Characters - Believable motivations and solid character growth. The relationships between characters was the strongest point of this book.
Plot - Solid plot, but nothing groundbreaking. First half drug a little, but the second half was plenty redeeming.
World Building - Fairly narrow world with possibilities for expansion. The setting served the purpose of the plot, but didn’t go beyond that.
Themes - Family, purpose, survival, and loss are all dealt with in a healthy way.
Overall - Good not great. I was leaning toward three stars in the first half of the book, but the last 1:4th of the book brought it up to a solid 4 star read.

Thank you to Macmillan and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Whew, where do I even begin with this book?! This has to be my favorite book I have read all year. This was gothic and creepy and outright hilarious! I don't remember the last time I enjoyed a cast of characters as wonderful as the ones in The House Saphir.

If you are looking for something dark and gothic, but also outright witty and clever, this is for you. This is perfect for fans of One Dark Window and Phantasma, just without the spice! I don't know how she's done it but, Marissa Meyer, you write magic.

*spoilers*
Mallory is our main character and she's an absolutely comical FMC who has a strange interest in all things Saphir and honestly, anything creepy and grotesque. Her sister Anais is just as hilarious as her sister but she's a beaming ray of sunshine. Without giving too much away, I really hope we see more of her if the series is to be continued.

Also! Constantino and Fitcher have my heart. I was instantly intrigued when we first met them, and jumped out of my chair when I saw them again later in the novel.

The atmosphere and world-building in this were intense. And it was done on purpose! The novel takes place in two main settings, and so perfecting the vibe was key, and Meyers does it excellently. I felt moved and also uncomfortable at times as she described the home in Morant and even House Saphir.

I truly don't want to say too much or give too much away, but please, please, please read this when it releases in November! You will not regret it! Oh, I almost forgot, please leave your wedding rings at home!

ARC Review – A Dark & Magical Bluebeard Retelling

This book is a retelling of Bluebeard, and I really enjoyed it! ❤️ The story has a little bit of everything—murder, magic, mystery—and it kept me turning pages from start to finish. You won’t be let down if you love dark fairytales with a twist.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

3 Stars
ARC review

- Overview
The House Saphir follows Mallory Fontaine, a young woman who can see ghosts. She and her sister have kept themselves afloat by running tours about Bastien Saphir and selling fraudulent items. Until one day when Armand Saphir, the great grandson to Bastien Saphir, offers Mallory a deal: Help remove a ghost from his family’s estate, and he’ll pay them enough to pay the rent for awhile longer. What started out as a (somewhat) easy task escalates as the stakes are raised in a game of murder, magic, and deception.


- My thoughts
I went into this book with very high expectations, but unfortunately, it didn’t live up to these expectations. After finishing this book, I felt unsatisfied and that I’d gained more questions than answers. I’d like to preface this by saying that I have not read the story of Bluebeard, so please take this with a grain of salt.

- The Characters
It’s not very often that I actually dislike characters, but I fear this may be the case here. The FMC started getting on my nerves in the beginning of the book, however I still held out hope that she might have a bit of a personality flip or revealing moment. She’s very much one of those FMCs who thinks that she can do everything herself without needing others, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but too much at once is overwhelming. After that ending, I’m still having conflicting thoughts about the MMC. Yes, he’s sweet and all, but I never saw any real chemistry between the two of them.

The side characters were honestly my favorites in this book, especially the two monster hunters. I loved their characters, as well as their mysterious vibe that kept me going. I know a lot of people will look at me funny for this considering that their roles aren’t as prominent, but hear me out.

- The World Building/Plot
The plot was one of the biggest aspects that was lacking for me. I felt like I could see all of the plot twists coming from a million miles away. As I mentioned earlier, I felt as if I was left with more questions than answers. Most of this book is on the slower side, but it definitely speeds up at the end. On one hand, I enjoyed the change of pace, but on the other, I felt like there as a lot of information thrown at me in those last couple chapters. It’s a lot to absorb.

I feel like this book has potential to become a series or duology, but I also feel this is one of those books that would be better off as a standalone, if you know what I mean. I also recognize that this review points out a lot of the negatives of this book, but it was a solid book overall, and if somebody was thinking about reading it, I’d recommend it.

Features -
- Bluebeard retelling
- Young adult
- Some violent content
- Witchcraft
- Ghosts
- Lies and deception
- She’s grumpy, he’s sunshine

It's very possible that I wasn't in the right mindset to read and enjoy this book and that's why it didn't spark as much joy in me as Marissa Meyer's books usually do.

In any case, this is a retelling of the Bluebeard fairy tale that does a lot of the same things S. T. Gibson's A Dowry of Blood did for Dracula's wives, just for a YA audience instead of an adult one.

