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House of Frank
A warm and hopeful story of a lonely witch consumed by grief who discovers a whimsical cast of characters in a magical arboretum—and the healing power of found family.
Powerless witch Saika is ready to enact her sister’s final to plant her remains at the famed Ash Gardens. When Saika arrives at the always-stormy sanctuary, she is welcomed by its owner, an enormous, knit-cardiganed mythical beast named Frank, who offers her a role as one of the estate’s caretakers.
Overcome with grief, Saika accepts, desperate to put off her final farewell to her sister. But the work requires a witch with intrinsic power, and Saika’s been disconnected from her magic since her sister’s death two years prior. Saika gets by at the sanctuary using a fragment of a fallen star to cast enchantments—while hiding the embarrassing truth about herself.
As Saika works harder in avoidance of her pain, she learns more about Frank, the decaying house at Ash Gardens, and the lives of the motley staff, including bickering twin cherubs, a mute ghost, a cantankerous elf, and an irritating half witch, among others. Over time, she rediscovers what it means to love and be wholly loved and how to allow her joy and grief to coexist. Warm and inventive, House of Frank is a stirring portrait of the ache of loss and the healing embrace of love.
Powerless witch Saika is ready to enact her sister’s final to plant her remains at the famed Ash Gardens. When Saika arrives at the always-stormy sanctuary, she is welcomed by its owner, an enormous, knit-cardiganed mythical beast named Frank, who offers her a role as one of the estate’s caretakers.
Overcome with grief, Saika accepts, desperate to put off her final farewell to her sister. But the work requires a witch with intrinsic power, and Saika’s been disconnected from her magic since her sister’s death two years prior. Saika gets by at the sanctuary using a fragment of a fallen star to cast enchantments—while hiding the embarrassing truth about herself.
As Saika works harder in avoidance of her pain, she learns more about Frank, the decaying house at Ash Gardens, and the lives of the motley staff, including bickering twin cherubs, a mute ghost, a cantankerous elf, and an irritating half witch, among others. Over time, she rediscovers what it means to love and be wholly loved and how to allow her joy and grief to coexist. Warm and inventive, House of Frank is a stirring portrait of the ache of loss and the healing embrace of love.
352 pages, Paperback
First published October 15, 2024
460 people are currently reading
25735 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,087 reviews
December 11, 2024
2 Stars
Set at a magical abortorium called Ash Gardens, where magical beings go to lay their loved one's ashes to rest, this story promised cozy fantasy vibes and found family goodness, featuring a healthy dose of cast diversity, wide and welcomed queer representation, and central themes of loss and grief, handled in a uniquely fantastical way.
On paper, this concept sounded very appealing to me, and it didn’t hurt that the early feedback from reviewers and bookish influencers was predominantly enthusiastic and glowing in nature. But, unfortunately, that’s about where my goodwill towards this debut fantasy tale stops short.
First and foremost, I struggled to get into the narrative style. It was first-person but with intermittent bouts of second-person focus, which I found beyond jarring. This is definitely a personal preference issue, but it had such a negative impact on the story's overall flow and readability for me, that I would be remiss not to mention it.
I also struggled quite a bit with caring for the wide ensemble cast of characters, many of whom came across as fairly obtuse and abrasive, especially protagonist witch Saika and her love interest Oli, whose interactions left me uncomfortable and confused, more often than not. In fact, most interactions in this story felt like meanness feigning as banter, and that certainly didn’t work for me—or for the cozy fantasy and found family vibes the story was ultimately reaching for.
Unfortunately, I felt much of what transpired within the story was incongruous in its telling. For instance, we were to believe all these characters cared a great deal about one another, and the place they lived and worked, but their constant antagonistic actions—or, more often than not, their notable inactions—left me feeling like they were merely disinterested strangers residing in one place, with little actual care or knowledge of one other or their needs/wants.
Lastly, for a story that dealt heavily in feelings of loss and grief, I was left practically unmoved. This was quite shocking for me to experience (or, I guess, not experience), as someone who cries at the drop of a hat, feels deeply, and gets called too sensitive, too often; and as someone who feels loss acutely and profoundly, for periods much longer than society would deem “normal” or “acceptable” in most cases. So, the fact I didn’t feel much of anything for these characters, let alone shed any tears over their experiences of grief and heartache, tells me something did not compute (for me personally) in the telling of this story, and that is an absolute shame, considering how deeply other’s seem to have been moved by this story.
To throw a little positivity at it on my way out the door, I really did love the story concept, the representation within, the unique magic system at play, and the truly apt and stunning cover art. With any luck, I’m hoping this was a one-off disconnect between me and a forthcoming publishing from Bindery Books, because I’m generally excited by the other stories on offer and I still find myself absolutely fascinated by the community powered premise behind this innovative company and the bookish people involved.
***A special thanks to Bindery Books (via Netgalley) for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Set at a magical abortorium called Ash Gardens, where magical beings go to lay their loved one's ashes to rest, this story promised cozy fantasy vibes and found family goodness, featuring a healthy dose of cast diversity, wide and welcomed queer representation, and central themes of loss and grief, handled in a uniquely fantastical way.
On paper, this concept sounded very appealing to me, and it didn’t hurt that the early feedback from reviewers and bookish influencers was predominantly enthusiastic and glowing in nature. But, unfortunately, that’s about where my goodwill towards this debut fantasy tale stops short.
First and foremost, I struggled to get into the narrative style. It was first-person but with intermittent bouts of second-person focus, which I found beyond jarring. This is definitely a personal preference issue, but it had such a negative impact on the story's overall flow and readability for me, that I would be remiss not to mention it.
I also struggled quite a bit with caring for the wide ensemble cast of characters, many of whom came across as fairly obtuse and abrasive, especially protagonist witch Saika and her love interest Oli, whose interactions left me uncomfortable and confused, more often than not. In fact, most interactions in this story felt like meanness feigning as banter, and that certainly didn’t work for me—or for the cozy fantasy and found family vibes the story was ultimately reaching for.
Unfortunately, I felt much of what transpired within the story was incongruous in its telling. For instance, we were to believe all these characters cared a great deal about one another, and the place they lived and worked, but their constant antagonistic actions—or, more often than not, their notable inactions—left me feeling like they were merely disinterested strangers residing in one place, with little actual care or knowledge of one other or their needs/wants.
Lastly, for a story that dealt heavily in feelings of loss and grief, I was left practically unmoved. This was quite shocking for me to experience (or, I guess, not experience), as someone who cries at the drop of a hat, feels deeply, and gets called too sensitive, too often; and as someone who feels loss acutely and profoundly, for periods much longer than society would deem “normal” or “acceptable” in most cases. So, the fact I didn’t feel much of anything for these characters, let alone shed any tears over their experiences of grief and heartache, tells me something did not compute (for me personally) in the telling of this story, and that is an absolute shame, considering how deeply other’s seem to have been moved by this story.
To throw a little positivity at it on my way out the door, I really did love the story concept, the representation within, the unique magic system at play, and the truly apt and stunning cover art. With any luck, I’m hoping this was a one-off disconnect between me and a forthcoming publishing from Bindery Books, because I’m generally excited by the other stories on offer and I still find myself absolutely fascinated by the community powered premise behind this innovative company and the bookish people involved.
***A special thanks to Bindery Books (via Netgalley) for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
November 22, 2024
my eyes won’t stop leaking
Coherent thoughts:
One of my top reads of 2024! Friends have described House of Frank as a “warm hug on your worst day” and that could not be more accurate. House of Frank is an unforgettable novel. It’s one that I have thought about long after I have finished. How the House of Frank explores the different kinds of grief each character experiences is deeply relatable. I cried for all of the characters. Several times!!!
As joyful as the cover looks, this book is about the dark depths of grief and how it affects an individual personally and the people around them. It was a cathartic read for me but this story may cause some readers stress. Especially, if you have recently lost a loved one.
Coherent thoughts:
One of my top reads of 2024! Friends have described House of Frank as a “warm hug on your worst day” and that could not be more accurate. House of Frank is an unforgettable novel. It’s one that I have thought about long after I have finished. How the House of Frank explores the different kinds of grief each character experiences is deeply relatable. I cried for all of the characters. Several times!!!
As joyful as the cover looks, this book is about the dark depths of grief and how it affects an individual personally and the people around them. It was a cathartic read for me but this story may cause some readers stress. Especially, if you have recently lost a loved one.
March 18, 2024
"Young. Old. We all experience life whether we've had lots of it or very little."
Holy shit, guys.
This was one of those books that sucked me in on page one, and never let go. I read very slowly, and I still managed to plow through this in a few hours once I finally gave it the time it deserved. The cast was diverse, magical, and relatable--the house was magnificent--and the arboretum... I think we all wish our loved ones could be laid to rest somewhere that their spirit is intertwined with magical trees. Every moment of this book swept me on a journey, and then Synclaire would drop lines like the one above and leave me breathless.
I absolutely adored Saika as a main character, and the sapphic romance here was top freaking notch.
Fair warning to anyone who picks it up--in case the summary doesn't imply it, this is a book FILLED with grief. It had prime cozy vibes, but overall felt very heavy simply because of the topics inside. However, if you're looking for a book that peers into your inner soul and reveals fears about losing loved ones, and then hugs you and tells you things will be okay... this is it. I cried more than once.
Overall, fantastic debut from Kay Synclaire. I'm so delighted I received an ARC, and I can't wait for this book to enter the world.
Holy shit, guys.
This was one of those books that sucked me in on page one, and never let go. I read very slowly, and I still managed to plow through this in a few hours once I finally gave it the time it deserved. The cast was diverse, magical, and relatable--the house was magnificent--and the arboretum... I think we all wish our loved ones could be laid to rest somewhere that their spirit is intertwined with magical trees. Every moment of this book swept me on a journey, and then Synclaire would drop lines like the one above and leave me breathless.
