What do you think?
The Stitchwort Curse
Etta Starling has never set foot outside Stitchwort. Shrouded by a dark curse for over a century the estate is lost and forgotten.
These last few last surviving members of the Starling clan can never leave; to pass the boundary wall means certain death.
But just because they can’t leave doesn’t stop someone else getting in….
These last few last surviving members of the Starling clan can never leave; to pass the boundary wall means certain death.
But just because they can’t leave doesn’t stop someone else getting in….
300 pages, Paperback
First published September 5, 2024
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 9, 2026
I loved this book! Beautifully written and Alexandra's detailed illustrations really bring Stitchwort to life.
September 12, 2024
Totally not my normal style of book but OMG I loved it. I loved watching the mystery and magic unfold. I loved getting to know the characters. I loved watching Etta and Felix build their relationship. Lots of adventure and a couple of eye covering moments.
October 18, 2024
a fairly good middle grade book, although i do wonder whether the plot was a tad too convoluted
December 18, 2025
J’ai trouvé que The Stitchwort Curse était une bonne lecture, qui m’a souvent fait penser à Coraline de Neil Gaiman, à la fois parce que le personnage d’Etta possède le même caractère que Coraline, mais aussi pour l’ambiance gothique d’un château en ruine maudit et hanté.
L’intrigue du roman est intéressante : une famille maudite, et une jeune fille qui cherche à briser cette malédiction grâce à l’arrivée d’un cousin éloigné. L’enquête sur la famille Starling, le château Stitchwort et la malédiction nous offre une histoire pleine de mystères, de révélations et d’action. On ne s’ennuie pas une seule seconde en le lisant, et il s’y passe même énormément de choses. Parfois, du coup, l’intrigue semble aller dans tous les sens et nous donne une sensation d’histoire brouillonne. De même, des choses sont évoquées sans être approfondies (comme le fait que le père de Felix soit malade quand il arrive, ou encore que Benita avait un amant fae qui a voulu la sauver). Pour avoir lu deux romans de l’autrice, je pense que sa plume est parfois légèrement fouillis, mais qui peut donc être corrigé en traduction.
Les protagonistes sont très intéressants à suivre, Etta est une petite fille extravertie et curieuse, qui passe son temps à désobéir, tandis que Felix est beaucoup plus posé et mature, et même s’il se laisse embarquer dans les aventures de sa cousine, il représente souvent la voix de la raison. Cependant, les personnages secondaires sont particulièrement absents de l’intrigue, ce qui donne parfois l’impression que les enfants sont livrés à eux-mêmes dans ce château en ruine. Les parents interviennent rarement, et quand ils le font, c’est pour les punir. Le grand-père est seulement évoqué tout au long de l’intrigue, pour n’apparaître qu’à la toute fin. Les personnages magiques, comme les selkies et les sirènes, sont plus présents et plutôt bien caractérisés, mais les faes sont seulement évoqués sans jamais apparaître.
Il ne faut cependant pas être arachnophobes, car les araignées occupent une place très importante de l’intrigue. Dès le début du roman, on comprend qu’elles sont des personnages importants de l’intrigue… Mais les araignées du roman ne sont pas toutes les mignonnes petites bébêtes illustrées p. 167, elles sont aussi les grandes méchantes de l’intrigue. Et plus d’une fois leur apparition fait peur.
Même s’il y a beaucoup d’actions et qu’il fait légèrement peur, The Stitchwort Curse possède toute de même une sorte d’énergie calme et mature. Il n’est pas commercial, ni dans les thèmes ni dans la plume. Et il tend à être une lecture plus profonde et peut-être destinée à la tranche d’âge au-dessus de 10 ans.
Il s’agit d’un premier tome sans aucun doute, et une suite serait plus que bienvenue, car pour l’instant la malédiction est toujours présente et seul le mystère de l’incendie de 1818 a été résolu.
J’ai passé un bon moment.
L’intrigue du roman est intéressante : une famille maudite, et une jeune fille qui cherche à briser cette malédiction grâce à l’arrivée d’un cousin éloigné. L’enquête sur la famille Starling, le château Stitchwort et la malédiction nous offre une histoire pleine de mystères, de révélations et d’action. On ne s’ennuie pas une seule seconde en le lisant, et il s’y passe même énormément de choses. Parfois, du coup, l’intrigue semble aller dans tous les sens et nous donne une sensation d’histoire brouillonne. De même, des choses sont évoquées sans être approfondies (comme le fait que le père de Felix soit malade quand il arrive, ou encore que Benita avait un amant fae qui a voulu la sauver). Pour avoir lu deux romans de l’autrice, je pense que sa plume est parfois légèrement fouillis, mais qui peut donc être corrigé en traduction.
