Emilia Bauer’s narration is a standout. She brings a haunting emotional weight to the story that makes the darkness feel visceral. Her delivery enhances the eerie tension and made it easy to get lost in the brutal world Celia Aaron has created. Honestly, I might have enjoyed this more in audio than I would have in print because of her performance. The tone is perfectly bleak and cinematic, with brutal depictions of a society dominated by vampires who view humans as expendable. It’s gory, intense, and unrelenting—definitely not your romanticized version of vampires. There’s mind control, torture, and survival instincts that kick in hard. If you’re squeamish, this may not be for you.

Book review: 4/5 ⭐️
Genre: dark gothic romance
Themes: vampires, hostile takeover, speculative

This was a refreshing tale of vampires. There was no romantic notion of their ethereal beauty and ensnaring allure. This was a story of violence and death. The true nature of these deadly creatures residing on top of the food chain. Ones that view humans as no more than cattle for the slaughter, who kill at whim and whose cruelty knows no bounds. It was horrific and had my skin crawling. There was a gothic element that verged on a romance hidden beneath the lies, but this is by no means a central focus of this book of horrors.

The premise is of a world overrun my these deadly creature. One in which logic and kindness are replaced by a ruthless dictator who only know violence and control. So a little bit of fantasy mirroring real life! Georgia is a doctor and sister of the former President of the United States. She was tasked with finding a cure for the plague, but she seems to have no memories of her former life, nor how the humans were overrun. Beaten, drained and imprisoned in the bowels of the keep, her only instinct is survival. When she is unexpectedly given to the vicious general Valen who is tasked with unearthing her memories on the death of the vampire heir, she will make a few discoveries of her own.

Told through journal entries and real time experiences, this story unfolds in two parts. There is a mystery that slowly unfolds, but many questions are left unanswered. It was a completely immersive story line that had me drawn in with equal parts gore and palpable tension. It had an almost cinematic quality to it with a super slow burn romance. You can feel the bond, but you are not quite sure what the history is there. In the meantime there is torture, mind control and death all around. It is violent and full of danger and trauma, and I found I simply could not look away. I don’t normally read a lot of dark apocalyptic future type narratives, but with such a huge cliffhanger this is one I am very much looking forward to continuing.

I know there is a lot of contention with this novel and its similarities to Manacled, but I haven’t read that book yet so it hasn’t altered my perception of this one. I also want to point out that there never any true original ideas or forms of art anymore. You can find a niche or stitch together existing ideas in a unique way, but most novels and authors are influenced by what they see and read and their imagination will always have elements that are recognizable. That being said, everyone is entitled to an opinion on whether or not they like a book so I think that all the reviews are valid. I liked it, but I can see why some found it problematic.

🎧 Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for a copy of this audiobook. It had just the right level of anticipation and dread in the narration to make it difficult for me to stop listening. I think there were some holes in the plot with the plague and vampires, but this did not deter me from this rather gruesome story.

"House of Night" is one of those rare books that grips you from the very first page and doesn't let go. It offers a perfect blend of horror and romance that left me completely obsessed. The story is haunting, seductive, and utterly unforgettable. I devoured the print version and loved it so much that I had to experience it again through the audiobook. Honestly, I might love it even more this way!

Emilia Bauer’s narration is phenomenal. Her voice captured the tension, emotion, and atmosphere of the story so perfectly — every character felt alive, every chilling moment hit harder, and the romance? Even more intense with her delivery. She added an entirely new layer of depth to an already immersive read.

If you’re into gothic vibes, slow-burning romance with teeth, and stories that linger long after you finish them, this is your next obsession. I have no doubt this will be one of my top reads of 2025. I strongly recommend both the book and the audiobook — you won’t regret either choice. Thank you Netgalley, Dreamscape Audio, and Celia Aaron for the ALC.

This was so good, but now I’m sitting here dying for book 2. Like, I need to know what happens immediately!!

I loved the storyline; an end of the world, vampires vs humans, epic love story. There were a lot of twists and turns. Who good and who is evil? Who is dead and who is not?

