The cover of this book is what first caught my attention and is very beautiful!
I truly wanted to enjoy this story, but unfortunately, it fell short for me and, I struggled to connect with the content and could only make it halfway through before I had to stop.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dundurn Press for giving me the chance to read this eARC

Celestina's House is a novel by Clarissa Trinidad Gonzalez, whose blurb essentially boils down to the secrets of the house are the secrets of the heart. It narrates the story of a prominent family in Manila's pseudo-rich district spanning two or three generations with the mother, main lead Celestina & her possible lovers. What this book advertises itself to be is a story about a haunted house that is somehow linked to Celestina. Prima facie & 10 chapters into the book, I thought Celestina was going to die & the curse of it was going to make the house haunted, for any future tenants or renters are going to face the wrath of it.
The book fails to accomplish any of these tasks.

What I liked:
Firstly, I really liked the atmosphere the author creates around Manila, Philippines & the sprinkling of the language, the native language, the use of slangs, the native terms, I really appreciate that in a the book. It brought out a slight bit of a cultural angle. At the beginning, I enjoyed how the relationship with her parents was built up. Celestina's relationship with her mother is shown as aloof, not as close while her father has been shown, *spoiler alert*, as a predator. In the first few chapters, when this is done, even though it freaked me out, you can tell the red flags, you can see where the story is going, but there is this hope at the back of your head, this will lead to a proper plot. In those few chapters, I was, I will say invested as to what will happen & as predicted, the thing happens - for those limited chapters, the book has a good hook.
The cover is decent too.

Now the thing with this book that I did not like is so much that it far outweighs the pros of this book. Firstly, coming to the father & Celestina's character, even if you have to show some sort of abuse, familial abuse & how she was groomed & bred by the father, you do it so it has a consequence on your story ultimately. What this book could not achieve in the end was how it impacted Celestina. Her character comes out to be so boring, so bland I couldn't bear to hear her talking even. She has no substance, her past, her future, it's all very linear, there is no depth to her character & the trivial father event is treated so lightly, almost as a floating character of convenience, which really, really undermines the severity of what happened to Celestina as a kid.

Further to that point, the father makes a comeback in the final chapters of the book & it is of almost no consequence again. Why was this entire plot point in the book if you did not want to make a big deal out of it? To me, it felt more like an advertising piece or a marketing strategy, something sensational that would sell well on booktok, I guess, where you could sensationalize it with a catchy caption saying a "book where she is abused by her father" but then it amounts to nothing. And following this thread, ultimately reading this book, I kept wondering what is the main plot of this book? What is the theme? What is that thing that the author tries to achieve by writing this book? Either your book has a plot, either it has a good story, either the narration is very well done or it is a character-based story, Celestina's house is none of those things - that is my main problem. I do not actively want a story to be there in my book, but then at least the writing should be good. For example, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine is one of those books where it just follows one character, but the writing is so well done that you feel invested in the character. This book, you do not feel invested in a single character, let alone the main lead. Everybody is temporary, there are too many people & you do not feel interested in any one of them. I did not like how this book does not know what it is about. It tries to do too much and then ultimately it is not able to do anything.
Again, following the thread that I just mentioned, another thing about the characters is there are so many characters with so many useless backstories that we did not need. That time could have been cut out because it makes the novel unnecessarily long or it could have been given to Celestina so we understand her feelings and emotions better so we could be invested in her more. But all of that was pushed aside & we get some random person's circumcision scenes???! which.... why do I have to read that if it is not going to have any impact on your plot??? So this book, by the end, post the 60% mark, I must admit, I skimmed through it because it was not worth my time. I was very close to DNFing it. The only reason I did not give it a DNF or a 1 star, instead I went for 2 stars, are the reasons I mentioned above, that there are some redeeming qualities to the book. I do want to encourage more stories from Southeast Asia, more that talk about the culture & more about the native slang, though this book has none of that vibrant culture. So in that vein, I do want to encourage it plus I found the cover of this book to be extremely pretty, however, again, the cover has no consequence on the plot & vice versa. What does this cover signify? Usually you have a cover that will have small details but this just has some flowers & a snake. I mean, I get the snake but it doesn't make any sense. You would think that there would be a beautiful house with dragons and two towers on the cover because that is all the book talks about but then...

