In my attempt to catch up and get myself back to productivity, my next couple of reviews may be a bit on the short side. I promise one of these days I’ll get back to my former glory.

Karen Marie Moning has a pretty big fan base, but I’m admittedly a newbie to her work. Simply from the title, I thought I was picking up a haunted house tale, but that’s not what this is. It is a tale in which a woman inherits a creepy old house from a relative she didn’t know existed, but that’s where the similarities with other novels in the Gothic house trope end. From there, this one becomes a tale of centuries old covens and magical beings. Oh, and it’s the first of a new trilogy. If I’m being completely realistic, I can see this one being one that falls off my radar and I never finish the trilogy. Let’s get into why…

Firstly, the book was fine. It’s decently paced with enough intrigue thrown in to keep me engaged. However, I didn’t really care for the main character. I found her whiny, and I simply wasn’t invested in her story. She talked about herself as if she was a passive doormat, but she came across as aggressive and obstinate to me. I don’t think that’s what I was supposed to glean from her character. Any love story was sort of buried under way too much sexual angst, something which actually annoyed me quite a lot. Who knew being super horny was a common attribute of a witch? Not me, for sure. I know some readers actually love the extra spice in books, so if that’s your jam maybe this is the book for you. It just doesn’t really add that much for me and I prefer more subtle spiciness.

I felt the twist in the end was rather anticlimactic and predictable, which is never a plus, especially when it’s a cliffhanger. I did quite enjoy the atmospheric quality of the setting, and I thought Moning did quite a good job of building this world and the people that occupy it. Ultimately, that wasn’t enough to really pull me fully in, but it was a plus. Overall I think Moning is a talented writer, but I don’t think this one is for me.

Published October 1, 2024 by William Morrow. ISBN 978-0063249219. Hardcover. 384 pages.