In short, this book has all the trademarks of a gothic story in the best of ways, living up to every expectation that a lover of this genre might have (myself included). If you ask me, it reinvents the genre rather than directly subverting it, which shows a true appreciation of the gothic.

It has atmosphere and living scenery, complete with historical underpinnings that encourage you to learn more about the setting and time period on your own (it did to me, at least). It has emotional intimacy and moral grayness within its sapphic cast that strengthens the thematic resonance. It has the suspense, foreshadowing and predictability that's expected of a gothic, which is here also interspersed by a couple of delightful twists towards the end that breathe life into the climax and which isn’t altogether so common for a gothic. It also has magnificent and evocative symbolism rooted in the setting (yes, this is a pun). And it certainly has the masterful prose that a reader of gothic fiction will expect.

If you love Daphne du Maurier (who really was ahead of her time in many ways), then you'll also love The Needfire. Exactly as most of Daphne du Maurier's novels, The Needfire serves you unapologetic tragedy striated with stark silver linings.

Thank you to the author and publishers for an e-ARC via NetGalley! That has not influenced this review and all opinions are my own

The blurb had me hooked - a queer gothic horror/mystery novel? During pride month too? Count me in!!

I really enjoyed the exploration of the sapphic relationship in this book. It’s very clear that the author has done research into Victorian culture and settings so it felt really accurate. The world building was really good, and I found that the descriptions given really helped me to set the scene in my head. Warm hearths inside a not during a rain storm sounds perfect!!
The FMC is kind of unconventional - she can be very headstrong and stubborn at some points, and then in others she is very tender and needs reassurance. This gave the character a lot of layers. And this book really set up a lot of plot twists/obscure events that made me want to keep reading.
On the topic of events and plot twists, there are still some unanswered questions I have (but can’t include as this is a spoiler free review). But this made me feel a bit unsettled and unsatisfied by the end cause there are still bits that make no sense to me. I also feel that the author could’ve leaned more into the ‘horror’ aspect, and at times the book felt a bit stagnant as there wasn’t much happening.

Overall, an enjoyable queer gothic novel!

Rating: 3.5/5 stars (rounded up to 4) ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Out of desperation, Norah agrees to marry a man she's only spoken to by letter. When she arrives at his home in the remote north of Scotland, she starts to worry that she's losing her mind.

The concept of a Gothic horror novel with a queer twist is what drew me to this book. I generally enjoyed it, although the twist felt a bit clumsy. I particularly liked Norah's navigation of Victorian society as a queer woman, even at a distance, and the development of the romance. Weirdly, I wished that more of the end had been left to the imagination, since the denouement felt like it explained everything and then left everything relatively happy.

Good for people who enjoy Gothic horror, but want a happier ending.
(3.5/5)

I received an eARC of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly id like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review

The atmosphere was dark and moody which worked amazing for this book and the romance was full of longing, however i found the book overall quite boring.
The first 30% nothing happened then nothing keeps happening again until about a halfway through the only reason i kept reading was because i had questions i wanted answered and while the answers to those questions were satisfactory anything around them was a struggle to get through.

I may be in the minority on this, but I wanted the book to go darker. It almost feels like too much of a lens was placed on the female relationships, when the “stranger” angle could have been very intriguing. Stranger to the land, house, marriage, and ways. I loved the gothic feel and elements of the supernatural, but the focus was too askew to really get lost in the story. Interesting aside though-one of my great-grandmothers was a housekeeper in Scotland (originally Glasgow and then Edinburgh) and her name was Agnes.

"The Needfire" by MK Hardy showed real promise: likened to "Rebecca", set in a remote location in Scotland, new bride in an unknown house with a housekeeper that she can't work out... The first part of the book was really enjoyable as we settled into the narrative as Norah gets to know the house. We know things aren't quite right, the locals don't seem to like the housekeeper or master, Norah is plagued by bad dreams and keeps waking up in places that are not her room... then around 60% onwards the book seems to lose it's way. I couldn't keep up with the plot twists and although I have a vague idea what the author was trying to get at, it wasn't explained enough for me.

