This was okay! I didn’t love it but it was fine. The magic was interesting but kind of out me off. The drudges were interesting and the concept was cool but I just couldn’t get into it. It wasn’t a bad book! Just not for me.

So, this book is a bit two-sided for me. On one hand, my hat goes off to the author; she can describe some of the most mundane things really beautifully and bring them to life. On the other hand, the verbiage of the spicy scenes didn't hit for me. Certain words used in the spicy scenes even turned me off.

That being said, I really liked the magic system, everything from curse-eating to creating to healing to opening portals and everything in between.

Our main character is Eleanora, and we follow her throughout the book. She is a curse-eater in hiding who has been estranged from her family since her mother disappeared. I felt for her in some ways; in others I felt like her temper had a hair trigger, and she more so led with anger given the opportunity. This mostly stems from the way she feels let down by her living family members, and the story portrays this really well. She also felt like an FMC that knows what she wants; she doesn't dance around the issues or easily get persuaded. In fact, she feels really headstrong. All of this is to say that while she is by no means perfect. Eleanora feels very real and well thought out as a character; everything she does makes sense from her lens.

The dynamic and tension between her and Victor was enjoyable, especially when he starts opening up more about his past to her.

The book was a bit slow to start for me; it didn't fully hook me all the way but left me curious enough to keep on reading. When I hit the 50% mark, my book marathon turned into a sprint, due in part to the faster pacing and the reveals!

If you like mystery, a dark lived-in magic world, and even darker cast members, Blackwicket will definitely take you for a ride.

Thank you, NetGalley and Northwick Books, for the ARC. I would give this book a 3.4/5 rating.

I am a huge, huge, huge fan of Bea's debut, The Cruel Dark, and much of what I loved about that book is also in this one: spooky location, gothic vibes, strange occurrences, broody men, and a very lush descriptive style.

However, I was left with a feeling of wanting more.

The magic system is unique and very interesting. But it's not explained well and it felt like it was expected that the reader already knew how it worked and what these places and creatures were. This not knowing and kind of finding out about it as the character does only works well when the character isn't someone who already knows about these things. It's a fine line because authors don't necessarily want to be info dumping, but a little more information in the first few chapters would have been helpful.

I would have also liked to have had more time in the house, to let the creepy marinate longer. And give the romance aspect some more time to build. The relationship change was a little sudden I thought. I wanted more tension.

Overall though, I enjoyed this. The plot was interesting and there were a couple twists I didn't predict. I absolutely plan on continuing the series.

This was my first Bea Northwick book and I wasn’t sure what to expect going in except that it was a gothic setting with magic and some romance.

Firstly, Bea’s writing is beautiful! I enjoyed the depth she put into the story, but ultimately went in blind and was so confused! Throughout most of the story I was saying “what’s that?” Or “how did that actually happen again?” I enjoyed the first half of the book, especially when she returned to Blackwicket House with Inspector Harrow and the house was showing out and things seeming wrong…But for the most part I was confused…what’s Dark Hall and what’s the significance of it and how were they stealing children from it?? Even after finishing I’m not quite sure. Then you have The Vail, The Brom, The Authority (with the authority before the Authority you know Inspector from)…like these are police and outlaws?? Sometimes it was a lot to try to understand.

Secondly, I really enjoyed the relationship between Elenaora and Vincent! At first it seemed Rivals to Lovers, but untimately turned out to be Childhood Friends to Lovers, which totally blindsided me! That was a plot twist I didn’t expect. The spicy scenes almost felt a little forced because it didn’t seem to fit the story for me, but I enjoyed their relationship throughout.

Lastly, The Plot Twist! About 75% in there’s a big plot twist that left me scratching my head…but I was pleasantly surprised. It’s always fun when there’s a surprise you don’t expect.

Overall, I enjoyed this story. I feel like the pacing maybe could be a tad better and a better explanation of some of the concepts within the magic system. Maybe a glossary for places/characters to help readers better grasp what she’s trying to explain to us. This was a good paranormal mystery with secrets, loss, and finding out things aren’t always what they seem.

Thank you to Bea Northwick and NetGalley for allowing me to read Blackwicket.

ARC Review 🖤

Thank you NetGalley and Bea Northwick for gifting me this eARC in return for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF at 22%. Let me start off by saying that Bea’s writing is very atmospheric and descriptive and that was one of the main things I enjoyed. However, I felt like the magic system wasn’t appropriately described and I still find myself wondering what a drudge is, what’s a curse eater, what’s the Brom, etc. Because of this, I just found myself confused and not connecting with the characters.

I typically love dark, gothic fantasies, but the world building and magic system descriptions just fell a little flat for me. I thoroughly enjoyed Bea’s writing style, however, so I will still pick up some of her other books in the future!

