Verity is a talented painter who longs to see the world and leave the stuffy walls of Highmoor, so, when she receives an invitation to stay as a guest at the Bloem estate in order to paint a portrait of a duchess’ son, she jumps at the opportunity. However, once she arrives, she begins to realize that dark secrets lurk in Bloem’s gardens.
House of Roots and Ruin by Erin A. Craig paints an eerie and disorienting gothic fantasy that hits so many of my favorite niche tropes and appealed to me on so many levels.There’s trippy, nonsensical architecture and doors appearing where they weren't before. There’s a bit of mad science thrown into the mix, and, without giving too much away, the story even veers into cosmic horror/Bloodborne territory.
Unfortunately, the weakest element of this book for me was Verity's relationship with her love interest, Alex. At first, he starts off as a person with interesting philosophical ideas, but then his personality quickly devolves into simply mooning over Verity. He insists that he cannot live without her even though he just met her and they have zero chemistry together. Really, I wish their connection could have been deeper and less superficial.
While readers looking for a compelling romance may be left disappointed, the story still delivers on some serious thrills and chills, and I feel like even if you haven’t read the first book set in this world (House of Salt and Sorrows), this one can still be read as a standalone.
Thank you, Netgalley and Delacorte Press, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you, Netgalley and Delacorte Press, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Book Details:
Publication Date : July 25, 2023
Publisher : Delacorte Press
ISBN: 0593482549
Pages : 544
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