The House Saphir
By Marissa Meyer
YA Fantasy, Romance, Folklore, Retelling
Audiobook, Paperback & eBook, 432 Pages
November 4, 2025 by Feiwel & Friends
Summary
The "Queen of Fairytale Retellings" is back! #1 New York Times bestselling author Marissa Meyer weaves the tale of Bluebeard as it's never been told before. This is a thrilling romantasy and murder mystery, perfect for fans [of] Meyer's Cinder and Heartless.
Mallory Fontaine is a fraud. Though she comes from a long line of witches, the only magic she possesses is the ability to see ghosts, which is rarely as useful as one would think. She and her sister have maintained the family business, eking out a paltry living by selling bogus spells to gullible buyers and conducting tours of the infamous mansion where the first of the Saphir murders took place.
Mallory is a self-proclaimed expert on Count Bastien Saphir―otherwise known as Monsieur Le Bleu―who brutally killed three of his wives more than a century ago. But she never expected to meet Bastien's great-great grandson and heir to the Saphir estate. Armand is handsome, wealthy, and convinced that the Fontaine Sisters are as talented as they claim. The perfect mark. When he offers Mallory a large sum of money to rid his ancestral home of Le Bleu's ghost, she can’t resist. A paid vacation at Armand’s country manor? It’s practically a dream come true, never mind the ghosts of murdered wives and the monsters that are as common as household pests.
But when murder again comes to the House Saphir, Mallory finds herself at the center of the investigation―and she is almost certain the killer is mortal. If she has any hope of cashing in on the payment she was promised, she’ll have to solve the murder and banish the ghost, all while upholding the illusion of witchcraft.
But that all sounds relatively easy compared to her biggest challenge: learning to trust her heart. Especially when the person her heart wants the most might be a murderer himself.
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My Review
THE HOUSE SAPHIR is a perfectly spooky Gothic romantasy. Set in a fantasy world where there are monsters and magic, with morally gray characters, and a dangerous ghost to exorcise from an ancient house, makes for a engrossing read perfect for this time of year. Highly recommended to Gothic romance and fantasy fans!
Read this if you like:
👻Old, spooky, Gothic house
👻Two close-knit sisters with the blood of witches
👻One charming and too-handsome heir
👻Three murdered wives who remain as ghosts
👻One vengeful, evil ghost
👻Some annoying monsters
👻A motley crew
👻A sweet romance with a few sparks
I wasn't sure what to expect from this new release from Meyer, but as I've been a fan from the start and was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy from the publisher through NetGalley, I was hopeful that I would love it. And I did! It isn't like her other books in that the setting is a mix of historical and fantasy. The romance is there, but it doesn't take center stage. It's also sweet with a few sparks. The main focus of this story are these two sisters, a mistake they made and the restitution for it. I loved all the Gothic nods from the ancient house to the witches and ghosts, plus a graveyard. There is some grit and gore, but not too overly descriptive. There is also a lot of humor and sarcasm, which I found to be very entertaining. Not all the ghosts are evil and they add quite a bit of life to this story. I also loved the overall theme of a girl who has to believe in herself in order to grasp her happily-ever-after.
In the end, was it what I wished for? This is a delightfully spooky read with complex characters and a Gothic fantasy setting. A book that could be read each Halloween season or anytime readers are looking for a bit of ghostly spooking.
Content: Some violence and gore, but not overly strong. Clean.
Source: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley, which did not require a positive review. All opinions are my own.
About the Author
Marissa Meyer is the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The Lunar Chronicles, Heartless, The Renegades Trilogy, and Instant Karma, as well as the graphic novel duology Wires and Nerve. She holds a BA in Creative Writing from Pacific Lutheran University and a MA in Publishing from Pace University. In addition to writing, Marissa hosts The Happy Writer podcast. She lives near Tacoma, Washington, with her husband and twin daughters.
Find the author here.
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