I'm sad to say I had to DNF this one. The concept and story initially grabbed my attention, but the pacing really dragged. The author's writing is solid, but the way the chapters were structured made it difficult to follow. It wasn't clearly labeled when the narrator changed, so it took me about eight pages to realize a new character had taken over! I really wanted to like this book more than I did. I don’t have external review links because I avoid sharing anything under three stars. While this one wasn’t for me, I’m sure plenty of readers will love it.

Rating: 3.5

tldr;
Netherford Hall is a fun read and though I had some issues I will still recommend it and will continue reading the series. I’m invested in the characters individually and hope to see more interactions and growth in the coming installments!

What I loved
* The characters — all of the characters were whole and individual. They all had wonderfully different personalities and felt very real! I’m so invested in them individually that it’s the reason why I can’t rate this lower than 3 stars!
* The imagery — everything was so wonderfully described and made it so easy to feel like I was there. Could be seen as a bit flowery but not overly so in my opinion
* The setting — I adore that this took place completely in the country. Not many historical or regency tales take that route and it was very refreshing.
* The magic — the magic and magic system felt very similar to other magics but also completely unique in the way it was approached and I think as we get to see more into the magical world it will get even more interesting

What I didn’t love
* The pacing — it was very slow. I do think there were many scenes that could have been replaced with something else to help move the plot forward
* Multiple storylines — I think that this is the crux of my issues. There were simply too many stories and plot lines to be fully explored in a novel of this size. The story technically has three main characters: Edith, Poppy, and Auden (who isn’t even mentioned in the blurb but gets his own POVs and romance storyline). There are internal and external conflicts for all three to face and not enough time to expand on any of them.
* Not enough time to build the romance — at the end of the novel we are supposed to believe that three couples have fallen in love. I do not. I believe they could fall in love but I don’t believe them to be so when such confessions are made. The story was so focused on all the the internal and external conflicts of the characters that there were not nearly enough interactions between the love interests themselves in order for such strong feeling to have been formed.




spoilers, please to not read unless you’ve finished the book!




The only thing I’m actually concerned about is the relationship and romance between Viola and Silas. He’s supposedly in love with her and vice versa but we only saw their initial interaction and so I think if the second book picks up where book one of ends then it’s going to be very difficult for Barron to make their romance believable for readers

Sadly, this book was not for me. I found the characters one-dimensional, and the relationships between the characters staid. There is zero chemistry, despite this supposedly being a romance book.

There was limited plot, and I really wish that the author had spent some time world building, particularly as they use terms like gentlewitch, and mention a number of otherworldly creatures.

I received an ARC from NetGalley, and all opinions are my own.

A really charming book with a lovely pace and depth, I thoroughly enjoyed reading and fell in love with the characters, setting and story. I loved the regency-era style and clothing, especially Edith’s.
This book has Sapphic romance, Witches, Vampires, Bridgerton vibes, monsters and magic, what’s not to like?

Poppy is immediately fun and loveable, Edith seemed grumpy but intrigued me from the start, and I loved her growth and thawing as their longing and relationship developed. I can’t quite figure out if I love wild and vibrant Poppy more, or strong and steady Edith, but I definitely love them both.

It did have my immediate intrigue and attention when I picked it up, but the point of view and individual characters are not very clear or easy to distinguish until you know them well enough.
The dialogue is a little stiff but I can see the idea they were going for, and it grew on me as I read. This wasn’t a style of writing I would ordinarily love, but it worked for the character of this book.

I recommend this fast paced and classic themed book, original, emotional and full of personality.

Poppy— ‘Bluntness was an art, and she its most devoted mistress.’ 😂👌

I rated this somewhere between 2.5 and 3 stars, so I haven’t publicly posted a review.

Let me start off by saying I really do not think this is a bad book. I just don’t think it was for me. I really struggled to get into it so it ended up taking me significantly longer to read than most books do. I do think I’ll try this book again as maybe I just wasn’t in the right mood/headspace for it. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book💜

Thank you author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book!!


I was having an ok time with most of this book. I didn’t think it was the best book I’ve ever read but I enjoyed parts of it. I definitely feel like the pride and prejudice influence is a little on the nose during some scenes but it was ok.

