House of Frank by Kay Synclaire
House of Frank is the first Bindery release that I've had the opportunity to read! It is also the first book acquired by an unagented author! Click th...Show more
I knew I was a fan of Kay Synclaire last year when I read the short story collection she had written with her sister, Dominique! It's called The Strange Accounts of Germantown and Other Peculiar Phenomenon. Yes, I agree...a mouthful. But so sooo good! Like the title suggests, all of its stories take place in the small town of Germantown. It is creepy, fun, haunting, terrifying and everything in between. They released it around Holloween of 2023 and I fell in love instantly. In fact, I loved it so much that Kay was one of the first authors I invited onto my podcast (You can listen HERE ).
So when Jaysen (of Ezeekat Press) acquired Kay's debut novel, I KNEW I had to read it. Not only am I a huge fan of Kay, but i'm also a huge fan of Jaysen! So I put in for an early copy almost immediately!
And here we are!!! I GOT TO READ IT!
THIS REVIEW WILL HAVE INFORMATION THAT IS NOT ON THE BACK COVER, BUT IT WON'T HAVE SPOILERS.
I loved this book. Deeply. It spoke to something deep in me that I wasn't ready for, going in. Y'all know I don't really read cozy fantasy. I have nothing against it, but I love a book that points to the big problems of the world and offers solutions, or at least a harsh criticism. I like to see empires topple and tyrants lose their he--crowns. So while I see the value in laying down with a cozy story about witches and fairies, it's not usually for me. But this was Kay, so I tried it anyway. And she won. She won, friends! I will be adding cozy fantasy to my life!
This book follows Saiki, a witch who is riddled with grief after losing her sister. As a child, she was an incredibly gifted music witch, but since losing her sister, she has also lost her power. Now she relies on her wand and the power of a fallen star for even the tiniest of spells.
After her sister died, she traveled the world, going on adventures in her sisters honor. But now that she has worked through some of the hardest parts of her grief, she is ready to fulfill her promise to her sister. Which is why she has shown up at Ash Gardens. Her sister's dying wish was to have her ashes burried there. But when she arrives, Frank--the monstrous owner of Ash Gardens--sees the grief that she's been working so hard to hide. So he invites her to move in and become one of the property's caretakers so that he can provide her a space to heal from the hurts she's pretending don't exist.
As the story progresses, we watch as Saika is confronted by her grief and must choose to let her walls down so that the other grieving residents of Ash Gardens--each of them broken in their own intimate and powerful way--can claim her as their family. Throughout the story, we watch her insecurites falter and slowly, as she embraces the freedom of letting people love her, she faces the deep-seated feelings she has been trying to bury.
This is a story about confronting grief and making space for hope, even in the face of insurmountable loss. It was cozy and warm, but it also packed a punch that left me sprawled out on the floor.
I... I barely have words for what this book meant to me. Kay is brilliant and I wouldn't be surprised if she sent me a bill for the therapy she just put me through. If you have ever known loss, which nearly all of us have, you need to read this book.
3
Jul 4, 2024
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