Les protagonistes sont très intéressants à suivre, Etta est une petite fille extravertie et curieuse, qui passe son temps à désobéir, tandis que Felix est beaucoup plus posé et mature, et même s’il se laisse embarquer dans les aventures de sa cousine, il représente souvent la voix de la raison. Cependant, les personnages secondaires sont particulièrement absents de l’intrigue, ce qui donne parfois l’impression que les enfants sont livrés à eux-mêmes dans ce château en ruine. Les parents interviennent rarement, et quand ils le font, c’est pour les punir. Le grand-père est seulement évoqué tout au long de l’intrigue, pour n’apparaître qu’à la toute fin. Les personnages magiques, comme les selkies et les sirènes, sont plus présents et plutôt bien caractérisés, mais les faes sont seulement évoqués sans jamais apparaître.
Il ne faut cependant pas être arachnophobes, car les araignées occupent une place très importante de l’intrigue. Dès le début du roman, on comprend qu’elles sont des personnages importants de l’intrigue… Mais les araignées du roman ne sont pas toutes les mignonnes petites bébêtes illustrées p. 167, elles sont aussi les grandes méchantes de l’intrigue. Et plus d’une fois leur apparition fait peur.
Même s’il y a beaucoup d’actions et qu’il fait légèrement peur, The Stitchwort Curse possède toute de même une sorte d’énergie calme et mature. Il n’est pas commercial, ni dans les thèmes ni dans la plume. Et il tend à être une lecture plus profonde et peut-être destinée à la tranche d’âge au-dessus de 10 ans.
Il s’agit d’un premier tome sans aucun doute, et une suite serait plus que bienvenue, car pour l’instant la malédiction est toujours présente et seul le mystère de l’incendie de 1818 a été résolu.
J’ai passé un bon moment.
September 16, 2024
I really enjoyed this imaginative middle grade tale, featuring a family curse, a ramshackle and terrifying mansion, magic, mystery and mythical creatures. (Also spiders!)
Etta is woken one night by a sound she has never heard before - a car chugging up the avenue. Nobody ever visits Stitchwort, the estate is hidden from the world. The strangers turn out to be distant cousins, Felix, Etta's age, and his parents, fleeing from the Nazis in occupied Netherlands. Etta is delighted to talk to someone other than her parents and grandparents, and soon takes Felix to the extremely dangerous attic, a place she is forbidden to enter alone. There Felix has his first experience of how truly terrifying a place Stitchwort is, when both children get trapped in cobwebs with electrical eels...
Until Felix and his family turned up, Etta believed that every member of the Starling family who left Stitchwort met hideous accidents (such as distant relative Harold who died in an accident involving the Orinoco River and electric eels). When a family member dies, their belongings mysteriously turn up in the house, the curse at work removing all traces of the Starling clan from the outside world. Did the curse also bring back Harold's ghost as well as ghost eels, which then were trapped in the webs in the attic? Etta is determined to find answers, and together with Felix embarks on an investigation which uncovers unexpected family history, and encounters with ghosts, selkies, merfolk and spiders. Gigantic spiders.
I really liked Etta. She is curious and brave, warmly welcomes Felix, wants to help all those she meets, and is always optimistic and determined to overcome obstacles in her search for the truth. She is clever too, and knowledgeable, especially about spiders. Felix is more cautious but is a loyal friend and staunch ally in all her escapades. The Starlings all have magic powers - Etta can communicate with spiders, and the unusually large ones of Stitchwort willingly fetch and carry for her, light her way and come to her aid when she calls. Etta is determined to unearth Felix's magical power also.
This a really imaginative story with a great plot, intriguing family background, worthy heroes, and an all round great read. Giant trapdoor spiders will not deter me from highly recommending The Stitchwort Curse especially if you love fantasy (and don't freeze at the sight of one of our arachnid friends).
Etta is woken one night by a sound she has never heard before - a car chugging up the avenue. Nobody ever visits Stitchwort, the estate is hidden from the world. The strangers turn out to be distant cousins, Felix, Etta's age, and his parents, fleeing from the Nazis in occupied Netherlands. Etta is delighted to talk to someone other than her parents and grandparents, and soon takes Felix to the extremely dangerous attic, a place she is forbidden to enter alone. There Felix has his first experience of how truly terrifying a place Stitchwort is, when both children get trapped in cobwebs with electrical eels...