I absolutely adored Cinder when I found it in 2013 and I've faithfully read everything by this author ever since. And this is where I come to a crisis because now I'm realising 2013 is 12 years ago and it's possible that, if Marissa is still writing with her original age group of audience now, it's just possible that I've aged out of her intended demographic.

Despite that, I can appreciate that the writing style was effortless to read. If the characters were a little shallower than I'd hoped to find, then that could perhaps be overlooked for the fact that it's a YA aimed novel following a fairy tale plot and the main impetus of the story really seemed to be having Mallory and Armand together at the end.

I think the main disappointment I had was that there was little time dedicated to exploring Anais, Mallory's sister, as her own character. Similarly, the two figures who were brought in to help expel the ghost haunting the narrative were unmemorable and there to serve plot rather than be meaningful characters in their own rights. This disappointment could also have been overlooked if the plot had been where the majority of the focus was clearly placed.

My biggest complaint, then, was the lack of complexity in the plot and the fact that everything seemed telegraphed and easy to anticipate despite the deviations this author made from the original fairy tale. The author's note shows she has a lot of love for the story, but I didn't really feel that affection or reverence in the retelling as it unfolded.

I had high expectations for this book because Marissa Meyer has long been a favorite author of mine so I'm happy to say I wasn't disappointed.
I was hooked from the very first page and my attention was held the entire time. It felt fast paced which worked well for the story. I was able to predict some of the twists but that didn't lessen my enjoyment of the story.
Definitely her darkest book thus far. The worldbuilding was cool and the setting was super spooky and atmospheric.
I really liked all the characters. They all felt well developed. The romance was cute, felt a tiny bit insta-lovey to me, but I still liked them together.
Overall, thoroughly enjoyed this book! 4.5 stars

This was different than what I have read from Marissa before and I loved the darker theme for this, I have never read Bluebeard but I need to now, I really enjoyed the FMC's story and personality in this and the women ghost in this were so interesting I would have loved to have a more in-depth backstory for each of them, The romance was sweet but I do wish we had more build up it did seem a little insta-love also the creatures in this could use more visual descriptions, there are so many different little creatures that I had a hard time understanding what they looked like. Other than that I really enjoyed this story and I hope we get more darker themes like this from Marissa!

This book surprised me - I really did not expect to love it as much as I did. Though I should have known it would be phenomenal - all Marissa's books are. As soon as I finished it, I immediately preordered the audiobook because I already can't wait to read it again. This was literally a "one more chapter" book. I unintentionally stayed up until 2 am and finished this book because I could not put it down.

The House Saphir is a retelling of the Bluebeard fable, but it's also so much more than that. It's a haunted house, fake mediums, a mysterious count, French monsters, and charismatic ghosts. The worldbuilding is phenomenal, as per Meyer's usual. I was hooked from the very beginning.

The tension, the mystery, and unexpectedly, the dry sarcastic humor blended together perfectly. This book felt a lot like Meyer's Gilded or Heartless versus Lunar Chronicles. Gilded is my favorite book of hers, but this one has strongly secured spot #2.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Feiwel & Friends for providing me with an ARC. My opinions in this review are my own.

💎House of Saphir is a retelling of the dark legend of Bluebeard. Thank you NetGalley, for the advanced reader copy!

👻This haunting and eerie action-packed, captivating adventure is full of the horror that comes with the legend of Bluebeard (aptly named "Le Bleu" in the story), and adds some deeper layers into why he killed his many wives. The Fontaine sisters, Mallory and Anaïs, are con artists who find themselves in over their heads when they are hired by the great-great grandson of Le Bleu, Armand, to rid the house of Le Bleu's malevolent ghost. There's a forbidden locked door, ghosts of the dead wives, blood stained hands and blood on the walls that all screams of the terror that comes this old familiar lore. Despite the fright, there's a good bit of humor to balance it out, and I LOVED the wit and dry humor exchanged between Mallory and those around her. It wasn't too much and landed at all the right spots. I also liked her character - she's strong, confident and stubborn, but not to the point that it was exasperating. She isn't afraid of the macabre, finds cemeteries a lot more interesting than picnics, and will pull the con as far as she can...

💙There's a little bit of romance, but it is YA appropriate and not very spicy (one detailed kissing scene and nothing else), no language concerns that I noticed, and definitely some bloody horror/scarier scenes that involve supernatural monsters and Le Bleu's ghost that younger readers might be more frightened by. But for the targeted young adult audience, I would think middle school readers and up (for those not afraid of monsters!) would be appropriate, and all ages would love it.

This doesn't release until November of this year (perfect for spooky season! 🏚️), and I cannot wait to read it again in its published form, and add it next to Heartless❤️, which is another favorite stand-alone favorite by this same author. She also wrote the Renegades series and the Lunar Chronicles series, which are beloved by our household too.