Also, someone in the Goodreads reviews wrote this very beautiful line in their review that this book was supposed to be about a haunted house and it turns out to just be about Celestina hopping around in Malina trying to find love - that just sums up the book. I do not want to see her love hopping especially when her love interests are so bland because she herself is so bland that her love interests seem worse. I do not remember even a single name of any love interest because they were just of no consequence. I could not bring myself to care about the guy she finally ended up with either. If only the romance was readable I would not have to complain about the book being so boring & lacking the haunted house aspect as promised but yeah, ultimately, nothing about this book will keep you hooked, it will intrigue you in the beginning, that I accept, only to eventually crash and burn from there.

Overall, this book is not worth your time. I believe it should have been heavily edited. I believe it should have been beta read and there should have been advanced reader copies. I do not think it should be published in what it is right now. It is very off-putting to read & I honestly felt like I wasted a lot of my time reading it.

From the description, I wasn't quite prepared for the graphic description of abuse which takes place in this novel. It should maybe come with a trigger warning.

The writing is poetic, full of descriptions that transport you to the streets of Manila, the sights, the smells, the food~
But it seems disjointed with the topics that a covered. I thought the house would feature more prominently in the story, almost like a character in and of itself, but it was just a shell for things that happened inside it.

I was hoping for more myth and lore and magic, the belief in luck and curses, ghosts and spirits ingrained in Asian culture... but these were only touched upon and never full developed or delved into.

If you want to say that the father is a monster, a devil incarnate who has supernatural abilities to morph into younger versions of himself, can teleport, or at least appear as tangible apparitions; who is possessed when he does terrible things to his daughter, then let that be a bigger part of the storyline.. not just these little hints and glimpses, because it doesn't add anything to the story in these piecemeal bits.

Same with one character's ability to see people's auras, this is mentioned in passing but not developed, which makes it feel a bit pointless. Like telling me a character likes to collect hats, but then mentions that he wears hats twice more in the rest of the book... O_o

The book is perhaps trying too hard to do too much, but the sum of all parts does not make a greater whole, it just ends up a bit of a mess.

I enjoyed the writing style and the sojourn to the Philippines but I'm not sold on the plot and the character development could be taken further.

Celestina’s House is the story of Celestina adjusting to adulthood after a traumatizing incident from her teenage years and her journey in finding love and community. I found myself really rooting for her and wanted her to find those meaningful connections.

Unfortunately few of the characters are well-rounded enough to really understand why they do what they do (Celestina included). Relationships come to an end abruptly and we see very little emotion, growth, or personality in the characters.

The author has a very romantic way of writing which I found nice and the reason I give it 2 stars and not 1 (describing a letter delivered as the envelope’s journey, often switching to an observer’s thoughts, the way someone prepares food) but sometimes it can be hard to tell what is important and what is not. Often pronouns are used for long stretches in place of names which also makes it challenging to follow which characters are being referred to.

The book’s synopsis and title no not do the book justice either as it implies that the house itself and the spiritual elements will play a much larger role in the story than the do. If you’re looking for a ghosty story this is not it. The spirits that reside in Celestina’s house are mentioned briefly every few chapters but the book would honestly be no different if it were omitted.

My thanks to NetGalley and Dundrum publishing for a free eARC of "Celestina's House" by Clarisa Trinidad Gonzalez.
I was immediately intreadued to read a debut by a Filipino female writer and the gorgeus cover was love at first sight.
But unfortunately that is the inly positive I have about this book, my initial enthusiasm and the cover art.
I wish I could explain my dissapointment with more grace, but this book had a father - daughter relatiobship that was disgusting. I have no other word for it.
Seing women being objectified is something I sometimes expect from some of the older books written by white male authors, but here it was just pointless and hurtfull.
Unfortunately Icannot recomend this work.

Celestine's House is a haunting, beautifully written tale about betrayal, coming together, and beating the odds. It follows multiple generations of a family as they navigate treachery, backstabbing, hauntings, and such heartbreak it would break anyone. As Celestine navigates a house and new world left to her, she finds herself in her new surroundings and what it means to truly live. I absolutely loved this book, the writing, the characters, and the descriptions were gorgeous, complicated, and intriguing. I didn't want the story to end.