I absolutely adored Saika as a main character, and the sapphic romance here was top freaking notch.
Fair warning to anyone who picks it up--in case the summary doesn't imply it, this is a book FILLED with grief. It had prime cozy vibes, but overall felt very heavy simply because of the topics inside. However, if you're looking for a book that peers into your inner soul and reveals fears about losing loved ones, and then hugs you and tells you things will be okay... this is it. I cried more than once.
Overall, fantastic debut from Kay Synclaire. I'm so delighted I received an ARC, and I can't wait for this book to enter the world.
June 7, 2024
I feel this book was very nearly a scam, if I´m being honest with you.
Because, you see, first things first, the cover is gorgeous. And the summary promises a cozy fantasy story that reminded me a lot of Under the whispering door (or something of the like, definitely by Klune). And yes, I started reading and it felt like it, although, of course, differently narrated. Now, I had a few issues with the story that, even though I found the book enjoyable, made me decide I wouldn´t want to read it ever again.
- The narration. The first thing that put me a bit off was Saika (the protagonist) referring to the reader as if they were her dead sister. I realize this is a matter of what do you find compelling personally and there´s surely people who would enjoy that constant change to second person. I am, unfortunately, not one of those people. And it took me out of the story every time Saika spoke to Fi (which, if you read the book know it was A LOT of times. Too many of them even).
- The fairytale ambience. Or, to be more precise, the simplicity of the spells. The fact that there are cherubs (just because they exist, doesn´t seem to be any narration of them having anything to do with heaven). The fairy who reminded me of Tinkerbell... And then some backstories that 100% read a lot like a children´s fantasy book. All that put me off as well because, yes, there are adult themes of grieving in this book, but it also reads very childish at some points.
- The protagonist. Saika was... unlikeable. Too judgemental and self-centered. She abandoned everyone after her sister died and came to Frank´s house. Then she felt forever indebted to Frank because... he offered her to stay at his place for whatever long she needed? Was that all? It seemed to me that she had some sort of hero complex, wanting to take the responsability of everything on her own. Yet, I found she lacked reason to do so.
- The family that is not really a family. These characters are suppossed to be a family, the narration says so at the very beginning. But all I see is miscommunication everywhere, people don´t tell the house is falling appart "not to worry others", Frank is losing his memory but no one pays much attention to it until it´s already very obvious, there is a grumpy elf hiding in a room and it´s always treated like the angry neighbor you only care enough to check if he´s still breathing (but definitely don´t want to hang out or involve yourself with him more than necessary). There was a dragon that Frank´s dead wife loved, but NO ONE knew they were not supposed to take away her eggs, despite Kye left it written, despite some of them knew Kye from before she died and should have known. The dragon was mistreated for years and nobody cared. There is a ghost that is mute for some reason, and yes, they include him in their activities... but it seems that no one thought about teaching him sign language or give him something to write so he could communicate properly.
If this is family, it is a shitty family #sorrynotsorry
- The character of Death, who apparently only appears to make the most absurd deals (like, I´ll tear appart your house and break your memory, in exchange your wife can live one more year). What do they win with this? Frank gets more time with his familiar, but Death gets nothing... unless he likes to see people suffer (which seems to be the case). I didn´t appreciate that.
Besides, the characters who made these deals were so selfish that I couldn´t even manage to care about what happened to them once their part of the deal had to be collected.
Overall, this book looks cozy and warm. A healing story about loss.
But it´s all a first impression, because when you start reading and knowing more about the characters, you get to realize just how wrong that impression of the happy family they portrayed in the first chapters is.
Because, you see, first things first, the cover is gorgeous. And the summary promises a cozy fantasy story that reminded me a lot of Under the whispering door (or something of the like, definitely by Klune). And yes, I started reading and it felt like it, although, of course, differently narrated. Now, I had a few issues with the story that, even though I found the book enjoyable, made me decide I wouldn´t want to read it ever again.
- The narration. The first thing that put me a bit off was Saika (the protagonist) referring to the reader as if they were her dead sister. I realize this is a matter of what do you find compelling personally and there´s surely people who would enjoy that constant change to second person. I am, unfortunately, not one of those people. And it took me out of the story every time Saika spoke to Fi (which, if you read the book know it was A LOT of times. Too many of them even).
- The fairytale ambience. Or, to be more precise, the simplicity of the spells. The fact that there are cherubs (just because they exist, doesn´t seem to be any narration of them having anything to do with heaven). The fairy who reminded me of Tinkerbell... And then some backstories that 100% read a lot like a children´s fantasy book. All that put me off as well because, yes, there are adult themes of grieving in this book, but it also reads very childish at some points.
- The protagonist. Saika was... unlikeable. Too judgemental and self-centered. She abandoned everyone after her sister died and came to Frank´s house. Then she felt forever indebted to Frank because... he offered her to stay at his place for whatever long she needed? Was that all? It seemed to me that she had some sort of hero complex, wanting to take the responsability of everything on her own. Yet, I found she lacked reason to do so.
- The family that is not really a family. These characters are suppossed to be a family, the narration says so at the very beginning. But all I see is miscommunication everywhere, people don´t tell the house is falling appart "not to worry others", Frank is losing his memory but no one pays much attention to it until it´s already very obvious, there is a grumpy elf hiding in a room and it´s always treated like the angry neighbor you only care enough to check if he´s still breathing (but definitely don´t want to hang out or involve yourself with him more than necessary). There was a dragon that Frank´s dead wife loved, but NO ONE knew they were not supposed to take away her eggs, despite Kye left it written, despite some of them knew Kye from before she died and should have known. The dragon was mistreated for years and nobody cared. There is a ghost that is mute for some reason, and yes, they include him in their activities... but it seems that no one thought about teaching him sign language or give him something to write so he could communicate properly.
If this is family, it is a shitty family #sorrynotsorry
- The character of Death, who apparently only appears to make the most absurd deals (like, I´ll tear appart your house and break your memory, in exchange your wife can live one more year). What do they win with this? Frank gets more time with his familiar, but Death gets nothing... unless he likes to see people suffer (which seems to be the case). I didn´t appreciate that.
Besides, the characters who made these deals were so selfish that I couldn´t even manage to care about what happened to them once their part of the deal had to be collected.
Overall, this book looks cozy and warm. A healing story about loss.
But it´s all a first impression, because when you start reading and knowing more about the characters, you get to realize just how wrong that impression of the happy family they portrayed in the first chapters is.
September 12, 2024
This was a breathtaking, deep but magical read. If you're a fan of TJ Klune, I think you'd love this one. While this book deals with a lot of deep topics (d3ath and grieving mostly but does have a mention of su!c!de), it was a beautifully written novel. Truly shows you how grief is dealt with differently, but we all grieve. I loved the major aspects of friendship and family, even if it's not by blood. I teared up so many times. It's raw and heartbreaking but so eye-opening and beautiful. Brilliant book from a Brilliant author! I plan to devour more books by this author now!
I won this ARC from a Goodreads giveaway. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book.
I won this ARC from a Goodreads giveaway. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book.
July 12, 2025
This story is about found families and grief/sadness. It reminded me a bit of The House on the Cerulean Sea - mostly because for the found family dynamic and magical aspects. I loved the idea of burying a person's ashes to grow a tree. Overall, it was a quick read for me.
October 16, 2024
House of Frank is a unique read and it deserves the right words to describe it. I will try. Saika arrives at the famed Ash Gardens intent on fulfilling her late sister’s final wishes, to have Fiona’s ashes planted in the enchanted arboretum. As soon as Saika enters the old decrepit house, the most wonderful group of oddballs meet her. Foul mouthed cherubs, a diva witch, a dapper ghost, a tenderhearted fairy, and a smart, sharp-tongued gargoyle/witch who for me, stole the book. All of them lead by a gentle giant, furry beast who manages the bunch with an absent-minded, professorial air. Saika is also a witch but a bit of a castoff from her family and from her own powers.
The characters are the strength of the book, everybody is so well rounded as individuals. Yes, their magical elements are there but it’s the slow reveal of personalities and pasts that make their mark so strong. Because above all, this story is about grief and the struggle to get through the loss to find a way to be happy again. Saika is often at the center of the recounting of her housemates’ tellings. She’s a classic “fixer” and can’t help but want to take care of everyone, sometimes to her own detriment. I would also say this book is about found family, this group of imperfect beings holding each other up. Finally, the chemistry between Saika and Oli, although mostly fade to black, is potent and made me smile every time. Expect secrets and some suspense too.
4.5 stars rounded up.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The characters are the strength of the book, everybody is so well rounded as individuals. Yes, their magical elements are there but it’s the slow reveal of personalities and pasts that make their mark so strong. Because above all, this story is about grief and the struggle to get through the loss to find a way to be happy again. Saika is often at the center of the recounting of her housemates’ tellings. She’s a classic “fixer” and can’t help but want to take care of everyone, sometimes to her own detriment. I would also say this book is about found family, this group of imperfect beings holding each other up. Finally, the chemistry between Saika and Oli, although mostly fade to black, is potent and made me smile every time. Expect secrets and some suspense too.
4.5 stars rounded up.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
did-not-finish
November 23, 2024It was like all the characters were in a competition to see who could be the most annoying (main character won)
October 2, 2024
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I want to begin by saying the artwork for the book is stunning. The cover and the story are reminiscent of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, a cozy fantasy with a fast-paced grumpy/sunshine romance. It gave me the impression this would be a cozy fantasy for adults. It was NOT that.
Let me start by saying the tags for the book are misused. I would not agree this is a mystery (where??) and adult fiction. The book covers the loss and reconciliation of a newfound family, but there is no mystery regarding what is happening at the House of Frank except for . The lessons that are brought up in the book are merely young-adult if not childish.
