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A Haunted House You'll Actually Want to Visit
If you're looking for a cozy-yet-creepy read, this one's an absolute treat.
If you're a fan of Meyer's previous work or just in the mood for a fun, thrilling gothic read, add this one to your "to be read" pile. Just maybe don't read it alone in a big, old house😂😂😂😂

The Good Stuff: Why You'll Love This Ghostly Manor
* A Hauntingly Good Vibe: From the first page, you're wrapped in this perfect gothic atmosphere. Think creaky floorboards, secret passages, and the kind of spooky that feels more like a thrilling Halloween night than a terrifying horror flick.
* Our Sassy-Pants Heroine: Mallory is a total delight. She's not a super-powerful witch; in fact, her "magic" is pretty weak. But her wit, cleverness, and protective streak make her a wonderfully relatable and fun protagonist. She's the kind of character you'd want to go ghost-hunting with.
* The "Bluebeard" Retelling You Didn't Know You Needed: Meyer masterfully takes the grim folktale and transforms it into a smart, modern mystery. The ghosts of the murdered wives are a brilliant addition, and the way the past and present intertwine will keep you guessing.
* A Romance with a Dash of Danger: The chemistry between Mallory and the brooding Armand is a slow burn that sizzles. It's the kind of romantic tension that makes you whisper, "Just kiss already!" while also wondering if he might be hiding a very dark secret.
The Room for Improvement (or, What's Hiding in the Blue Room)
* The World Needs More Lore: The book introduces some really cool ideas—creatures, a specific magical history—but it doesn't always go into enough detail. You might be left with a few questions about how some of the more fantastical elements really work.
* A Little Slump in the Middle: The first act grabs you immediately, and the final act is a breathless dash to the finish line. However, the middle of the book can feel a bit like you're wandering down a long hallway with not enough doors to open. It's not a deal-breaker, but the pace slows down a bit before the big climax.
The Final Verdict
The House Saphir is a fantastic choice for anyone who loves a good mystery with a sprinkle of magic and a heavy dose of romance. It's got all the spooky charm of a classic haunted house story with a fresh, modern heroine. While a few elements could have been fleshed out more, the compelling characters, atmospheric setting, and clever plot make it an absolute win.

A gothic fantasy complete with a girl who loves monsters & all things spooky, an endearing, plant loving boy, and an older sister who is mostly there for fun. The House Saphir is truly a wonderful book that sucks you into its spooky world & takes you on an adventure.

I had so much fun reading this book!! It was so well written and a very enjoyable read. It succeeded in surprising me at every turn, and I never guessed the twists (but maybe that says more about me than anything) I was however very sad when it seemed like Armand was going to be evil because he was so cute!!! Thank goodness it was just possession. Mallory was an ideal FMC for me, I loved her fearlessness and curiosity and her love of a good deal over all else.

I was kicking my feet the entire time reading this & I truly had such a good time reading it.

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

I love a good fairytale retelling and nobody does it better than Marissa Meyer whether it's her futuristic sci fi Lunar chronicles or folk tale inspired Gilded series. The House Saphir switches tack again, this time to an alternative France at an unspecified time in history, a world in which the veil between gods and humanity has fallen and monsters roam the earth.
Sisters Mallory and Anais are scraping together a living running their late mother's spell shop and telling fortunes. It's a shame neither inherited her witchcraft but they are very good at faking it, a talent Mallory puts into good use for her tours of The House Saphir, the ruined mansion where the infamous Count Saphir committed his first but not his last marital murder, haunted by the ghost of his dead Duchess, a ghost only Mallory can see. But when the two are exposed as fakes they have no choice but to accept the offer from the Count's great grandson to accompany him to his country estate where the ghost of his murderous ancestor is causing havoc. Just because Mallory can see ghosts doesn't mean she can exorcise them but with a fortune awaiting her if she is successful she is willing to give it a go. But the late Count's ghost is more powerful and sinister than anything she has experienced before and soon she realises the stakes are much higher than she could ever have imagined.
Imaginitive, vivid, darkly funny and romantic, The House Sapphir is a fabulously inventive take on Bluebeard. Highly recommended.

Marissa Meyer reimagines the Bluebeard tale with a gothic twist, weaving ghosts, curses, and slow-burn romance into a story that’s impossible to put down. Mallory Fontaine, a witch without magic but cursed with the ability to see the dead, spends her days running scams with her sister until she’s offered a chance at redemption-banish the ghost of Count Saphir and secure a better life. But as murder returns to the infamous house, Mallory is caught between truth and deception, danger and desire. Filled with eerie atmosphere, witty dialogue, and morally ambiguous characters, this novel is perfect for fans of dark retellings, haunted mansions, and romances wrapped in secrets.

I was always fond of fairy tales in all shapes and forms. and fairy tale retellings are no different. This one happens to be a romantasy reimagining of Bluebeard. The fairy tale itself didn't change much. Bluebeard (in this case Count Bastien Saphir) still kills his wives just for sake of immortality, and when 4th wife's brothers eventually kill him that isn't' the end of the story. Merely just the beginning. Fast forward a few generations and Bastien comes back as a ghost still set on finishing the spell that will grant him immortality. And it's the descendants of wife #4 who are hired to stop him. What ensues is a gripping and exciting tale. And one I would love to tell you about but I do believe it is much better if you read it for yourselves.

If you mix one part gothic mansion, one part charming fraud, and a whole lot of ghostly drama, you get The House Saphir. And honestly? I was living for it.

Mallory Fontaine is a witch… sort of. Okay fine, she’s a professional fake who can actually see ghosts (which should be helpful, but mostly just adds chaos). She’s been selling “spells” and ghost tours with her sister when suddenly she’s invited to the actual House Saphir....yes, the creepy murder mansion she’s been profiting off for years.