Until Felix and his family turned up, Etta believed that every member of the Starling family who left Stitchwort met hideous accidents (such as distant relative Harold who died in an accident involving the Orinoco River and electric eels). When a family member dies, their belongings mysteriously turn up in the house, the curse at work removing all traces of the Starling clan from the outside world. Did the curse also bring back Harold's ghost as well as ghost eels, which then were trapped in the webs in the attic? Etta is determined to find answers, and together with Felix embarks on an investigation which uncovers unexpected family history, and encounters with ghosts, selkies, merfolk and spiders. Gigantic spiders.
I really liked Etta. She is curious and brave, warmly welcomes Felix, wants to help all those she meets, and is always optimistic and determined to overcome obstacles in her search for the truth. She is clever too, and knowledgeable, especially about spiders. Felix is more cautious but is a loyal friend and staunch ally in all her escapades. The Starlings all have magic powers - Etta can communicate with spiders, and the unusually large ones of Stitchwort willingly fetch and carry for her, light her way and come to her aid when she calls. Etta is determined to unearth Felix's magical power also.
This a really imaginative story with a great plot, intriguing family background, worthy heroes, and an all round great read. Giant trapdoor spiders will not deter me from highly recommending The Stitchwort Curse especially if you love fantasy (and don't freeze at the sight of one of our arachnid friends).
October 28, 2024
A charmingly spooky middle-grade read!
When Etta’s cousin, Felix, and his parents turn up at Stitchwort unannounced, Etta is shocked… to say the least. She’d been under the impression that family members weren’t able to survive outside the estate grounds, given the curse that was imposed on Stitchwort many years before. As she and Felix grow close and begin to investigate, they soon find themselves tangled in a web of mystery and deceit. But by working together, they hope to eventually unravel the secrets behind the curse and put an end to it once and for all. Etta and Felix are believable and relatable characters, and it’s a real treat to witness the dynamic that evolves between them as the story unfolds. The plot is so imaginative, and the writing is gripping from the very beginning — I wasn’t able to put the book down until I’d finished it (but it may be a while before I'm brave enough to venture into an attic again). This delightfully spooky tale is bound to be a firm favourite with any child who likes something enchanting and magical… even those who are scared of spiders. I hope we’ll be treated to many more books by Alexandra Dawe, and I can’t wait for the next one!
When Etta’s cousin, Felix, and his parents turn up at Stitchwort unannounced, Etta is shocked… to say the least. She’d been under the impression that family members weren’t able to survive outside the estate grounds, given the curse that was imposed on Stitchwort many years before. As she and Felix grow close and begin to investigate, they soon find themselves tangled in a web of mystery and deceit. But by working together, they hope to eventually unravel the secrets behind the curse and put an end to it once and for all. Etta and Felix are believable and relatable characters, and it’s a real treat to witness the dynamic that evolves between them as the story unfolds. The plot is so imaginative, and the writing is gripping from the very beginning — I wasn’t able to put the book down until I’d finished it (but it may be a while before I'm brave enough to venture into an attic again). This delightfully spooky tale is bound to be a firm favourite with any child who likes something enchanting and magical… even those who are scared of spiders. I hope we’ll be treated to many more books by Alexandra Dawe, and I can’t wait for the next one!
August 16, 2024
An absolutely fabulous book (meant for YA I assume but captivating and evocative so I would recommend for all ages!)
It begins with a curse upon a family left living in the ruins of the family mansion....no one comes in and no one goes out. This makes it difficult for the main characters as they have to rely upon what they can scavenge or make.
Fortunately they have magical abilities that can aid them but there's no rhyme or reason to the ability you get.
The main character has an affinity for spiders (I thought this was an odd choice, as I am slightly repulsed by spiders, but the author managed to change my opinion by the end of the book and I could appreciate the interesting information I learned about them and I actually felt sorry for one at one stage!).
There's a mystery to be solved and with the help of some strange new people that arrive, the curse is suddenly questioned and possibly solvable.
I expect a sequel and I am eagerly awaiting it!
I can't wait to find out more and revisit these authentic and wonderful characters.
It begins with a curse upon a family left living in the ruins of the family mansion....no one comes in and no one goes out. This makes it difficult for the main characters as they have to rely upon what they can scavenge or make.
Fortunately they have magical abilities that can aid them but there's no rhyme or reason to the ability you get.
The main character has an affinity for spiders (I thought this was an odd choice, as I am slightly repulsed by spiders, but the author managed to change my opinion by the end of the book and I could appreciate the interesting information I learned about them and I actually felt sorry for one at one stage!).
There's a mystery to be solved and with the help of some strange new people that arrive, the curse is suddenly questioned and possibly solvable.
I expect a sequel and I am eagerly awaiting it!
I can't wait to find out more and revisit these authentic and wonderful characters.
