“The ghost of Bluebeard. A handsome count. A con artist in over her head.”
The House Saphir is pitched as ‘the tale of Bluebeard as it’s never told before’, and I think that pretty much sums it up. It’s got all the gloriously Gothic vibes, a mystifying murder mystery, some supernatural shenanigans, a simmering romance, whimsical fairytale-esque magic, and a dash of horror. And I know that might sound like a lot, but somehow Marissa Meyer just makes it work so well.
May I introduce you to Mallory Fontaine, a witch without magic but with the ability to interact with ghosts, who scrapes by giving tours of the decaying gothic mansion where the infamous Monsieur Le Bleu murdered not one, not two, but three of his brides. All is going swimmingly, until a young man claiming to be a descendant of Le Bleu comes in and offers Mallory and her sister the deal of a lifetime: if they rid his ancestral home of Le Bleu’s vengeful spirit, he’ll not only clear their legal troubles but pay them enough to disappear forever and live happily ever after.
Now, The House Saphir is one of those books where you will know from the first chapter whether it’s gonna be a book for you, because my girl Mallory is a bit of a piece of work (and I say that in the most loving way possible). I was personally mostly amused Mallory’s strong voice and loud personality, but I can see it getting tiresome if you don’t like characters who are more quirky and sassy than is probably good for them.
Despite some darker themes and some seriously creepy supernatural suspense, this entire book just screams fun and doesn’t take itself too seriously, which is exactly why it all worked so well for me. I do think I would have enjoyed this more as a physical read than an audiobook listen, because while Rebecca Soler captures the vibe and tension of the story very well, I personally felt like her performance made the characters feel a bit more intense and melodramatic than they were maybe intended to be.
However, my reading experience was still quite immersive and smooth, because Meyer just did such a wonderful job of blending all the many different aspects of this story without anything feeling underdeveloped. My personal favourite aspect of The House Saphir were the strong character relationships that lie at the core of this narrative, be that Mallory’s strongsister bond with Anaiis, her budding romance with Armand, her reluctant friendship with the drama queen of a ghost Triphine, and her other unexpected alliances she strikes up.
There were maybe some predictable twists and the ending was maybe a bit rushed, but I still had an absolute blast watching it all unravel in the most tragically entertaining ways. This was my first Marissa Meyer, but I can guarantee that it certainly won’t be my last. The House Saphir strikes the perfect balance between the cheeky vibes and the suspenseful horror, and I can’t recommend it highly enough to anyone who likes their YA retellings with a fun, inventive twist.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bolinda Audio for providing me with an ALC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
