The Threadmender Chronicles By Maxym M. Martineau Book Review

House of Blight by Maxym M. Martineau
Published by HarperCollins
Age Group: Adult
Format: Fiction
Genres and Categories: Action, Adventure, Dark Fantasy, Gothic Fantasy, Romantasy, Bisexual Characters, Lesbian Characters, Queer Characters, Sapphic Characters, Elemental Magic, Healing Magic, Illusion Magic, Various Magic, Fae/Fey, Witches, Family Drama, Magic Users
Series: The Threadmender Chronicles #1
My Rating:

Published on: 8th April 2025
Pages: 384
Disability Representation: Fictional plague, chronic pain, and brain fog.
Buy this Book! Amazon UK / Amazon US / Barnes & Noble / Blackwells / Forbidden Planet / Bookshop.org US / Bookshop.org UK / Waterstones
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Edira Brillwyn is a threadmender. She holds a rare, lifesaving power that can cure disease and heal injuries in the blink of an eye. But magic always comes with a cost, and saving anyone sacrifices a sliver of her own life. She’s always kept her abilities hidden…until the powerful Fernglove family discovers her secret.

The Ferngloves are charming and beautiful, possess powerful magic, and don’t take no for an answer—especially Orin, the head of these ruling elites. When Edira’s brothers unexpectedly contract blight—an incurable virus killing people throughout the town, and an illness too strong for her to heal them both—Orin offers to help. Together at his estate they’ll research a cure while Orin slows their sickness and Edira hones her magic. His kindness and honesty surprises Edira, as does her undeniable attraction to him.

But the other Ferngloves are suspicious of her power and may be more dangerous than the ever-present disease. The longer Edira stays within the confines of the Manor, the more the family’s pristine exterior begins to crack—until Edira discovers a terrifying secret and must choose who she can save and at what cost…

This book was provided for free by NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book!

Content Warnings:

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My book reviews for The Threadmenders Chronicles by Maxym M. Martineau, including House of Blight and Manor of Decay. Please be aware that the review for the second book contains spoilers.

Table Of Contents

House of Blight Review
Manor of Decay Review
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Edira Brillwyn is a threadmender. She holds a rare, lifesaving power that can cure disease and heal injuries in the blink of an eye. But magic always comes with a cost, and saving anyone sacrifices a sliver of her own life. She’s always kept her abilities hidden…until the powerful Fernglove family discovers her secret.

The Ferngloves are charming and beautiful, possess powerful magic, and don’t take no for an answer—especially Orin, the head of these ruling elites. When Edira’s brothers unexpectedly contract blight—an incurable virus killing people throughout the town, and an illness too strong for her to heal them both—Orin offers to help. Together at his estate they’ll research a cure while Orin slows their sickness and Edira hones her magic. His kindness and honesty surprises Edira, as does her undeniable attraction to him.

But the other Ferngloves are suspicious of her power and may be more dangerous than the ever-present disease. The longer Edira stays within the confines of the Manor, the more the family’s pristine exterior begins to crack—until Edira discovers a terrifying secret and must choose who she can save and at what cost…

This book was provided for free by NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book!

Content Warnings:

View Spoiler »

House of Blight Review

I’m always interested in books that deal with the subject of illness and involve healing magic, and I was intrigued after reading the synopsis for House of Blight by Maxym M. Martineau. I was hooked by the prologue, which introduces the curious story of a woman standing up to death. I had to know what the implications of those events were, and this book just went from strength to strength.

In this gothic fantasy, Martineau introduces a world where magic exists and immortal fae-like creatures called Evers rule over humans. The Evers have a particular interest in humans called threadmenders who have the ability to cure any disease and heal any injuries. This magic comes with a cost, however; a sliver of the threadmender’s own life. Edira is one such threadmender, taught to hide her abilities and her silvery hair that immediately outs her as one.

