This was an interesting read.
I liked the atmospheric historial horror setting, and I love me a good creepy manor.
However, the onslaught of information from characters really served to break the flow of the text and took me out of it a bit.
That, alongside the characters feeling a bit too flat, with nothing really making them stand out for me, made me give it only three stars.

The Secrets of Blackthorn House weaves an atmospheric and suspenseful tale that evokes the eerie psychological undertones of The Haunting of Hill House and the gothic tension of Rebecca, with an added layer of chilling horror.

At the heart of the novel is Evelyn, a meek, well-mannered woman whose quiet strength is underestimated by those around her—especially her husband, Peter. What begins as a romantic fantasy of married life quickly crumbles as Evelyn assumes her new role as "Lady Black" at the ominous Blackthorn House. Supported by her loyal lady-in-waiting, Lilly, Evelyn’s arc from passive to empowered is both satisfying and compelling.

This was a really good Victorian horror novel. At first I was expecting it to be predictable and was pleasantly surprised to find how it unfolded. It is bit more gory ane violent than I would typically go for but it was very well done.

This book was so creepy and eerie and I mean that in the best way possible. Evelyn was a cool character to get to follow along with. Lilly was awesome too! Definitely recommend this one to those who love a bit of mystery and horror sprinkled together!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! I did not expect to run into a kind of magic I'm particularly familiar with! It had an eerie and unsettling tone, which I love. The Dracula and The Turn of the Screw references were well placed, and helped establish the tone and what year the story is set. The author definitely knows their spooky story history!

Some possible spoilers ahead:

I also have a couple gripes, which are mostly based on my own preferences. I love the description, but at some points I was ready for it to end. Five pages of describing rooms we never see again had me dying. In that same vein, Evelyn's long thoughts and feelings on everything slows the story down greatly in my opinion. At one point, there was a page of Evelyn's thoughts between a line of dialog and the next. Again, this is mostly preference.

One thing that got me was the violent and abrupt change in Peter's personality. I believe it was to show how awful he was the whole time, but talk about whiplash. Speaking of Peter, I believe he was described as “robotic” at one point in chapter 7. “Robot” wasn't used until the 1920s.

One last thing, I promise. I believe the description of runes is lacking. "An X without lifting their pen" sounds more like Dagaz than Othala to me. Since the book Evelyn is reading has what the runes are, perhaps the reader would benefit from knowing, too. The reader could at least look them up for reference.

I know this is an unedited copy, so I wasn't to be as thorough as I could in case anything could be helpful. I had notes on a few other minor things, but that's just me being a nitpick.

I have to mention, I always love a wonderful depiction of death. Not evil or malicious, but just a woman doing her job.

Felt all the emotions when reading this book. Really good underlying themes while also great horror and writing.

The Secrets of Blackthorn House gave me combined vibes of both The Haunting of Hill House along with Rebecca with an eerie additional horror twist.
The character of Evelyn, being meek, respectful and well mannered (which was construed for weakness and fragility) by her husband really came into her own throughout the course of the story as a whole along with her lady in waiting and true friend Lilly. Evelyn started out having a fantasy about what her married life was going to entail which soon fell to pieces during her habitation at Blackthorn House (as a wife and the new "Lady Black").
During the progression of the story it was plainly obvious that there was something "off and abnormal" about Blackthorn House along with her husband Peter and its occupants which unnerved Evelyn and led to her investigating the ghostly apparitions and strange rituals taking place in the house (in particular in her husbands study which was off limits to everyone in the house including Evelyn). The inclusion of blood magic by Peter (who was evil and clinically insane as well as the staff at Blackthorn House) combined with Norse Mythology, greed and cruelty made for a suspenseful and immersive read. However, had the pacing been a bit more polished and less descriptive of characters feelings and emotions and more plot centric this would have definitely added extra depth to the story and, in turn, would have made it a 5 star read.
This is my second foray into the works of Marie McWilliams (a book tube friend of mine and fellow horror enthusiast) and it certainly won't be my last.
A huge thankyou to Net galley, Quill and Crow Publishing and the lovely Marie herself for the opportunity to be able to read and review this ARC book.

I really enjoyed this creepy, Gothic novel about our heroine, Evelyn, and her trials and tribulations with the Black family. The story flowed at a decent pace and was able to keep the tension ratcheted to a high degree. It was somewhat predictable by times, but this didn't hinder my enjoyment of the novel.

This book has vibes for days. Gloomy manor on the Yorkshire moors? Check. Creepy fog that never lifts? Check. Whispers in the dark, ghost children, and a husband who might be more haunted than the house itself? Big check. It leans all the way into the gothic horror atmosphere, and I really loved how well the tone fit the time period. It felt like reading something from another era in the best way.

