🌑 ARC Review – Blackwicket by Bea Northwick
📅 Release date: 9th September 2025
⭐️ 3/5 stars
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Synopsis
Home is where the curses are.
In the coastal town of Nightglass, Blackwicket House looms on the cliffs, far from the charming streets bustling with wealthy visitors seeking to experience a bit of real magic. Once an esteemed Inn with a reputation for healing, it now serves only as a grim warning to anyone tempted by curses. With Fiona Blackwicket, its sole caretaker, newly deceased, it stands empty – a dangerous thing for Blackwicket House to be.
Compelled out of hiding by the sudden death of her sister, Eleanora Blackwicket is forced back to her infamous family home with hasty intentions to bury Fiona and return to her life on the run. Her plans are waylaid when the Brom, an underworld organization specializing in black-market magic, catch wind of her presence and turn an interested eye on her rumored affinity for curse eating.
To complicate things, Victor Harrow, a ruthless yet alluring inspector for the anti-magic government agency, The Authority, has arrived in Nightglass. His one job: to cripple the Brom and anyone associated with them, including, and especially, the last Blackwicket.
But there’s something more sinister to Inspector Harrow than his government agenda, a violent history intrinsically linked to Eleanora’s darkest secret, one that could jeopardize her life and open a long-hidden door to the worst kind of magic, setting all the monsters free.
What I thought
Blackwicket opens with a wonderfully eerie premise; a cursed family home perched on the cliffs above a magical coastal town, a protagonist with a dangerous past, and two opposing forces closing in. Bea Northwick’s writing style is atmospheric and elegant, and there’s a vintage, almost gothic charm woven through certain scenes that I really enjoyed. The setting of Nightglass and more specifically Dark Hall, had so much potential and the concept of curse-eating was intriguing.
However, I struggled to fully connect with the story. The magic system left me a little lost which distracted me a lot from losing myself within the pages; terms like drudge and curses were used, but I wasn’t entirely sure how they fitted together, or what rules governed the world. The world-building overall felt a little sparse, and the abrupt start gave me very little grounding before the plot took off. I think a prequel or more introductory chapters could have helped provide that missing context.
In terms of character dynamics, the chemistry between Eleanora and Victor felt sudden, almost as if key emotional beats were skipped. The shift from enemies to lovers was so quick it jarred me, and moments like the piano scene came without enough build-up to really land.
That said, I can see Blackwicket appealing to readers who enjoy dark fantasy with a gothic twist, morally grey characters, and an undercurrent of mystery. While the world itself didn’t feel fully fleshed out for me, the writing style and atmosphere were strong enough that I’d be interested to see what Bea Northwick creates in the future.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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