Hacía ya mucho tiempo que Antonio y yo no compartíamos lecturas, pero cuando al fin conseguimos cuadrar nuestras agendas hubo un título que no creíamos que pudiera fallar, me refiero a Netherford Hall.

Es una novela que incluye varios de nuestros placeres culpables: Inglaterra de la regencia, brujas, algo de romance y muchos bailes y encuentros sociales.

El libro se puede enmarcar perfectamente en la corriente más en boga últimamente en el género, el famoso romantasy. No obstante, no es el único punto destacado de la lectura.

Se cobijan entre los humanos varios tipos criaturas sobrenaturales como vampiros, hombres lobo, brujas y algunos más. Se nos indica que hubo hadas pero que la frontera con su mundo se cerró tiempo atrás. No obstante perduran los resultados del pacto feérico con los humanos, que dotó de magia a ciertas familias.

Los personajes protagonistas son dos mujeres, la gentlewitch Edith que habrá de mudarse al campo tras una tragedia en su familia y Poppy, la hija de la familia que vive en una de sus propiedades. Quizá esto os suene un poco a guion de Peli de Tarde, salvo que la acción transcurre en Kent en lugar de Vermont. Aunque no negaremos que hay cierta semejanza, las circunstancias personales de cada una no invitan a la esperanza en su relación.

No por su género, ya que las relaciones no heteronormativas están normalizadas en este pasado alternativo, sino por el carácter de cada una, sus diferentes posiciones sociales y una actitud casi hostil con la que comienzan su relación. Además, una serie de amenazas, veladas o no, penden sobre ellas. Y no será tarea fácil desvelar el origen de sus problemas ni mucho menos solucionarlo entre baile y baile. Escoger vestimenta para cada ocasión nunca fue tan estresante.

El estilo de Natania Barron es sencillo pero efectivo. Aunque es una novela que transcurre sin una particular urgencia ni cuenta con acción desenfrenada no se hace larga en absoluto. El ritmo se mantiene lo suficiente para que se lea con facilidad. Tiene algún pasaje más onírico o reflexivo pero no tedioso. Quizá se habría beneficiado de un léxico un poco más florido y un mejor manejo del lenguaje de la época, porque lo que es el ambiente sí está bastante conseguido.

Además, el tramo final de la obra, aunque quizá no excesivamente sorprendente, consigue arrastrar al lector en la corriente de los hechos, consiguiendo atraparlo en una espiral de revelaciones y momentos álgidos.

El misterio principal se resuelve satisfactoriamente pero se abren varias vías por las que claramente transcurrirán las siguientes entregas de la saga. Posiblemente con otros protagonistas pero con personajes que volverán sin lugar a dudas.

En resumen, nos encontramos ante un libro que no revolucionará el género, pero de lectura extremadamente satisfactoria. Los detalles como la completa normalidad con la que se acepta cualquier orientación sexual modernizan una trama entretenida y resultona,

Si te gustó Sorcerer to the Crown de Zen Cho o The Midnight Bargai

Netherford Hall blends Regency charm with supernatural elements in an ambitious narrative. Set in a world where witches and vampires coexist, the novel follows Poppy, a free-spirited young woman from a struggling gentry family, who loses her refuge in the abandoned Netherford Hall when new occupants arrive. Edith, the head of a witch coven reeling from a tragic loss, moves into the hall and faces challenges from distant American relatives claiming ownership.

At the heart of the novel lies the blossoming romance between Poppy and Edith, their tender moments striking a resonant chord within the narrative. However, while their relationship captivates, the pace at which it unfolds feels hurried, leaving readers yearning for more nuanced development.

The multifaceted nature of Netherford Hall proves to be both its strength and its stumbling block. Through its intricate web of plotlines and frequent shifts in perspective, the narrative occasionally struggles to maintain a cohesive flow.

Netherford Hall is a creative blend of Regency romance and fantasy with promising elements. Its ambitious scope may benefit from more focused storytelling in future installments. It's an intriguing read for fans of historical fantasy, even if its execution leaves room for refinement.

Thank you to Natania Barron, Rebellion Publishing Ltd, & Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

"Pride and Prejudice and Witches.

After a mysterious fire at their home in Regency London displaces Gentlewitch Edith Rookwood and her now much-reduced family to their ancestral seat of Netherford Hall in Kent, she faces a new threat in the form of her tenant-the chaotic and lovely Poppy Brightwell.

The repairs on the old pile are prohibitive, Edith's standing is uncertain, and her inheritance has been challenged by a forgotten American branch of the family. It is clear she needs to marry, soon and wisely-but the lively girl from Harrow House gradually comes to occupy all of her thoughts.

