The House Saphir
-
-
5.0 • 2 Ratings
-
-
- $16.99
Publisher Description
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 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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Teen charlatans battle a sinister specter in this rollicking "Bluebeard" reimagining. Unlike their mother, Mallory and Anaïs Fontaine can't wield the magic necessary to cast spells. Everybody in the city of Morant assumes otherwise, though, so after their mother dies, the girls begin peddling counterfeit wares from the family's potions-and-charms shop. Additionally, Mallory—who can see and communicate with spirits—commences unsanctioned tours of the now-abandoned mansion where the infamous count Bastien Saphir killed his first wife before leaving town for the country with their child. When Bastien's great-great-grandson, Armand, comes calling, Mallory worries he'll expose her; instead, he solicits her and Anaïs's help in exorcising apparitions from Bastien's rural estate. Armand informs them that, following Bastien's murder of two other wives, he was killed by his fourth wife's brothers. Now all three specters haunt the estate, and Bastien's malevolent and increasingly powerful spirit has started attracting even more sinister paranormal terrors. Though the magic-less sisters know they can't actually perform an exorcism, stringing Armand along should prove profitable—assuming they survive the ordeal. Despite kitschy, underdeveloped worldbuilding by Meyer (With a Little Luck), wisecracking ghosts, witty third-person narration, and feisty, funny heroines amply entertain. Shocking twists confound, while Armand and Mallory's flirtation adds fizz. Main characters cue as white. Ages 14–up.
Customer Reviews
Absolutely Exceptional
I’ve been a fan of Marissa Meyer’s writing for more than a decade now, and House Saphir truly stands as a testament to both her growth and her passion for her craft. The perfect balance of wit, mystery, and fantasy, it pulls you into the world through Mallory’s own brand of enthusiasm and keeps you on the edge of your seat til the very last drop of wine. Cannot recommend it enough, and I dearly hope Marissa chooses to continue her exploration of this world in future novels to come!