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.

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ thank you netgalley and rebellion for this arc!

i wanted SO badly to be able to ride for this book. i wanted to love this. i really did. it had so much potential!!! pride and prejudice, sapphic romance, witches and vampires! but unfortunately i was left disappointed. I DO STILL THINK ITS WORTH READING IF ANY OF THOSE THINGS SOUND APPEALING. i just personally was not a huge fan.

i was most excited for the romance between poppy and edith but the chemistry was just not there. there wasn’t much banter, the yearning felt forced and they honestly didn’t talk to each other that much.

when the romance wasn’t hitting, i was hoping the plot would make up for it… well. unfortunately the climax felt to me like the author just wrote down an outline of what she wanted to happen and then decided to leave it there. it felt so procedural and out of place compared to the rest of the book.

i feel like if you really love historical romance and you also love fantasy and want to read something wueer, you would probably still have fun with this. but it just wasn’t as good as i was hoping :(

Sapphic Jane Austen with a twist 🌈✨
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Being totally honest, I was never a huge fan of JA. I liked the style but lacked the connection. However… this book was the perfect mix for me!

If you’re a fan of fast paced novels or romances this might not be your jam, or I’d recommend reading something more fast paced in addition. It def. Takes time to build up, but if you’re willing to enter into the new world then it should be okay.

I know some people are mentioning the characters and even though I agree with their description of one being less pleasant… I think I read that this will be a series. Had this been a stand-alone that would’ve lowered my score. But knowing we’ll get more it opens my mind to changing my thoughts on said character.

Thank you so much for creating a sapphic regency read!!! I must def. felt part of that world 🌈🌟

Netherford Hall is everything you could dream of in a magical witchy sapphic Pride and Prejudice retelling. It blew my mind and wrenched my heart!!
I fell in love immediately with Edith and Poppy - as well as Auden and Viola and the supporting characters. Edith is the perfect stoic brewing gentlewitch, and Poppy is amazingly wild, intense, and feisty.
I won’t spoil the plot but it is FASCINATING - I was spellbound the entire time and read it in record speed. The prose is gorgeous, the conversations are incredibly written.
I loved it so so much.
Thank you for this ARC!

3.5 - I really enjoyed this book, as I have a fondness for regency and sapphic stories. The characters were amazing, and I loved getting to know them. It reminded me of a magical version of Gentleman Jack. The beginning of the book was slow, but it picked up later on. The bits of information revealed throughout the story kept me interested and eager to find out what would happen next. My only complaint, which lowered the rating, was that the ending felt too convenient, particularly (without spoilers) regarding the vampire aspect. However, overall, it was definitely worth reading and offered a refreshing change of scenery.

Title: Netherford Hall

Author: Natania Barron

Rating: ★★★★

If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to mix the elegance of Regency romance with a dash of witchcraft, look no further than "Netherford Hall" by Natania Barron. What a combo!This enchanting tale weaves magic and romance into a delightful story that will captivate your heart.

After a mysterious fire forces Gentlewitch Edith Rookwood and her family to relocate from Regency London to their ancestral home, Netherford Hall, in Kent, Edith is thrust into a whirlwind of challenges. The hall needs costly repairs, her family’s standing is precarious, and her inheritance is under threat from a forgotten American branch. Marriage seems like the only solution, but then she meets the chaotic and charming Poppy Brightwell, her new tenant.

Poppy is everything Edith isn’t—lively, unpredictable, and utterly fascinating. As the two women navigate their growing attraction amidst a backdrop of societal expectations and personal secrets, they must also deal with an array of tenants, rivals, suitors, and enemies who converge on Netherford Hall.

Barron masterfully blends the sophistication of Austen-esque romance with a twist of the supernatural. Edith and Poppy's journey is filled with delightful banter, heartwarming moments, and thrilling discoveries. The chemistry between the two leads is electric, and their relationship develops with a perfect balance of tension and tenderness.

"Netherford Hall" is a spellbinding tale of love, family, and self-discovery. With dark secrets, magical elements, and an enchanting romance, it’s a book that keeps you hooked from the first page to the last.

Highly recommend this enchanting read for fans of historical romance, magical adventures, and anyone who loves a good twist on a classic tale!

Thank you to The Publisher Rebellion | Solaris Nova , the author Natania Barron & Netgalley for an advanced reader copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review.

