An excellent debut! This had everything I love: gothic atmosphere, sapphic tension, female rage, and of course ravens. Told through dual POVs: We follow Eve, a servant newly hired at Greythorne Manor. She is immediately drawn to Saskia, the daughter of the powerful Rennard family. What begins as awe at the wealth and opulence quickly curdles into unease as Eve realizes the family is hiding something far darker. As she fights to survive the manor’s secrets, her forbidden love for Saskia is pushed to its breaking point.

Love, ambition, and survival collide, leaving everything precarious and charged. Dark, moody, and simmering with unrest, this story leans fully into gothic tragedy and feminine fury.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free copy of Pearl Bound. As a longtime fan of Gothic horror, I was eager to dive into this novel, and it did not disappoint. The story opens with real momentum and steadily builds toward a powerful midpoint climax. I genuinely couldn’t put it down after the major twist.
The characters are well crafted and multi dimensional, adding depth and emotional weight. One of the elements that resonated most with me was the novel’s exploration of wealth and power, and how easily privilege can shield people from consequences. That theme felt especially timely and reminded me of recent high profile scandals in the news. This is a fantastic debut, and I’m very much looking forward to reading more from this author.

Pearl Bound is a haunting, sapphic gothic horror that leans fully into atmosphere, obsession, and the sharp edge where love and terror meet.

Eve arrives already carrying grief and unease, but the crumbling coastal estate she finds herself in seems determined to hollow her out completely. The house is damp with secrets — salt-stung air, locked doors, pearls threaded through its history like a curse. Bergman’s setting feels alive, almost sentient, pressing in on Eve from all sides.

And then there’s Rennard.

Rennard is not a safe harbor — she’s the storm. Magnetic, unreadable, and unsettlingly intimate, she moves through the shadows of the manor like she belongs to them. The tension between her and Eve is immediate but restrained, built on lingering glances and conversations that feel like confessions wrapped in threats. Their attraction simmers beneath layers of mistrust and buried truths.

What makes this novel stand out is how inseparable the romance and horror are. The sapphic longing isn’t decorative — it’s central. Desire becomes dangerous. Touch becomes transformation. The body horror elements, particularly the imagery surrounding pearls and what they represent, are visceral without being gratuitous. There’s a constant sense that love here may require sacrifice — of innocence, of safety, maybe even of humanity.

Eve’s arc is especially compelling. She begins uncertain, reactive, caught in currents she doesn’t fully understand. By the final act, she is making choices — terrifying, powerful ones — that reshape both her fate and Rennard’s. Their relationship feels raw and feral by the end, forged in blood and truth rather than fantasy.

Moody, unsettling, and achingly romantic, Pearl Bound is perfect for readers who crave gothic settings, morally ambiguous sapphic relationships, and horror that lingers long after the last page.

This is a Gothic tale of magic, love and paranormal evil. I fell in love with Eve's story. I got sucked in from page 1 . The erriness of this book was superb. The author has such a way of writing that just makes the story come to life. Don't miss the incredible Gothic story