However, the tags are not the worst thing. The narration is horrible. The protagonist of the book, Saika, refers to the reader as her dead sister, Fi. It becomes repetitive and annoying as Saika always says something like "that's when I thought of you, Fi". It always made me cringe, but I understand some people like second-person narrative.
Furthermore, the family aspect of the house is toxic. The characters -which are different types of fairytale characters such as cherubs, elves, ghosts etc.- miscommunicate and exclude characters. The ghost can't talk but gives him no tools to communicate with the others (what about writing, hand sign if he wears gloves?). There's a grumpy elf who they constantly forget about (no wonder he's grumpy). Frank . All in all, I wouldn't want to come to the House of Frank to say goodbye to my sister.
To conclude, I see potential in Synclaire's writing to young adults with a different narration. However, the story lacks so much depth and understanding it didn't even do what it said to be. It's not a cozy fantasy for me, and if you want a cozy fantasy I will go with the book mentioned in the beginning, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches.
I want to begin by saying the artwork for the book is stunning. The cover and the story are reminiscent of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, a cozy fantasy with a fast-paced grumpy/sunshine romance. It gave me the impression this would be a cozy fantasy for adults. It was NOT that.
Let me start by saying the tags for the book are misused. I would not agree this is a mystery (where??) and adult fiction. The book covers the loss and reconciliation of a newfound family, but there is no mystery regarding what is happening at the House of Frank except for . The lessons that are brought up in the book are merely young-adult if not childish.
However, the tags are not the worst thing. The narration is horrible. The protagonist of the book, Saika, refers to the reader as her dead sister, Fi. It becomes repetitive and annoying as Saika always says something like "that's when I thought of you, Fi". It always made me cringe, but I understand some people like second-person narrative.
Furthermore, the family aspect of the house is toxic. The characters -which are different types of fairytale characters such as cherubs, elves, ghosts etc.- miscommunicate and exclude characters. The ghost can't talk but gives him no tools to communicate with the others (what about writing, hand sign if he wears gloves?). There's a grumpy elf who they constantly forget about (no wonder he's grumpy). Frank . All in all, I wouldn't want to come to the House of Frank to say goodbye to my sister.
To conclude, I see potential in Synclaire's writing to young adults with a different narration. However, the story lacks so much depth and understanding it didn't even do what it said to be. It's not a cozy fantasy for me, and if you want a cozy fantasy I will go with the book mentioned in the beginning, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches.
July 10, 2024
“And I fear I still haven’t let her go.”
“Why should you?” He lifts a gentle brow. “She was a major part of you. Letting go of her would mean letting go of a piece of yourself.”
Cozy fantasy at its core, House of Frank is a book with such lovely depths. Centering around grief and shame, it had the potential to be a completely depressing book… but the earnestness of the characters, the whimsy of this magical place, and the beauty of the found family kept it from becoming so.
The protagonist and the diverse side characters felt relatable, and their reasons for coming together were heartbreaking. I would have loved a bit more to their backstories, because I truly grew to care for each of them. The house and arboretum felt like the perfect blend of solemn and whimsical, the ideal place to lay a loved one to rest after the worst has happened.
Having been dealing with grief on a huge scale this year, this book really spoke to me on how we view and handle death. There was at least one section where I cried out of sadness and a few others where I had tears when it felt like the characters were consoling me.
Some other topics dealt with included finding and accepting one’s true self, treatment of sentient creatures, vulnerability, trusting others with our whole selves, and the lengths we’d go for those we love.
This was a wonderful debut from Kay Synclaire, and I can’t wait to read future books from this author! Thanks so much to Bindery Books for the advanced copy!
“Why should you?” He lifts a gentle brow. “She was a major part of you. Letting go of her would mean letting go of a piece of yourself.”
Cozy fantasy at its core, House of Frank is a book with such lovely depths. Centering around grief and shame, it had the potential to be a completely depressing book… but the earnestness of the characters, the whimsy of this magical place, and the beauty of the found family kept it from becoming so.
The protagonist and the diverse side characters felt relatable, and their reasons for coming together were heartbreaking. I would have loved a bit more to their backstories, because I truly grew to care for each of them. The house and arboretum felt like the perfect blend of solemn and whimsical, the ideal place to lay a loved one to rest after the worst has happened.
Having been dealing with grief on a huge scale this year, this book really spoke to me on how we view and handle death. There was at least one section where I cried out of sadness and a few others where I had tears when it felt like the characters were consoling me.
Some other topics dealt with included finding and accepting one’s true self, treatment of sentient creatures, vulnerability, trusting others with our whole selves, and the lengths we’d go for those we love.
This was a wonderful debut from Kay Synclaire, and I can’t wait to read future books from this author! Thanks so much to Bindery Books for the advanced copy!
October 18, 2025
First off, my namesake :) Welcome to my house friends! Ok I would totally love it if this was my house. LEMME TELL YOU WHY
This was such a vibes read and it was the VIBIEST! Fantasy folk of all walks of life, a magical arboretum that people may bury their loved ones at in order to intertwine their souls with the trees, magical happenings EVERYWHERE, and some of the absolute CUTEST relationships! It’s giving House in the Cerulean Sea meets A Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches. It’s freakin fantastic. A mythical beast, witches falling in love and boasting individual magic specialties, mischievous cherubs, a fairy who is the only one able to communicate with the resident ghost, a mischievous little elf, ugh it has it ALL. I wanna live in this book. But since I can’t, I want to just reread it immediately and every year from here on out because these vibes are seriously so peak!
Throughout the entire book, our main character, Saika, is speaking to her sister, who has passed away recently, in her thoughts and it adds such a unique dimension to the character growth and the plot. This book is done in first-person, so we get to be fully engrossed in Saika’s experience as she ventures through this magical world while also confronting her own grief. It’s because of this that I truly grew to love Saika and the book in general. It feels very personal, in a way that makes you forget you’re even reading. I absolutely love being pulled into a book and its story like that.
Feelings. FELT! This book contains a lot of death and grief, with so many of these characters having experienced some sort of loss. Plus, the whole setting revolves around laying loved ones to rest in the arboretum. It’s another reason this book just feels so personal. In that we experience the different ways a lot of these characters deal with loss. Having lost a parent myself, it just brings grieving to the forefront, which in a way, feels comforting. I like that Synclaire made this such a focal point of this book. And that Frank has created a home for all of us to come grieve and begin our healing journey :)
Absolutely phenomenal debut from Synclaire and y’all, the perfect book to add to your Fall TBRs!
Thanks so much to Ezeekat Press and Bindery Books for the gifted ARC in exchange for this honest review.
This was such a vibes read and it was the VIBIEST! Fantasy folk of all walks of life, a magical arboretum that people may bury their loved ones at in order to intertwine their souls with the trees, magical happenings EVERYWHERE, and some of the absolute CUTEST relationships! It’s giving House in the Cerulean Sea meets A Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches. It’s freakin fantastic. A mythical beast, witches falling in love and boasting individual magic specialties, mischievous cherubs, a fairy who is the only one able to communicate with the resident ghost, a mischievous little elf, ugh it has it ALL. I wanna live in this book. But since I can’t, I want to just reread it immediately and every year from here on out because these vibes are seriously so peak!
Throughout the entire book, our main character, Saika, is speaking to her sister, who has passed away recently, in her thoughts and it adds such a unique dimension to the character growth and the plot. This book is done in first-person, so we get to be fully engrossed in Saika’s experience as she ventures through this magical world while also confronting her own grief. It’s because of this that I truly grew to love Saika and the book in general. It feels very personal, in a way that makes you forget you’re even reading. I absolutely love being pulled into a book and its story like that.
Feelings. FELT! This book contains a lot of death and grief, with so many of these characters having experienced some sort of loss. Plus, the whole setting revolves around laying loved ones to rest in the arboretum. It’s another reason this book just feels so personal. In that we experience the different ways a lot of these characters deal with loss. Having lost a parent myself, it just brings grieving to the forefront, which in a way, feels comforting. I like that Synclaire made this such a focal point of this book. And that Frank has created a home for all of us to come grieve and begin our healing journey :)
Absolutely phenomenal debut from Synclaire and y’all, the perfect book to add to your Fall TBRs!
Thanks so much to Ezeekat Press and Bindery Books for the gifted ARC in exchange for this honest review.
October 18, 2024
i got an arc i'm SO EXCITED
Special thanks to Bindery for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 2.5 stars
TL;DR: House of Frank is a title I've been looking forward to reading since I stumbled across it on NetGalley many months ago. Judging from the synopsis and the cover, I was 93% sure that it would be a 5-star read and so it is with the greatest disappointment that I say that this book was not for me. The main problem is that I felt no connection to the characters and for a book where the "found family" element is a big part of the story, I thought they were all rather uncaring and unforgiving towards each other. This is a house where, instead of dealing with grief healthily and healing from past trauma, its residents sweep it all under the rug so they can live in denial and pain with unhealthy coping mechanisms. I know some readers have loved this book and I'm sad not to be one of them but I am glad that I gave it a try!
I love cosy fantasy. I can be happy with a slice-of-life type of story so long as the characters are compelling and the story exudes a comforting quality that feels like a warm hug. I don't want to be irritated reading a cosy fantasy and if there's a found family element, I want to fall head over feet for these characters and I want to deeply believe in their connection. I want to root for them and scoop them all up into my pocket so I can carry the good feeling they give me everywhere I go. I thought House of Frank would be a cosy fantasy I'd fall in love with but unfortunately, it was far from it. The world-building was minimal but descriptive enough that I could easily picture the surroundings of Ash Gardens. I loved the magic in the arboretum and the house was interesting. I think this fantasy world had a more historical setting but it was never 100% clear to me. The magic system was also a bit vague but I was intrigued by what I saw. This world is populated by all sorts of magical and fantastic creatures such as wolf-men, half-gargoyles, witches of all kinds, elves, fairies, cherubs, dragons, and ghosts—and the ones we meet all have unique personalities. There is a loose plot as Saika comes to Ash Gardens to put her sister to rest after years of avoidance just as the weather worsens and the house begins to fall apart alongside Frank's, the owner's, rapidly deteriorating health. There was a mild mystery element that moved along at a plodding pace and it was fine for the most part.