Enter Armand Saphir: rich, brooding, and 100% the kind of man who could either sweep you off your feet or bury you under the rose bushes.

Naturally, Mallory says yes to his offer to banish his family ghost! For money, of course.

A gothic vacation with potential murder? Sign me up.
The atmosphere? Perfection.

Think Knives Out meets Practical Magic with a sprinkle of Haunting of Bly Manor.

There’s mystery, romance, and witty banter that made me grin like a fool.

My only tiny critique: I wanted just a touch more tension in the final reveal. But still Marissa Meyer delivers charm, chills, and chemistry in spades.

Haunted houses have never felt this fun (or this flirty 👻💙).

Marissa Meyer is an auto-read author for me, so I was really excited to get an eARC of her newest book, HOUSE SAPHIR. While none of her subsequent books/series have lived up to my utter love of the Lunar Chronicles, this one was enjoyable and kept my interest throughout.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC.

⊹₊⟡⋆ 𝟦.𝟧 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓇𝓈, 𝓇𝑜𝓊𝓃𝒹𝑒𝒹 𝓊𝓅 ִ ࣪𖤐

The House Saphir is described as a young adult romantasy, murder mystery book. It’s supposed to be a retelling of ‘Bluebeard’ but I’m not personally familiar with the original story. This didn’t affect my reading experience whatsoever.

We’re talking witches, magic, monsters, ghosts, haunted houses. Everything I could possibly want for my autumn/spooky season tbr and more. The vibes were vibing and my mood reader heart is very happy.

🧙‍♀️👻🍂

We follow Mallory and her sister who are witches without any actual witch magic. That doesn’t stop them from pretending though. When they attract the attention of a Count who is having quite the ghost problem.. the sisters are invited to his haunted mansion to help eliminate the problem with their magic *cough cough*. At first, the sisters are just looking to earn a quick dollar.. they’ve gotten this far with their ruse. However, they end up becoming quite fond of the Count (Mallory especially 🤭) and his staff, and realize they may have a bigger part to play in everything that’s been going on at the House Saphir.

This is my first Marissa Meyer book and I am certain it will not be the last. I just loved her writing style! So imaginative with all the different monsters, the scenery, the haunted houses. She really brought this book to life for me and I loved its dark gothic atmosphere. It is also considered young adult, but I found it read a little more mature to me which I really appreciate being in my thirties. I have a hard time reading some ya books if they feel too ya (if that makes sense).

The characters were well written, I loved our fmcs quirky, sarcastic personality. The side characters also had great personalities. My favourite character was actually one of the ghosts- she was just too funny! Marissa had me giggling quite a few times in this book. I love how she was able to combine humorous aspects with a murder mystery type concept. It was so cute, yet thrilling. Funny, yet haunting.

The plot was also done very well. There was always something happening and it kept me turning the pages. Another quick thing to note that enhanced my reading experience - it has SHORT CHAPTERS! I can’t tell you how much I appreciate shorter chapters. 🙏
The only minor thing I will say was that some of the plot twists were predictable (to me at least). This is the only reason it didn’t fully hit the five star mark for me. Considering it was advertised as a murder mystery and I didn’t find the main twist all that much of a mystery 😅
That being said.. I didn’t enjoy it any less even though I knew what was going to happen. There were still so many other plot twists that threw me for a loop and honestly it was overall just a very good time.

I would absolutely 100% recommend this book. I think for its intended purpose and audience, it’s damn near perfection! Especially if you aren’t as adept at figuring out plot twists as I am 😅

❤︎

A hundred years ago Count Bastion Saphir murdered his three wives before being murdered himself. Mallory Fontaine is a con-artist running haunted ghost tours in Saphir House, on one of these tours she meets the most recent heir, Armand Saphir, who comes to Mallory for help regarding his belief that his home is being haunted by the original Count. On top of this haunting, the house seems to be a creature magnet for all sorts of monsters that provide a couple of creepy scenes.
Saphir House has a really fun setting in the country estate house where strange things keep happening as a result of the haunting. Not only is the ghost being haunted by the dangerous Count but also by the ghosts of his former wives.
The characters are a lot of fun even if they aren’t particularly deep. We have Mallory who will do anything to make a better life for herself and her sister, Anaise. She has a handy little curse of being able to see and speak to ghosts, this leads to some hilarious situations with the dead wives.
I really enjoyed the characters of the wives since their commentary was pretty funny, but I would have preferred to see more of them. I just feel as though they weren’t utilised as much as they could have been.
Armand is the latest Saphir heir who goes looking for Mallory and her sister to ask for their help since his home has been haunted for the past 7 years by his hostile and cruel ancestor.
I’m a big Marissa Meyer fan so I really enjoyed the book. The humour and banter between the characters was pretty fun and had me giggling, even though they were during some pretty tense scenes. Overalll I loved House Saphir and look forward to reading again.
Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book

Can you continue to lie? Mallory & her sister Anais don’t always play by the rules and this time it means that they might have to go on the run. But there might be a way out of it if they can convince the new Count that they are real witches. All they need to do is to get rid of an ancestor that is haunting the chateau. But how far can Mallory pretend before she is found out?. The ghost isnt like the other ghosts he is evil and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Will Mallory be able to use her magic that has been dormant for so long or will it be too late to save herself & her sister?
Great characters good storyline. A good read full of monsters, wine, ghosts and a sprinkle of romance.
Thank you Netgalley & the publisher for the copy . This is my voluntary review

Thank you to NetGalley for the free ARC.
This book balanced a good mix of murder mystery along with side romance.
For me it still felt like it was just missing something to make it a 5 star.
Definitely a great fall read!