Early Reader Review: The House Saphir by Marissa Meyer

Source: From the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.

The House Saphir by Marissa Meyer

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publication Date:  November 4, 2025 

 

Format: Ebook

Rating:


Goodreads Synopsis: 

This is the tale of Bluebeard as it's never been told before--a romantasy murder mystery.

Mallory Fontaine is a fraud. Though she comes from a long line of witches, the only magic she possesses is the ability to see ghosts, which is rarely as useful as one would think. She and her sister have maintained the family business, eking out a paltry living by selling bogus spells to gullible buyers and conducting tours of the infamous mansion where the first of the Saphir murders took place.

Mallory is a self-proclaimed expert on Count Bastien Saphir—otherwise known as Monsieur Le Bleu—who brutally killed three of his wives more than a century ago. But she never expected to meet Bastien's great-great grandson and heir to the Saphir estate. Armand is handsome, wealthy, and convinced that the Fontaine Sisters are as talented as they claim. The perfect mark. When he offers Mallory a large sum of money to rid his ancestral home of Le Bleu's ghost, she can’t resist. A paid vacation at Armand’s country manor? It’s practically a dream come true, never mind the ghosts of murdered wives and the monsters that are as common as household pests.

But when murder again comes to the House Saphir, Mallory finds herself at the center of the investigation—and she is almost certain the killer is mortal. If she has any hope of cashing in on the payment she was promised, she’ll have to solve the murder and banish the ghost, all while upholding the illusion of witchcraft.

But that all sounds relatively easy compared to her biggest learning to trust her heart. Especially when the person her heart wants the most might be a murderer himself.

Review: 

I’ve read a few Bluebeard retellings, and every time I have to remind myself we are talking about a creepy husband who murders his wives, not pirates (i.e. Blackbeard). This version leans fully into the gothic vibe, and it makes for a really fun, twisty Young Adult fantasy.

The story follows Mallory, a witch from a long line of powerful women, except she has almost no magic of her own beyond being able to see ghosts. To get by, she and her sister run ghost tours, sell fake enchanted trinkets, and do tarot-esq readings. Technically, it is con artist work, but the “haunted house” is actually haunted, so it all evens out. When Mallory is offered a large sum of money to travel to the Saphir mansion and banish the ghost of the infamous wife-killer Monsieur Le Bleu, she accepts even though she knows she has no real ability to do what she is being hired for.

Once there, she finds herself drawn to Count Armand Saphir, the handsome and brooding heir who hired her, and then things spiral quickly into murder, magic, and mayhem.

I loved the magical lens Meyer brings to this retelling. The spooky atmosphere, the ghosts, the occult details, and the magic system all worked together to create a world that felt both eerie and macabre, yet enchanting. The story hits the right balance of dark and twisty, with some solid jump scares and a mystery that kept me engaged throughout. The pacing felt smooth, and the romantic tension, full of banter, mistrust, and swoony moments, will work well for both YA and adult readers.

Overall, this was a fun, atmospheric read that is perfect for cold, cozy nights. A great addition to the growing list of fairy tale retellings but with and added bonus of a murdery yet magical edge.