I was most excited about meeting the characters and this is really where my main issue was. I stand by the fact that characters don't need to necessarily be likeable to be good, but I did not find that to be the case here. Aside from frustration and disbelief, I struggled to feel any other type of emotion toward these characters and that disconnect greatly contributed to the lowered rating for me. From the beginning, I found myself frustrated by Saika's character. She is entitled, selfish, ill-mannered and extremely judgemental and at first I thought that maybe it's because she's still stuck in her grief, but even as she "heals" as the story progresses, I found there was little change in her attitude. I thought this would at least be balanced out by kind, loving, and compassionate side characters who form the "found family" aspect but I was wrong. Don't get me wrong, the side characters weren't awful all the time—some of their banter was corny but funny—though neither did I find them particularly compelling as they weren't very kind to each other. Their barbs were bitter and hurtful and they often deliberately said things to hurt each other. While I did feel for some of them after learning their stories, it wasn't enough to create a warm fuzziness in my chest whenever I thought of their 'happy family'. I didn't feel as if they would drop everything to help each other and that was proven to me when everyone got stroppy with Frank when he forgot about a client or conversation or he forgot to do 'his job'. This brings me to the character who I felt was done so dirty and it's a shame considering the book's title has his name in it. Despite being called "House of Frank", Frank's character felt very much like an afterthought. He very quickly took a backseat as Saika settled into the house and everything started to fall apart. For all the "worrying" that everyone in the house did over Frank's deteriorating condition, no one *actually* took the time to speak to him or figure out what was wrong. Saika in particular was such an enabler but she also made dumbfounding decisions on his behalf thinking it was her right to help him sort out his grief when it's clear she hardly knew him. There was also the romantic element which, unsurprisingly, I was not sold on. I'm sorry but cheekily snide remarks, reluctant kindness, flirting after a fashion, and lopsided smirks do not chemistry make! The love interest confused me and was not a character I gravitated to at all.
I'm getting worked up now just thinking about the things Saika did and how disappointed I was by the characters, so I'm just going to wrap it up here and say that despite being the right target audience for this book, it just didn't work for me. As I mentioned earlier, some readers have loved it and I'm glad that it's finding the right audience to appreciate the story and again, I'm bummed that does not include me!
Special thanks to Bindery for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 2.5 stars
TL;DR: House of Frank is a title I've been looking forward to reading since I stumbled across it on NetGalley many months ago. Judging from the synopsis and the cover, I was 93% sure that it would be a 5-star read and so it is with the greatest disappointment that I say that this book was not for me. The main problem is that I felt no connection to the characters and for a book where the "found family" element is a big part of the story, I thought they were all rather uncaring and unforgiving towards each other. This is a house where, instead of dealing with grief healthily and healing from past trauma, its residents sweep it all under the rug so they can live in denial and pain with unhealthy coping mechanisms. I know some readers have loved this book and I'm sad not to be one of them but I am glad that I gave it a try!
I love cosy fantasy. I can be happy with a slice-of-life type of story so long as the characters are compelling and the story exudes a comforting quality that feels like a warm hug. I don't want to be irritated reading a cosy fantasy and if there's a found family element, I want to fall head over feet for these characters and I want to deeply believe in their connection. I want to root for them and scoop them all up into my pocket so I can carry the good feeling they give me everywhere I go. I thought House of Frank would be a cosy fantasy I'd fall in love with but unfortunately, it was far from it. The world-building was minimal but descriptive enough that I could easily picture the surroundings of Ash Gardens. I loved the magic in the arboretum and the house was interesting. I think this fantasy world had a more historical setting but it was never 100% clear to me. The magic system was also a bit vague but I was intrigued by what I saw. This world is populated by all sorts of magical and fantastic creatures such as wolf-men, half-gargoyles, witches of all kinds, elves, fairies, cherubs, dragons, and ghosts—and the ones we meet all have unique personalities. There is a loose plot as Saika comes to Ash Gardens to put her sister to rest after years of avoidance just as the weather worsens and the house begins to fall apart alongside Frank's, the owner's, rapidly deteriorating health. There was a mild mystery element that moved along at a plodding pace and it was fine for the most part.
I was most excited about meeting the characters and this is really where my main issue was. I stand by the fact that characters don't need to necessarily be likeable to be good, but I did not find that to be the case here. Aside from frustration and disbelief, I struggled to feel any other type of emotion toward these characters and that disconnect greatly contributed to the lowered rating for me. From the beginning, I found myself frustrated by Saika's character. She is entitled, selfish, ill-mannered and extremely judgemental and at first I thought that maybe it's because she's still stuck in her grief, but even as she "heals" as the story progresses, I found there was little change in her attitude. I thought this would at least be balanced out by kind, loving, and compassionate side characters who form the "found family" aspect but I was wrong. Don't get me wrong, the side characters weren't awful all the time—some of their banter was corny but funny—though neither did I find them particularly compelling as they weren't very kind to each other. Their barbs were bitter and hurtful and they often deliberately said things to hurt each other. While I did feel for some of them after learning their stories, it wasn't enough to create a warm fuzziness in my chest whenever I thought of their 'happy family'. I didn't feel as if they would drop everything to help each other and that was proven to me when everyone got stroppy with Frank when he forgot about a client or conversation or he forgot to do 'his job'. This brings me to the character who I felt was done so dirty and it's a shame considering the book's title has his name in it. Despite being called "House of Frank", Frank's character felt very much like an afterthought. He very quickly took a backseat as Saika settled into the house and everything started to fall apart. For all the "worrying" that everyone in the house did over Frank's deteriorating condition, no one *actually* took the time to speak to him or figure out what was wrong. Saika in particular was such an enabler but she also made dumbfounding decisions on his behalf thinking it was her right to help him sort out his grief when it's clear she hardly knew him. There was also the romantic element which, unsurprisingly, I was not sold on. I'm sorry but cheekily snide remarks, reluctant kindness, flirting after a fashion, and lopsided smirks do not chemistry make! The love interest confused me and was not a character I gravitated to at all.
I'm getting worked up now just thinking about the things Saika did and how disappointed I was by the characters, so I'm just going to wrap it up here and say that despite being the right target audience for this book, it just didn't work for me. As I mentioned earlier, some readers have loved it and I'm glad that it's finding the right audience to appreciate the story and again, I'm bummed that does not include me!
December 25, 2024
4.25⭐️
Well I’m fucking sobbing (in a good way)
Well I’m fucking sobbing (in a good way)
August 13, 2025
If you enjoyed Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune, you will enjoy this cozy fantasy about letting go and moving on.
It is a read that doesn’t require much brain power, something you can ease into as you already know the shape and message of the story and character arcs.
Saika is carrying out her sister’s last wishes in planting her ashes in a special garden run by a Minotaur called Frank.
She ends up putting off the ceremony and staying to help out.
I have to admit to finding the main character extremely annoying, frustrating, and hypocritical. I think that was part of the story, but it did mean I was rolling my eyes more than I felt that heartwarming feeling.
She was just very judgemental whilst demanding everyone else afford her kindness and understanding.
I did not believe in the found family or romance.
The more I think on this, the more I am teetering towards two stars….
Audiobook arc gifted by Libro.fm.
Bookstagram
Tiktok
It is a read that doesn’t require much brain power, something you can ease into as you already know the shape and message of the story and character arcs.
Saika is carrying out her sister’s last wishes in planting her ashes in a special garden run by a Minotaur called Frank.
She ends up putting off the ceremony and staying to help out.
I have to admit to finding the main character extremely annoying, frustrating, and hypocritical. I think that was part of the story, but it did mean I was rolling my eyes more than I felt that heartwarming feeling.
She was just very judgemental whilst demanding everyone else afford her kindness and understanding.
I did not believe in the found family or romance.
The more I think on this, the more I am teetering towards two stars….
Audiobook arc gifted by Libro.fm.
Bookstagram
Tiktok
October 29, 2024
4.25 ⭐️
When powerless witch Saika arrives at the magical Ash Gardens to lay her sister to rest, she’s offered a role as caretaker by Frank, the sanctuary’s mythic, cardigan-wearing owner. Struggling to hide her grief and her severed connection to magic, Saika bonds with the estate’s whimsical inhabitants, from bickering cherubs to a mute ghost. In the process, she learns that healing can coexist with sorrow, and that love—even when lost—remains a powerful force.
I’ve been crying for the past 30 minutes. This story is one of the most profound explorations of grief I've read. It reminds us that grief is, at its core, an intense form of love—a reflection of what we lose when we part from someone we deeply cherish. Watching Saika grapple with Fiona’s absence, constantly feeling her presence and recalling her love, is a journey that’s both heart-wrenching and beautiful. Through her encounters with her new found family, reunions with old friends, and a newfound love, Saika learns to carry her grief differently, to hold it with both sorrow and gratitude.
CAWPILE Ratings:
Characters: 7
Atmosphere: 7
Writing: 8
Plot: 8
Intrigue: 8
Logic: 8
Enjoyment: 8
This is a story that sits with you, holding you close as you feel the ache of loss and the quiet joy of love renewed.
When powerless witch Saika arrives at the magical Ash Gardens to lay her sister to rest, she’s offered a role as caretaker by Frank, the sanctuary’s mythic, cardigan-wearing owner. Struggling to hide her grief and her severed connection to magic, Saika bonds with the estate’s whimsical inhabitants, from bickering cherubs to a mute ghost. In the process, she learns that healing can coexist with sorrow, and that love—even when lost—remains a powerful force.