Living with her two younger brothers, Edira is all too aware of the limits of her powers after failing to save her parents from the deathly Blight. A deadly illness that is transferred by contact, it comes on fast and results in a horrific death. Edira can heal anything else, but the Blight is a virus that she is powerless to stop.

When she was a child, her aunt disappeared, believed to have been taken by the local Evers family, the Ferngloves. Edira has managed to avoid them until one market day she comes face to face with the head of the family, Orin. He claims to want her help to fight the Blight, to find a cure, something he claims that her aunt tries to do.

Edira initially refuses his offer, but when her brothers become ill with the Blight, Orin offers her the chance to save their lives. His magic lets him slow the virus, keeping them alive long enough for Edira to work with him to find a cure. It’s the only option, and Edira soon finds herself surrounded by the Ever family who come with their own dangers.

Danger isn’t the only thing she finds at Fernglove House, and as she learns more, Edira won’t just have to fight the Blight to ensure she and her brothers survive.

House of Blight has just the right mix of elements for me. It’s got a fantasy mystery, great world-building, steamy romance, and brilliant plot twists. I will admit that I saw one of them coming, but that did not limit my enjoyment. In fact, I think it added to it because I kept waiting for it to happen, and I enjoyed the way Martineau strung it along. It felt almost playful in the way she dropped hints and tidbits to see if the reader could put things together. Figuring things out is not a requirement, nor do I think the book will be less fun for readers who choose to just enjoy the ride.

Other than that one twist, that is what I did; I enjoyed the ride and what a ride it is! Edira is a strong character who realises the danger she is in, and the difficult decisions she needs to make to keep herself and her brothers alive. It was nice to have a heroine who was grounded in reality and not a damsel in distress. She does make mistakes though, and it was interesting watching her learn from them. Life with the Fernglove is very different to the life Edira has lived, sometimes with unexpected positive results. There’s a scene with one of the villagers that was particularly satisfying.

Edira is not the only character that is well written, with depth, thought-provoking histories and noticeable character growth on the page. Martineau’s world appears to be queer normative, with Edira referring to two married men, and her romantic experiences with a woman, suggesting that she is bisexual or pansexual. There is a sapphic relationship that I can’t discuss further due to spoilers; however, the only on-page romance is between a male and female character. While this was interesting enough, it would have been nice to see queer romance on the page rather than just background characters.

That is my only complaint about House of Blight, and the ending opens up interesting storylines for the second book in The Threadmender Chronicles duology. I can’t wait to see how this duology finishes!

Book Review: The Threadmender Chronicles by Maxym M. Martineau - My book reviews for The Threadmender Chronicles by Maxym M. Martineau, including House of Blight and Manor of Decay. null

Manor of Decay by Maxym M. Martineau
Published by Titan Books
Age Group: Adult
Format: Fiction
Genres and Categories: Adventure, Dark Fantasy, Gothic Fantasy, Romantasy, Chronic Illness, Death Magic, Elemental Magic, Healing Magic, Plantmancy, Water Magic, Fae/Fey, Witches, Found Family, Magic Users
Series: The Threadmender Chronicles #2
My Rating:

Published on: 18th August 2026
Pages: 432
Disability Representation: Fatique, Migraines, fictional plague.
Buy this Book! Amazon UK / Amazon US / Barnes & Noble / Blackwells / Forbidden Planet / Bookshop.org US / Bookshop.org UK / Waterstones / BookBeat Audio
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The smouldering slow-burn spicy romance continues in this brooding sequel to the "enthralling" gothic fae fantasy, House of Blight. Edira must learn the secrets of the Ever ways to finally cure the source of the Blight once and for all - Death itself. Perfect for readers of Rachel Gillig's The Shepherd King series and T. Kingfisher.

Edira Brillwyn is not enjoying retirement. She's traumatized and heartbroken by Orin and the battle at Fernglove Manor. Although her brothers are safe and financially secure at home in Willowfell, she fears of wasting away her dwindling lifethreads. It's a welcome surprise when Seville comes knocking at her door – at least until she reveals that the blight has returned to the Ferngloves.

