I absolutely loved this book and have not stopped thinking about this book, to the point I ended up bumping up my 4.5 star rating to 5 stars. From the moment I started this book, I knew I was going to enjoy this book, and it did not disappoint in the slightest.

I quickly became enamoured with this world that Martineau has created. The vibes were honestly on point, and the magical world-building was so immersive and unique. The premise of the Blight was so interesting, while also incredibly heart-breaking to read about. Even though I knew it was coming, I was still so devastated when the brothers caught it, especially with Edira's reaction.

Edira was a fantastic and brave character that you can't help but root for throughout. The feeling of helplessness is strong in this, but it honestly just has you on tender hooks as she tries to figure out a way to cure her brothers. The way she is willing to sacrifice everything for them is such an admirable trait, and I just found myself loving her character even more.

I really liked the romance and the chemistry she has with certain characters. I was scared it was going to become a love triangle, as I'm not the biggest fan of the trope, but it didn't turn out that way, which I'm happy about! I'm so intrigued to see how the romance develops in the next book!

I wholeheartedly recommend this book as Martineau has done a fantastic job at world-building and creating amazing characters! I can't wait to see what happens next!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Took me some time to write this review, and in all honesty, I’m still not 100% sure I understand how I feel about this book.

House of Blight is your typical romantasy—young woman who has incredible powers gets whisked away to a magical fairy land where she is the only one who can save everybody. Sounds familiar? You know it.

The story has been done countless times, but while there are obvious similarities to ACOTAR (and its other spawns), House of Blight has a much darker take on the genre. Edira’s power drains her life force whenever she tries to heal somebody, which leads to some difficult choices for her. How far would she go to save somebody she loves? Add the looming threat of the incurable blight, and a dash of Martinaeu’s poetic prose describing the rot-infested world, and you get an intriguing Gothic romance novel that manages to differentiate itself from all the other stories.

But why is this not a 5 star read for me (and maybe not for you either)?

I don’t like the love triangle one bit.

Both love interests are weak and stereotypical—loving and caring Orin versus hard and rugged Rorik. Of course, they’re both perfect, and smart, and mysterious. Of course, Edira falls head over heels for them. Who wouldn’t… These guys are the most powerful beings in this world, and although they hide scales and fangs under their glamours, they’re still beautiful. They’re the Evers, and they want only her.

Some of the interactions Edira has with the male characters make no sense. Why is she swooning for Orin after a few conversations? Why is she so mean to Rorik when she’s met him twice? Seems like entire scenes have been cut that would have fleshed out their relationships. I was having a hard time rooting for anybody and it didn’t help that the “twist” was predictable.

So, to the tough question: Would I recommend this book? I think this novel will be quite popular in the romantasy community, but I, personally, just wanted more. The story has big potential, which is being overshadowed by the shallow romance. I think if you’re on the hunt for a new series with multiple live interests, you’ll still have a good time. Just don’t read this book for the romance alone because you’ll be disappointed.

The first half really had me! This was pretty addicting to read at first to be honest... but sadly it just went downhill for me!

The plot progression (or lack there of) felt a little all over the place but also not much happened at the same time!?

Plus there was absolutely no chemistry or intrigue with the love triangle so I just found myself let down, and bored.

I'm glad a lot of people are enjoying this though!! I can see why people would compare this too The Cruel Prince and possibly ACOTAR but unfortunately, this isn't for me.

I think it had a lot of potential, but for me lacked in character work, depth, and intrigue.

Thank you to NetGalley + Titan Books for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review :)

It’s been a long time since I disliked a book this much!

The premise actually had me excited - Edira is a threadmender with rare healing magic that chips away at her life every time she uses it. When her brothers fall ill with the blight (aka a mysterious and incurable disease), she’s pulled into the orbit of the powerful "magical immortal" family, where she’s meant to help find a cure.

Unfortunately, that’s where the fun ends. The characters felt flat, the antagonist was laughably two-dimensional ( the only missing part was "the Muahahaha"😂), and the plot just completely lost me in the last third. I was reading with a kind of horrified fascination, wondering how it had all gone so off the rails.

And the romance - oh please! I saw Orin’s intentions coming from miles away, and I never understood why Edira was into him. There was zero spark, no believable build-up, and no reason for me to care.

It’s frustrating, because the core idea had so much potential. I wanted to like it. But the execution just didn’t land for me at all.