Now! The end… I did not like the end. There was a point where I felt like it was trying have every trope you could think of like found family and chosen one and there was a big bad villain they were trying to defeat. But none of it was really fleshed out and then it was all wrapped up with a happily ever after ending. I don’t know! I was meh about the rest of the book and that was a bad ending lol

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this book wanting to love it more than I ended up doing. Witches, vampires, magic, all set in the Regency period—like a supernatural Pride and Prejudice? I was definitely all in! The premise was definitely intriguing and promised a delightful blend of historical and magical elements. While I didn't find myself as gripped by the story as I had hoped, I still found aspects of it enjoyable and appreciated the unique take on the Regency era.

The writing is beautiful, and the first half completely drew me in with its vivid descriptions and interesting characters. However, as the story progressed, it started to drag, and it felt like too much was happening at once. It seemed like the book tried to pack too much into this first book. Plus, I'm not a fan of long chapters, and some of these were excessively lengthy, which didn't sit well with me.

Overall, I still enjoyed the setting and the overall premise of the story. The world-building was well-crafted, blending historical and fantasy elements nicely. I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy and historical romance.

Thank you NetGalley and Rebellion Publishing Ltd for the eARC of Netherford Hall!

Sapphic, witchy Pride & Prejudice - that could be the whole review right there! There were a lot of things that I really loved about this loose retelling: great characters, beautiful and complex family relationships, inclusive romance, and a sprinkling of unexpected twists. At times, the writing style is reflective of Jane Austen as a sort of 'Easter egg'.

The world-building and magic systems are both very unique. I do think that the hierarchy of the magic system could be explained a little further, especially in the first half of the novel. The second half of the novel almost feels like a different novel with how much the pace changes and all the sudden revelations into the world and magic system.

This take on Pride & Prejudice was fresh, original, and something that I definitely needed to read! Great series potential, and the ending shows us a lot of what can be expected in the next novel - which seems to build more on the fantasy aspects of the story. Looking forward to more!
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Thank you Kensington for my free ARC of Netherford Hall by Natania Barron — available now!

» READ IF YOU «
✨ love any kind of Austen retelling, especially the wackier ones
🦄 ever struggled to let your individuality shine
🧙 adore the idea of Regency-era witches

» SYNOPSIS «
Edith is in a bind. To save her family home (and her family, really) she'll need to make a financially smart marriage match, and fast. But her annoying tenant Poppy keeps getting in the way — gosh she's infuriating......ly adorable. Secrets and enemies abound though, so Edith and Poppy will have to be smart, savvy, and true to themselves in order to save Netherford and secure the lives they truly desire.

» REVIEW «
This was such a cute little unique retelling of our beloved Jane Austen! The premise is very similar to P&P, but it diverges in the best kinds of ways to include all manner of wild characters and situations. I love Poppy and Edith and their banter, and am a huge fan of historical romance in general, so this story truly was right up my alley. Plus, witches?! Come on. What a great inclusion. This is a nicely paced, well-written retelling with characters you will fall for and be invested in. Would love to see more stories set in this world!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Actual rating around 3.25. While I still overall enjoyed this book, I'm a bit bummed because it doesn't entirely live up to the promise. Billing anything as pride and prejudice related is always dangerous territory because it is so beloved and well-known. I wish this book had leaned in less. It certainly delivered on the vibes, but the plot is pretty different, and the characters were a loose Elizabeth and Darcy (with a strong Jane for sure). Everyone else was not from P&P and even pulled from wildly different places (hello bro and sis ophelia and laertes). Anyway, I couldn't stop trying to compare which is really unfair and also pulled me out of this story, which could have stood well enough on its own.

Luckily the vibes were very good, the setting, the set-up, the queer-norm world were all great. The magic I have some quibbles with, and the story was way too jam-packed with characters and lead ins to future books. A stronger editing job would've really been helpful for the pacing and honing in on the key elements of the story.

Thank you to netgalley and Rebellion for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love a Regency book so I was excited to read my favourite era have more spooky and witchy elements.

I really love this book! It’s funny but also profound. I most enjoyed the setting, this alternative version of regency London with werewolf and vampire and witches. The mystery and the paranormal are really great!
I also love the romance and the character. The dynamic is lovely, I just want more. I hope we will have a second book about them, maybe. Or about other characters in this world with them as secondary characters. I would really like it!
And I love the references at Jane Austen’s works. This book is really my thing.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

My enjoyment of this books was very high. I had some problems with the pacing and the long chapters at first but later realized that was a part of the books charm and ended up not minding it at all.
It had witches, vampires, regency sapphics… What more can you ask for? The story felt very put together and i was reading the pages very fast. It had a large set of characters and I learned to love them all. I somehow do wish that we could have focused on the romance more and seen more scenes with the mcs interacting but other than that i enjoyed this book very much and found it super entertaining.

