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Book Review: Blackwicket by Bea Northwick
The Little Fox Lair: A Bookish Den
Little Fox
September 07, 2025
Book Review: Blackwicket by Bea Northwick
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Book: Blackwicket by Bea Northwick
Genre: Gothic Romance, Fantasy Romance, Mystery Romance, Horror
Publisher: Northwick Books
In Blackwicket by Bea Northwick, Eleanora Blackwicket and her family are curse eaters with a mysterious past. After years away from home, Eleanora returns to Blackwicket House and the town of Nightglass to investigate the unexpected death of her sister. Along the way, Ellie learns hidden truths about her family and the magic that has haunted them throughout generations.
In my sixteen years, I’d learned enough to know that the darkness that devoured people from the inside out was often their own. But for a Curse Eater, for my family, it was the darkness that didn’t belong to us, the darkness we borrowed.
This is my third Bea Northwick read, and it is clear that she has an incredible talent for writing emotive and memorable gothic fiction. Bea’s writing is both beautiful and haunting, and it always makes me feel as if I’ve been transported to another time while reading. Her style is reminiscent of the classics filled with descriptive romanticism and dark imagery. Her ability to assign sentience to inanimate objects and bring them to life like she does with Blackwicket House is notable and adds an uncanny vibe to her writing.
The proprietary magic system that Northwick creates in Blackwicket is a standout aspect to her novel. It is quite complicated and has a learning curve to fully understand all of the magical mechanics and rules, but it is truly unique. As readers, we tend to read about the same magic over and over again, and it is refreshing to see something completely new.
The character ensemble in the book is large and well-developed. Northwick always does a fantastic job with foreshadowing and tying her characters into unexpected moments in her plots. She is a mastermind at sprinkling small clues and easter eggs throughout the story that readers can revisit for an “aha moment” and connect the dots. The plot twists in Blackwicket took me by surprise numerous times, and I was incredibly engaged in the second half of the book because of this. The romance in this book is open-door and quite spicy. While these scenes do not make up the majority of the book, they are intended for mature audiences. Some of the tropes readers can expect are: slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers, and forced proximity.
He was reminding me I was still capable of something other than rage and grief, and I wanted to explore what it meant to meet magic that felt like home the way his did.
The themes in Blackwicket are multi-layered and complex for a gothic, mystery romance. The author addresses generational trauma and grief. The book heavily discusses corruption within politics and elite circles. Northwick also addresses the moral obligations and abuse associated with having and maintaining power. We also see themes regarding sibling and family dynamics.
I explained the importance of intention, giving direction to power so it knew what form to take, what task to perform. I repeated my mother’s words about how vital practicing magic to create beautiful, useful, comforting things was.
Blackwicket is another literary success for Bea Northwick. Readers will want to take their time with this book and immerse themselves in the magic and atmosphere that she has created. This is a great fall read for fans of horror, fantasy romance, and mystery.
Thank you to Bea Northwick for allowing me to read this copy in advance. This book will be published September 9, 2025, and it is available for preorder.
View Blackwicket on Amazon | Bookshop.org