2/5 ⭐

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I'm always intrigued by illness mending and healing in fantasy stories as healers have always been favourite person in a magic users group and this was a very unique way of approaching healing (in the form of threadmending)

It is a tiny bit of a slow start, but I would say that is fairly standard for more "rich" fantasy stories or higher fantasy books and it picked up very quickly.
The blight was described so eloquently and so tactile that it almost became a character itself and that made for a very rich and encompassing read.

As a huge fan of Gothic fantasy, this one really, really hit the spot for me and everything had this slight "oily darkness" that seeped all over it, from the descriptions of the manor, the dialogue to the way the characters interacted. It really hits the mark for "gothic fantasy", and i especially love the dichotomy of the almost golden threadmending with the very dark and mysterious world around it.

The romance was satisfying and seemed to flow at the right speed, especially as they require so much from each other, and I thought their interactions were well writted and had some beautiful (and frustrating) moments. They are deeply interesting characters and I honestly cant wait for more from this world.

A bit of a slow start for me, but House of Blight really picked up after about a quarter of the way through!
The magic is fascinating, I love the idea of threadmending. The world building was fantastic. The descriptions of the Fernglove home are absolutely beautiful. The way the blight is described is almost tactile, like as you’re reading you can almost feel it.
I loved Edira and Rorick, they’re fantastic characters with a lot of depth to them. Rorick especially, in my opinion, has a lot of depth and you’re really rooting for him by the end.
I really loved this book by the end and I cannot wait for the next in the series!

I really enjoyed House of Blight which deals with healing magic, illness and the limits of that magic interwoven with a tale of enemies to lovers and romantasy. The world was richly built but in such a way you never felt that you were being given too much information in one go. I really loved Edira and the gothic heroine vibes she brought to this arguably gothic romantasy.

I did like how the story progressed and the elements of mystery as well. There was a good mix of story to romance which also kept me hooked. With a lovely writing style and interesting characters this was a fun and enjoyable read that was laced with fantastic atmosphere and a rich world.

As always thank you to Titan Books for the advanced copy to review, my reviews are always honest and freely given.

A reasonably well written tale . The story was a bit of a mixture in that the principle of it was interesting though some parts of it were predictable but it was very slow going in the middle part but my biggest gripe of a book is that you stick with it but there isn’t a proper finish and you are left hanging and I felt there were too many unanswered questions. I realise the author will probably want to do a series but for me it put me off even though I did like the principle of this story but felt the end could have been better.

I’m always interested in books that deal with the subject of illness and involve healing magic, and I was intrigued after reading the synopsis for House of Blight by Maxym M. Martineau. I was hooked by the prologue, which introduces the curious story of a woman standing up to death. I had to know what the implications of those events were, and this book just went from strength to strength.

In this gothic fantasy, Martineau introduces a world where magic exists and immortal fae-like creatures called Evers rule over humans. The Evers have a particular interest in humans called threadmenders who have the ability to cure any disease and heal any injuries. This magic comes with a cost, however; a sliver of the threadmender’s own life. Edira is one such threadmender, taught to hide her abilities and her silvery hair that immediately outs her as one.

Living with her two younger brothers, Edira is all too aware of the limits of her powers after failing to save her parents from the deathly Blight. A deadly illness that is transferred by contact, it comes on fast and results in a horrific death. Edira can heal anything else, but the Blight is a virus that she is powerless to stop.

When she was a child her aunt disappeared, believed to have been taken by the local Evers family the Fernglove. Edira has managed to avoid them until one market day she comes face to face with the head of the family, Orin. He claims to want her help to fight the Blight, to find a cure, something he claims that her aunt tries to do.

Edira initially refuses his offer, but when her brothers become ill with the Blight Orin offers her the chance to save their lives. His magic lets him slow the virus, keeping them alive long enough for Edira to work with him to find a cure. It’s the only option, and Edira soon finds herself surrounded by the Ever family who come with their own dangers.

Danger isn’t the only thing she finds at Fernglove House, and as she learns more, Edira won’t just have to fight the Blight to ensure she and her brothers survive.

House of Blight has just the right mix of elements for me. It’s got a fantasy mystery, great world-building, steamy romance, and brilliant plot twists. I will admit that I saw one of them coming, but that did not limit my enjoyment. In fact,I think it added to it because I kept waiting for it to happen and I enjoyed the way Martineau strung it along. It felt almost playful in the way she dropped hints and tidbits to see if the reader could put things together. Figuring things out is not a requirement nor do I think the book will be less fun for readers who choose to just enjoy the ride.

