The Last Heir to Blackwood Library
Books | Fiction / Fantasy / Historical
3.9
Hester Fox
"Weaves a spell of darkness that's mysterious and magical, and binds it with a knot of deathless love." --New York Times bestselling author Susanna Kearsley on A Lullaby for Witches In post-World War I England, a young woman inherits a mysterious library and must untangle its powerful secrets... With the stroke of a pen, twenty-three-year-old Ivy Radcliffe becomes Lady Hayworth, owner of a sprawling estate on the Yorkshire moors. Ivy has never heard of Blackwood Abbey, or of the ancient bloodline from which she's descended. With nothing to keep her in London since losing her brother in the Great War, she warily makes her way to her new home. The abbey is foreboding, the servants reserved and suspicious. But there is a treasure waiting behind locked doors: a magnificent library. Despite cryptic warnings from the staff, Ivy feels irresistibly drawn to its dusty shelves, where familiar works mingle with strange, esoteric texts. And she senses something else in the library too, a presence that seems to have a will of its own. Rumors swirl in the village about the abbey's previous owners, about ghosts and curses, and an enigmatic manuscript at the center of it all. And as events grow more sinister, it will be up to Ivy to uncover the library's mysteries in order to reclaim her own story--before it vanishes forever. Lush, atmospheric and transporting, The Last Heir to Blackwood Library is a skillful reflection on memory and female agency, and a love letter to books from a writer at the height of her power. Don't miss A MAGIC DEEP & DROWNING, Hester Fox's lush, enchanting reimagining of The Little Mermaid, where a young woman in 1650 Friesland must face a deadly choice between love, duty, and a mythic legacy... Look for these other gothic mysteries from Hester Fox: The Book of Thorns The Witch of Willow Hall The Widow of Pale Harbor The Orphan of Cemetery Hill A Lullaby for Witches
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Author
Hester Fox
Pages
336
Publisher
Graydon House
Published Date
2023
ISBN
1525804782 9781525804786
Community ReviewsSee all
"This was a middle of the road read for me. I loved the gothic atmosphere, paranormal, and fantastical elements of this book, I just wished it read a little bit faster paced. There were many parts that I felt were drawn out a bit too long. For example, I found myself wondering when the preface was going to come back into play because I had a hard time believing it was included for no reason. If the story had captured me better as the reader, I doubt I would have been left time to wonder about these kinds of things at all. The things I loved couldn’t fully outweigh the things I didn’t. Overall I would say that it’s still a solid, middle of the road novel that I wouldn’t dissuade others from reading but also wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend. "
"Thank you to HarperCollins for the extremely early ARC!<br/><br/>This was so much fun! The atmosphere was amazingly done, the discussion of mental health and generational trauma and trauma caused by war and even memory loss (magical or otherwise) felt so well done, and realistic, despite how fantastical the plot was! <br/><br/>I will admit that much of it was predictable up until we discover who our bad guy is - but I think that was intentional - in fact, I'm almost certain of it. I may or may not also be the reason that Hester Fox finally posted her spotify playlist to her instagram story, I felt quite called out, but I may have to reread or wait til the actual release date and listen to the playlist while reading it again! <br/><br/>Isolated, gothic, dark academia, secret families and hidden heritage, magical books that record every memory as yours slips away - terrifying truly, but written so well that it felt not so scary as it could have been - toeing that line of dark gothic fantasy and full on horror! I think I'm gonna have to read some more Hester Fox to tide me over for a while! <br/><br/>* No spoilers right now as the book does not come out until April*"
"Ivy has lost her family but an unexpected visit to the solicitors office gives her the opportunity of a lifetime. A new start in a new town as Lady Hayworth. However the staff isn't so welcoming and she didn't realize how alone shed be. She makes a friend at a book store and Andrew Mayberry is charming and polite and also a lover of books. He even tells her of her library at her manor. <br/>Things were alteady odd but her time in the library is causing odd occurrences. She and Andrew grow closer, and the strange things keep happening. But is everything related to the book or just a figment of her imagination and her personal nightmares.<br/>The book had a great concept. It took a while to get going. And there was a lot of secrecy. I spent A Lot of the book fussing at Ivy for being smart yet dumb. Maybe gullible is a better word. The ending made up for everything else, there were a lot of unnecessary turns to get there. I would've liked to see more interactions with the spirits, either trying to frighten her or help her. There was some but in a 'haunted' house I expected more."