I would like to thank Netgalley and Macmillan publishers for sending me this arc in return for an honest review.

We delve deep into what is like to struggle with mental health struggles as Estela struggles with the sudden death of her parents and being the sole survivor of a strange incident. I really connected with the beginning and struggling to come out of a place that can being difficult to come out of. From there she is led to the mysteries of who her mom's family truly was, and the darkness that surrounds her family and the castle her mother grew up in.

I loved the twists and turns the story took, the Gothic feeling of the castle and mystery as Estela tries to uncover what really caused the death of everyone on the subway. Some aspects of the story took a turn that I felt was pushed, especially the love story, I feel like it needed to be slightly flushed out a little more, and other aspects of the story we found out later I feel could have been hinted at from the beginning, as it is suddenly goes in that direction. It was minor things, and despite them I really enjoyed the story and the Gothic imagery around the whole story.

Castle of the cursed pulled me in right from the start. A cursed castle and a silver eyed boy only Estela can see had me wanting to know all the secrets. After experiencing the mysterious loss of her parents, Estela begins to lose touch with reality. When she receives an invitation from an estranged aunt to a castle in Spain she accepts. The longer she is there the more strange things happen. Estela starts to uncover the secrets of her family. She is not sure who to trust. I loved the story. The mysteries were so good. I did not want to put the book down. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

"THE HOUSE IS ALWAYS HUNGRY…"
Castle of the Cursed is a dark gothic romance that drew me in by the cover. I loved the eerie atmosphere of this book and the characters were good in it. The mystery in this one was super intriguing. This was my first time reading anything by this author and it was written well. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to any YA readers or readers who like horror. Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this Young Adult read in exchange of my honest review of Castle of the Cursed by Romina Garber.

A dark gothic mystery,with drama, suspense,supernatural elements,twists ,secrets and romance.
Set in a Spanish castle with Estela who sees a boy Sebastian but is he real or just imaged .
Very intense and intriguing.
Voluntarily reviewed.

Going to be completely honest, I only requested this book on NetGalley because of the cover. The plot was interesting enough that I was still excited to read it, but my interest was 100% because of the cover. I really enjoyed how the author put her culture into the story, including language, setting, and folklore. But overall, I had a pretty ok time. The romance in this felt rushed and a bit unnecessary and this book didn't do one of my favorite tropes justice (not saying which one because I feel like it could be spoilers). The setting is really what saved this for me.... a gothic castle? YES PLEASE! I do think that this would've been more enjoyable to me if I read it as a teenager so that bit of nostalgia is what kept me going.

So, Umm....I'm not really sure what I just read... This strange book kept me intrigued but I don't know if I actually liked it or just kept going because I was so confused I needed answers. This is a dark gothic romance but that is not the feel I got from it at all. Yeah, there is a dark (literally the castle is black) creepy castle and shadow beast only the main character can see was interesting but it was just not romantic in any way for me. It was more confusing than anything. I had problems with the main character and her story line then there was all kinds of wack-a-doodle things happening that I didn't care for so this was not really one that I overly enjoyed. 2.5 stars rounded to 3.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Romina Garber's Lobizona and Cazadora and so had to check out this standalone gothic horror story. While it didn't become a new favourite, I enjoyed reading it and thought it was very atmospheric. Garber knows how to set a scene and is a compellingly visual and engaging writer. I look forward to future books by her!

Very disappointed in the final outcome of this book. I feel like the best part of picking this up was the cover.

It's 3.5 ⭐

It has a gripping beginning and the tension is constant throughout the story. I liked the characters, although I didn't enjoy the romantic plot as much. I found everything about in the castle and its relationship with the town and its inhabitants intriguing.

The narrative is engaging and the descriptions are just the right amount to transport you to the castle. The fantastic elements work within the limits established by the author and I would definitely love to know more about the lore of the castle.

There were times when it seemed to me that the main focus was lost and the romance got in the way more than it contributed to the story, which is why I lowered the number of stars (just because it doesn't work for me doesn't mean that other people won't enjoy it).

I would read more stories written by Romina Garber.

Thank you NetGalley for the digital copy in exchange of my honest opinion.

While this started fairly interesting and caused me to want to know more, it didn’t quite work for me as the setting moved from New York City to Spain.

The MC is sent to Spain to live with her aunt, who she wasn’t aware existed. And of course, she is met with the gothic elements of a large home with haunted rooms, gargoyles, and things that go bump in the night.

This story had possibilities, and I did make it to the end, but I had trouble with a few too many things.

--The characters weren’t developed enough for me to connect to any of them.
--Parts of the story made sense, and much of it felt over-the-top. A better blending might have made a difference.
--The end felt rushed.

This is apt to be a book you fall in love with or it probably won’t work for you. I’m rating it 3 stars for that reason.

CASTLE OF THE CURSED is a vampire tale full of magic unlike anything I’ve ever read before. It reminds me of both MEXICAN GOTHIC and BELLADONNA with its lush setting, which is its own character; the constant dances with death; and the deep family secrets infused with magic.

The story has quite a few meandering revelations, all from a questionably reliable narrator. Ultimately, I enjoyed the mystery and the magic, but the romance was painful. The attempt at romance started quite abruptly, making it feel contrived and unrealistic, even given the circumstances, then spun quickly into obsession by both and laced with Estela’s self doubt and desperate immaturity.