Thanks NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have mixed feelings about this. I liked it but I also wanted more from the story as a whole. Maybe also more gore but that might be because I've been into more horror lately. I think I will check out book two because I am interested to see how this story will grow.

Also, I have no idea about any of the accusations going around about this being plagiarized from fanfic. I went into this knowing nothing and with an open mind. I have seen the authors post about everything.

The narrator did an excellent job bringing the material to life—it was easy to get immersed in the story.

As for the story itself, I had mixed feelings. The tone captured an apocalyptic atmosphere—dark, heavy, and exactly what you'd expect from this kind of setting. The author did a great job establishing that mood.

Although this book is marketed as a romance, I struggled to feel any real chemistry between the two main characters. There were opportunities to build that connection, but I kept waiting for a spark that never really came through.

By the end, I didn’t feel like I knew much more than I did in the first few chapters. The plot seemed to circle around the same events, offering only tiny fragments of information hinting at a larger mystery that never quite materialized. Maybe future books will expand on it, but it left this installment feeling somewhat stagnant.

I liked the female main character well enough, but the male lead felt underdeveloped. We learn more about him through the eyes of other characters than through his own interactions, which made it hard to connect with him.

Overall, the series shows promise, and I’m curious to see where it goes—especially if the story can move forward without holding so much back.

Set in modern times, there is a plague and vampires taking over. A scientist who had been trying to find a cure for the plague gets captured by the vampire high lord. She’s basically forced to provide blood for the high lord and also has her memories messed with in the hopes of trying to figure out who killed the high lords son.

This book was confusing at times. It seemed like the author had all these ideas of where she wanted the story to go and instead of picking a lane she went all over the place. Plus it seemed like for the most of the book nothing really happens. The main character wants to escape but doesn’t actually do a whole lot to try. It started out as having some good potential but fell flat before getting to the half way point.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

OK, so the only reason this is getting three stars is because there was quite a lot of similarities between this and Manacled so I definitely see where people are getting the plagiarism ideas from. However, with it being vampires, there was quite a bit of difference. I really enjoyed the narration. The narrator did a very good job. I think I’ll definitely be picking up book 2. This was quite a bit gorier than I thought it was going to be. I would say definitely check your trigger warnings at the beginning. I also wouldn’t say book one is romance. I don’t even think this could be considered slow burn. I did enjoy it though! Thank you to NetGalley for my audio arc. This is my honest review.

I have seen the plagiarism claims, I cannot speak towards them as I have not read the claimed source work. This is my honest review without bias towards the author or work for outside speculation.

I found the work to be a poor attempt at gothic romance. It felt like SA and poorly written body gore were the only things making this work dark and edgy. If that is how those genres are represented, it feels like a lackluster attempt. The romance didn't make sense, even with the Stockholm of it all. The amnesia was probably the only novel idea to the plot.

Now having seen the allegations of the source work being fanfiction, I can see how Aaron's House of Night draws heavily from it. There seems to be an assumption that the reader knows fundamental information on the characters that isn't provided.

Even with the claims against it, House of Night comes off as mediocre at best.

I was unfortunately not able to get this audiobook to play on any of my devices. However I am still very interim reading the book when it comes out! It definitely seems like a book that I would enjoy 😊 Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for the ARC. (Hope to read the book soon!)

The narrator, Emilia Bauer, did an incredible job telling the story with emotion. The story is vampire, post-apocalyptic, dark romance. I would have loved more romance in the book!! But I love an enemies to lovers and this delivered.

I would describe House of Night as a darker haunting/mysterious and really unique fantasy. I am so glad i got the audiobook because the narrator was fantastic! I love the Gothic vibes and the romance is sublime!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audio version of this ARC.

The narrator did a great job with the material. It was easy to get lost in the story.

As for the story itself, I had some mixed feelings. The tone of this book is spot on with apocalyptic feel. It felt dark and heavy like I would expect. I think the author nailed that aspect.

This book is marketed as a romance, but I had a hard time feeling any chemistry between the two main characters. I think it's possible to develop it, but I kept waiting for really any spark that I just couldn't find.

When the story was over, I don't feel like I learned much more than I did after the first couple of chapters. It felt like the same things kept happening along with the tiniest of bits of information that eluded to some bigger piece that we never got. It can happen in the next couple of books but it made this book feel like nothing was really happening.