Other than that one twist, that is what I did; enjoyed the ride and what a ride it is! Edira is a strong character who realises the danger she is in, and the difficult decisions she needs to make to keep herself and her brothers alive. It was nice to have a heroine who was grounded in reality and not a damsel in distress. She does make mistakes though, and it was interesting watching her learn from them. Life with the Fernglove is very different to the life Edira has lived, sometimes with unexpected positive results. There’s a scene with one of the villagers that was particularly satisfying.

Edira is not the only character that is well written, with depth, thought-provoking histories and noticeable character growth on the page. Martineau’s world appears to be queer normative with Edira referring to two married men, and her romantic experiences with a woman, suggesting that she is bisexual or pansexual. There is a sapphic relationship that I can’t discuss further due to spoilers, however, the only on-page romance is between a male and female character. While this was interesting enough, it would have been nice to see queer romance on the page rather than just background characters.

That is my only complaint about House of Blight, and the ending opens up interesting storylines for the second book in The Threadmenders duology. I can’t wait to see how this duology finishes!

*AD/Gifted: thank you to Titan Books and NetGalley for sending me an advanced reader copy of House of Blight by Maxym. M Martineau

House of Blight is a romantasy novel described as blending gothic vibes with feminine rage.

The story revolves around Edira, a hidden Threadmender, who must keep her abilities secret from the Evers — immortals devoted to mastering magic. The concept of Threadmending was fascinating - it allows someone to repair another persons life threads at the potential cost of their own. I found the magic system compelling, but I would have liked more detailed world-building and deeper character development. The FMC often seemed to drift through the story without questioning much, which made it difficult for me to fully connect with her. It also took me ages to realise that Odin has a tail and horns for some reason. The ‘Blight’ is a plague ravaging people’s bodies without a cure in sight, and the plot progresses as Edira meets two Ever brothers, Odin and Rorik.

Overall, the story was intriguing and made for a quick, enjoyable read. I appreciated that there wasn’t a major cliffhanger, especially since I believe this is the first book in a series, however some elements of the book were quite predictable. The novel reminded me of A Court of Thorns and Roses (which I loved) but written in a style reminiscent of The Cruel Prince.

Publication Date: 8th April 2025

Actual rating: 2.5/5

This book is far from what I hoped it to be. Part of that is due to, in my opinion, wrong marketing. Part of it is just also the execution. While this does have interesting and strong points going for it, I often found myself frustrated while reading.

Firstly, this has a very strong prologue that fit in nicely with what was promised: an eerie gothic tale. While there is a wee bit of gore, nothing about this was gothic. Our main character Edira lives with her twin brothers in what seems like an idyllic town depending on your wealth. She and her brother get the wrong end of the stick and make ends meet by having the twins labour in mines. However, the mines are a hotspot for getting infected with Blight, an unexplained illness that will rot your body within minutes. Additionally, the mines are owned by so-called Evers, though you might as well call them Fae as these immortal's characteristics are far too similar to truly call this an original new species. In any case, Edira has a secret: she's a threadmender which means she can cure illnesses at the cost of her own life. All except blight that is. When her brothers get infected with blight, she is whisked off to the local Ever residence where she is to learn to perfect her healing magic to heal both her brothers as well as the Ever elder who has also been infected.

Firstly, the opening chapters still felt somewhat promising - I don't mind the prose and the prologue still held so much promise. But the moment the first Ever shows up in town it all falls apart. Orin is the head of the house, makes a beeline for Edira and is perfection incarnate which to me meant either poor characterisation or all sorts of alarm bells. The incredibly obvious isnta love took away any credibly I would have given either him or Edira. Once bright to the manor, I was once again disappointed. Nothing, absolutely nothing about it fit into the gothic genre. Nothing was eerie, atmospheric or raised doubt about the setting. The Ever family is thoroughly unlikeable and it's entirely beyond me how Edira comes to care for or trust any of them in the slightest.

Naturally, a second love interest is introduced, namely Orin's brother Rorik. He is the brooding and snarky counterpart to Orin's perfect demeanour. I will give Rorik this, he had at least some inkling of chemistry with Edira, but once again, I could not understand why either Orin nor Rorik would be (instantly!) attracted to Edira, nor could I understand how Edira came to like either of them. How things pan out between the three is painfully obvious from the start and while some of the instant attraction is explained within the last chapters, it doesn't change that from a romance point of view, this was thoroughly lacklustre.