A total CRINGE and disaster whatever this was. First of all, the writing clearly indicated that this was a debut novel, as there were several unnecessary factors, plot holes, and a lack of character development. The dialogues were quite script-like, and most of it made little sense because it didn't sound real as no one talks like that in real life. However, the use of Tagalog language was quite natural; it did not appear forced, which is a good thing.

I did not see the importance of adding that storyline of Celestina and her father. It did not contribute to the story and it could progress without that. That made me uncomfortable and even more so when the author glossed over it. Adding that piece of story without delving into it is just insensitive and reckless. The sex scenes are uncomfortable to read, too. I just felt like as the story progresses, Celestina gets more and more objectified. It seemed like her lovers only wanted her because of her appearances and they did not look way past that. The lack of dealing about this kind of social issue from the author is a disappointment.

Though I am aware that not every story should have likable characters, the characters in this book made me infuriated. All of them are flat, they lack depth and have no personalities. There are so many unnecessary background details about the side-characters who are mostly irrelevant for the progression of the story as they do not really contribute to the plot.

I also did not know what I have read here. The story feels empty; I did not know what I was supposed to learn about this book. What is it about Celestina’s house that seemed intriguing? I wish there were more flashbacks about Aunt Selena because that will make us, readers, become aware and know what and why the house is gripping with malas.

Sadly, this book was an utter disappointment. I could not really vibe into it and was thinking to dnf. At first it was really intriguing, but the house seemed like a background story when it was supposed to be an integral part of the plot. It is said that the house is full of malas that would manifest later into Celestina’s life, but Celestina is full of malas her whole life. I really feel like the whole story did not make any sense at all. It is confusing and messy and because of that, I really could not get into it.

thank you netgalley, dundurn press and clarissa trinidad gonzales for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange of an honest review.

Celestina's House kicks off with a major betrayal that totally screws up Celestina Errantes's family. The story goes down in a funky part of Manila, where she finds solace in a creepy old house that's got some serious ghost vibes. Even though society is not cool with it, Celestina feels right at home surrounded by spirits. Throughout the book, we learn about three generations of her family and all the juicy secrets they're hiding. Celestina is a bit of a rebel and loves living it up at night, but deep down, she's feeling pretty empty. Just when things start looking up, a spooky voice from the past threatens to mess everything up.

Celestina isn't afraid to face her demons, and the characters are really complex. Their challenges, imperfections, and development are shown with raw honesty. The ancestors pop in and out, bridging the gap between the living and the dead and making the story more interesting. Gonzalez's writing is fancy and full of lush details, creating a captivating image of Manila with a spooky twist. The language is so vivid that it feels like you're transported to a place where the past is always hanging around.

The book shows how betrayal can mess up people's lives for generations. Celestina is looking for somewhere she fits in, which ties into the bigger theme of feeling lost and wanting something more. The house is like a character itself, showing how the past and mysterious things can affect us. Gonzalez uses symbols, hints about what's to come, and really detailed descriptions well. Mixing spooky stuff with normal life makes the story even more creepy and interesting.

The book takes its time, so you can really enjoy all the little details. The way it jumps between generations makes the story even more interesting. Some people might struggle with the fancy writing style, but if you pay attention, it's worth it. *Celestina's House* is an amazing first book that draws you into a complex world with captivating characters. The spooky vibe sticks with you long after you finish the book. Kim Echlin, who wrote *Speak, Silence*, totally nailed it when she said it's "well-written and brutally honest."

I totally think *Celestina's House* is a must-read for anyone who loves a good literary fiction with a spooky twist. It's a real hidden gem that makes you think about love, truth, and finding yourself even when things get tough. Seriously, this book will stay with you long after you finish it. If you're into family dramas, ghosts, or just beautiful writing, you should definitely check it out.

#CelestinasHouse #NetGalley

Rating this book was tricky mostly because though nicely written, the story wasn’t cohesive and didn’t live up to my expectations of what could have been done with and gained from it.

I’ll start with the positives since there definitely were some. The author’s prose is atmospheric and has a rhythmic, creepy quality that serves the gothic theme well. The sights, sounds, tastes and smells of Manila were brought to life through consistent ‘show, don’t tell’ technique and the descriptions of Filipino cuisine especially were so vibrant. Gorgeous writing style.

