I couldn’t put this book down. It’s one of those rare stories that feels like it’s been waiting for you. Blackwicket is eerie, intimate, and quietly powerful. The kind of haunting that doesn’t come from just ghosts or curses, but from the weight of memory, family, and things left behind.

Eleanora comes home planning to bury her sister and leave again, fast. But nothing goes how it’s supposed to. The second she steps into Blackwicket House, you can tell the place holds too many memories. It feels heavy, like something’s waiting. Not in a dramatic way, just that quiet kind of weight that hangs in old houses where too much has happened.

The magic here really stood out to me. It’s not overdone or showy. It feels like something that grew out of pain and old stories. The idea of curse-eating was new to me, and the way it was explained made it feel real and personal, not just another magical ability.

This book sticks with you. The writing never tries too hard, the pacing is tight, and the story hits that perfect mix of creepy and emotional. If you like your fantasy with a little grit and a lot of heart, this one’s worth picking up.

I was eager to step into another Bea Northwick world; her writing so encompassing & emotion-evoking, and Blackwicket did not disappoint! Bea’s brilliant use of language lands you viscerally into the plot; weaving a tale that feels different amid the ever-growing fantasy genre. I adored the characters - their imperfections moulded perfectly to show their strengths & vulnerabilities in a way that made you care for them regardless of their flaws. If you’re looking for a gothic yet mysterious tale, with a flare of romance and a drop of eeriness added in, Blackwicket is one for you!

This book got me. Haunting in the quietest, most secretive way—Blackwicket isn’t just about ghosts or curses, it’s about memories, family, and how they alter the choices you are willing to make.

The magic (curse-eating!) felt raw and real, not overdone. The story is eerie, emotional, and beautifully written with just the right amount of grit.

If you like your fantasy with heart, atmosphere, and something different—read this.

“I’m a Blackwicket [...] Trouble and I know each other well.”

4.5 stars rounded up! What a crazy story this is!

Blackwicket is the first book in a new series by Bea Northwick. It is a mixture of dark gothic fantasy romance with elements of horror and noir. Set in an alternative world where magic exists, the setting was giving me roaring 20’s vibes.

“What we can do, most people forgot how to. It hurts them too much to remember.”

However, in this world, the recent world war has led to an almost dystopian society where many people have magic but it is secret, shameful, and can get them into a lot of trouble if used wrongly. There is The Authority that seeks out those who use magic and without permission with their biggest crime faction being The Brom. The Brom reminded me of the quintessential 20’s gangs, seeking to make profit in their dark speakeasies by selling not only drinks and dancing but a perverse form of magic.

“Eleanora Blackwicket had never been asked to do anything harder than say goodbye and run.”

Eleanora Blackwicket, who has a unique magic of curse eating, is forced to return home to Blackwicket Hall and the town of Nightglass after the death of her sister. She swore she would never return after her mother’s death. However, on her return she finds herself pulled into a much more twisted and nefarious world that has grown while she was gone. One that is using her as a pawn in a way she is only beginning to understand. But Ellie is not one to stand by and let it happen.

“Blackwickets always come home.”

There is a lot of worldbuilding in this book and Northwick does not info dump. She throws you in with an imperfect narrator who only has a rudimentary understanding of the world and has been hiding from the reality of it since childhood. The reader must go on this journey with Ellie and learn with her. It was at times a bit frustrating because I didn’t get a grasp on what a Drudge was, or how a curse became a Drudge, or how curses were magics gone wrong, until the very end of the book. However, the entire time I was completely mystified. I was sucked in and wanted to know everything. (Don’t worry reader, it becomes clear near the end). I honestly think this is a book that when I reread it, and I will, I will find much more I missed on first read.

“There’s something moving in this town,” he said. “Something I’ve never felt before."

Beyond the world building we also have a romance between Ellie and Victor. A very dark and broody character who holds many secrets. There is also an intricate net of strong side characters. Northwick throws the reader into the tangled web, leaving Ellie to try and figure out who she can trust. And while this starts slow and atmospheric it builds to a chaotic, horrific climax with portals to other worlds and monsters waiting for any opportunity to pounce! It was wild. I mean, the body horror in this alone was so fascinating! This was not at all what I was expecting, especially because at the start I thought we were just getting a gothic murder mystery in a small town. Oh man, was I wrong. I am very excited to see where this goes!

“You’ve become a vice of mine, and I’m finding it hard to let go.”

Thank you NetGalley and Bea Northwick for this ARC!

✨ ARC Review ✨
Blackwicket by Bea Northwick
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ — absolutely 5 stars

“The darkness that devoured people from the inside out was often their own.”

The emotional turmoil this story sent me through wrecked me in the best possible way. The magic system was both intricate and easy to follow, and the corruption of magic, along with the blatant abuse of it by high powered people, draws such clear parallels to politics in general. Few things are as fueling as the greed for power.

Eleanora is a Curse Eater, an intrinsic magic that allows her to take in curses, unravel the defilement, and release the magic back in its pure form. Much of my enjoyment was in speculating why Curse Eaters were essentially shackled or eradicated, and what that means for the power dynamics of this world… so I’ll let you unravel those curses for yourself. Some cursed magic can take a semi-physical form called a Drudge, which I pictured as an angry Flubber. It’s an encounter with one of these Drudges that truly kicks off our journey—Eleanora is being pushed by her estranged father, chased by an emboldened Inspector Harrow, and pulled back to Blackwicket House for the unexpected passing of her sister.

Blackwicket House itself is a character—steeped in secretive magic, holding the illusive Dark Hall, a dangerous, dimension-like space all its own, and hoarding more secrets than anyone inside. The story peels back in layers—childhood memories, old traumas, friendships as they evolve, and the mystery of who’s really the villain.

A hauntingly gothic setting, forced proximity, and enemies-to-lovers with an HEA (but not the one you’d expect). Through the creation of curses and ventures into Dark Hall, you can’t help but reflect on how much of our successes, or destructions, are of our own making. The writing is haunting with a dash of lyrical, and spice-wise there are a handful of open-door scenes that are explicit, but skippable without losing story.

Overall? An absolute 5-star read for me. If there’s another book coming, it’s immediately going on my TBR. I already ordered the SE box for my shelf, where it will sit proudly among my favorite reads.