As tenants, rivals, suitors and enemies start to circle Netherford, and dark secrets about both women's pasts come to light, Edith and Poppy must confront what it means to fight for love and family, and to be their authentic selves."

Regency Magic Bitches! Or should I say Witches?

So much happens in this book that it's hard to summarize it. Perhaps it was too ambitious to include all of the different storylines in this first book? Focusing on Poppy and Edith's relationship and perhaps the magical aspect of Netherford Hall might have then set up the story of Poppy's "illness" and the American relatives for a second book. This would also push the introduction of the vampires to a second or third book. Their presence was a little confusing in this story.

Netherford Hall was not what I expected but had a lot of promise. I like witchy books so was inclined to like the general gist of the story but there are definite areas for improvement to make the second book more successful.

There were a lot of promising ideas, details, and plot points but there was just too much packed into one relatively short book. I think there were too many characters and back stories thrown at the reader which resulted in a lot of telling instead of showing. The side plots we not unwelcome but added to the general chaos trying to follow the plot. Additionally, the POV changing multiple times within each chapter made the story feel choppy with abrupt transitions. The characters were suddenly crying, weeping, and sobbing for little reason and the romance developments were equally unexpected and startling. I was often confused and I'm not sure I really understand the ending.

I think branding this story (especially on the cover itself) as a Pride and Prejudice and Witches might do this book a disservice. It's certainly apparent who the Elizabeth, Jane, and Darcy equivalents are in Netherford Hall, but the dynamics and motivations are not analogous. Readers looking for a P&P story might be disappointed which seems unnecessary when there is definitely a different audience for this book. I would call this a Regency historical fantasy with better comparisons to Olivia Atwater's Half A Soul series or Howl's Moving Castle.

Now that I know the lay of the land, I would be interested in the subsequent books and would hope the sequel won't have to work so hard to explain the setting and context.

Thank you Solaris Books for the arc!

thanks to netgalley, the publisher, and the author for my copy of netherford hall.
i'm giving it 3.5⭐ rounded up. i liked its premise and i'm always up for a witchy romance. but! while i do enjoy most historical sapphic novels, i didn't connect to any of the characters and i was confused with the plot and the whole magic system half the time...

Captivating witch-filled sapphic regency joy!
I LOVED this book. Honestly, I don't read much regency/historical fiction but this LGBTQ+ and sapphic romantasy is a supernatural delight. Witches, vampires and a hint of werewolves take the stage but ultimately this is a whimsical yet fast-paced story pulling on themes of loss, transformation, belonging, exploration, nature and discovering your true identity...If that sounds like your cup of tea, expect to also find an enemies to friends to lovers saga and queer neurodivergent main characters, both of whom I adored, but it's Edith who captured my whole heart! If you just binged the new season of Bridgerton this book will surely help fill the void. Fans of Natasha Pulley rejoice because this series is one you will be happy to get your teeth into. Easily five stars from me - when's part 2 again??
Thank you Solaris Nova for providing this ARC for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This book had such an interesting premise but didn’t fully hit the mark for me. The romance was really cute and I enjoyed the back and forth of that but most of the time I was confused about what was happening. The world building/ magic system was slightly off to me, the book at the same time was too fast but also too slow? I just didn’t fully grasp what was going on most of the time. That being said it hooked me enough that I would continue on with the series.

Regency era sapphic romance meets fantasy level vampires, witches, and magic. This was a good time and an easy read. Definitely giving Pride and Prejudice but with more varied plot lines. At times it felt like a lot to follow, but as the book hit somewhere around the 60% mark, things start to feel more cohesive and really came into its own. I think this book truly has a little bit for everyone but would be most enjoyed by lovers of cozy fantasy, regency, and/or queer fiction.

I got this as an arc on Netgalley and it will come out in August. Yessssss! So good, so beautifully gay. Although the magical world building wasnt completely well worked out I loved it nonetheless. I felt all the feels. And yes since it's a historical romance a little bit, it also has a carriage scene but sapphic.

I'm absolutely bewitched by Netherford Hall. This book is being described as Pride and Prejudice and Witches, but I think that calling it a Pride and Prejudice retelling does it a disservice. 

There's so much more to this story, so I don't want to focus on comparing it to the classic.

Netherford Hall is the story of Edith and Poppy; Edith is the new gentlewitch of Netherford which means she is also the owner of the house Poppy's family lives in. The gentlewitch should be powerful and provide safety and prosperity to her town, but Edith only came to claim her house after most of her family died in a fire that destroyed their London house. That and the fact that she's not really powerful is why she has a hard time understanding and acting on her feelings towards Poppy.