Netherford Hall sounded interesting in its premise: a relatively untalented gentlewitch who never expected to become head of her family must relocate to her family’s country seat when the remainder of the family dies in a fire. The nearby neighbors to this house, the Brightwells, are an impoverished family, the eldest of which has been secretly exploring (trespassing in) Netherford Hall for years. I struggled with this book because the style is clearly an attempt at mimicking the writing style of Jane Austen that didn’t really pay off. Additionally, Barron attempted to add and take away different social classes in order to tell the story, but it ended up being difficult to parse despite ample exposition.

A witchy sapphic pride and prejudice mish mash. I have never actually read P&P so I can’t say how much inspiration has been taken in the writing of Netherford Hall. The book itself is quite slow up until the last 30% but we get lots of exploration of the surroundings and people involved. Poppy is a magnificent main character. I would love for her to be my best friend. She’s charming and fun and interesting. Unfortunately she’s quite the contrast to Edith who seems quite miserable and moody. The romance between the two of them didn’t entirely hit for me. The side characters are also all good additions and add to the story.

A sapphic regency romance based on Pride and Prejudice, with added fantasy elements like magic, witches, and vampires? Sign me up!
Thank you to NetGalley and Rebellion, Solaris Nova for this eARC.

Firstly, I love when queerness is integrated into the worldbuilding in an almost nonchalant way, just an everyday normality, and this was a fantastic example of that. The magic of this world was also very interesting and I was itching to know more about the origins of it.

While Poppy's characteristics and personality grew on me over time (she’s the definition of a chaotic bisexual and I love her for it), Edith's went in the opposite direction, sadly. The more I read, the more I disliked her, and it had an impact on the overall enjoyability of both the plot and the romance. Around the middle of the book, the romance starts sparking up and getting saucier, but it just left a weird taste in my mouth by the end. Edith had grown so distant that I just couldn’t feel the honesty in her at all.

As for the plot, it was easy enough to follow, but some pathways were taken and choices were made that just didn’t feel right. I would have preferred different angles or perspectives in certain parts, but there were a few mysterious storylines that loomed in the background from quite early on that made me intrigued and kept me looking out for anything suspicious. The resolutions and revelations with these mysterious bits were so well done, too. I was actually very surprised by some of the plot twists and thought they felt very different and fresh (Poppy's entire storyline, for instance!) and were very well planned and executed.
In large chunks throughout the book, the pacing was achingly slow and only sped up into the peak of the action right at the end, and I will admit that I struggled to push myself through the slower parts.

It is quite a solid book overall, and I think it sets up really well for the rest of the series!

This is a beautiful, engaging and fresh fantasy romance that delivers what I was searching for in Bridgerton and more. I absolutely adored Netherford Hall as it serves up a delicious pairing of regency-era romance and fantasy world-building filled with witches, magic and vampires.

This interpretation of Pride and Prejudice is extremely well done. Barron has taken just enough inspiration from the source material to make Netherford Hall reminiscent of Pride and Prejudice but adds her own special twist to it, making it feel fresh and as a unique story in its own right. I appreciated the exploration here of themes also found in Pride and Prejudice, such as marriage, reputation, misjudgements and the dichotomy between the town and country. That said, readers can definitely enjoy this book without having read (or watched) Pride and Prejudice which speaks to how strongly it stands as its own story.

The writing itself is wonderful - the prose is beautifully written, especially the descriptions of clothing. The characters are distinct and convincing. The chapters occasionally switch between different perspectives, and there is always a clear change in style to reflect the personality and quirks of each character which made this a joy to read.

As a whole, I found myself thoroughly entertained throughout this story. This is the perfect book to pick up for readers looking for a cosy fantasy read with a romance plotline, and/or who are looking for a regency queer love story.

The dedication reads "for every queer heart who wished for their Darcy." Readers who resonate with or are intrigued by that (as I did) are sure to enjoy this read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Solaris Books for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I did not realize this was in a genre I don't review. My profound apologies. I won't be doing a review elsewhere but wish the author great success!

This book was a lot more intriguing than I initially expected. Multiple different plots take place throughout the course of the book, and sometimes intertwine. At times, it was confusing to read because there was just so many things going on. A lot of the book is enjoyable, the mysteries, characters, and magic keep things interesting. However, one aspect of the book that was lacking for me was the romance. I did enjoy a lot of the interactions between Poppy and Edith, but something about their pairing just didn't work for me. Maybe it was a lack of chemistry, or not enough believable build-up for their attraction, but I just couldn't get invested in them as a couple. Other than that, it was a fairly good read and there's plenty of questions still left to be solved in the next book. 3.8/5 stars rounded up.