Edira has had a taste of the power her heartbond with Rorik provides, and she's certain there is a way to cure the blight for good... with Rorik's help. But Rorik doesn't think his life is worth saving, at least not worth Edira's few remaining years, or months. He's more concerned about keeping her alive than saving the world.

But other powerful Ever families have caught wind of Edira's talents and are desperate for a cure. As those families begin circling, centuries-long conflicts rise to the surface and, once again, Edira finds herself at the whims of power-hungry Evers fighting for their lives. Before she runs out of time altogether, Edira and Rorik will have to face the source of the blight: Death himself.

This book was provided for free by NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book!

Content Warnings:

View Spoiler »

Manor of Decay Review

House of Blight by Maxym M. Martineau was one of my top reads of last year, and I was looking forward to Manor of Decay after the way it ended. Revealed to be the villain, Orion was killed by threadmender Edira when she became Rorik’s heartmate and combined their magic. In doing so, she also cured the Ferngloves of their Blight. Unfortunately, every time Edira heals, she loses years of her life, and triumphing over Orion and the Blight severely shortened her lifespan. With years, possibly only months, left, she is retired and living happily with her brothers.

Or so everyone thinks. Traumatised from her time at Fearglove Manor, and heartsick for Rorik, she spends her days sitting on a couch doing nothing. It is driving her mad, to the point that she is having hallucinations of Death. So when Rorik’s sister, Seville, comes to visit and reveals that her Blight is back, it’s a welcome, if not worrying, turning point. As far as she knows, Rorik is healed, but a visit to Fernglove Manor reveals the truth; the Blight is back, and several members of the family are sick once again.

Combining her power with Rorik’s may be the key to saving them both. If Edira can learn to wield the Fernglove family magic, she might be able to strengthen her threads and live for longer. It stopped the Blight once, and she’s sure there’s a cure for the Blight. But Rorik refuses to help her. He doesn’t want saving, especially if it harms Edira. But when a powerful Ever family learn what Edira can do, they’re all in danger. Edira and Seville come up with a risky plan to stop the Blight once and for all, and Rorik reluctantly agrees to teach Edira to use his magic, if only to help her survive.

I wish I could say that I enjoyed the sequel as much as I did House of Blight; unfortunately, I can’t. What made the first book spectacular was the shock factor, and Manor of Decay just didn’t have it. It’s well written, and if yearning and will-they-won’t-they themes are up your alley, then you’ll love it. While there were some interesting magic-oriented scenes, I didn’t feel like the world-building was as inventive as the first. While the themes and storyline continued in this sequel, the general feel of the story did not. The emphasis was more on Edira and Rorik, and while this is to be expected in a romantasy novel, it felt as though the author’s focus had shifted only to that.

I kept waiting for the big twist, and it never came. Even the conclusion felt pedestrian, lacking in the unique creativity of the first book. The Threadmender Chronicles are the only books written by Martineu that I’ve read, so I don’t know if this is common in her work or not. Manor of Decay was a solid three-stars, and I wish I could give it a glowing review, but sadly it did not work for me.

About Maxym M. Martineau

About the author: Maxym M. Martineau. null

Maxym M. Martineau is an associate creative director by day, and a fantasy author by night. When she’s not getting heated over broken hearts, she enjoys playing video games, binge-watching television shows, competing in just about any sport, and of course, reading.

Following her passion, Maxym earned her bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Arizona State University. She is represented by Kimberly Whalen of The Whalen Agency. Check her Books page to learn more about her series and upcoming work

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House of Blight Review

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Manor of Decay Review

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The Threadmender Chronicles by Maxym M. Martineau book review

Content Warnings:

Content Warnings:

House of Blight Review

Content Warnings:

Manor of Decay Review

About Maxym M. Martineau

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