I’ve been crying for the past 30 minutes. This story is one of the most profound explorations of grief I've read. It reminds us that grief is, at its core, an intense form of love—a reflection of what we lose when we part from someone we deeply cherish. Watching Saika grapple with Fiona’s absence, constantly feeling her presence and recalling her love, is a journey that’s both heart-wrenching and beautiful. Through her encounters with her new found family, reunions with old friends, and a newfound love, Saika learns to carry her grief differently, to hold it with both sorrow and gratitude.
CAWPILE Ratings:
Characters: 7
Atmosphere: 7
Writing: 8
Plot: 8
Intrigue: 8
Logic: 8
Enjoyment: 8
This is a story that sits with you, holding you close as you feel the ache of loss and the quiet joy of love renewed.
October 13, 2024
If you’re looking for a found family, cozy fantasy, you’ve come to the right place. Saika is grieving the loss of her beloved sister and finally decides to honor her wishes about being planted as a tree in a place called Ash Gardens. There she finds a job and slowly starts to realize that she’s not the only one with issues. I enjoyed this sweet story! I will say, though, that some of the relationships fell a little flat…they just seemed to develop a little bit quickly for my taste. Still, Kay Synclaire is very talented, and I look forward to her next book!
CW: There are a couple of sexual situations in here, but it’s kept relatively clean.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ezeekat Press for the eARC. All opinions are my own.
CW: There are a couple of sexual situations in here, but it’s kept relatively clean.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ezeekat Press for the eARC. All opinions are my own.
December 30, 2024
This was all kinds of beautiful.
Never have I ever read grief written and explored so utterly wholly and wonderfully.
Words are hard, but this book gave me all of the feelings.
Never have I ever read grief written and explored so utterly wholly and wonderfully.
Words are hard, but this book gave me all of the feelings.
September 23, 2024
2.5/5 stars, rounded down
"It’s strange how grief works. I was content, walking these strange cobblestone streets, but then here you are. You lurk everywhere. You’re in my thoughts. You’re in my heart, so I cannot help but to find you everywhere."
Cozy fantasy is hit or miss for me, yet when it hits it hits, and I was fully expecting House of Frank to do just that. A warm-hearted story of found family, grief, hope and finding comfort in small things, set at a magical arboretum; sign me up!
Unfortunately, despite its wonderful elements and promising premise, the execution didn’t live up to my self-imposed hype…
The Story:
We follow Saika, a witch stripped of her magical powers in the wake of a tragic series of events that cost her beloved sister her life. Consumed by her grief, she leaves with nothing but the clothes on her back to travel to the famous Ash Gardens, where she plans to lay her sisters ashes to rest. When Saika arrives at the always-stormy sanctuary, she is welcomed by its owner, an enormous, knit-cardiganed mythical beast named Frank, who offers her a role as one of the estate’s caretakers. Accepting any chance to put off her final goodbye to her sister, Saika accepts and is taken in by the colourful “family” of staff at the Ash Gardens. Soon she realizes that not everything is as magical as it seems; from Franks increasing forgetfulness to the decay that threatens to break their very house down. Saika must unravel the mysteries in order to prevent losing the life and family she’s just beginning to build for herself.
What I loved:
As mentioned, there are plenty of individual elements to love here. A tender story of grief and healing made a little less “heavy” by a good helping of magic and whimsy: yes please. A cast of wonderfully diverse characters, all with backstories of their own, creating a patchwork found-family: absolutely! Set amongst magical greenhouses, functioning as the final resting places for the ashes of loved ones: brilliant! The issue wasn’t the concepts, but the fact that many of them didn’t make it past the “concept-stage”; they simply lacked development.
House of Frank sure has its moments, especially when it comes to Saika. The portrayal of her grief over her sister felt authentic. It’s not easy to make a reader care for a relationship with a character we’ve never actually seen on page, but Synclair manages that well. Similarly, there are some endearing moments between Oli and Saika (fans of sunshine-grumpy-romances will adore these two), and Saika and Frank. If you’re able to enjoy the story on just that surface level, enjoying the ambience and “aesthetics” only; you might have a great experience. Unfortunately, when you give it more than a passing thought, things crumble faster than the walls of Franks house.
What I didn’t love:
Underdevelopment is the keyword here, which I’ll explain by 3 hallmarks of a good (fantasy) book (story, characters, worldbuilding) and finally a small spoiler-section on the resulting plotholes.
First things first, the story is less than wafer-thin. It’s a McGuffin-hunt for a magical fallen star that will magically solve all the problems around The House. The plot is driven mostly by “time-to-falling-star”, rather than characters actions, which makes for a very passive story. The few actions the characters do take often feel out of left field, lacking decent character motivation.
Speaking of which: the characters. Apart from Saika and Frank, they exist to make for a cute and whimsical ensemble, but are little more than window-dressing. There are “grumpy elf”, “magical-grandpa-like-beast-who-wears-knit-cardigans”, “semi-invisible-ghost-with-bowler-hat”, and “pair-of-cherubs-who-constantly-bicker”. Sounds more like character-prompts than actual characters, right? That quickly becomes a problem when your story hinges so much on found-family and character relationships. We’re told to root for this bunch and think of them as a tight-knit and cozy community, but what we actually see is often the opposite. For a “family” there is surprisingly little love and surprisingly much indifference on display here. Many of the characters have a clear problem that Saika must solve for them throughout the story. Except all of these problems should’ve been solved easily by other “family-members”, if only they’d shown a single grain of attention and care for each other. E.g. It’s clear very early on that patriarch Frank suffers from memory-issues (and has for a long time!), yet I’m supposed to believe that all of his “family members” have just shrugged this off and offered him no help whatsoever. Same for Phil: he’s a mute ghost who’s made it abundantly clear that he wants to communicate something to the rest of them. Yet everyone just ignores, dismisses him or even laughs at his antics. How is this a family I’m supposed to root for?
Thirdly there’s the worldbuilding. I’m not expecting a Brandon-Sanderson level epic from a cozy-standalone, but still… I want something more than “just roll with it”.
We barely get an impression of the immediate setting. I was excited for the descriptions of the house (just look at that cover) or the gardens, but was left so disappointed. There’s also no rhyme or reason to the magical creatures or their powers. From the cherubs to the ghost in the bowler-hat: they’re there because the author thought they were cute. The issue with that is that it creates massive plot holes along the way.
Spoilers ahead:
Poor Phil is the accumulation of all this novels plot-holes combined. When death and grief are your novels central themes, introducing a ghost is a big deal. Why is Phil a ghost who lingers beyond death, yet other deceased characters are not?
This novel takes clear inspiration from other cozy fantasies like The House in the Cerulean Sea, Under the Whispering Door and The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches. Unfortunately for it, I’d recommend any of them over this title.
Many thanks to Bindery Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
"It’s strange how grief works. I was content, walking these strange cobblestone streets, but then here you are. You lurk everywhere. You’re in my thoughts. You’re in my heart, so I cannot help but to find you everywhere."
Cozy fantasy is hit or miss for me, yet when it hits it hits, and I was fully expecting House of Frank to do just that. A warm-hearted story of found family, grief, hope and finding comfort in small things, set at a magical arboretum; sign me up!
Unfortunately, despite its wonderful elements and promising premise, the execution didn’t live up to my self-imposed hype…
The Story:
We follow Saika, a witch stripped of her magical powers in the wake of a tragic series of events that cost her beloved sister her life. Consumed by her grief, she leaves with nothing but the clothes on her back to travel to the famous Ash Gardens, where she plans to lay her sisters ashes to rest. When Saika arrives at the always-stormy sanctuary, she is welcomed by its owner, an enormous, knit-cardiganed mythical beast named Frank, who offers her a role as one of the estate’s caretakers. Accepting any chance to put off her final goodbye to her sister, Saika accepts and is taken in by the colourful “family” of staff at the Ash Gardens. Soon she realizes that not everything is as magical as it seems; from Franks increasing forgetfulness to the decay that threatens to break their very house down. Saika must unravel the mysteries in order to prevent losing the life and family she’s just beginning to build for herself.
What I loved:
As mentioned, there are plenty of individual elements to love here. A tender story of grief and healing made a little less “heavy” by a good helping of magic and whimsy: yes please. A cast of wonderfully diverse characters, all with backstories of their own, creating a patchwork found-family: absolutely! Set amongst magical greenhouses, functioning as the final resting places for the ashes of loved ones: brilliant! The issue wasn’t the concepts, but the fact that many of them didn’t make it past the “concept-stage”; they simply lacked development.
House of Frank sure has its moments, especially when it comes to Saika. The portrayal of her grief over her sister felt authentic. It’s not easy to make a reader care for a relationship with a character we’ve never actually seen on page, but Synclair manages that well. Similarly, there are some endearing moments between Oli and Saika (fans of sunshine-grumpy-romances will adore these two), and Saika and Frank. If you’re able to enjoy the story on just that surface level, enjoying the ambience and “aesthetics” only; you might have a great experience. Unfortunately, when you give it more than a passing thought, things crumble faster than the walls of Franks house.
What I didn’t love:
Underdevelopment is the keyword here, which I’ll explain by 3 hallmarks of a good (fantasy) book (story, characters, worldbuilding) and finally a small spoiler-section on the resulting plotholes.
First things first, the story is less than wafer-thin. It’s a McGuffin-hunt for a magical fallen star that will magically solve all the problems around The House. The plot is driven mostly by “time-to-falling-star”, rather than characters actions, which makes for a very passive story. The few actions the characters do take often feel out of left field, lacking decent character motivation.