Oh WOW.
I was OBSESSED with this book!!
It is my first horror romantasy and it DID NOT DISAPPOINT.
I just couldn't stop reading, it flowed perfectly, and when I had to stop, all I could think about was 'when can I go back to it?? I want to know the rest!!'.

We have 2 main characters who try to sabotage each other, in a very noir settings and a lot of mysteries with people keeping to themselves to hide deep secrets... and we have real tender moments which make you root for them so badly 😍
But also all the characters? Like everyone is a bit dodgy, you don't who to trust and who's gonna be on Eleanora's side because even if she's morally gray too, it is easy to be on her side and rooting for her. And I absolutely loved being on my toes constantly, that's what got me hooked 😉

I didn't feel that it was actually a slow burn, but the mysteries enhanced the yearning and bursts of lust 😏

More about the book:
Eleanora Blackwicket, a curse-eater with strained relationships with her father and her sister, swore to never come back to the Blackwicket House and created a new life for herself, albeit with several different identities over the past decade. And yet, she still tries to save people affected by curses illegally, or the Authority would come for her were they to know about her power.
When she's caught by her father who came to her announcing the death of her sister before disappearing again, she has no other choice than going back to the house. And something is not quite right. And on top of that, Inspector Harrow not only found her, knows about her, but invited himself to unearth the truth about her family and all the murder suspicions...


This is a book for you if you love:
🖤 Female rage
🩶 Morally grey everyone
🖤 Gothic horror
🩶 ennemies to lovers
🖤 Magical organised crime
🩶 Monstrous Lover
🖤 spice 🌶🌶.5

I loved the unique magic system in this book. I found Elenora to be a likable character. I loved the spooky elements in this book and the story behind the house. It’s a beautifully written book and I’ll say I was hooked from the beginning, but I felt like it slowed down a bit. I found myself engaged for the first 15% of the book, but then felt like it slowed down. I felt myself re-engaged and immersed around halfway through. This is when it became more action packed and I couldn’t put it down until I finished it. Overall, it was a great story, just more on the slower paced side.

Firstly, I want to thank Netgalley for the ARC, and of course, Bea Northwick!

This book follows Eleanora Blackwicket, who is from a family of Curse Eaters in a world of magic. When her sister dies, she is forced to come back to her hometown to deal with the memorial. But when she gets there, she realises that there is a bigger game afoot, uncovering secrets from her family and her past.

I did enjoy the plot developments and the plot twists throughout the book. Despite this, this book was a little bit a disappointment for me, unfortunately. There was just way too much description, paragraphs and paragraphs of it. On top of that, I found the writing style a bit too confusing. I thought things were over-described. For example, there were a few kiss scenes, but with how they were described, I couldn’t tell whether they were kissing or not. Because of these reasons, it got really tiring reading this book. I would have to read the same section over and over again just to understand what was happening. I also thought the romance between Inspector Harrow and Eleanora was not developed enough. They were hating each other for like 60% of the book, and I loved the slowburn, but then they became lovers in a couple pages and there was no development in between.

I would still recommend this book to readers who enjoy a lot descriptions and a floral writing style, but for me, simplicity hits home and too much of anything is not good.

2.5⭐️ this started out so promising, the writing and the atmosphere and the world was so rich I was convinced it would be a 5 star. But then the magic system just got so convoluted and confusing, the pacing was sooo terribly slow and the romance was weird. It felt solely physical to me and I also did not think he would be the love interest, I was imagining him to be not someone who could be a potential love interest anyway. I think it would make a great movie with the rich setting and the fun premise, I can imagine the drudges would show great on screen. I loved the writing, I would definitely pick up something from this author again but this was just a bit too slow paced and confusing magic system for me. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the arc. Due to be published 9/9.

rating: 3.25
spice: 1

i wanted to love this so bad because i loved the cruel dark. but this one was a miss for me. 💔

i was confused about everything up until the 60% mark. i will say that things picked up around the 75-80% mark, but it was quite slow until
then.

i had no idea who the love interest of the fmc was until a certain scene happened quite suddenly. it slapped me in the face because i was nottttt expecting it.

- unique magic system
- death of family members
- morally grey MCs

Blackwicket is gothic romantasy with horror elements, mystery and an interesting magic system. The premise of the book really intrigued me but the pacing fell extremely flat, and I couldn’t immerse myself into the world.

I think I may be the issue since I read this whilst being extremely burnt out and under the weather, so I’m keen to revisit this in a few months time to see if my opinions change on the book.

Despite having The Cruel Dark on my bookshelf this is actually my first read from Bea Northwick, and I bloody loved it.