Arc received from NetGalley and Solaris for a fair review in return

4.5

Omg this was such a great book to read in pride month, the perfect blend of palpable writing, descriptive setting in Scotland, slowburn sapphic romance and I loved it soooo much

I really wanted to like this book, but had to DNF. Well, sort of—I gave up at 60% and went ahead to the last three chapters. The remote, spooky setting was brilliant and atmospheric, but the pacing was way too slow. Plus, I had zero emotional connection with either Norah or Agnes, and had no sense of a spark between them. The horror/supernatural aspect too was too obvious. My biggest gripe is the pace—noting really happened in half the book, and the story could have easily been condensed into half its size. The only decent twist/reveal was the truth about Alexander.

Wuthering Heights meets A Scatter of Light in this sapphic gothic novel filled to the brim with spooky trees, hazardous houses and the feeling of the main character slowly losing her grip on reality.

Emoji Aesthetic: 🪻🐦‍⬛🎨🪾🌬️🪟

Listen to
🎶 Monster - Dodie
🎶 Fare Well - Hozier
🎶 Ramblings of a Lunatic - Bears in Trees

Have you ever read something and been like: this is beautiful but also deeply, deeply disturbing? That’s how I felt reading this book. It was written so unbelievably well, I got the creeps just reading the descriptions. At the beginning of the book, everything is just slightly off-putting. As the story progresses, you begin to really notice that the narrative and the rest don’t fit; the main character is slowly losing the plot. It was done incredibly well.
I also love that the sapphic love is described both as both harsh and pointy, needing and devouring, AND as soft and still. Generally, of course, the main love story is toxic as hell, but it’s a gothic novel, so I expected it. I also really enjoy how both women in the story subverted gender roles and societal expectations placed on them in their own ways. Overall, would recommend!

TW: death, needles, animal death (lamb), gore, drugging

I received a complementary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Review will be posted on instagram under instagram.com/flybybooks on 31st of May. (Within 2 Months of Publication Date, on Publisher Request) Publisher will be tagged.

Thanks to the publisher Solaris and NetGalley for the ARC of Needfire
Read on kindle
I found this book promising to begin with the story hooked me in and I enjoyed the characters and getting to know them. A slow burn which I found unable to put down . But somewhere through the halfway point I got a bit bored and found myself listening to the “read out loud “ option just to get through it . Nothing exciting enough or horrifying enough to keep my attention . The last few chapters seemed hurried and not convincing enough for me . Apologies to the author but I understand they had problems finishing it. I would sum the book up as a good read if you don’t like your gothic horror to be too horrifying

There is definitely a lot to love about this book! We follow Norah, who in an attempt to escape her crumbling life, seeks out freedom on a desolate edge of the Scottish highlands, marrying a man she barely knows, moving to a decaying house with a suspicious housekeeper, and stumbling into a mystery that she could never have imagined. But in her attempt for freedom, she finds herself more trapped than ever, losing her grip on reality, and becoming wrapped in the strangling vines of secrets that lie beneath the grounds of the Corrain estate.

I really enjoyed the rich, writhing descriptions of the house haunted by its secrets, and the untameable landscape fighting to reclaim its place. The gothic horror eeriness was great, and I felt a real unease, much like Norah, as we slowly uncovered more and more details about the house and its inhabitants. I could barely put it down!

Unfortunately though, I did feel overall a lack of…something. Whilst the atmospheric descriptions and eeriness kept me hooked, I was ultimately disappointed by many of the reveals. The mystery I felt wasn’t quite settled by the end and the romance didn’t feel properly developed enough to be totally convincing. Agnes was a hard character to get to grips with at points, despite her huge part to play, and I was just left wanting a little more.

Overall, a good read for fans of twisting gothic stories set in bleak and blustery landscapes, and I do think it’s well worth a read! But perhaps was just lacking a little something for me personally.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Needfire sounds like the perfect book for me; the book that has it all! Historic, sapphic romance, set in Scotland... I loved the premise of this book.

Unfortunately reading this just did not deliver for me. I found it really difficult to get into and flat, and eventually I had to DNF. :(

Luckily, it seems I am the minority with this book and so many people have loved it and it is very well reviewed on Goodreads!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this advanced reader's copy and the opportunity to this early. Review has been posted on Waterstones and Goodreads.

This book started very promising for me. Loved the intrigue, the atmosphere, the setting and I could vividly see the characters in the bleak house, full of secrets. Unfortunately, at about 50%, the plot development failed to keep my interest and I scanned through to the end. Thank you to NetGalley for the review copy.