I really love period novels so when I got a chance to read this book I was so excited. I really loved the sprinkles of magic that was through the book as I continued to read the book. I couldn’t put it down.

Netherford Hall by Natania Barron is a wonderful paranormal historical romance set in an alternate version of regency England where witches, vampires, and werewolves are the norm.

When the long absent gentlewitch, Edith Rookwood, returns to Netherford Hall, the village of Netherford is thrown into turmoil. One of the villagers most affected is Poppy Brightwell, who has been frequenting Netherford Hall for many years. With the family now in residence, she must stay away from a place which seems to call to her. Not only that, but she has an undeniable attraction to Edith, and it seems her feelings are reciprocated.

I really enjoyed this story, it had just enough romance, mystery, magic and action to keep me glued to my ereader. I am an avid reader of historical romance, and the regency period in particular, so I found the setting both familiar but refreshingly different.

There were quite a few characters in the story, and some complex relationships between them. It was interesting figuring out how they all related to each other and trying to figure out where they fit in the scheme of things.

The only issue I had with the book was the way some of the transitions between scenes was mostly absent. Several times I was so confused that I thought I had skipped a page or two and had to go back and reread several times to figure out what was going on.

Still, even with that bit of confusion, I loved Netherford Hall, and recommend it to lovers of historical romance or paranormal romance. I will be watching for book 2 in the series.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This one was a little too slow moving for me, maybe a little boring even. However, I do see lots of people enjoying the pacing, ambiance and themes, so I would still recommend it to people who normally enjoy cozy historical fantasies.

This book would most definitely benefit from having better chapter divisions. A 40 page chapter that focuses on one character, then a different one, then goes back to the previous and takes place during three different events is too much. It made the reading experience feel tired and confusing, since there were no stops to signal where we were about to follow someone else.

The cozy fantasy vibes, the usually accepted and even expected queerness, and the alternate historical time period with paranormal creatures being mentioned regularly create a very nice atmosphere and leave an open door for multiple companion installments.

This was a great mystery about legacy and family. I loved seeing the string of everyone coming to the estate, everyone wanting something and everyone hiding secrets, including our leading ladies!

For fans of sapphic historical romance and especially those that have enjoyed Pride & Prejudice before, this was a delightful read that sprinkles a little magic throughout as well. I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did, and am excited to recommend it in the future.

I don’t often hand out one-star reviews but there is really no other rating I can give Netherford Hall. It was simply a bad book with no redeeming qualities. The characters are flat and uninteresting, are awfully one-dimensional, and have no personality whatsoever. The author seems to think that giving them one or two defining characteristics is the same as developing them fully. It really isn’t. The relationships between the characters are equally boring. None of them have any sort of chemistry, and the main romance is depressingly unremarkable. The two characters don’t fit together, they despise each other for a good portion of the book and then suddenly fall into each other’s arms without having gotten to know each other in between.

The plot was pretty much non-existent nearly until the end. I couldn’t understand what was the driving force of the book and found myself bored from start to end. Perhaps the author attempted to bring some life into her narration by regularly switching points of views. All this achieved was give a sense she didn’t know what she was doing and that the point of views were chosen at random. As for the world building, it is obvious to me that the author put much thought into it. It would have been useful to actually inform the reader about the intricacies of that worldbuilding. As it were, after having read the book, I still have no idea what a gentlewitch is (or any of the other types of witches and other creatures mentioned, save for vampires), and that was pretty important to understand the story.

What a brilliant novel!
I really enjoyed the setting, not only the time period but also the different houses and families, that were connected in interesting ways through social obligations and magical hierarchy.
I also adored the two main characters and their relationship. The build-up felt very natural and the growing adoration Edith and Poppy held for each other made me swoon multiple times. Especially Edith's more masculine appearance was a nice surprise and really made me fall in love with her even more. We definitely don't have enough masculine women, who are still noble and respected, in literature.
The supporting cast was a very vibrant one and I really liked every single one. I even wished we could have read more about the Vampires.
The magic system was pretty interesting and complex and I sometimes lost track a little bit, but nevertheless was the magic very present in the story and very different from other fantasy novels I read so far.
The overall vibes were also perfect and I can't wait to read another novel from Netherford. If you enjoy witches, magic, a nice historical setting á la Bridgerton or Pride and Prejudice and casual queerness then this is the perfect read for you!
This book enchanted me and definitely deserves the highest rating!