As for Poppy, she's bright and energetic, but also has family troubles. They are higher born but not rich, often depending on help from others. And they have some secrets. 

Their first meeting doesn't go too well, but both women feel a connection to each other. 

I loved their relationship, and the way it evolved through the book. But I kinda wish they had more scenes together, some of their issues are resolved a little too quickly. 

I really enjoyed the world creation, and how the author used adding witches to "our" world to change a few other things, like same-sex marriages. I would love to know more about witches and their world, but I guess we will have to wait for the next part of the series. 

The non-romance plot was really well written and thought through. Maybe the ending felt a little too rushed, but I really enjoyed it.

This book was sort of all over the place. It felt very scattered, in a way that kept making me wonder if I’d missed something. I also think it’s being mismarketed as a sapphic, magical Pride & Prejudice retelling. There are some resonances, perhaps, and a few verbal easter eggs, but anyone coming to this book hoping for familiar story beats, characterizations, or interpersonal dynamics will be disappointed. But even without making that comparison, the supposedly central romance is underdeveloped — at first nonexistent, then suddenly inflamed, but with no real connecting points along the way. Too many of the side characters felt extraneous and shoved in either for no purpose at all or out of plot convenience. It sort of felt like this book didn’t really know what it wanted to be — a Regency romantasy, a gothic fantasy, a mystery — and so it ended up a haphazard hodgepodge.

Thank you, Netgalley, for this ARC.

This was an interesting ride. I went in expecting a Pride & Prejudice (loose) retelling but what I actually got was a book about witches and humans coexisting in an ecosystem similar to the great estates of old with entire villages attached to estates and dependent on them for a livelihood.

Edith Rookwood is at her dilapidated ancestral seat at Netherford Hall after a tragic fire killed most of her family except her uncle and very young nephew, Henry. Neither adult was meant to be taking up ancestral responsibilities because more talented or magically potent members of their family were taking up the mantle but now they must muddle through despite their grief and trauma.

Poppy Brightwell is one of the tenants at Harrow House who feels a strange attachment to Netherford Hall, despite its run-down state, and can't quite explain it. Her family is deeply averse to witches in all forms so a Gentlewitch moving into Netherford Hall is not welcome news but somehow the two are attracted to each other despite their disparate social standings and magical use.

I particularly enjoyed how diverse the world is. We have people from all ethnic backgrounds, along with queer unions being commonplace, even amongst the gentry. We also have the fae, witches who the government sanctions, as well as vampires and werewolves (only mentioned), added to make this an incredibly diverse and interesting world.

The only thing I didn't quite like about this book is that it sometimes feels like too many subplots are crammed in this first book rather than extended out to future books. I prefer the first book in a fantasy series to set up the players and factions and relationships and then dive into more complexities in subsequent books. For example, the vampires felt extraneous for the most part and we don't get enough information about them to understand their allegiances and powers. Perhaps this will be fleshed out in a sequel but having them in this book feels a bit puzzling to me.

While the plot and characters are interesting and engaging, I think the real standout in this book is the lovingly described clothing and accessories. We have a primary side character who is a modiste and one of the main characters takes great care with her appearance and dress and it shows in the appreciation of how everyone looks and the descriptions of their formalwear.

Overall, an engaging and interesting fantasy world crossed with regency romance.

This book made me feel complicated feelings.

The main character's personality felt very erratic and I couldn't catch her vibe or what type of person she was supposed to be besides "a lot", that eventually got better but for the first half of the book her actions didn't make sense to me because I couldn't understand her character. Her sister did not feel like a real person beyond beautiful older sister archetype. The Rookwood's felt a little more clear and consistent in their characters but the random child had close to no impact on most of the story except to drop a few ominous warnings then provide crucial assistance in the final battle. Would have loved to see more of Poppy, Edith, and Henry all interacting together.

Some thoughts i had while reading: Everyone's actions were confusing and nobody's emotional responses made sense. Why is everyone crying suddenly, is this world strict and Victorian or not, why are these people so mad at each other, etc. It felt like with the pacing and character attitudes that this should be a YA book except there's semi explicit romance so it's very firmly adult but with a touch of "I would have liked this more when I was a youth".

Okay I was really harsh but this book is still 3 stars because even with all the little things that bothered me I was still interested enough in the story, the mystery, and the character arcs of all those silly little guys, to finish reading the book and find out what happened to them. I think the ending was a bit rushed and there were a lot of plot points left unanswered but this book ended very clearly preparing for a sequel series to follow which I might end up reading who knows.