The book immerses you in Filipino life through linguistic, cultural and religious references, weaving them in seamlessly. This is good and I do prefer books not to spoon-feed readers, but a balance could have been struck where significant historical context could have been ingrained to help all readers understand the depth of referenced cultures and beliefs. This doesn’t mean translating everything, but just weaving that essential background in so the reader understands the nuances of, for example, Chinese-Filipino values.

Now for the significant issues. The blurb highlights this house full of secrets and the paranormal, suggesting this will play an important and interesting part in the narrative – this expectation was unfortunately not lived up to. The magical realism aspects of this book had so much potential to engage with and enrich the storyline, but they ended up being on the side of what was essentially just the main character finding a romantic partner.

The book’s engagement with the more disturbing themes also didn't read too well for me. Media can and does explore difficult topics but it requires a lot of care. The characters' interactions with the topic of Celestina's abuse felt bizarre and tone-deaf. This could of course be highlighting how prevalent victim blaming is in society, but the narrative seemed to just take this as a given and little effort was made to indicate how this would negatively impact Celestina. The book being in third-person omniscient perspective could have showcased this well, but did not. Little was shed light on in this regard sadly.

All in all, I think the central issue is that this book lacks cohesiveness and an end goal. It’s titled Celestina’s House, but the house isn’t used to its full potential and Celestina doesn’t really engage meaningfully with or develop alongside it. Characters and plot events come and go, their meaningfulness to the story never realised. What was the significance of Verg being able to see people’s aura/light, why wasn’t this supernatural attribute engaged with beyond occasional mentions? In trying to be too mysterious, the book’s message got lost.

Overall, though a nicely written book with interesting underpinning themes it was executed in a way that honestly left me feeling like I had not read or gained something meaningful. This is nothing against the author as, like I mentioned in the opening, there are things she did really skilfully - the descriptive prose for example.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dundurn Press for providing me with an advanced reader copy of Celestina's House.

This book! Wow! I wrote most of my thoughts in my Goodreads review. But man did this book blow my mind. I was expecting a simple tale not a dark, twisted story. I was wrong. Very wrong. This book opened my eyes to the harsh realities of life itself. It was outstanding for a debut novel and twisted in a way I should have seen coming. The book was articulate and detailed especially when describing food or places. It does not describe but rather paints a picture. This books is one I'll definitely recommend to readers who are open to topics and themes that are taboo and too dark for conversations with friends. Kudos to the author. She wrote the book well. Hoping to see more of her work!

I really wanted to like this book as I had never read a book set in Philippines by a filipino author, but this simply didn't work for me.

The writing style made it clear that this is a debut novel, as there were many descriptions of clothes and conversations that could be taken out or improved to improve the readability. Also, maybe this is an arc problem and will be corrected in time for official publication, but there are plot holes that made me wonder if this was edited at all. So many instances where the narration would mention a family tradition or superstition as if we the readers already knew about them, but they had never been mentioned before. And in one moment Celestina is introduced to a character by someone else and they say something like "You already know X" but Celestina had never met this character before, they only heard of her by someone else.

The characters are flat, one dimensional and unlikable in the worst of ways: not because they were well round with flaws, but because they were written in a way that they had no redeeming quality. Celestina herself doesn't feel like a character, there is no strong progression from a traumatized teenager to the young woman she is by the end of the book. One moment she goes through a terrible experience and the other she is a twenty something vixen.

There were some decisions that in my opinion didn't serve the story at all. The random first person narration from the ghosts pov were unnecessary and clunky. The magical realism could have been taken out of the story and nothing of substance would have been lost. And yes, that includes the poor explanation and execution of Antonio's character.

The worst part of the novel for me was definitely Celestina's relationship with her father. This novel has a victim blaming tone that goes beyond her father being a terrible man and how the characters react to what happened between them. I won't say that was the author's intention, but more a lack of care when dealing with the subject. Their story is abruptly interrupted and so their last scene together doesn't feel cathartic, it feels empty.

I liked the city and food descriptions, the use of filipino culture and language (it was interesting for me to see how much it borrows from Spanish) and the folklore, but not even this was enough to save this novel for me, unfortunately.

Read as an ARC kindly provided by the author, publisher, and netgalley.

I have never been to the philippines nor read anything set there. I was interested to learn about philippino culture.