If you’re looking for a truly dark, gothic romantasy with a good dollop of horror, then Blackwicket is for you. Set predominantly in the mysterious town of Nightglass, Blackwicket follows Eleanora as she heads back home following her sister’s death. As soon as she arrives back a whole host of monstrous activities come to light, from strange disappearances and grisly murders to curses given out like candy. You’d think her safe haven would be her childhood home, Blackwicket House, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Blackwicket gives off 1920s/30s film noir vibes and as someone who LOVES film noir, I was instantly intrigued. You’ve got plenty of mystery, horror elements and the atmosphere was built so well that at times, I genuinely felt I was right there in the book. The magic is unique and helped build the story along by the warring opinions and motivations of The Brom, The Authority and The Veil. Also Inspector Harrow? Say less, the man is hot AF and the spice was delicious. 🌶️

Initially when I read that all the characters in this one were morally grey I was all in, but let me tell you, these lot border on morally black. Strangely though, you do end up rooting for them despite what they’ve done and I really enjoyed how well Bea has written each character, flaws and all.

Also when I tell you this book was twistin’, it twisted good! In the latter half of the book my jaw was on the floor multiple times. But now I have so many questions and need another book IMMEDIATELY!

The only reason I didn’t give this one five stars is because although I loved how unique the magic was, I kept getting confused. I’m sure a re-read would fix that, but I did get a little lost on occasion.

Thank you so, so much to Net Galley, Victory Editing and Bea Northwick for the ARC of Blackwicket. Now I need moreee - Eleanora & Victor forever 😍🖤

We follow our fmc Eleanora, a curse eater, who is living her life hiding her illegal magic until her estranged father shows up and breaks the new her sister is dead and she must return to her childhood home after a decade away.
But nothing is as it seems when she returns to find the once desolate port town is now a thriving tourist attraction.

Blackwicket is a dark and twisty book with the perfect blend of romance and gothic fantasy with just a sprinkle of horror which makes it the perfect spooky season read.
The whole vibe of this book can only be described as eerie and I ate that up! There are so many twists and turns that this book definitely keeps you on your toes and you can never guess what will happen next
The slow burn romance had me all giddy and desperately clinging to every positive interaction between Harrow and Eleanora.
My only issues I personally had was the pacing of the book was not the best and sometime Eleanora was a little annoying but overall I had a really good time reading this book.

Self published book with creepy vibes and a cool idea, but needed a better editor.
When her sister dies, Eleanora moves back to her childhood home and is immediately engulfed in too many memories, family trauma, and the weight of things left behind. This book features a slightly older protagonist which was enjoyed, and it is the right vibe for spooky season, but its just not for me. More power to you though if you love it!

I liked this book. In a world where magic is outlawed Eleanora is a Curse Eater that literally eats curses that exist in the world. She returns home to Blackwicket due to the death of her sister where she uncovers a very dark conspiracy that plagues the town. Together with allies she makes there comes a time where you have to accept the darkness within you but not let it overtake you.

The world is very similar to ours but from a different time I am thinking early twenties but the magic system was complicated and at time I felt I was missing something.

This lead to me not always understanding the story and having to double back more than once to understand what was going on.

I am not a huge fan of gothic fantasy so maybe that was an influence but overall I enjoyed this book so much.

Gothic Fantasy/Sci-fi
Romance
Grim
Mystery
Family Legacies
Book 1 of a series


Everyone avoids the women from Blackwicket house. Eleanora’s attempt at moving away from the cursed house and the reputation that comes with being a Blackwell ends when she if forced to return after the sudden death of her sister.

I thought this was a great book. It is very different from anything I have read before and I was thoroughly entertained. This book is very dark with so much action and mystery. There is what I can only describe as a mafia of magic known as the Brom who has taken an interest in Eleanora and to make things even more complicated, the inn has a very unwanted guest who creates all sorts of havoc with her feelings.
I honestly recommend this book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.
A huge thank you to Netgalley and Victory Editing for this e-arc.

Tangled secrets, violent pasts, and mysteries to solve… Perfect gothic read for the upcoming spooky season!

I loved so many things about this! The world building, the magic history, the whole concept of curses and curse eating, as well as the personal relationships and side characters. It all fit together perfectly in a dark and intricate way, fully immersive with some intense moments, creepy moments, love and loss, and some spicy moments. Albeit it I much prefer FF to MF, the 3 scenes were handled well, I would have just liked a little bit more yearning and tension between the two before they eventually get to it.