Dark and twisted, this book find us in 1800's Scotland.

After agreeing to a union with the mysterious Lord Barland, Norah is faced with the mysteries and dark corners of Corrain House. Miles away from her native Glasgow, she finds her husband not to appear as he did in their correspondences and looks to find the truth in the quiet darkness her new coastal home brings her.

From dark family history, to accusations of witchcraft and tragedies that laid the land bare there is a lot to learn. Checking trigger warnings before going in may be needed as it may be a hard read for some.

We have gore, vengeance, blackmail and a slow burn sapphic yearning full of distrust and secrets and I loved every second of it. The sapphic burn between Norah and Gunn is tortured but it only made me want to see it develop more.

Overall, I would've loved to see a bit more of the dark backstory between the Gunn/Guinns and the Barland Lords bit this was a satisfying taste of morbidity to sate me for now.

When I saw this book was perfect for fans of Rebecca and The Hacienda I knew I would love it, and, I wasn't wrong I devoured it. I love Gothic fiction and I just couldn't put this one down.
It was full of descriptions that made me feel like I could picture the house and the scenery surrounding the house shrouded in mist.
I loved it and can't wait to read more by the author

I was really intrigued by the blurb and cover of this book, and I’m always a fan of gothic literature set in the Highlands. The plot starts quite slowly and takes a while to really pick up pace, but is very intriguing once it gets going.

In terms of gothic and horror, there were some genuinely creepy, spine-tingling moments, and I found it hard to put down for the last third or so of the book.

I felt quite unsure about what was actually going on for quite a lot of the book, although the main character is also mostly in the dark so this is understandable, and added to a general sense of unease as I was reading.

The writing was a bit repetitive at times, which I think sometimes worked in showing the remoteness of the house and the bleakness of Norah’s life there, but at other times it took me out of the suspense of the plot.

The romance plot was good, although I think it suffered from quite rushed development of both Norah and Agnes’s characters. Norah’s backstory was a very interesting premise but the length of the book doesn’t really give much chance to properly explore it. I also felt like the book didn’t have chance to do the complexities of Agnes’s character justice, particularly because it is Norah’s perspective we read, so I would like to have seen more of her.

Overall it’s a good, quick gothic read, ideal for anyone who enjoys nature horror, creepy country houses, and remote Scottish Highland settings.

I want to preface this with saying a read a lot of Gothic horror in this same vein. I liked some of the Scottish elements but I just didn't care enough about the characters and I think the horror element could have been strengthened as well. It was just middle of the road in terms of Gothic Horror, or maybe I should take a break from the genre. I did appreciate that the romance was not super explicit, if I wanted that kind of book I would pick something more in the 50 shades of grey genre and not gothic.

A gorgeous gothic treat.

This is a beautifully written gothic novel, set in the Scottish Highlands. I thought the landscape and dour atmosphere of the crumbling house on the cliff were so wonderfully conveyed. The trope of the young woman arriving alone at the darkly forbidding mansion was given a refreshing twist with the initially unexpected element of attraction between the housekeeper and Norah. I wasn't totally persuaded that Norah would marry Alexander, once it became clear her family's debts had been cleared anyway, but this gave enough impetus to the story at first. I did enjoy the sense of growing menace, Norah's deteriorating state of mind and unreliable narration, but it also gave a blurry and dreamlike impression at times that made reading less enjoyable for this reader. However, I loved that the nightmarish history of the Clearances came back to haunt and destroy the aristocratic family home - a satisfying political element here.

Wow. What an amazing, fantastically written story. This is an excellent piece of gothic fiction.

Set in 1890s Scotland, the story follows Norah, who goes to a remote house to be married to a man she’s only corresponded with by letter. When she gets there, her new husband hardly talks and the housekeeper Agnes is acting suspiciously….everyone has lots of secrets which unfold over the course of the story. The house and local land are spooky and mysterious. The descriptions of the house, sea and landscape are poetic and stunning.
Beautifully gothic, atmospheric with creeping tension this scared the pants off me! I enjoyed the slow start and then fast pace towards the end.
Loved Norah and her development throughout the book. Really enjoyed the resolution too.
Amazing! Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the copy to review!