The descriptions of Philippine life, their myths, superstitions, and the supernatural side were, I thought, well done. There were many full descriptions of different foods and drinks suggesting a phiIippino love of good food, though some descriptions turned me off ever wanting to try some of the dishes. I liked the main character, Celestina, who, after a life changing experience in her teens, left her broken and trying to find her identity. The writing style was different, with narration coming from different points of view (including 2 ghosts)!

What I hated was the way women were portrayed and treated. There were several scenes that left a very bad taste in my mouth!! Celestina's relationship with her father was just gross, and I didn't like the victim blaming from her father. Mother and JoseMaria. At times, I wasn't sure I was going to finish it, but on the whole, I'm glad I did.

ARC received in exchange for an honest review

sad to report that this was genuinely one of the worst novels i have read in a long time. i will try to be less scathing in this review but i can't promise good structure or flow in this, considering the author did not.

first off, i need to get the most uncomfortable aspect of this novel off my chest first: Celestina's relationship with her father. i did not like the development nor did i feel like the narration of minor, passing characters regarding their relationship as necessary. we were introduced to so many characters and get to read from their perspectives throughout the novel, but for what reason? it did not add to the depth of the main characters nor did it provide any insight to the story that was unfolding. reading from some random movie director about Celestina's relationship with her father took us away from the very sensitive and intimate events that were happening. also, i hated the reason of her father's condition, seemingly out of nowhere, no explanation whatsoever. this decision of the author not only justified the behavior of her father by explaining it away as a result of this fantastical element, but it also reduced what happened as a trivial plot device that pushed our main character to develop further, which i hate. what was the reason for all this anyway? if it's a way to drive the character towards developing her identity, then it was a cheap and unnecessary way to do so. i cannot believe this will be published in the year of our lord 2024. maybe this novel has taken years to come together, but surely one can move with the times and idk, find better alternatives to drive the story forward? everything was so poorly escalated, too. the dialogue and narration were so stilted and awkward, which brings me to my next point.

the dialogue is terribly wooden. absolutely nobody talks like that. very pre-2013 teleserye dialogue. ridiculous and soapy. it took me out of the story several times and i got annoyed with the cliché line drops and narrative maneuverings. i thought this would give me something fresh, you know? alas no, the tropes were tired and lazy— yet i would have excused this, and would have taken all this criticism as a bad decision made by debut author, by virtue of Filipino pride and solidarity had the novel been at least well-written... which is unfortunately not the case. is it really difficult to write well? considering it's your job? like first of all, where is the editor? i beg you to reevaluate your decisions. secondly, how did this get approved by so many people? again, reevaluate your decisions and maybe try to reflect on yourself. do not let bias get in the way! finally, is it this easy to get published nowadays when all one has to do is angle with the POC narrative? shouldn't we prioritize obtaining quality work first? i would have loved to celebrate a born and raised Filipino getting published in the West— but not with this quality! as a fellow Atenista, where's the magis? in line with the poor dialogue and narration, i want to say my piece about the use of Filipino and Hokkien languages. initially, the incorporation of the Filipino language was exciting to read. i have never before read an English book with as many correctly used Filipino words as there was in this novel, and they were very natural! i could tell that the author spoke the language well and grew up with it. but while i enjoyed reading the Filipino words and being able to understand the context and references being made by the author as only someone who has lived in the country can do so, i beg the author to stay away from trying to write Hokkien. being Filipino-Chinese myself (much like Celestina) this should be checked again by someone. thankfully, the Hokkien was not a lot to warrant much attention from me but i was annoyed nonetheless with the use of my language and context just to “deepen” Celestina's character. i know she's some made-up granddaughter of Henry Sy and you think “oh we should show how Chinese she is” but i would have really preferred the author to stay away from it if she does not have anyone to check this aspect. for example, no Fil-Chi person greets another in the Hokkien translation of "How are you?" because that is the Western way of greeting, which the author should know. i do not know the author's context and how they grew up, but i am quite sure that my current context and lived experiences are closer to that of the main character's, even if she comes from a wealthy family.

