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With the spooky reading season approaching, I was in the mood for a book involving a haunted house. Scrolling through books I saved on the Hoopla app, I came across this one. Fantasy is always a bit out of my wheelhouse; however, I couldn‘t resist a story set just after WWI in an old, gothic English manor with a library. The book description sounded spooky and dreamy!

Full review at https://abookandadog.com/blog/the-last-heir-to-blackwood-library

#ReadAway2024 I have a terrible habit of thinking that if the word “book,” “bookstore,” or “library” is in the title of a book, then I must read (or listen to) it. Or the word “cat.” This is my first experience with this author and I was expecting historical fiction. It is that, but it also is about the supernatural. I enjoy supernatural stories but it wasn‘t quite what I expected. It still was worth the time and I might read more books by Fox.

This story has some twists that were a bit different from other books I‘ve read. I enjoyed the characters but sometimes wished the MC was less innocent (it‘s set after WW2 so had to lessen my expectations). A huge library is involved which made me happy. Don‘t want to give away spoilers. Thanks @Gissy for gifting me this one. 4 ⭐️

@Gissy 1) you have such nice handwriting 2) Thanks for this book & all the extras! 3) any chocolate makes me happy 😀
A friend recommended this book awhile ago, so I‘m excited to read it soon! #jolabokaflodswap
@MaleficentBookDragon I always love this swap, thanks for organizing it again.

A fluffy fantasy that doesn‘t require any deep thought or careful reading; perfect for the sprint to complete holiday preparations.

Called to a solicitor‘s office, Ivy Radcliffe is shocked to find that she is the heir of Blackwood Abby. Suddenly, she‘s thrust from modest life into the role of Lady Haworth. As an avid reader, she is thrilled by the estate‘s library — but it imposes a terrible cost. A curse that will steal her memories, and life.

This is Gothic mystery romance? A young woman inherits a title and an estate that comes with some serious drawbacks. It‘s quite puzzling in the beginning, is Ivy an unreliable narrator or are there dark forces at play? Despite being too tired to read most days I still read past my bedtime all week. Never doubt a book with library in the title

Finished this one last week. I think I now have read all of Hester Fox‘s books. This is a creepy things going on in a house book and a lot of memory loss. It was pretty interesting and I didn‘t expect some of the story. Great read!

#fangtasticreadathon #rushathon #31by31 #spookoween #falling4books #bookspin #littenlisten #scarathlon #magicalmonsters

Reading reviews on Litsy this morning I found the review for 'The Last Heir to Blackwood Library' a book that I was unaware of before today. I thought fellow Litsy members may like to see a picture of an actual Blackwood Library which is in Blackwood, South Wales UK.

I thought this book did a really good job of making this kind of scary house story logical, and the choices of the characters made a lot of sense. I also liked the parallels the author made to PTSD.
Ivy inherits a title and an ancient house with a dark secret, but will she survive longer than the other heirs?
3/5 read for a bit of magic, a bit of romance, and a lot of books and library love.

I enjoyed this book. It's a very interesting story, and I really enjoy the occult/supernatural aspect of the story. I did get a bit impatient with the middle of the book.
I'm gonna give it 7/10

“In post–World War I England, a young woman inherits a mysterious library and must untangle its powerful secrets…”

#black #scarathlon #blackcatcrew

I started this last night and cannot wait till work is done so I can get back to it. 📖

I always make big TBR lists for one month despite the fact that I really struggle to read. I put too much pressure on myself to finish books and it triggers my procrastination 😅

So, this is my TBR list:
1. Belladonna
2. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
3. We Hunt The Flame
4. Can't Spell Treason Without Tea
5. The Last Heir to the Blackwood Library

And I'm givng myself the rest of the year to read these. Less books, more time, no pressure 📚❤️

I didn't expect the love story aspect and that took me out of it a little bit.

Super atmospheric and spooky, even if I felt the ending was a bit anticlimactic. Watching Ivy uncover all the secrets and layers to Blackwood (and promptly forget half of them, because CURSE) was captivating and enjoyable, the Ralph reveals were less so. So-so for me, but an understandable pick for others. #gothicfiction #historicalfiction

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I really don't know what to feel about this book. It's keeping my interest it just keeps getting weirder and weirder.I'm almost done and I need to find out what happens.

Next book

This was a mess of a book. The unreliable narrator trope really didn't work. Ivy finds out that she is the last heir to Blackwood. Once she gets there, the story becomes somewhat of a mess. She faces ghosts, cults, over privileged lords, secrets, memory loss, and a somewhat sentient library.

#firstlinefridays

Loving this book but I am so frustrated! How are you going to tell a person that they aren‘t safe and need to leave and never come back and then not tell her why because you “don‘t want to frighten her?”. Just freaking tell her, man!!!

I wanted to like this one way more then I did. Whilst I loved the Gothic vibe the storytelling was just not up to par. Great idea but mediocre execution.

A great way to start a morning. A new book and cuddles from my oldest.

Ivy has been working hard to get by when she answers a mysterious summons to a solicitor‘s office and discovers she is the heir to a great house in Yorkshire. She discovers there a tremendous library but quickly finds odd things happening. Great premise, but it sadly doesn‘t deliver. I wish this had been reworked a bit and that the author hadn‘t relied on very obviously keeping things from the reader/protagonist.

Libraries and Librarians are the best. New book for my travels and was helped with a Libby problem I was having!!!

Very gothic. Plenty of supernatural elements, nice semi-secluded setting, and the staff were mysterious and sinister in turn. Not bad overall, but wasn‘t necessarily crazy about it either.

Review is up!

https://reecaspieces.com/2023/04/04/the-last-heir-to-the-blackwood-library-by-he...