I was so intrigued by the plot of this YA book and its setting in Spain, but this just was not for me.

Thanks to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review

This dark gothic novel is full of twists and turns, curses, dark secrets, and family truths. The relationship of the two main characters seems rushed, but it’s pretty standard for a YA romance. It was an interesting book, but it wasn’t really my cup of tea. Thank you for NetGalley for the ebook ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was drawn to this book solely based on the premise. It sounded like a good gothic fantasy. The plot follows the main character, Estela, who has just witnessed the mysterious death of her parents and a train car full of people. She is the only survivor. Without her nomadic parents she is first sent to a hospital for PTSD and trauma, but is then taken to Spain to live with the Aunt she did not know existed in a creepy castle. Alongside the castle is a very odd town and other strange, and sometimes supernatural, occurrences. Overall I don't think this book was for me. The plot drags a bit until past the second half when a lot is revealed. I think if those reveals had been more spaced out it would have kept the story going more consistently. But, I can see many of my teens who enjoy a gothic novel with supernatural elements and some romance enjoying this one. (Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC)

3.5/5 Stars

After the tragic lose of both parents in a subway accident that leaves Estela the sole survivor, Estela moves into La Sombra, her ancestorial Spanish castle. There, strange things begin to happen, and Estela uncovers dark family secrets.

I thought the concept of this book sounded really cool, but I think it could have been executed much better. Estela is definitely an unreliable narrator, as at the beginning of the book she is completely mute because of the incident that took her parents. She often hallucinates and can't tell what is real from fiction, which makes it difficult as a reader to understand what is going on at times. I wasn't the biggest fan of the romance, and felt that it was very rushed. The insta-love is CRAZY - taking only 13 days for the relationship to be at the peak. I think that the colossal amount of events that happened within these 13 days without any explanation or lead up made it feel a bit silly by the end. I did really enjoy the castle setting, and the gothic atmosphere and thought the description of the location were really well done and was definitely my favourite part of the book.

The House is always hungry.

I loved the idea of the novel.

But I was not too fond of the novel. I love gothic novels and some YA novels. It started so strong then it took a sudden turn which made it weird and over the top. Also, the mental health aspect feels, over the top as well. Sometimes it seems like mental health issues is almost romanticized in YA books. This is one of them. The main character was also very confusing.

This was pieces of a good plot, sprinkled into the pages but butchered with so many other twists and turns, it just wasn't for me.

Estela’s parents are killed in a mysterious subway accident with many others - she is the only one who survives. While recuperating, she learns that she has family in Spain; not only family, but a castle as well. However, when she arrives she senses there is more to her family and the castle than meets the eye. The more time she spends there, the more questions she has about her past.

Complete with all manner of otherworldly beings, this is close to high fantasy, with a dash of horror and mystery mixed in. A quick read, I wasn’t as engrossed as I normally am by books in this genre.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC of this title!

Reading this book felt like living in the Middle Ages (in a good way) that gothic, catacombs vibe; which both excited me and creeped me out kept me on the edge for the new discovery.

The best part of the book is the setting, I think we don’t see enough about Spain in YA books, it’s historical culture, influences by moorish traditions and ingrained in the community that forms it is beautifully explained and posted throughout the book. Their way of life is explained with a characteristic respect for it. I lived for the Spanish remarks ( particularly because I’m able to understand Spanish)


I found the story to be quite unexpected, I’m not lying when I tell you that in no way was the ending ever a reality that I had. The way the events that had been mentioned and subtle remarks connected to form the narrative was skillfull

After surviving an apparent gas leak that killed her parents on the New York City subway, Estela is 17-years-old, moves in with her estranged aunt in a castle in northern Spain. She had spent seven months in a mental health facility. She has found out the truth about her origins. She decides going to the place her parents lied to keep her away from her maternal aunt, Why did her parents lie to her? Beatrice Bralaga. Her aunt, a doctor gives Estela shriveled black pills instead of her usual medications. She decides not to take them. Estela learns about the history of the castle and nearby town from Felipe, her Spanish language tutor. Estela experiences nighttime haunting by a shadow beast. She explores the castle against her aunt’s orders. After a menacing encounter, Estela and the beast (Sebastian) form a partnership to find more of Estela’s past. Hopefully her past won’t destroy her. Why is Estela searching more information about her parents?

Estela was an interesting character. It intrigued me that things just kept happening without giving Estela space to breathe. The gothic/horror plot was well written by the author. The twists in the story surprised me. I must admit I didn’t expect a vampire to be in this novel. This young adult novel held my attention throughout the novel.

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this ARC Copy!

I enjoyed this story, it was not what I expected but it was interesting, especially once the character makes it to the family castle.

The start of the book took a bit for me to really get into and it feels like all the trauma experienced was not really resolved for me, and character that we get to know in the beginning of the book doesn't really carry over to the character who we get to know later on.

If you are able to look past the sudden resolution of a character being so traumatized that she has gone nonverbal , to a girl who suddenly acts like nothing ever happened and all that matters is solving a mystery, then then this story really did have a lot of potential and the creepy castle was done really well.

It started great an all until they mentioned that the character we were following was maybe dead or not and then the insta love quick twilight style romance had me rolling my eyes.