Speaking of which: the characters. Apart from Saika and Frank, they exist to make for a cute and whimsical ensemble, but are little more than window-dressing. There are “grumpy elf”, “magical-grandpa-like-beast-who-wears-knit-cardigans”, “semi-invisible-ghost-with-bowler-hat”, and “pair-of-cherubs-who-constantly-bicker”. Sounds more like character-prompts than actual characters, right? That quickly becomes a problem when your story hinges so much on found-family and character relationships. We’re told to root for this bunch and think of them as a tight-knit and cozy community, but what we actually see is often the opposite. For a “family” there is surprisingly little love and surprisingly much indifference on display here. Many of the characters have a clear problem that Saika must solve for them throughout the story. Except all of these problems should’ve been solved easily by other “family-members”, if only they’d shown a single grain of attention and care for each other. E.g. It’s clear very early on that patriarch Frank suffers from memory-issues (and has for a long time!), yet I’m supposed to believe that all of his “family members” have just shrugged this off and offered him no help whatsoever. Same for Phil: he’s a mute ghost who’s made it abundantly clear that he wants to communicate something to the rest of them. Yet everyone just ignores, dismisses him or even laughs at his antics. How is this a family I’m supposed to root for?
Thirdly there’s the worldbuilding. I’m not expecting a Brandon-Sanderson level epic from a cozy-standalone, but still… I want something more than “just roll with it”.
We barely get an impression of the immediate setting. I was excited for the descriptions of the house (just look at that cover) or the gardens, but was left so disappointed. There’s also no rhyme or reason to the magical creatures or their powers. From the cherubs to the ghost in the bowler-hat: they’re there because the author thought they were cute. The issue with that is that it creates massive plot holes along the way.
Spoilers ahead:
Poor Phil is the accumulation of all this novels plot-holes combined. When death and grief are your novels central themes, introducing a ghost is a big deal. Why is Phil a ghost who lingers beyond death, yet other deceased characters are not?
This novel takes clear inspiration from other cozy fantasies like The House in the Cerulean Sea, Under the Whispering Door and The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches. Unfortunately for it, I’d recommend any of them over this title.
Many thanks to Bindery Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Read
September 28, 2024A very charming story about grief, healing, and re-finding home & love in new community. The eccentric cast of characters and charismatic house will get you hooked, and the arcs around loss will tug at your heartstrings.
CW: grief, death (spouse, parent, child), dementia, terminal illness, suicide, animal cruelty, mental illness
Follow me on social media for book recommendations!
(I received an advance reader copy of this book.)
CW: grief, death (spouse, parent, child), dementia, terminal illness, suicide, animal cruelty, mental illness
Follow me on social media for book recommendations!
(I received an advance reader copy of this book.)
September 29, 2024
I was sent this book as an advanced copy by the publisher via NetGalley for reviewing purposes, but all opinions are my own.
Sigh...
This is one of those books where a 3-star rating feels like a defeat. And this is going to be one of those reviews where I talk more about what a book didn't do than what it did. It could easily be a 2 or a 4 stars, but the truth is that, for a book whose whole premise is supposed to make you emotional, I personally felt very little emotion. Grief manifests differently for everybody, I get that, and I have nothing but respect and sympathy for those who will love this book and felt moved by it. But I also believe that a book that relies on you relating the the specific type of grief portrayed by it in order for you to like it can only feel sort of weak.
Grief was the engine of this book. It drove multiple characters' decisions, it made them who they were, and it moved the plot. So much so that, even if you could somehow relate to this specific grief, every other aspect of the book fell flat. The found family was only there because we were told that's what it's supposed to be, but I couldn't always pinpoint why these characters were supposed to all be together. The romance just...happened.
What I liked is how diverse book was, and the fact that the magic world didn't need a ton of lengthy explanations to get into it. And despite my review being what it is, I never felt like I wanted to DNF and I (almost) never actively disliked what it was trying to do, despite not always liking the result (note that I use dislike and not like as two very different concepts here).
Despite all, it is a respectable book for a debut, and I'd be willing to see where the author will take future books, maybe exploring different themes.
Sigh...
This is one of those books where a 3-star rating feels like a defeat. And this is going to be one of those reviews where I talk more about what a book didn't do than what it did. It could easily be a 2 or a 4 stars, but the truth is that, for a book whose whole premise is supposed to make you emotional, I personally felt very little emotion. Grief manifests differently for everybody, I get that, and I have nothing but respect and sympathy for those who will love this book and felt moved by it. But I also believe that a book that relies on you relating the the specific type of grief portrayed by it in order for you to like it can only feel sort of weak.
Grief was the engine of this book. It drove multiple characters' decisions, it made them who they were, and it moved the plot. So much so that, even if you could somehow relate to this specific grief, every other aspect of the book fell flat. The found family was only there because we were told that's what it's supposed to be, but I couldn't always pinpoint why these characters were supposed to all be together. The romance just...happened.
What I liked is how diverse book was, and the fact that the magic world didn't need a ton of lengthy explanations to get into it. And despite my review being what it is, I never felt like I wanted to DNF and I (almost) never actively disliked what it was trying to do, despite not always liking the result (note that I use dislike and not like as two very different concepts here).
Despite all, it is a respectable book for a debut, and I'd be willing to see where the author will take future books, maybe exploring different themes.
May 1, 2024
House of Frank is a cosy fantasy about grief and love and I adored this warm hug of a book so so much.
Saika is grieving the loss of her sister, and travels to Ash Gardens to lay her to rest in the magical arboretum, but struggles to let go, and is invited by Ash Garden’s caretaker Frank (a big fluffy monster who wears knit cardigans!) to stay for as long as she needs, helping around the house, finding a new family and maybe even falling in love. :’)
I loved all the characters, especially Evette and Oli, and thought the pacing and reveals were super well done. I read this book over the span of a couple of days and every time I wasn’t reading it, I was just thinking about how much I wished I was.
I would recommend House of Frank to any fantasy/cosy fantasy readers, and especially to fans of The House in the Cerulean Sea, Legends and Lattes, and The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Bindery Books for the ARC!
Saika is grieving the loss of her sister, and travels to Ash Gardens to lay her to rest in the magical arboretum, but struggles to let go, and is invited by Ash Garden’s caretaker Frank (a big fluffy monster who wears knit cardigans!) to stay for as long as she needs, helping around the house, finding a new family and maybe even falling in love. :’)
I loved all the characters, especially Evette and Oli, and thought the pacing and reveals were super well done. I read this book over the span of a couple of days and every time I wasn’t reading it, I was just thinking about how much I wished I was.
I would recommend House of Frank to any fantasy/cosy fantasy readers, and especially to fans of The House in the Cerulean Sea, Legends and Lattes, and The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Bindery Books for the ARC!
January 16, 2025
A cozy fantasy about grief and found family, and the first book I've read from the relatively new publishing experiment, Bindery Books.
I would read further books from this author for sure, but I also think this one was pretty flawed. I actually think it needed at least one more round of edits, if not two. I have no idea how Bindery's editing process works in comparison to traditional publishers, but this needed to be worked over for clarity, both in the writing itself (some sentences didn't make sense, and there were lots of grammatical errors) and in the story and worldbuilding. But the bones of this were promising!
Our main character is Saika, a witch who has been grieving the loss of her sister Fiona for two years. She's been wandering the world avoiding her grief, but now it's time to fulfill her sister's dying wish to be buried in this magical arboretum where a tree will be grown from her ashes. Arriving at Ash Gardens is the catalyst for her to finally let go, and to find new people to care about in her life.
All the characters in this book are in various stages of grief, and they've all ended up at Ash Gardens with its beast proprietor, Frank, like some sort of morbid Island of Misfit Toys. And it turns out, something is very wrong with the house, and with Frank. It's falling apart, Saika is falling apart, how will this resolve.
Aside from the smaller issues I had with this, I'm only giving this three stars because while it was a nice little story, I never connected to it emotionally the way that I should have. This story could have had me upside down and sideways, and instead, it won't stick with me. For a story about grief, something that should hit hard, that's a pretty big flaw.
Anyway, this might work better for you, but I will be watching this author and hoping she gets a little more guidance next time.
I would read further books from this author for sure, but I also think this one was pretty flawed. I actually think it needed at least one more round of edits, if not two. I have no idea how Bindery's editing process works in comparison to traditional publishers, but this needed to be worked over for clarity, both in the writing itself (some sentences didn't make sense, and there were lots of grammatical errors) and in the story and worldbuilding. But the bones of this were promising!
Our main character is Saika, a witch who has been grieving the loss of her sister Fiona for two years. She's been wandering the world avoiding her grief, but now it's time to fulfill her sister's dying wish to be buried in this magical arboretum where a tree will be grown from her ashes. Arriving at Ash Gardens is the catalyst for her to finally let go, and to find new people to care about in her life.
All the characters in this book are in various stages of grief, and they've all ended up at Ash Gardens with its beast proprietor, Frank, like some sort of morbid Island of Misfit Toys. And it turns out, something is very wrong with the house, and with Frank. It's falling apart, Saika is falling apart, how will this resolve.
Aside from the smaller issues I had with this, I'm only giving this three stars because while it was a nice little story, I never connected to it emotionally the way that I should have. This story could have had me upside down and sideways, and instead, it won't stick with me. For a story about grief, something that should hit hard, that's a pretty big flaw.
Anyway, this might work better for you, but I will be watching this author and hoping she gets a little more guidance next time.
did-not-finish
June 19, 2025An "it's not you, it's me" situation. I would not call this cozy but cozy - adjacent. The main character is attempting to come to terms with the death of a sibling but in a safe and cozy space. The pace was just too slow for me but likely fine for those who enjoy these kind of stories.
April 15, 2025
This isn't YA but I put it on my YA shelf because it reads like a YA novel.
Ok.
I need to tone down my expectations; I have figured out why these Bindery books aren't hitting for me as I'd expected: influencers are not editors.
I seem to have believed that people who have achieved some sort of internet fame by reading and discussing books would be more fastidious in their publishing processes. My expectation was that they would find unique stories, get them edited or help with editing until the story was really solid, then push them out and market the crap out of them.