The Ever lore was fine, some of the magic such as the healing was interesting enough. But as I mentioned, it felt so precariously close to Fae lore, I don't understand why the author hadn't simply opted to name them for what they ultimately are - from a sales point of view, given fae popularity, I think she'd have only attracted more readers. There were also a few plot holes, although I'll be fair and say this is a duology and all my concerns might still be addressed. Nevertheless, I felt it was never explained why threadmenders exist - magic is exclusive to Evers except for the healing powers some rare humans have. Ok, but why? What's the history and lore behind them? And the moment the plot began to focus on finding a way to cure blight, I couldn't help but wonder why no one even takes the fact that this is highly contagious into consideration, like clearly curing someone isn't enough if this is just going to continue to rampage through this world.

Also, not so much an issue for myself but something I see being a potential issue for others: this is an adult fantasy and Edira is 25 years old but her voice and actions felt entirely like a young adult heroine. I prefer young adult over adult so it wasn't any bother to me but going forward, when people call an adult book 'too YA', this will be the first to jump to my mind. It's a real shame, the prologue, which also never gets referred back to so I don't even know where it fits in with the actual plot, was really promising and it just didn't deliver on any points. Besides a few modern phrases, the writing was fine which is probably the main point that still elevates this book a little for me.

An exciting new Romantasy with Beauty and the Beast vibes where magic comes with a heavy price.
Edira is her town’s healer but she keeps her true identity of being a magic wielding Threamender a secret. Threadmending is a rare power that allows her to heal, but at the cost of shaving time off her own life. But the powerful Ever, Orin Fernglove discovers her secret and when her brothers contract the sudden death sentence that is the Blight sweeping the town, she turns to Orin for help. Maybe together they can find the answer.
Being whisked off to a fairytale house in the midst of turmoil with the female lead potentially being the solution had me in mind of Beauty and the Beast, so I think fans of other Romantasy Beauty and the Beast retellings like A Court of Thorns and Roses will definitely find something to enjoy here. I loved the unique magic of threadmending, its potential is wide reaching but the cost provides a balance and an obstacle to be navigated. The imagery of being able to see a person’s threads and how they’re impacted by the blight stands out as unique and is a great way to represent the skill.
As for the romance part of this romantasy, Edira initially dislikes all Evers, but when searching for a cure for the blight she becomes more and more drawn to the head of the Fernglove family. There's chemistry, tension and conflicting desires and plenty of moments that had me kicking my feet with glee. I would love to fawn over them all here, but will restrain myself for sake of spoilers but I will say that I loved those early sparks. Although I wasn't wholly surprised by the ending, I still think it was well done. I want to know what happens next for Edira and the Fernglove estate after those dramatic final scenes and the final revelation and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the next book.

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for approving me to read this book, I’m rating it 3.75 stars.

I enjoyed the setting of the story and the way magic/curses played a massive part. I feel like the FMC was a contradiction though, she was strong willed but also fairly naive at points.

There’s a lot to enjoy about the story and it’s very unique. I also feel like based on the ending there’s more to come and I would be intrigued to see where the story goes.

I was so intrigued by this story from the very beginning. The prologue had me so excited for what was to come.

A dark gothic romantasy was promised and it well and truly delivered, the book was so atmospheric. It was so easy to picture the world and the characters within it. It was honestly hard to put down.

Although the entire plot of this romantasy is hugely predictable, I was here for the love-triangle-you-see-coming-a-mile-away. The world-building was excellent, with a unique take on a magic system and the Fae population.

There’s a bit of a pacing issue in the middle part - perhaps due to the fact that we knew where it was going and just wanted it to get there quicker. I also wouldn’t say that this fantasy is dark - more like gothic fairytale/ACOTAR vibes.

The finale was exciting, with a satisfying ending. I’m definitely up for reading the sequel of this duology and hope that the MMC’s character will be fleshed out a bit.

I enjoyed the unique world here, and I loved Edira as a character. Her powers, how snarky and witty she was, her strength and desire to save her brothers at all costs.

But the plot was so incredibly predictable, nothing surprised me, it all progressed exactly how I anticipated.

Romance wise, there is a love triangle involving brothers, which was also very obvious and not at all surprising.

It was definitely an enjoyable book, albeit unremarkable overall.