so what can be done to improve? i suggest two more years of heavy editing tbh. this is not publication ready. i would have liked a focus on the influence of local myths to the stories because then it would have made sense why the fictional serials of Celestina's father are such a hit. with this emphasis and connection to the characters, it would have meant a lot more for Celestina to take the house that was so haunted by the many spirits that her father writes about. to be honest, the magical realism was so poorly incorporated into this novel. i would have appreciated a more consistent and cohesive approach rather than it being sprinkled around when convenient. this brings me to my next point: the lack of a central theme. how can one write a decent novel without a main theme? why are you even writing this novel? why is this even titled “Celestina's House” when our main character Celestina just prances around Manila and tries to find love? we have lost the main point of the story. i wish we got to explore the house more and focused more on what having her own space means and what this old relic of a house has done to her self-identity, even as it is haunted by spirits of the past. i would have wanted her to develop a deeper connection to the haunted house and how this could have been an avenue for her to heal from her traumas. i would have wanted a focus on the various Filipino superstitions and how it affects everyday rituals and routine. perhaps here, her Chinese identity could have been better inserted, as Fil-Chi have many more superstitions that are centered around fortune, health, and marriage. and now, you can see how this can connect to the old haunted house. but anyway, i am only a reader and this will be published either way. what happened was that the characters move through the book like they're not real. events happened, escalated tackily, and the characters were too passive to make a good story.

so, there is no overarching theme! there was no connection nor cohesion to the narrative. things happen and then we move. have i mentioned how ridiculous the plot escalation was? and how soap opera-like, too: unnecessarily dramatic and unrealistic. dialogue was stiff and narration was clumsy. nothing was done well except the descriptions of Manila, which i applaud— as only someone who has lived here and walked these streets can know what to describe. but then again, the characters read like they were written by a 12 year old, so one-dimensional and nonsensical. actually, the entire story is so poorly written that i am very disappointed in everybody involved in the making of this novel. i'm sorry. if i could give this zero stars i would, but i'll be nice and give this 1 star for the worldbuilding.

Clarissa Trinidad Gonzalez takes the reader to the Philippines with her effective imagery of Filipino culture, traditions, behaviours and activities in Celestina's House. I am Filipino myself who has been living away from the motherland for two years now, and the descriptions of familiar places and scenarios sends me to a whiplash -- unfortunately, not in a good way.

I am confronted by many aspects of Filipino culture that I dislike and disagree with, that I find regressive. This is unfortunately the sad reality and the reason why I moved away. But such reaction is a testament to how visceral Trinidad Gonzalez's writing is.

I do fear how an international audience would receive this novel. Personal biases aside, I found that there are some elements that lack context or rely on the reader's further research to understand (lacking descriptions of some food or some terms for family members, lack of historical context for the prevalence and uniqueness of the culture and beliefs of Filipino-Chinese families).

This was unfortunately not for me, as I found the writing a bit too poetic for my taste and the story didn’t fully grip me. I did appreciate the setting though

The atmosphere that this book holds kept me hooked. I loved the ghosts haunting each generation and that there was so much vibrancy with gothic tones.

A mesmerizing debut a story that drew me in and kept me turning the pages late into the night. Ghosts haunting three generations exquisitely written characters.A book I will be recommending a new author to follow.@netgalley @dundren

"An exquisitely dark debut, rich in atmosphere and complex characters blending both charm and flaws. The vivid descriptions of food are tantalizing. Every moment of this novel captivated me. It evoked echoes of 'Mexican Gothic', but with a unique blend of family drama and literary gothic. Certainly, a book worth keeping an eye on!"

I am a bit undecided on which category this book should be placed into. However, I found it to be an interesting read. I plan to take my time to digest it fully. I was particularly impressed by author's writing style. One of the best parts of this book is how well the author created the setting and ambiance. The pace of the story is slow, but it's worth staying with it. It's a family drama with well-developed and interesting characters, and it has a bit of a gothic sense to it. I also thought the supernatural aspects of the plot were well done. It's a brilliant debut novel.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6443816229

This is a hard one to categorise but I enjoyed it. Quite a meandering, slow moving story, which is part family drama, part love story, part love letter to the Philippines and its culture. But I really felt the emotions of Celestina as she faces up to her various challenges (and the ending really got me!). The writing particularly sang off the page when the author is describing the places where this is set - I honestly now feel like I've visited the Philippines without ever having been there. And I loved the little magical/supernatural touches.

A great debut novel, and thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.