I was enchanted by the gay witches and diverse body representation in both size and ethnicity and the concept of a magical England with no racism or homophobia apparently. God bless.

DNF@ 34%

I didn't like the way it was written, and the only character that really had any personality was Poppy.

A big thank you to Net Galley and Rebellion for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4/5 Stars

I was immediately intrigued by the description of “Pride and Prejudice and Witches”, but I had to remind myself throughout that this was not Pride and Prejudice. It’s set during the Regency period in England, but that is where the similarity ends for me. It stands up much better without that in the description.

I enjoyed the overall story. Queer regency era with witches and a more diverse set of characters? Yes please! Parts of it felt rushed or not fully thought out. Some of the early attraction and chemistry between Edith and Poppy felt forced and too soon, but by the end felt much more believable.

The abrupt switching of POVs in the middle of chapters was a little jarring but I got used to it after about 1/3 of the book. There was no visual queue that POVs changed and I think that might help.

I didn’t love the cliffhanger ending / lack of resolution, as I didn’t realize this was the start of a series, but I will definitely pick up the next book!

I recommend this to anyone who likes queer fantasy with romance thrown in.

Sadly this Regency Fantasy was a big disappointment.
I am a sucker for Pride and Prejudice, love fantasy, am always excited to see more diverse casts of characters and so I jumped straight in with a lot of expectations... and was sorely let down.
The pace is excruciatingly slow, with painfully long and pointless descriptions (unlike the classic - yep this managed to have more descriptions than novel from the 1800s).
The emotions of the characters were weird, all were either angry or in heat, and none of it actually stemmed from any of the events on the page. The writing of all the inner conflict was very confused and shallow.
Nothing happened for almost 70% of the book, and when something finally did, the characters all made themselves so unlikable that I truly didn't care what happened to any of them. There was hardly any threats or possible dire consequences for any characters until the end of the book and no goals for anyone to follow. Maybe that is meant to pass for cosy writing?
I didn't think it was possible to make vampires, witches and magic boring.

Netherford Hall is a sapphic romance in regency era England with witches, vampires, and other assorted creatures. The characters are interesting, and I like the plot, but for me there’s a bit too much going on. There are so many different plot lines and the main characters don’t get the build of their relationship near as much as I wanted. It’s still good, it just left me wanting a little.

I've been obsessed with Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell for years, and this book did the same things for me--an absolutely standout novel that went in surprising places, seamlessly integrating history and magic--except that Netherford Hall is also delightfully queer. In short, this novel was the most delightful surprise! It reads like a Regency novel, and I mean that in the most complimentary sense--although the world of Netherford Hall has witches, vampires, and other sorts of magic, as well as a diverse cast, the world building is so skillfully integrated with history that this could easily sit alongside Jane Austen's novels and not feel out of place.

In short, I adored this and highly recommend it to fans of Regency novels who wish those books were magical and queer!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc! Opinions are my own.

1.75/5

I was disappointed by this book. I was expecting something better, frankly.

For a book that is marketed as a Pride and Prejudice sapphic retelling with magic it lacks the most important part of the book: the romance between the characters. The chemistry just wasn't there, there was no banter or any connection, really. Is it a retelling? A bad one. It's more of a distorted copy - one that includes all the iconic lines from the original book like "it is the truth universally acknowledged" etc. Unfortunately, the style it was written affected the book.

Jane Austen lived in 19th century so she wrote the way she spoke. It feels authentic because it was authentic to her. Unfortunately, Natania tried to copy Austen's style too much. It didn't feel genuine or effortless - it felt pompous and disgenuous.

The characters weren't written well. Poppy was a fun character, but the rest weren't. Where Edith was supposed be a brooding Darcy and Poppy a light-hearted Elizabeth, it gave them a role reversal. Darcy (Edith) was the one who struggled trying to keep the family together from cousins who tried to take away everything, while Elizabeth (Poppy) ... What, exactly? There weren't many elements from Darcy's live in Poppy, perhaps except for a loving sister. But unlike the original book, Poppy wasn't the eldest and she didn't have to be a parent to her siblings.

Like I mentioned, the writing was just bad. The chapters were long and pov changed between the paragraphs so fast, it was jarring. I couldn't get into a mind of one character and try to understand their motives and try to like them, before I was ripped away from them, forced into someone else's pov and the process began from the start again. I didn't like that, and it made me enjoy the book even less.

Thank you, NetGalley and Rebellion publishing for providing me with an ARC for my honest opinion.