But for me, the plot moved at a crawl. I kept waiting for something big to happen, and while we do get some reveals and spooky scenes, it started to feel repetitive. Evelyn hears something scary, investigates, gets brushed off, repeat. There’s definitely a creeping sense of dread, but I needed a little more variety and momentum to stay fully invested.

That said, I can totally see this being a five-star read for other readers who are more patient with the slow unravel. If you like your horror elegant, eerie, and soaked in gothic gloom, this one is worth checking out. Just go in knowing it’s more vibes than jump scares, more slow burn than rollercoaster. Still glad I read it, even if I didn’t fully love it.

This is an amazing twist on the classic, historic Gothic horror story. The whole thing was filled with bumps in the night and glimpses of specter. Check the trigger warnings because it is heavy. But the plot successfully uses womens issues and social roles to mold the horror. The writing is eloquent but is very detailed so I would consider this a heavier read. It also had some great descriptive gore. Overall i would recommend this to anyone looking for a macabre ghost story.

This is going to be a good book to start spooky book season. If you're just looking to start out in the horror genre, this is a great place to start because it's not too intense, but you definitely get some creepy vibes. I enjoy an early 1900s Gothic setting and this was definitely it with the house being out in the middle of nowhere amongst foggy mysterious moors. I thought the atmosphere was great, I thought the details were great for the settings, I could have used a little more dialogue between the characters and maybe a little more insight into some of the supporting characters, but I had a wonderful time reading this and the ending was very satisfying. Thank you very much for letting me check this out!

The Secrets of Blackthorn House is an enjoyable book: it has all the elements for being a very good Gothic horror novel, starting from the frail but resolutive heroine, the magnificent and creepy manor, up to the eerie whispering in the night. The narration is well paced and the story itself is quite entertaining. The last 50 pages or so were probably the most interesting part and I can admit they really had me hooked to the book, I felt quite invested in the story.

However, my main concern was that I could not find anything else apart from what I had expected to read since the beginning, as there are no elements of real novelty. Characters ( as well as settings) are just one cliché after the other, everyone doing exactly what they were supposed to do in all circumstances, and they feel bi-dimensional. With the exception of the protagonist, I feel like they were not given the space to be fully explored as they maybe could have deserved. This feeling was also underlined by the writing style of the author, which goes from trying too much (unnecessary articulated sentence and word choices) to not trying enough.

Nevertheless, as I stated at the beginning of this short review, I still enjoyed the book and I believe it could be a great choice for a non-undemanding and yet engaging reading.

The Secrets of Blackthorn House had all the right ingredients for a moody gothic read—remote manor, a cold husband, eerie whispers in the night—but the execution just didn’t land for me.

The story felt like a patchwork of familiar gothic tropes, almost a copy-paste of several existing works without much to make it stand out. There were moments that hinted at something deeper, but it never quite found its own voice, and I struggled to feel truly invested.

The pacing was also off—dragging in places, then lurching forward suddenly in ways that felt more like whiplash than suspense. The atmosphere didn’t build the dread I was hoping for, and the supernatural elements never fully paid off.

Evelyn and Peter’s relationship lacked depth, and the supporting characters remained vague and underutilized. Even the “big” reveals felt predictable or oddly muted.

A promising premise, but it needed more originality, better pacing, and stronger character development to really work.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The Secrets of Blackthorn House by Marie McWilliams is a tantalizing mix of atmospheric chills and family secrets that will keep your lantern flickering through the foggy moors. Evelyn’s journey from love to lurking dread is a wild ride — think cozy romance meets ghostly mystery, with just enough eerie moments to make you double-check the locks. While the story delivers some creepy visuals—children's laughter echoing down shadowy halls and spectral wails swirling in the fog—the plot sometimes drifts into familiar territory. The haunted manor trope? Check. The distant, brooding husband? Check. But don’t worry; the secrets buried beneath Blackthorn House have enough twists to keep your candle burning until the very last page. If you’re craving a spooky read with a dash of romance and a splash of Yorkshire fog, this book might just be your cup of tea — or perhaps, your steaming mug of ghostly brew. Three stars for a haunting atmosphere and intriguing secrets, but it leaves a bit of room to grow in the originality department. Still, an enjoyable ghostly romp you’ll remember long after the fog lifts!