What I loved:
* Hooked straight away with the different concepts of curse eating, curse rot, Dark Hall, The Authority and the magic ban. Especially how curses are formed and the Drudge.
* The balance is perfect of telling the story and letting the history and meaning drip through instead of ‘info dumping’.
* Beautifully descriptive, I could easily picture the people and places vividly.
* The twists and reveals! I was NOT expecting one of them and I love to be surprised.
* The family history and complexities around the interconnected characters

Things that didn’t fully do it for me:
* I wanted a bit more yearning between the two main characters, drip through the attraction a little more. Just for my tastes anyway.
* More tension, fear and description during the ‘fight’ scenes or dark moments when they are in danger. It’s still done really well, but felt resolved a little too quickly for me. There’s enough there to visualise it, but I didn’t feel the dread sink into my bones quite as much as I’d like.

I am SO ready for book 2! The themes and deeper meanings behind so many elements in this story are captivating, engaging, and thought provoking. If you like complex family histories, morally grey everyone just trying to do the lesser of two evils, mystery and intrigue, dark magic and curses capable of rotting you from the inside, enemies to lovers, creepy creatures who want to devour you, and a house that’s alive, then this book is for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bea Northwick for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! This novel is darkly enchanting, equal parts beautiful, disturbing, and utterly addictive. From the very first page, the action seizes your attention and refuses to let go. The worldbuilding is unlike anything I’ve encountered before: a coastal town steeped in secrets, forbidden magic, and a foreboding atmosphere that lingers long after the final chapter.

Eleanora’s journey is layered, raw, and deeply compelling. With her rare ability to consume and neutralize curses, she stands apart from any heroine I’ve read, and her trauma-laden past lends her character a haunting relatability. Victor Harrow, the enigmatic inspector, is her perfect foil, unyielding on the surface, yet brimming with tension and wit that makes their slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers dynamic irresistibly engaging.

The setting of Nightglass, especially the infamous Blackwicket House, drips with gothic atmosphere: eerie, sinister, and richly described. Every inhabitant harbors secrets; no one emerges unscathed. The twists are relentless, the revelations shocking, and the ending strikes with macabre brilliance.

If you’re drawn to morally gray characters, this story delivers them in spades. Bea’s promise of complexity is fully realized here. Fans of Rachel Gillig’s Shepherd King duology will find familiar echoes, but with a darker, more gothic edge. This book not only pulled me out of a reading slump, it consumed me. I’m already desperate for book two!

When I say this books needs to be on your spooky season TBR I am not joking. Not only did I stay up HOURS later than I normally do to hang onto biggest from the romance, but I also had to sleep with the lights on because I was on edge from the magical beings she created!

I was a little confused about the magic system. There is the equivalent of the magical mafia, and the magic FBI that are in a quiet struggle over the magic in the world. Some magic is illegal, but people can get licenses to practice magic? That was a little confusing about who was allowed to use magic vs who was not. There was also Dark Hall, which is a place filled with magic. But when we experience Dark Hall it is literally a hallway. So that was also a little confusing. I had a hard time grasping an equivalent example. Was Dark Hall hell? Was it like the Otherworld? And if so why a hallway? But that was easy to move past because the story was so good.

When I first saw this book on tiktok it said “Gothic Romantasy” and I thought that sounded perfect for spooky season! It was way more horror than I had expected. From the gruesome way curse eating is described, to curses made corporeal( this is the part that really got to me) this was action packed. The last 100 or so pages of the book were so fast paced there was no good place to stop till the story was resolved.

We were left with questions that would be worth answering in a sequel.

This book was outside of my normal genre preferences and I am so glad I got the chance to read it.
As a Fantasy/Romantasy girly this was a fantastic experience. And I highly recommend!

But the world moves on, and leaves us cradling our grief in silence. Whether we let it pull us under... that choice is ours alone.”
What fresh torment is this? Bea Northwick left me stumbling through shadows, desperate for answers—and I loved every wicked moment.
The first half drips with gothic atmosphere: fog-drenched, ghost-haunted, and deliciously bleak. Then the plot thickens—twists strike like lightning, each more brutal and breathtaking than the last. And the villain? A repulsive fiend I’d gladly see dragged into the abyss.
The romance is dark and devastating—just how I like it. Our brooding MMC is a fortress of pain, and watching him slowly unravel was divine agony. I'm not usually one for smut, but this? This scorched the page. I had to take a literal cold shower.
Northwick’s world is eerie and immersive, her prose a dream soaked in ink and ash. The side characters shine, and while I wanted a bit more from the magic system, learning it through the FMC’s eyes felt right—like uncovering secrets not meant for us.
This is a gem—moody, twisted, and wholly addictive. I’ll follow Northwick wherever her shadows lead next.
Thank you to Bea Northwick and NetGalley for the early copy in exchange for this (haunted, lust-drenched) review.