Oh, I loved this so much, this is such a wonderful subtle Pride & Prejudice retelling with a great fantasy twist.

The characters and plot were shaped around the source material enough that it does speak to the P&P lover in me but is also so original that it doesn't feel like a cheap cop-out in the way some retellings can.

Poppy is the strong-headed daughter of a family who has somewhat fallen from grace due to poverty but continues to live on the fringe of society in their small town, but things begin to change when tragedy forces the town's new Gentlewitch Edith returns to for the first time in years and takes up residence in her dilapidated family home. Throw in some curses, vampires, a house that appears to be alive and a well-executed slow-burn sapphic romance and Netherford Hall is a perfect storm.

Seriously the romance was soooo good, and that last chapter was woahhhh.

This is definitely one I will be grabbing a physical copy of, and I can't wait for the next instalment.

Thank you to NetGalley and Rebellion, Solaris Nova for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

First of all thank you to NetGalley, Rebellion and Natania Barron for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love this one more than I did. I love Pride and Prejudice and I love how Natania draws on that story and enhances the world with witches and vampires. It's very creative and a good way to introduce more people to the Jane Austen fan club.
However, I just was not gripped by this novel. I didn't feel compelled to keep reading and I wasn't really thinking about it throughout the day.
Furthermore, the pacing is a little bit slow for my liking. I understand there's a lot of world building and contextualizing to do so I do say I would still recommend this book.
However, be aware that most of the action happens in the last 30% of the book.

I do still recommend. It's a good 3 star read for me.

This is a mix of a classic regency story twist with fantasy and sapphic romance. It was just what the description described. If you like witches in love you will enjoy this read.

Es una buena idea, pero el desarrollo quedó a deber.

¿Saben esa sensación cuándo compran un libro, lo leen, no entienden que está pasado y nada tiene sentido, pero siguen leyendo creyendo que en algún momento habrán explicaciones y al final se dan cuenta que es el 3er libro de una saga? Pues así me sentí todo el libro.

Además de lo anterior también hay muchos temas y son tantos que al final ninguno se trata al 100%.


Honestamente dudo leer el siguiente libro.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

If you really loved that Bridgerton is getting more gay, or if you think that regency books would be more fun if there was witches, vampires, and magic in them, this book is for you.

This book follows the story of Netherford Hall, as Gentlewitch Edith Rookwood returns to claim the ancestral seat following a devastating fire at their family's London home. The arrival of a gentlewitch to Netherford stirs up the town, as the town has not had a gentlewitch in generations. Yet there are bigger issues afoot than the unmarried status of the gentlewitch, not least of which is the as-of-yet unknown Rookwoods arrival from America.

This book has an amazing cast of characters, from the brooding gentlewitch Edith, her majordomo Auden and their young family member Henry, to the lively Poppy Brightwell and her extended family, to the mysterious Vampires and more. Barron juggles a vast cast of characters pretty well, though at times it is hard to keep track of whose POV we are following at a given time. I think this book could have been helped by splitting up the chapters a bit more (since they are all quite long chapters with a lot of POV swaps).

I really enjoyed this book, even with the slower pace, and I am looking forward to seeing where this series goes!

First of all, thank you NetGalley, Rebellion and Natalie Barron for gifting me an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

As a hardcore lover of Pride and Prejudice (both book and the 2005 film) I didn't know I needed this book until I actually started reading it.

Characters were fresh and the plot felt fresh, even if people still have to remember this is a queer retelling of Pride and Prejudice. The pen of Barron was very much appreciated to me, especially her details in the characters wardrobe, that was simply phenomenal.

The problems I found while reading the book is that the plot line at times is not linear, and that most of the chapters where excessively long (as in 45 minute long on kindle), the last thing that was a bit confusing was the unsigned change of Povs through the whole book. At that point it would have maybe been better start a new chapter every change of POV to facilitate the reading experience, that for me because of that was unfortunately a bit of a hindering thing.

But still, Netherford Hall is for all those that didn't want to leave Mr and Mrs Darcy after their happily ever-after, but add it a bit of magic and secrets, and make it between a common girl and a cold gentlewitch.