Castle of the Cursed

I’ve been wanting to read Romina Garber for a few years now, and I was excited for her 2024 novel, Castle of the Cursed. After Estela survives an attack that leaves her orphaned and alone, an aunt she never knew about gives her a home at her castle in Spain, la Sombra. It’s in a remote village that is tight-knit and has a long but mysterious history. Estela is depressed and suicidal, but she finds a strange comfort in the shadow man only she can see, Sebastián, even if he is intent on killing her. As Estela learns about la Sombra, her family, and Sebastián, years of secrets emerge, leaving Estela whirling and probably in danger. Can she escape her family curse with her heart intact?

What I Liked:

Mental health representation. When Castle of the Cursed starts, after losing both her parents, Estela is depressed and suicidal. The book doesn’t shy away from showing the darkest sides of this, from Estela’s half-hearted attempts to her general numbness to everything. Estela only comes out of this gradually, making it one of the most important arcs of the book.
Creepy family history. La Sombra has been in Estela’s family for 800 years, and it’s steeped in secrets and dark magic. Estela is only just now learning about all of this, but what’s available on the surface is only the tip of the iceberg. It’s a twisting journey into twins, sacrifices, and protection over the village.

What Didn’t Work for Me:

Too many twists. I love when a book keeps me guessing, but this is the rare novel that actually had too much going on. The story kept shifting and revealing new pieces that didn’t always fit neatly together. It made for a confusing and overwhelming read, especially in the last 25%. Also I could not with so many characters’ personalities abruptly changing.
The romance. Maybe I’m not into dark romance enough, but I just had a hard time seeing a loving relationship developing between Estela and Sebastián. He literally spends the first several nights wanting to kill her, but they just get past that? I can’t say I really wanted them together.

Final Thoughts

Castle of the Cursed is a dark and twisting novel full of mystery, magic, and a messed up family. It’s overburdened by a plot that feels like too much, but I still enjoyed the general atmosphere and darkness of it. This was my first time reading a full-length novel by Romina Garber, and though I had mixed feelings about this book, I’m still interested in reading more. I have an ARC of her brand new novel, The Last Vampire, which I’ll be reading imminently.

Special thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Get the Book

You can buy Castle of the Cursed here – it’s available as a hardcover, ebook, and audiobook.

Castle of the Cursed by Romina Garber
Audience	Young Adult
Genre	Gothic Romance
Setting	Spain
Number of Pages	304
Format I Read	Ebook (NetGalley ARC)
Original Publication Date	July 30, 2024
Publisher	Wednesday Books

Official Summary

A delicious and dark gothic romance from bestselling author Romina Garber!

THE HOUSE IS ALWAYS HUNGRY…

After a mysterious attack claims the lives of her parents, all Estela has left is her determination to solve the case. Suffering from survivor’s guilt so intense that she might be losing her grip on reality, she accepts an invitation to live overseas with an estranged aunt at their ancestral Spanish castle, la Sombra.

Beneath its gothic façade, la Sombra harbors a trove of family secrets, and Estela begins to suspect her parents’ deaths may be linked to their past. Her investigation takes a supernatural turn when she crosses paths with a silver-eyed boy only she can see. Estela worries Sebastián is a hallucination, but he claims he’s been trapped in the castle. They grudgingly team up to find answers and as their investigation ignites, so does a romance, mistrust twined with every caress.

As the mysteries pile up, it feels to Estela like everyone in the tiny town of Oscuro is lying and that whoever was behind the attack has followed her to Spain. The deeper she ventures into la Sombra’s secrets, the more certain she becomes that the suspect she’s chasing has already found her . . . and they’re closer than she ever realized.

About the Author

Credit: Drew Bordeaux

ROMINA GARBER is a New York Times and international bestselling author whose books include Lobizona, Cazadora, and the ZODIAC quartet. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and raised in Miami, Florida, Romina landed her first writing gig as a teen—College She Wrote, a weekly Sunday column for the Miami Herald that was later picked up for national syndication—and she hasn’t stopped writing since. She is a graduate of Harvard College and a Virgo to the core.