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for a copy of The Secrets of Blackthorn House by Marie McWilliams

This book is a gothic horror novel set in a haunting manor called Blackthorn. Evelyn moves there with her new husband, only to find it is nothing like she expected. From her first step onto the property, she feels a dark presence that she can’t quite place. Suspicions continue to rise as she notices the strange behavior of manor staff and a sudden change in the way her husband treats her. She spends her time in the manor piecing together facts about her husband and his families dark past, while fearing her life may be in danger. This book is fast paced, intense, gory, and just everything you’d look for in a horror novel. I’m giving this book a 4/5 star rating.

I’d recommend this book to anyone interested in horror fiction, but definitely check the trigger warnings before reading. Release date is August 22nd!

A spooky story, lots going on, whats real? The prologue was so sad. But I did enjoy reading the rest of the story. Would love to read more from this author.

This was a great gothic horror story. It had my interest from the very start with the details and setting as Evelyn’s life goes from just married bliss to living her worst nightmare very, very quickly. Set in the English moors in the early 1900s it had all the elements of a creepy, spooky story.
Thank you to Netgalley for the arc of this book.

The Secrets of Blackthorn House was an interesting read; the writing is beautiful, gothic, and mysterious. The descriptions were vivid and heavy, helping build on that oppressive atmosphere of the story. Blackthorn House itself is an imposing figure on its own, so ominous and ever present, even when they aren't in the manor itself. I loved how richly described the manor was, all the gorgeous rooms heavily decorated to the point of absurdity; like the ornamentations and deep colorings drag down the walls around Evelyn and suffocate her.

Evelyn herself is so sweet and timid, completely unassuming: the perfect wife in a gothic mystery. At the same time she is insanely brave, I would have run out of that house before I even made it through the front door if I had a welcoming like she did. Absolutely no way. With everything she goes through it is amazing that she holds on through all of it.

And the horror is excellent, it feels like reading scenes from a del Toro movie. The dreamlike sequences and heavy, oppressive atmosphere all coming together to create these slow, creeping scares that had me leaning away from the book like it would come through the pages to me.

My only two cons to this book is with the information dumping and Peter himself. I feel there were times when there was information overload that would interrupt the flow of the writing. Having Evelyn's thoughts was helpful to a fault, we would get too much of her feelings on a subject; sometimes a page and a half that would interrupt dialogue that could have a smoother flow if there wasn't such a big break between replys. An example would be when her and Lilly are first talking about the events occuring in the home. There were too many big chunks of paragraphs of Evelyn having long thought processes before Lilly had a long dialogue about her life, inturupted by another long thought on a related subject drom Evelyn instead of her replying to Lilly. It was a bit overwhelming and I feel like it could have been structured a little differently.

I also wish Peter had more of an introduction, that we got to learn more about him and Evelyn before they moved to Blackthorn. I wanted more of their relationship built up and how they were with each other. I wanted to know more about Peter's personality, like was he sweet and doting? Was he kind? Was he stern and cruel before or was the Blackthorn and the secrets being held there? We weren't given enough information beforehand to truly affect how we viewed his changes after the move to the manor and his Lordship.

Overall a good story, I enjoyed all the gothic elements and the mystery.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Quill & Crow for letting me read this ARC! I had a good time with this one.

The Secrets of Blackthorn House is a haunting gothic horror that delivers on the shadowy promises of the book’s description. When newlywed Evelyn inherits the eerie Blackthorn estate after her father-in-law’s death, her once loving husband becomes distant and cold, the ancient manor seems to whisper and breathe around her, and ghostly figures haunt both the hallways and her dreams. As Evelyn digs into the Black family’s dark past, she learns that some secrets refuse to stay buried and uncovering them may require a great sacrifice.


My favorite element of this novel is most definitely its gothic atmosphere. Marie McWilliams excels at setting a scene: the chapters are richly descriptive, the pacing slow and deliberate in the best way, and the dread seeps in from the very first page. It’s easy to feel as lost and uneasy as Evelyn does while navigating the house’s shadowy corridors and unraveling its sinister legacy.

The tone and style echo Rebecca and The Yellow Wallpaper, but with a fresh, modern voice. There’s also the unexpected element of Norse mythology, which adds a unique layer to the horror.

It’s a five-star read for me. It’s the kind of dark, gruesome tale that stays with you, especially if you enjoy the psychological weight of old-fashioned horror and themes of isolation, identity, and feminine disempowerment within creepy, oppressive spaces. Best to grab a warm drink and turn out the lights to devour this haunting novel.



Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the author for letting me read this ARC! This book was spooky and reminded me of the movie Crimson peak! The reason for 3 stars is I felt it was alot of what was going on in Evelyns mind, than the actual present time alot of the times! The book was very detailed about the way things looked in the house which was nice but also at times I felt it was a little to much information. Over all a good spooky book!