I’m all about stories where the heroine isn’t perfect but fiercely determined, and Mallory fits that bill perfectly. This book left me with a lingering sense of magic, mystery, and a serious case of heart-eyes. I loved every moment and can’t wait to recommend it to everyone who craves YA with bite and soul.

A Hauntingly Perfect Gothic Delight – Meyer Does It Again!
As someone who has devoured every one of Meyer’s previous fantasy novels with near-obsessive fervor, the moment I heard about this haunted mansion-meets-Bluebeard retelling, I practically sprinted to get my hands on it. And let me tell you—it did not disappoint. This book is a spellbinding blend of eerie supernatural mystery, dark fairy tale magic, and just the right dash of simmering romance. If you love stories where ghosts lurk in the shadows, secrets whisper through creaking floorboards, and morally ambiguous characters toe the line between charming and dangerous, then this is your next obsession.

Meet Mallory Fontaine – A Witch Without Magic (But With a Gift Far More Dangerous)
Our heroine, Mallory Fontaine, is the kind of protagonist I live for—sharp-witted, reluctantly brave, and burdened with a past that’s equal parts tragic and fascinating. The daughter of a famously powerful witch, Mallory lost her own magic in a botched childhood ritual meant to summon Death itself. But in its place, she gained something far more unsettling: the ability to see and speak to ghosts.

Now, she scrapes by giving tours of the infamous Saphir House, a decaying gothic mansion with a blood-soaked history. The place is haunted by the endlessly complaining ghost of Triphine, the first (and most melodramatic) wife of the infamous Count Bastien Saphir—better known in folklore as Monsieur Le Bleu, the aristocratic monster who murdered not one, not two, but three of his brides. (And yes, he’s every bit as terrifying as the original Bluebeard legend suggests.)

Mallory’s only family is her sister, Anaiis, a self-proclaimed “spiritual medium” whose séances are about as authentic as a three-dollar bill. Together, they hustle gullible clients with fake potions, staged exorcisms, and chants they literally make up on the spot. It’s a precarious existence, but it’s all they’ve got—until a mysterious stranger named Armand shows up, claiming to be the last living descendant of Le Bleu himself.

A Deal With the (Not-So-Devilish) Devil
Armand is exactly the kind of character I adore—brooding, enigmatic, and hiding more than a few skeletons in his closet (possibly literal ones, given his family history). He offers Mallory and Anaiis an impossible-to-refuse deal: rid his ancestral home of Le Bleu’s vengeful spirit, and he’ll not only clear their legal troubles but pay them enough to disappear forever.

There’s just one tiny problem: Mallory has no idea how to actually banish a ghost.

What follows is a gloriously chaotic, high-stakes haunting where:
✔ Fake mediums must become real exorcists (or at least look convincing).
✔ A whiny ghost wife (Triphine) follows them home like a disgruntled spectral roommate.
✔ A slobbery, werewolf-like voirloup tries to eat them (because why not?).
✔ Two mysterious allies—Fitcher and Constantino—step in with their own shadowy agendas.
✔ And Le Bleu’s spirit grows stronger with every passing night.

Gothic Atmosphere, Dark Fairy Tale Twists, and a Romance That Simmers
What I adored about this book is how Meyer weaves in Bluebeard’s original horror while making it fresh and unpredictable. The mansion itself is a character—dripping with opulence and decay, its halls echoing with the whispers of dead wives. And the supernatural elements? Flawless. From the grotesque voirloup to the eerie rules of Le Bleu’s curse (he needs five victims to complete his ritual—and he’s three down…), every detail feels meticulously crafted.

And then there’s Armand. Ohhh, Armand. Is he a tragic nobleman trying to break his family’s curse? Or is there something darker lurking beneath his shy, antisocial exterior? The chemistry between him and Mallory is deliciously tense, walking the line between trust and suspicion. (And let’s be real—I’m always here for a morally ambiguous love interest.)

Final Verdict: A Must-Read for Dark Fantasy Lovers!
This book is everything I wanted and more—atmospheric, twisty, and packed with monsters both human and supernatural. Meyer’s writing is as sharp as ever, balancing wit and horror in a way that keeps you glued to the page. If you love:
🔮 Retellings with a dark edge (think Naomi Novik or Erin A. Craig)
🏰 Haunted mansions with deadly secrets
👻 Ghosts who are equal parts tragic and terrifying
💀 A villain who’ll give you serious Bluebeard nightmares
…then you need this in your life.

5/5 witchy, haunted, gloriously gothic stars!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group/Feiwel & Friends for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

first of all, thank you so much net galley for accepting my request. the house saphir was one of my most anticipated books this years and oh my god, it did not disappoint. i have been a fan or marissa meyer's story ever since i read cinder years ago and getting to read this now felt like a full circle moment. i enjoyed every single bit, the characters, plot and writing was phenomenal.

so ... this is perhaps more of a 3.5. and no one is more devastated than I am about this not being a 5.

