While I think this novel has a great premise and strong shelf appeal for me it fell a bit short. The first quarter or so really had me intrigued but once we got into the bones of the story I found it all a bit thin in terms of plausibility and characterisation.

Felix Ashe is on borrowed time. He knows that he is destined to die on his eighteenth birthday, his family's wealth having been acquired using dark magic that demands a forfeit. I enjoyed this book. It reminded me a little of The Diviner's series by Libba Bray. Whilst at times I didn't quite follow the ins and outs of the spell at it's heart, I did find the narrative pacy and found I couldn't put it down.

This book had a good plot which interested me but did drag in places. I liked the main characters and the magical elements were intriguing and made me want to read on. It’s an enjoyable read and worth persevering with.

It set off a good start for a few chapters and now i had to finish half way through the book, i could not get the grip of the story. No time for character building and feel it is been very rushed and not explained anoth of the plot. It has a final destination feel to the story but unfortunaly I can not finish the book.

I've always been fascinated by gothic thrillers but just didn't get the chance to read one. When this book popped up in my recommendations, I was thrilled!

I found the plot to be interesting however I felt it dragged a bit. I was insanely excited to read more about all the characters and the magic element blew me away. However, despite my interest, i was unable to completely immerse myself in the story. It was an enjoyable and entertaining read and I would love to see a movie/show adaptation on this. It just left me yearning for more since I absolutely.

If you want all in one place - magic, mystery, adventure , thriller - then this is your book!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me this ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Gripping, horrifying, gruesome and fascinating, A Dark Inheritance explores dark academia and magic in all its glory and devastation.

The story is one of anxiety, grief, trauma, but also of help and healing, of recovery and responsibility.

A whodunnit-type thriller with some massive twists, A Dark Inheritance is like Frankenstein crossed with Agatha Christie via The Great Gatsby, and a thing all its own. It's skillfully written and pulls you in, as addictive as the magic at its core. Its satisfying conclusion leaves room for more - I very much look forward to what comes next from H. F. Askwith.

Felix has grown up rich, his father is known for working his way to wealth from humble beginnings, but is his wealth all it seems. And what is the real cost?

Despite all the wealth in Felix's family, tragedy is never far away. His three older brothers have all passed away on their 18th birthdays, just before they inherited. With his birthday only a month away, he is determined to find uncover the mystery and finds secrets darker than he could ever imagine.

A Dark Inheritance is a book that explores anxiety, in a raw yet ultimately hopeful manner. Felix experiences extreme anxiety throughout the novel, impacting his thoughts and decisions. As someone who has experienced anxiety in the past this felt like an extremely true to life depiction of both the physical and emotional strain anxiety creates.

The magic and societies Askwith has created are intriguing and kept me turning the pages.

Overall this is a fast paced, attention grabbing mystery sure to give you The Great Gatsby vibes, and if they don't make this in to a film... Well I don't know what to say.

Not really sure what to say… I feel like it’s a good book, and maybe it’s just not for me? It felt like it wandered off at times, but it was interesting and twisty enough to keep me going. I’m sure someone else would enjoy it more.

The writing was lush and evocative, wrapping me up in the story and sinking its teeth in! The atmosphere was built up perfectly, creating a sense of unease and intrigue at the same time. The time period was also conveyed well. The setting was dripping with an edge of eeriness and I love how well the author built tension and excitement about the plot based on the descriptions and words chosen.

I thought this had a really interesting plot , although the pacing was a bit off at times, but the characters and world building, the magic system definitely made up for the pacing issues. This is a good, is a strong debut with a good plot but needed some editing I think to control the pace better but as it’s a debut it’s not an unforgivable mistake at all and I’ll definitely read more by the author

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book had a good plot which interested me but it could be a bit boring in places. I liked the main characters and the magic element was different and kept me wanting to read on. I also enjoyed the historical setting of 1920 and the reminders of the days as it was getting closer to Felix's birthday built up the tension nicely. Overall this is a strong debut with a good plot but needed some extra character development to flesh out the book a bit more.

I struggled a bit with this one, it had a great plot and really immersive writing but I couldn't gel with the characters. It's then difficult to love the story! But I still finished it and I would probably still buy a physical copy as I think a physical book sometimes changes the reading experience!

This was a different read for me, not something I would normally have picked. My recent stream of reading had centred around chick literature but this one took me on more of a fantasy/mystery fiction adventure. The story was slow to start however sticking with it, because I believe every story should be read until the last page regardless, I'm glad I did. The story really gets going and leads the reader on an adventure crossing the big pond to England. I had a little bit of excitement when the story included Nottinghamshire where I actually do live!.

Felix the main character is really well written into the story, its easy for the reader to picture him and make their own interpretation of what he might look like and how he might act. With only 30 days left to live, he remains conflicted throughout the story, not knowing weather his father was a good man or not. After his father is released from the army on medical grounds and joins with Professor Leery in England, Felix has no idea what his father is doing other than that he is in a sanitarium recovering from his injuries. However, when one afternoon his mother announces that his father is to return to the family home, Felix is a whirlwind of questions.

