterious Fernglove family’s world, where she works with the head of the family, Orin to find a cure. But as secrets unravel and her attraction to Orin grows, Edira must decide who to trust and what she’s willing to sacrifice to save her loved ones.✨

💭My thoughts:
This is the first in book in The Threadmender Chronicles & was unique, magical, eerie, and fun! It starts slow, but quickly picks up. Nothing is what it seems, and you’ll never guess what’ll happen next. The world building is done well, and the magic system is easy to understand. The vivid details of the story will make you feel like you are right there next to the characters! Edira is forced to navigate the personal sacrifice that comes with her abilities, and faces many decisions while in the middle of a group whose intensions are unknown. Her magical powers to heal come at the cost of her own life threads, so she never really knows when a healing will end her life. It was all so intense! The romance takes you by surprise in more ways than one too. It doesn’t end in an exact cliffhanger, but you get an idea of what to expect in the next story.
🎧The narrators Alexandra Hunter and Stephen Dexter did a great job letting us in the internal struggles of the characters. I hope Stephen gets to narrate the next book too, and that we get more directly from his point of view because one chapter wasn’t enough! His narration felt so real, and true to Rorik’s passionate nature 💖.

4.5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Read if you like:
🪲Gothic romantasy
🥀Female Rage
🪲Forced Proximity
🥀Slow burn romance
🪲Magic
🥀Complex family dynamics
🪲Immortal beings
🥀Atmospheric reads
🪲Spring court but darker
🥀Hate to love

⚠️CW: Violence, injury detail, body horror, death, sexual content, grief.