This story is told by Felix, oldest surviving son of a self made billionaire. Having seen his three older brothers die on their 18th birthday, Felix is understandably terrified as his own 18th draws closer. When his father returns belatedly from World War One, unable to speak and a shadow of the man he used to be, Felix doesn't really want to interact with the man, but it seems his father has one last secret to give him, one that will help unlock the curse that hovers over the family.
Set in 1920 there are some nice historical details in this story: the cars that Felix drives, the impressive house his family has, the cross Atlantic ship he takes to get to England, the speakeasy and underside of New York city.
The mystery is gradually revealed as Felix's days are counted down to his birthday. I have to say I wasn't quite convinced by the secret society but I was invested enough in the characters to go along and want to find our what was happening. The pacing was good and the plot gave a satisfying ending.
With thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for an arc copy in return for an honest review.

12th November 1920 and the 30 day countdown begins.
Narrated by Felix Garton, now the eldest surviving son of self made billionaire Geoffrey Garton, this story of magic, curses and the macabre kept the tension and fear alive until the very end.
Not the read I was expecting, but all the better for that. I enjoyed the suspense and drama.

Set in the 1920s in New York, protagonist Felix's 18th birthday is approaching. His family is cursed and three of his siblings have died as they reach 18 years old, so the crux of this novel tackles, essentially, Felix's fear and anxiety at the possibility of the upcoming catastrophe, not just for himself, but for Nick, his younger brother. The quest is to somehow break the curse, but also, to explore the issue of mental health at the time. What was effective was some of the descriptions of the setting and the connection to history. Narrative pacing was sometimes affected by hiccupping of language and style, which, for me affected the flow, and when associated with the theme of dark magic, made it a bit hard going at times. My thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC

Poor characterisation and world building made it feel like nursery rhyme version of a magical thriller. Dissappointing . Two stars because I did finish it

A really fresh twist on The Great Gatsby, I loved how intimately you get to know the family, you felt their fear with the darkness looming over them. Thoroughly enjoyed this dark, magical read. Thank you so much to the publisher for the ARC.

I hadn’t heard of this book but the blurb sounded fantastic and I’m so glad I read it! I thoroughly enjoyed it! It was a really interesting storyline with likeable characters, and I’m hoping this is the start of a series as I’d love to know what happens next. Several parts surprised me, and I couldn’t guess how it was going to end which kept me intrigued. I was desperate to know what was going to happen. I got through this book quickly and really liked the writing. It was a clever storyline and written well. It was slow at times, but interesting enough that it held my attention. I’ll definitely look out for future books from this author, and I’m hoping there’s a book two soon as I need to know what happens next!

This was great! I didn’t see the Gatsby link at all- more like inheritance games meets Ben Aaronvitch! Not quite what I was expecting but found it difficult to put down once I had started and found myself wrapped up in the world!

I read an eARC of this on Net Galley so thank you to Penguin and H.F.Askwith for allowing this.

New York, 1920. Felix’s anxiety grows as his 18th birthday approaches. His family is haunted by a curse that has already killed three of his older brothers when they turned 18. He lives in fear, not only for himself, but for his younger brother Nick who will share the same fate if he can’t find a way to break the curse.

I loved the setting for this book. It almost had a Lovecraftian vibe with the U.S eastern seaboard location, the death magic, encrypted books and sinister organisations lurking in the shadows. I’ve read other books set in this time period when the authors have really gone OTT with the language and stereotypes. This wasn’t the case here at all, this author has made the setting feel like a really natural fit and it worked so well for the story being told.

I really enjoyed the magic system created in this book. It was macabre, it unveiled throughout the story really well as Felix learns more about the curse on his family, how it came about, and other forces involved in the use of this magic. The magic is all centred around death and I found it interesting how the author tied this in to the First World War.

I found the exploration of anxiety really interesting in this book. The author is mindful that it wouldn’t have been an easy thing to talk about in this period of history. But Felix’s mental health is suffering from the heavy weight of the curse, the trauma of his brother’s death, the worry for his family if he dies. There are characters in this urging him to get help (although he’s initially resistant) and talking and listening are a central theme in this novel (and certainly presented as helpful tools in their investigation).

I’ve tried very much to avoid spoilers and there’s lots more I’d like to say about this book but I can’t without revealing information that you may enjoy discovering for yourself. I did like the gradual unveiling throughout the novel as the characters delve deeper into the mystery behind the curse. The novel moves at pace and our characters learn more continuously.

I thought the plot, pacing and setting were all very good. I had some minor moments where the language felt a bit stilted or unnatural, but these were very small issues in what overall was a very engaging mystery, a fantastically macabre setting, and a fascinating exploration of dark Magic

Wonderfully imaginative romp through Jazz Age New York and England. Author builds an extremely vivid sense of place, and a creepy and compelling magic stalks through the pages. The Great Gatsby with magic!

This was a wild ride. It was a page turner to the end. I needed to find out what was going to happen. The countdown formatting added a great touch.