So far, from what I've experienced with four Bindery books, these book influencers are picking interesting stories and some of them are good at pushing them out and marketing the crap out of them, though I think most of them are relying too hard on marketing to their followers, specifically.
It does not seem they involve themselves in the editing process, they're not working to help the authors grow in their art. It feels like they're finding stories they like and that's it. Maybe, in time, they'll find editors to join their teams, editors who know what makes for good writing and who know how to guide authors to hone their skills. For now, though, the stories have mostly been like this one - a superb idea, messily executed.
In this story, Saika, who has been living with grief and guilt for a couple of years, finally gets up the guts to fulfill her deceased sister Fi's final wish: plant Fi's ashes in the Ash Gardens arboretum where she can live the rest of eternity as a magically beautiful tree.
She shows up to Ash Gardens, intending to follow through, but she is so overly-attached to her dead sister that she cannot bear to give up the sparkling ashes in a jar. They sparkle because Fi was a witch, I assume? Normal people ashes don't sparkle. I have some and they are gray and dull.
In the course of dealing with her feelings about her sister and what she, Saika, did to alienate herself from her family plus the guilt of not attending to her sister's wishes earlier AND not staying in touch with her sister's husband and their children, Saika gets to know the residents of the weird old house at Ash Gardens and in the course of a month, they become found family. They're all magical in some fashion and they're all there because they, too, are grieving the loss of loved ones.
There's a content warning at the beginning, which I appreciate greatly, to let the reader know that it's a novel about grief and that a bunch of other unpleasant things show up, as well.
However, it's really only a novel about grief and how everyone gets stuck in it and they make terrible decisions and can't move on. If they do move on, it's not shown on page how that was accomplished except for a couple of cases at the end. And one really didn't technically move on from grief. And maybe readers don't need various examples of coping with grief and getting back to a relatively normal existence but because grief is such a taboo, private subject, I think it would be helpful to see more examples of the journey, how it manifests for different people, how some get through and other's don't (that part was actually covered), and how every path is different and there are no right ways but there are some wrong ways.
There's so much here that could be solidified, made powerful, but the writing is too loopy, too frivolous, too YA, for real impact to be woven throughout. I'd love to see what this author could do in the hands of a serious writing group and a good editor because she's got the ideas, she just needs to tighten up the words.
Recommended for fans of The House in the Cerulean Sea because it has a lot of the same feels.
2.5 stars
Ok.
I need to tone down my expectations; I have figured out why these Bindery books aren't hitting for me as I'd expected: influencers are not editors.
I seem to have believed that people who have achieved some sort of internet fame by reading and discussing books would be more fastidious in their publishing processes. My expectation was that they would find unique stories, get them edited or help with editing until the story was really solid, then push them out and market the crap out of them.
So far, from what I've experienced with four Bindery books, these book influencers are picking interesting stories and some of them are good at pushing them out and marketing the crap out of them, though I think most of them are relying too hard on marketing to their followers, specifically.
It does not seem they involve themselves in the editing process, they're not working to help the authors grow in their art. It feels like they're finding stories they like and that's it. Maybe, in time, they'll find editors to join their teams, editors who know what makes for good writing and who know how to guide authors to hone their skills. For now, though, the stories have mostly been like this one - a superb idea, messily executed.
In this story, Saika, who has been living with grief and guilt for a couple of years, finally gets up the guts to fulfill her deceased sister Fi's final wish: plant Fi's ashes in the Ash Gardens arboretum where she can live the rest of eternity as a magically beautiful tree.
She shows up to Ash Gardens, intending to follow through, but she is so overly-attached to her dead sister that she cannot bear to give up the sparkling ashes in a jar. They sparkle because Fi was a witch, I assume? Normal people ashes don't sparkle. I have some and they are gray and dull.
In the course of dealing with her feelings about her sister and what she, Saika, did to alienate herself from her family plus the guilt of not attending to her sister's wishes earlier AND not staying in touch with her sister's husband and their children, Saika gets to know the residents of the weird old house at Ash Gardens and in the course of a month, they become found family. They're all magical in some fashion and they're all there because they, too, are grieving the loss of loved ones.
There's a content warning at the beginning, which I appreciate greatly, to let the reader know that it's a novel about grief and that a bunch of other unpleasant things show up, as well.
However, it's really only a novel about grief and how everyone gets stuck in it and they make terrible decisions and can't move on. If they do move on, it's not shown on page how that was accomplished except for a couple of cases at the end. And one really didn't technically move on from grief. And maybe readers don't need various examples of coping with grief and getting back to a relatively normal existence but because grief is such a taboo, private subject, I think it would be helpful to see more examples of the journey, how it manifests for different people, how some get through and other's don't (that part was actually covered), and how every path is different and there are no right ways but there are some wrong ways.
There's so much here that could be solidified, made powerful, but the writing is too loopy, too frivolous, too YA, for real impact to be woven throughout. I'd love to see what this author could do in the hands of a serious writing group and a good editor because she's got the ideas, she just needs to tighten up the words.
Recommended for fans of The House in the Cerulean Sea because it has a lot of the same feels.
2.5 stars
October 9, 2024
3.5 stars for this is a cozy fantasy story with grieving as a major theme throughout, and an LGBTQIA+ romance coming OCTOBER 15TH.
Saika is a music witch mourning the death of her sister. Fiona made her promise to see that her ashes were planted at the arboretum at Ash Gardens, where they will grow into something beautiful. Even after she arrives at Ash Gardens, Saika finds she is not yet ready to part with her sister's ashes, and she winds up staying on and helping out around the place. She gets to know the others employed there, including cherubs, an elf, a half-gargoyle, and a one-of-a-kind beast. It turns out they are all suffering their own losses, and develop relationships that allow them to help one another navigate through their grief.
This was nice story of love, loss, friendship, and healing. The range of characters was nice, although you only get to know a few of them beyond surface level. I wasn't really feeling the romance between our two lovebirds, personally--their interactions with one another were more irritating than anything, in my opinion, but it made for a sweet story. This is a slower-paced character driven tale, and though it takes place in a fantasy world, we are only shown this one specific part of it at Ash Gardens (with one day trip into the city). Potential readers should also know the narration often veers into second person, as Saika addressing her departed sister. It's not like the entire book is written in second person point of view, but some people may be turned off even by a portion of it being so.
Now if I may grumble a little bit - when Saika reads that a dragon laying eggs means it's trying to start a family and explains this to others, and their response is, "I had no idea!'...what exactly was their understanding of how eggs work?! Also, this is another case of me being taken by surprise by the occasional F-word sprinkled throughout--cursing in books doesn't bother me (as long as it's not excessive), but was surprising in what otherwise seemed like such a wholesome story.
But overall this was a decent cozy, emotional yet hopeful read.
Thank you to Bindery Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my unbiased review.
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Saika is a music witch mourning the death of her sister. Fiona made her promise to see that her ashes were planted at the arboretum at Ash Gardens, where they will grow into something beautiful. Even after she arrives at Ash Gardens, Saika finds she is not yet ready to part with her sister's ashes, and she winds up staying on and helping out around the place. She gets to know the others employed there, including cherubs, an elf, a half-gargoyle, and a one-of-a-kind beast. It turns out they are all suffering their own losses, and develop relationships that allow them to help one another navigate through their grief.
This was nice story of love, loss, friendship, and healing. The range of characters was nice, although you only get to know a few of them beyond surface level. I wasn't really feeling the romance between our two lovebirds, personally--their interactions with one another were more irritating than anything, in my opinion, but it made for a sweet story. This is a slower-paced character driven tale, and though it takes place in a fantasy world, we are only shown this one specific part of it at Ash Gardens (with one day trip into the city). Potential readers should also know the narration often veers into second person, as Saika addressing her departed sister. It's not like the entire book is written in second person point of view, but some people may be turned off even by a portion of it being so.
Now if I may grumble a little bit - when Saika reads that a dragon laying eggs means it's trying to start a family and explains this to others, and their response is, "I had no idea!'...what exactly was their understanding of how eggs work?! Also, this is another case of me being taken by surprise by the occasional F-word sprinkled throughout--cursing in books doesn't bother me (as long as it's not excessive), but was surprising in what otherwise seemed like such a wholesome story.
But overall this was a decent cozy, emotional yet hopeful read.
Thank you to Bindery Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my unbiased review.
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December 12, 2024
In-depth review will come later for SkiesNet book club! In short, I was hooked from page 1. Love love love.
April 26, 2025
Unlikable protagonist, weak world building, shallow characters, plot holes, clunky 2nd person narration, & overall questionable relationships & morals. Meh. Honestly left me feeling irritated.
September 4, 2024
"Fiona was my very best friend. She was my first friend. She was my sister. I love you, Fi. In life and in death, you will always be my sister.”
REVIEW
Thank you to Netgalley and Bindery Books for providing me with a digital copy in exchange for an honest review! The quotes are taken from the Arc and are subject to changes!
House of Frank was one of my most anticipated Cozy Fantasy releases for this year! Unfortunately, it didn't quite live up to my expectations. The story follows Saika, a powerless witch who is still grieving the loss of her sister. Her sister Fiona's dying wish was to be planted in Ash Gardens, a magical place that turns the deceased's ashes into a beautiful tree. The caretaker, Frank, offers her a job and a place to stay while Saika finds the courage to lay her sister to rest. I loved the idea and the gorgeous cover promised an emotional story about grief and found family.
Let's start with the positives! I found Saika's story intriguing, as she lost her power and is trying to hide her secrets. Something unsettling is going on with her and we slowly uncover her past and what led her to Ash Gardens. The world of House of Frank was interesting as well, as there are several different kinds of witches (most witches specialize in a sector, such as Saika who is a Music Witch) and magical creatures (such as dragons, cherubs and fairies). I liked the whimsical atmosphere of Ash Gardens and the different ways the inhabitants cope with their grief. There was definitely potential in the story, as there were interesting storylines and the ending managed to tie everything together! Unfortunately, I don't feel like I got the story I was expecting.