I never felt like this story got deep enough for me, and I felt like the story of Bluebeard was at the end of the day.... not a strong influence. I feel like bluebeard could have been ANYONE and this story would not have changed much.

That being said, I dont think it's a bad story, it just missed the mark as a solid fairytale retelling for me. If you've been a fan of Marissa's fantasy work thusfar i think this is a solid addition to her collection, the atmosphere is solid, and it has some great one-liners.

What didn't work for me though was the very fact that Bluebeard is a messed up folk tale. This needed to be a YA-Horror to really make the story feel authentic to Bluebeard and this is far more Fantasy with a hint of Romance which was, for me, throwing off the vibes.

I enjoy Marissa Meyer books. This book had an interesting concept and it kept you on your toes regarding who to trust.

Thanks to the author, MacMillan, and NetGalley, for the ARC. Three representative quotes:

"An unwanted betrothal. An eerie château on a windswept coast. A husband with a cruel smile, mysteriously widowed three times over. A stolen key. A cellar with a bloody secret. A magic spell. A daring escape."

“Sorry it took me so long [...] I stopped to grab a few more spoons.” She jangled the bag on her hip, suggesting it was full of much more than spoons. “Figured we could sell the stuff along the way.”

“Of course. So, literally, from the first moment of our acquaintance, then. I’ve been trying to court you, like an absolute fool, while you feared for your life.”

This Bluebeard retelling, gothic, witchy, murder mystery, slightly comical, slightly romantic book! Mallory and Anais are a hoot as cons-but-not-really who end up getting sucked into an attempt to exorcise Bastian Saphir, all around creepy bad dude ghost, and shenanigans ensue. The vibes were fun and atmospheric, the book was well paced, and regardless of whether more may come, this is a very solid standalone. And Armand, precious greenhouse tending/forest foraging lad who at one point shows adaptive and responsive thinking for day date planning: picnic, no; boat, no; cemetery, absolutely ... Bless.

Do you ever have s as book that you never want to end? A book that grips you from the very first page and makes you feel like you are there watching every scene? I remember getting so lost in a book when I was younger , not knowing what was going on around me, but it has been awhile since I have had this feeling. Marissa Meyer’s novel is exciting, scary and full of adventure! Find a comfortable spot and be prepared to be entertained!

This was a great retelling, and even though it was kind of dark, I would still describe it as fun.

There were romantasy, magic, mystery and thriller aspects and the world building was explained easily and without feeling boggy. The characters were enjoyable. Most of the ghosts were nice. The ending was happy. 👍

I thoroughly enjoy books by Marissa Meyer. I started with the Cinder series and appreciated her retelling of fairy tales with a Sci-fi twist.
The House of Saphir is completely different, being more a horror/ghost story. I guess you'd call it a dark fairy tale, complete with mythical monsters. This book really showcased Ms. Meyer's ability to tell a story. It was engaging and thrilling. The protagonists weren't typical heroes or heroines, instead having dark traits. In spite of this, I was cheering them on throughout the novel. The storyline had numerous twists, keeping me from predicting the outcome. I had trouble putting this book down. Overall, this was a spectacular read which I'd highly recommend. The House of Saphir strengthened my desire to devour the next work by Marissa Meyer.

I was so excited to get my hands on this one as I adored The Lunar Chronicles. I found it more difficult to dive into this world, though. The pacing felt a bit slow as I didn’t feel connected to it or at the edge of my seat until about 80% in. With that being said, I think the premise of the curse and overall magical elements were really interesting. Of course there was a little bit of romance sprinkled in, but overall it was much more focused on the uncovering of bigger secrets and learning to trust. This was a unique take on a rather dark tale.

It feels weird to say that this Bluebeard retelling was "fun," but that's the description I keep returning to. The first chapters pulled me in and I loved the reading experience. Two sisters pretending to be witches are hired by Armand, the descendent of Count Bastien Saphir, to get rid of the homicidal ghost from his mansion. Mallory is an expert of the Saphir family and runs less than legal tours of the Saphir home in the city. The fascination around the story of the man who killed 3 of his wives before the last one escaped feels like a mixture of our culture's fascination with Henry VIII and Jack the Ripper. Mallory also has insider information since she can see the ghosts of Bastien's murdered wives. Mallory is a con artist and a survivalist. Her main goal is money and she doesn't care how she gets it. But Armand is charming and she may be starting to fall for him. Which turns into a problem when a maid in the mansion dies and Armand becomes a suspect.

If you enjoy fairytale retellings and gothic vibes, you need to checkout "The House Saphir."