I would very much like to find out what happens next though, how the romance will go and if Edira will end up eradicating the blight once and for all.

A magical dysfunctional family, a horrific disease, and a whole lot of secrets - what's not to love?

Edira is an apothecary in a village, however she has a secret magical talent that very few know about - she is a threadmender. While this can cure far more than her natural remedies, using this talent snips her life a little shorter every time, so she keeps this hidden. There is one thing that she cannot heal though: the blight which ravages her world. Her parents have already died, so when her two brothers, her entire world, contract the disease, she'll do anything to save them - even make a deal with the powerful fae family who rule over their village. The head of the household, Orin moves her to their greepy gothic castle where she works and trains with this terrifying but brilliant family to attempt to find a cure for the blight, but of course, things are never so straight forward as that!

Family drama hits differently when magic and life-or-death stakes are involved.

This book had excellent vibes - as I mentioned, gothic and creepy, but a little bit "cottagecore". The magic system was a nice touch. The characters were well-formed, aside from a couple, however it becomes clear later when they reveal more why they may have seemed more flat throughout. They certainly put the "fun" in "dysfunctional" - a quarrelling magical family is not one to be reckoned with! Ywena, a magical moth companion, is a special highlight in the story too!

I'm so torn between 4 and 5 stars here - the book instantly had me hooked, but there were parts in the middle where I just wanted it to move a little bit quicker, then the last third, I absolutely could not have put it down if I tried!

There was romance, and it was a hate to love kind of medium-slow burn, however I can't say that the slow burn was done particularly well - there were moments that felt forced and I didn't instantly feel the chemistry. There's also something of a love triangle -I wouldn't say that's a spoiler as the hints of it begin almost immediately upon interacting in more depth with the characters. There are parts of this that are cleverly done and hint towards what's to come, so I enjoyed these parts.

I'd definitely recommend this and am looking forward to the next installment - don't worry, it's not too much of a cliffhanger ending!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publishers for a review copy of this book.

A spicy romantasy in which a healer mage is forced into service of a fae lord after her brothers contract a deadly plague. Atmopsheric with clever worldbuilding and magical elements, but a real slog to get through. Flat characters, a predictable plot, obvious love triangle, and terrible pacing. Not one for me.

This started out really interestingly, I was hooked at the beginning. However, it quickly lost my interest and I struggled to stay focused through a lot of the story. The ending was exciting and interesting, but predictable.

I felt that the characters left a lot to be desired, i didn’t connect to them and felt that they lacked depth.

The storyline was intriguing and I think many people will enjoy this book, and I did, in certain parts. I think my expectations were too high and it fell flat.

Thank you to the author and publisher for an ARC for my honest review.

I loved this book and I can't wait for the second. This book was 5/5 stars for me. Be aware that this is not a dark romantasy, this is a gothic fantasy with a strong romance subplot. It isn't particularly spicy or dark, and if you know that going in you won't be disappointed.

In the opening we meet Edira, a threadmender, someone with incredibly rare healing magic that drains her life each time she uses it. When her brothers contract the deadly plague that killed their parents, she has no choice but to accept the dangerous offer of Orin Fernglove, the mysterious leader of a powerful Ever family to work together toward a cure. Evers are not vampires, they are a different kind of semi-immortal creature, but they are just as dangerous and give similar vibes. As Edira trains herself and searches for the cure, a relationship develops between her and Orin. But the rest of the Ferngloves are suspicious of Edira’s powers, and as she digs deeper into their secrets, she's stuck with an impossible choice about who to save.

The whole magic system, especially threadmending, is unique and raises the stakes with its price of taking the practitioner's life. The gothic setting is lush and keeps the tension high, and Edira is a relatable main character. I can't say much about the characters or the plot without spoilers, but the supporting cast and pace of the story were great, I finished this in two days. That ending? Stunning. I loved it, so so much, and I cannot wait for the second book.

Without spoilers, I can say that the romance dynamics could feel familiar to romantasy readers, but that didn't take anything away from the story for me. The writing style tends towards new adult, which I also enjoy. The open-door spice level is relatively low, maybe 1.5/5.

This is a perfect read for people who love gothic fantasy romance with morally interesting characters, high-stakes and an enemies-to-lovers vibe. It’s a perfect fit for fans of Sarah J. Maas's ACOTAR series, "Starling House" by Alix E. Harrow, and atmospheric fantasy.