For one, the world and characters could have been more fleshed out. The setting felt historical at times, but it also included modern inventions. I wasn't sure what kind of world we were in, so everything felt incongruent. I wish we'd seen different parts of the world and explored the magical creatures in more depth, I feel like there is so much I don't know. The cast of characters also felt reduced to one or two characteristics. I could distinguish between the characters, but I don't think they are memorable. Even Saika, the main character, lacked depth at times, despite the story being told in first-person. Saika's background story is slowly revealed as the story goes on, but it still feels vague and surface-level. Despite her love for Fiona, I don't think I got to know her very well and Saika's falling out with her parents was nebulous as well. The world outside of Ash Gardens wasn't well explored, so it was difficult to grasp how it all fits together.
The biggest disappointment was the found family trope for me. It's one of my favorites tropes, so I was excited, but the inhabitants of Ash Gardens didn't feel like a found family to me. If anything their dynamic felt more dysfunctional, which would have been fine, but the narrative kept telling us how much they cared for each other. From the beginning, their banter felt mean-spirited instead of teasing and everyone was so abrasive with each other. The love between them felt conditional and Saika even questioned why someone is allowed to stay at Ash Gardens if 'they don't contribute anything'. This doesn't give me found family vibes at all. In the end, all these issues I mentioned in the spoiler tags get brushed aside. I'm sorry but the found family aspect didn't feel believable, no matter how hard the narrative was trying to paint Ash Gardens as a welcoming space.
"Shared blame lessens the guilt. They may look nice, but these people can hold a grudge."
The romance also didn't work for me. I struggled with the characters, so this made sense. Saika herself was tough to like at times, as she came across as judgemental and crossed boundaries. Sometimes I sympathized with her situation, but other times she was just so self-righteous. Oli and Saika's dynamic didn't really work for me, as it was based on flirty insults. This wasn't a hate-to-love relationship I could get behind, as Oli was so hostile to Saika in the beginning and the transition to them caring for each other was so abrupt. It grated on my nerves how Oli would call her 'princess' all the time and make references to her being rich. Their banter felt immature at times and .
Last but not least, I struggled with the writing style. House of Frank feels like it should have gone through some more line edits, as there was SO much telling instead of showing. The prose felt choppy and the writing didn't flow nicely, so it was hard to get into the story. I'm not professional, but I saw several passages where the prose could have been tightened and the sentence structure altered to make things read more smoothly. I'm willing to give the author another chance, as this was her debut novel, but I think with more editing, the story would have been much nicer to read. It was also a daring decision to include the second-person in a first-person narrative. Saika addresses the reader ('you') as her dead sister Fiona constantly and it took me out of the story at first. I got used to it by the end, but I'm not a big fan of second-person narratives, especially not if they're included within the story like that.
"This corner of the world is mine to impact and brighten up, even if it doesn't reach the other parts of the world."
INFORMATION
➽ CW's:
➽ Representation 🌷 Sapphic MC, Grief
➽ Rating: 2.5 Stars
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December 20, 2024
Kay Synclaire's debut novel "House of Frank" is a richly imagined fantasy that delves deep into the heart of grief while maintaining an atmosphere of whimsy and wonder. The story follows Saika, a witch who has lost her magical powers and carries the heavy burden of her sister's death. When she arrives at the mysterious Ash Gardens to fulfill her sister's final wish, she discovers much more than just a magical sanctuary - she finds a chance at healing and belonging.
Narrative Style and World-Building
Synclaire's prose is both elegant and accessible, crafting a world that feels both familiar and fantastical. The author excels at creating atmospheric scenes, particularly in her descriptions of the magical arboretum where trees grown from the ashes of the dead create a haunting yet beautiful landscape. The writing style strikes a delicate balance between emotional depth and lighthearted moments, making the story both moving and enjoyable.
Character Development and Relationships
One of the novel's greatest strengths lies in its diverse and well-developed cast of characters:
- Frank - The beast who owns Ash Gardens is wonderfully complex, his gentle nature contrasting with his imposing appearance
- Oli - The half-witch, half-gargoyle character brings both depth and charm to the story
- Hilde - The Architect witch whose wisdom and sass add layers to the narrative
- The cherub twins - Merry and Morose provide comic relief while still maintaining emotional resonance
The relationship between Saika and Oli develops naturally and beautifully, making their romance feel earned rather than forced. The LGBTQ+ elements are woven seamlessly into the narrative, feeling organic rather than tokenistic.
Themes and Symbolism
The novel explores several interconnected themes:
- Grief and healing
- The nature of family - both blood and chosen
- The price of love and sacrifice
- Identity and self-acceptance
- The power of memory and storytelling
Critical Analysis
Strengths
- The atmospheric world-building is immersive and unique
- Character relationships feel authentic and well-developed
- The handling of grief and healing is nuanced and thoughtful
- The magical system is creative and well-integrated into the plot
Areas for Improvement
- The pacing in the middle section occasionally feels uneven
- Some plot threads, particularly regarding the star's power, could have been more fully explored
- The villain's motivations could have been more clearly defined
- Certain secondary characters might have benefited from more development
Writing Style and Technical Elements
Synclaire's writing shines in its ability to capture emotional nuance. Her descriptions are vivid without being purple, and her dialogue feels natural while still maintaining a sense of otherworldliness appropriate to the setting. The author demonstrates particular skill in handling multiple character arcs while maintaining narrative cohesion.
Impact and Resonance
What sets "House of Frank" apart is its ability to tackle heavy themes while maintaining hope and warmth throughout the narrative. The book doesn't shy away from the reality of loss but shows how grief can coexist with joy and new beginnings.
Final Verdict
"House of Frank" is a remarkable debut that successfully blends fantasy elements with profound emotional depth. While there are some minor pacing issues and plot elements that could have been more fully developed, the overall story is compelling, emotionally resonant, and beautifully crafted.
The novel's greatest achievement lies in its ability to discuss grief and loss while maintaining an underlying current of hope and possibility. Synclaire has created a world that readers will want to return to, populated by characters who feel real despite their magical nature.
Narrative Style and World-Building
Synclaire's prose is both elegant and accessible, crafting a world that feels both familiar and fantastical. The author excels at creating atmospheric scenes, particularly in her descriptions of the magical arboretum where trees grown from the ashes of the dead create a haunting yet beautiful landscape. The writing style strikes a delicate balance between emotional depth and lighthearted moments, making the story both moving and enjoyable.
Character Development and Relationships
One of the novel's greatest strengths lies in its diverse and well-developed cast of characters:
- Frank - The beast who owns Ash Gardens is wonderfully complex, his gentle nature contrasting with his imposing appearance
- Oli - The half-witch, half-gargoyle character brings both depth and charm to the story
- Hilde - The Architect witch whose wisdom and sass add layers to the narrative
- The cherub twins - Merry and Morose provide comic relief while still maintaining emotional resonance
The relationship between Saika and Oli develops naturally and beautifully, making their romance feel earned rather than forced. The LGBTQ+ elements are woven seamlessly into the narrative, feeling organic rather than tokenistic.
Themes and Symbolism
The novel explores several interconnected themes:
- Grief and healing
- The nature of family - both blood and chosen
- The price of love and sacrifice
- Identity and self-acceptance
- The power of memory and storytelling
Critical Analysis
Strengths
- The atmospheric world-building is immersive and unique
- Character relationships feel authentic and well-developed
- The handling of grief and healing is nuanced and thoughtful
- The magical system is creative and well-integrated into the plot
Areas for Improvement
- The pacing in the middle section occasionally feels uneven
- Some plot threads, particularly regarding the star's power, could have been more fully explored
- The villain's motivations could have been more clearly defined
- Certain secondary characters might have benefited from more development
Writing Style and Technical Elements
Synclaire's writing shines in its ability to capture emotional nuance. Her descriptions are vivid without being purple, and her dialogue feels natural while still maintaining a sense of otherworldliness appropriate to the setting. The author demonstrates particular skill in handling multiple character arcs while maintaining narrative cohesion.
Impact and Resonance
What sets "House of Frank" apart is its ability to tackle heavy themes while maintaining hope and warmth throughout the narrative. The book doesn't shy away from the reality of loss but shows how grief can coexist with joy and new beginnings.
Final Verdict
"House of Frank" is a remarkable debut that successfully blends fantasy elements with profound emotional depth. While there are some minor pacing issues and plot elements that could have been more fully developed, the overall story is compelling, emotionally resonant, and beautifully crafted.
The novel's greatest achievement lies in its ability to discuss grief and loss while maintaining an underlying current of hope and possibility. Synclaire has created a world that readers will want to return to, populated by characters who feel real despite their magical nature.
February 17, 2025
House of Frank introduces the reader to what should be a cozy, magical dwelling where mythical creatures guide grieving folks through a ceremony where their loved one's ashes are planted - not buried - so they may live on as enchanted trees. And yet, when our main character Saika arrives to plant her sister, we learn the House has been experiencing increasing issues of structural damage due to storms that appear to be gaining in severity.
Saika is difficult to like, but it's clear her flaws are largely a byproduct of the grief she feels for her sister. Each of the magical characters we meet has experienced loss in one way or another, and we see how vastly differently people respond to or incorporate their grief.
While HoF is indeed a lovely portrait of love and grief, I have a hard time calling it "cozy" since every page is riddled with anxiety.
Saika is difficult to like, but it's clear her flaws are largely a byproduct of the grief she feels for her sister. Each of the magical characters we meet has experienced loss in one way or another, and we see how vastly differently people respond to or incorporate their grief.
While HoF is indeed a lovely portrait of love and grief, I have a hard time calling it "cozy" since every page is riddled with anxiety.
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