Author: Kathryn Foxfield
Series: Standalone (I think)
Genre: Mystery/Thriller/YA Fantasy
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: July 7, 2026
Edition: eBook
Source: NetGalley
Pre-Order: Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | BAM | Bookshop | Kobo
Synopsis:
Cicely is the black sheep daughter of the powerful Winter family, who made a deal with the devil in exchange for riches and ruthless magic. Soren is the boy her family banished to the underworld. Their fates intertwine when Cicely's loathsome Uncle Dorian winds up dead at a masquerade ball.
Once overlooked for her lowly gift of discovering secrets, Cicely is now her family's only chance at survival, tasked with finding the killer before he takes out every last Winter. With time running out, Cicely narrows her sights on Soren, who she suspects is back for vengeance.
Yet the more Cicely investigates Soren--and gets to know him--the more she begins to question how much family loyalty is worth. After all, when it comes to being a Winter, one can have love or power, but rarely both.
The daughter of a sinister magical family who made a deal with the devil must stop the man killing them off, one by one, in this deliciously dark fantasy thriller that’s House of Hollow meets Succession, laced with a kiss-or-kill romance.
Once overlooked for her lowly gift of discovering secrets, Cicely is now her family's only chance at survival, tasked with finding the killer before he takes out every last Winter. With time running out, Cicely narrows her sights on Soren, who she suspects is back for vengeance.
Yet the more Cicely investigates Soren--and gets to know him--the more she begins to question how much family loyalty is worth. After all, when it comes to being a Winter, one can have love or power, but rarely both.
The daughter of a sinister magical family who made a deal with the devil must stop the man killing them off, one by one, in this deliciously dark fantasy thriller that’s House of Hollow meets Succession, laced with a kiss-or-kill romance.
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I honestly don't know how I feel about this book now that I've finished it. I don't typically read mystery books, none have really appealed to me. This book had me guessing who was behind everything from page one. I kept changing my mind on who it was.
The magic was nicely woven through the story, and didn't feel like a MacGuffin, the magic mattered to the story and was connected with why everything was happening. How the magic works was a little glossed over, where it comes from is clear. But how it manifests in each family member is unclear. Which is fine, since that's not important to the plot. I just like knowing the tiny details when it come to magic systems.
There is a, kind of, romance in this book that I didn't hate. It was messy along with the rest of the story. It didn't overshadow the larger plot of the book of Cicley trying to uncover the mystery of why was targeted, and who is killing members of her family. It is loosely connected to it in a round-about way, but it doesn't overtake the rest of the story.
My main qualm is the ending, I don't know if I like it or not. It's very bitter-sweet, but more bitter for me. It certainly is a bold choice to end things that way. But I also feel that, for me, it undermines the journey and growth Cicley had through the book. Things do end a little open-ended, but I don't know if this is going to have a sequel or not. It could, but if it doesn't the semi-open ending closes out the story nicely.
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