I liked the FMC well enough but there wasn't a whole lot there about the MMC. We get glimpses more from other characters about him than we do when the two characters interact.

I think the series has potential and it could be interesting to see how the plot unravels without trying to keep everything so heavily secretive.

4’3/5⭐️ First of all, thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an audiobook arc of “House of Night”. I really really enjoyed this book! A dark gothic vampire romance, inside an upside down castle, with horror elements? Truly amazing. The plot had me completely hooked, I cannot wait to read the second book 🖤🥀✨

I had high expectations for this book and I truly wanted to love it. However, I was disappointed. It felt like it just dragged on, there seemed to be no plot and what little we were given felt half thrown together. After reading other reviews it seems the last potion of the book has a great deal of plot but I dont tend to like books that are badly paced. No one should have to read 90% of a book for it to finally get good.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review!

First of all, I’m not familiar with Manacled so I can’t comment on any similarities.

This was indeed a slow burn (which I usually don’t mind) and there was potential there but it felt more like it was dragged out rather than a slow build up.

I did appreciate the exploration of darker vampire elements (casual cruelty, gore, torture) and the non-linear plot with the past being revealed slowly through the journal entries, however I found myself mostly frustrated with the FMC’s repetitive inner monologues — even when the truth or evidence was right in front of her, it was like she was determined to ignore it (which felt at odds with her being a doctor).

As others have mentioned, the pacing picks up more towards the very end of the book but by then, unfortunately I found that I had no connection with any of the main or side characters (except Melody).

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the free audiobook
For me this falls into the category of "the last 100 pages got me". The beginning was kind of slow. Which made sense. Georgia has only a basic knowledge of what is going on. This one defiantly gave me a good understanding of what the world was in it. It was a bit predictable but I don't mind that for a first book. Like I said the last "100 pages" are what got me. The book did have a twist I did not see coming and it ended on a pretty good cliff hanger. I thought Emilia Bauer was a good narrator as well. I'm excited to see where the trilogy goes! Overall there wasn't much that was new or fresh but if you like vampire romances this one will be right up your ally!

House of Night
By Celia Aaron
Narrated by Emilia Bauer
3 ⭐️

FIRST: I 100% agree there are similar concepts in this story and Manacled. I 100% reject this story is “plagiarized” from Manacled. Similar concepts does not equal plagiarism.

That said, this book was okay. I didn’t find anything inherently bad or wrong with this story. It just didn’t pull me in like I’d like. I enjoyed the overall themes, and dare I say, I liked the Manacled-like vibes. *gasp* Otherwise I was lukewarm about it. I’m not fully sure if this is a standalone or if it will continue. If it does continue, I may keep going. To audiobook was decent. The book has many flashbacks and it wasn’t always clear in the audiobook if you were in a flashback or not. I don’t like it when this happens.

Thank you to NetGalley, Celia Aaron, and DreamScape Media for a copy of this audiobook ARC. 🩸

House of Night was a quick and easy read. I really liked the way the book was constructed (dated chapters) and the dystopian setting. The characters and the storyline were interesting. I saw a lot of reviews stating this was a really dark paranormal romance, but I disagree. It was for sure a dystopian read, but I wouldn’t characterize it as a dark romance at all. There was a little romance (key word little), a super slow burn, and it really left me wanting more (like much more). There wasn’t any spice, which I hope that changes with the next book. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a great job.

I would like to thank Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for giving me an ARC (which did not sway my opinions or review).

***I see a lot of reviews stating this book is a lot like a few other books. I do not support plagiarism, but I cannot speak in that regard as I have not read those books. My opinion is based on this book alone.***

I really enjoyed this book. It reminded me a lot of Shatter Me but with vampires. It did have a scene that was hard to listen to which leads me to the fact that I love how protective Valen was to Georgia. This is exactly what I’m looking for in a romantasy. While I do wish there was some more actual romance, it definitely made me want to continue on with the series once it’s available.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a great job.

Thank you so much to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for this ARC of House of Night.

#HouseofNight #NetGalley