His questions however go unanswered on his fathers return, he is unable to speak. Shortly after he arrives, he dies in his home office after what appears to be an accident. Felix, quickly realises it was no accident, he knows all about the Dark magic that surrounds his family, he just doesn't know or understand where it came from or what it wants.

The sleuthing adventure begins and we meet two more characters, Lois and Voilet. What I loved most about this book was the adventure, it really keeps you wondering whats going to happen. The plot twist with Violet towards the end was fantastic, I decided when I started this review I wouldn't reveal the end, so you have to read it to find out.

This is a definite must read, and you will probably finish it in a few hours if not a couple of days. You will be desperate to know the outcome of Felix's search and weather or not he can survive longer than his pre determined 30 days.

Lovers of Magic and mystery, buy it now!

I enjoyed this book a hell of a lot more than I thought I would! I was addicted from chapter one. The writing was lush and evocative, wrapping me up in the story and sinking its teeth in! The atmosphere was built up perfectly, creating a sense of unease and intrigue at the same time. The time period was also conveyed well. The setting was dripping with an edge of eeriness and I love how well the author built tension and excitement about the plot based on the descriptions and words chosen.

I loved the characters. Felix, the protagonist, was so well developed and interesting. He was relatable and so three dimensional, making him an exciting protagonist to follow! He was also so lifelike and made some poor decisions as he tried to figure out this new world they thrust him into. Ada was excellent. I loved we had a female villain, especially one as evil as she was.

I’m not really bothered by romance in books, however, I thought Felix and Lois’s developing romance was so cute. It didn’t take away from the major story, but complemented it and added another layer of complexity to the plot.

The plot was also super interesting. I loved the idea about the protagonist dying in thirty days, and all the backstory about his brothers and what happened to them. It was fun trying to work out why it was happening and the backstory wasn’t dumped, and instead scattered through the novel. Even though the plot was complex, it was easy to follow. The mystery was thrilling and so absorbing, and I loved all the hints of dark magic and secret societies. The pace slowed down in the middle, but it was still intriguing, so I didn’t mind so much. I was beyond intrigued about the sanatarium and that we got to follow along as Felix and co travelled to England to investigate and try to stop his fate. I absolutely loved the secret society. I found it so interesting, even if it was an evil concept!! I felt the climax was rather rushed and seemed to appear out of nowhere. Despite that, the ending wrapped everything up nicely and I felt satisfied that I had all the answers I needed.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for a chance to read and review this book.

This read was good for the most part. Felix is a very real feeling character, the way you can feel his anxiety coming through the page through his own thoughts made it really easy to connect to him and enjoy reading about him as a person.

The settings are so intricately described that I could picture each moment in my head, and the history felt very accurate (although history is not my strongest point so it could not be as accurate as I believed throughout, but this could also be a positive for the authors confident writing style).

I won't say much about the mystery as I don't want to give hints or spoilers but I found it a really fun arc in the story!

The main issue I had with this book was pacing. It was too fast, or the book was too short. It either needed bits cutting out of it so the story could have slowed down, or the book needed to be longer or drawn out over more than one book. Although, if you are someone that enjoys fast reads it could definitely be for you!

Was excited to pick this up, however the characters fell flat and the most wasn't made of the beautiful jazz age New York, which had been been major selling points. I couldn't connect with Felix and so the story fell flat for me. The tension I expected from the plot just wasn't there which meant I had very little reason to finish the book. Though finish it I did in the hope that this would be redeemed. Whilst the ending was good, I think that it was a bit too predictable and quick. This should have had such an impact but it was sorely lacking.

Set in 1920s New York, Felix is cursed and due to die on his 18th birthday just like his older brothers. Living with his mother and younger brother, events escalate when his father returns from a mysterious sanatorium in England after serving in the war. Soon Felix is on a transatlantic mission to change his fate.

I have not been as excited by a book in a very long time. I found the premise really intriguing and I was gripped from the first page. The pace never slowed down and the twists kept on coming

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this advanced copy. However, I couldn't into this book, because the poor execution. The concept was really good though.

The book is pitched as a combination between The Inheritance Games and The Great Gatsby - both stories which I adore, so how could I resist? I loved the combination between the historical setting and the mysteries Felix had to unravel, though I feel a bit of each element might have been lost by trying to combine the two. On the whole, the story is intriguing and page-turning, and despite being quite dark at times (who could have guessed, given the title!), it's an enjoyable YA read.

I was drawn to the description of the book having a bit of Great Gatsby vibes, set in both New York and my home county Yorkshire, and being a twisty dark thriller. From the beginning we know that Felix Ashe, like his three older brothers, is going to die on his eighteenth birthday. Felix believes in his fate and believes there must be a curse preventing the brothers coming of age. Felix desperately wants to discover how to break the curse and save himself, but more importantly, his little brother. As the novel counts down the days until Felix’s birthday and impending death, dark magic rears its ugly head.
This is a great debut YA novel that will appeal to teens looking for magic, mystery and a thrilling adventure. There are several twists and turns, lots of intrigue and it’s well paced, keeping you turning the pages. The ending leaves open the possibility of a sequel, which I think could be an interesting plot line.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Penguin Random House Children’s UK for an E-arc in exchange for a review.