April 10, 2026
🕸️ 🕷️ 🦭 The Stitchwort Curse by the extremely talented author and illustrator.
🕸️ A beautifully crafted tale of courage, friendship and discovery. Etta and Felix were absolutely superb characters and you really grow to love their fearlessness, their sense of adventure and their close bond.
🕷️ Alexandra is a highly-skilled writer, who created such a unique, and at times terrifying, debut. Such rich language throughout and a fascinating story. I had to keep putting it down because I was absolutely terrified of so many of the spider scenes. There were so many amazing examples of suspense and atmosphere building, to show children when writing. I will definitely use some extracts in class when modelling this skill.
🦭 I loved the ending and the epilogue leaves book one on such a cliffhanger… I have my suspicions and look forward to book two.
🕷️ If you like a spooky read with rich description, then this is definitely one you will want to check out!
🕸️ A beautifully crafted tale of courage, friendship and discovery. Etta and Felix were absolutely superb characters and you really grow to love their fearlessness, their sense of adventure and their close bond.
🕷️ Alexandra is a highly-skilled writer, who created such a unique, and at times terrifying, debut. Such rich language throughout and a fascinating story. I had to keep putting it down because I was absolutely terrified of so many of the spider scenes. There were so many amazing examples of suspense and atmosphere building, to show children when writing. I will definitely use some extracts in class when modelling this skill.
🦭 I loved the ending and the epilogue leaves book one on such a cliffhanger… I have my suspicions and look forward to book two.
🕷️ If you like a spooky read with rich description, then this is definitely one you will want to check out!
March 17, 2026
I don't like spiders. I can't even think about them without cringing a little with fear. So imagine my surprise when I picked up a copy of The Stitchwort Curse, the story of a girl who can magically control and befriend spiders, and loved every minute of reading it. A thrilling story of an adventure through a crumbling and cursed mansion, The Stitchwort Curse blends mystery and magic to create a thrilling tale of exciting action and nail-biting horror. The Stitchwort Curse is one of the more uniquely designed books I have read in a while. Spiders, vines, and plants climb across the pages, as though the magic is too powerful to be contained in the pages themselves. Beautiful illustrations litter the pages, creating a truly immersive and magical experience for the reader.
December 6, 2025
A middle grade fantasy with spiders and a family curse. This writer has an exceptional imagination and her illustrations are gorgeous. I loved how she drew in the history of Nazi Germany into the fantasy and embraced some modern themes. I would love to have seen more of this aspect. I am an adult reader and wonder if perhaps younger readers kept up with the adventure better than I did. I found myself getting rather confused and rather tangled up in the spider webs! I had to put the book down at one point and found it very hard to get back in again! I would definitely read something else by this author.
August 11, 2026
The Stitchwort Curse gripped me from the first page. The description of the house and Etta's struggle with the Curse was so beautifully written. Fabulous vocabulary is weaved throughout the story - lots of words I had to check the meaning of but they were the perfect word! When Felix joins Etta, their friendship is beautiful. You can really feel Etta's prior loneliness in the way she welcomes him. I loved learning about Etta's spiders and the selkies. The mystery around the Curse and Etta and Felix's desire to help Marin kept me hooked.
The illustrations throughout the book are beautiful. Each spider is so detailed but sketched lightly to add to the mystery. 🤍
The illustrations throughout the book are beautiful. Each spider is so detailed but sketched lightly to add to the mystery. 🤍
April 7, 2025
I'm sure I'm not the target audience (neither British nor middle-grade), but this book was a good time. :-) Reminded me a little of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (fast-moving and constantly on the go) meets Coraline (finding objects for ghosts, spooky overtones). It was a bit of a whirlwind, but for a mature child who likes things like Alice and Coraline this should be right up their alley.
Beautiful cover and illustrations!!!
Beautiful cover and illustrations!!!
October 14, 2024
Magical - I couldn't put it down!
I was a little nervous about a book with so many spiders, but the friendly ones are lovely! This book is written with great imagination, and it kept me on the edge of my seat! I love the story, and can't wait for the next book (I hope there is one!). The illustrations are beautiful, and they really added to the atmosphere.
I was a little nervous about a book with so many spiders, but the friendly ones are lovely! This book is written with great imagination, and it kept me on the edge of my seat! I love the story, and can't wait for the next book (I hope there is one!). The illustrations are beautiful, and they really added to the atmosphere.
March 18, 2025
Alexandra Dawe has created a wonderfully off-beat and spooky tale, complete with a tumbledown haunted mansion, magic-infused spiders that run the gamut from helpful to murderous, a family curse and cousins from two different worlds who must join voices to work out just what is keeping their family trapped in the increasingly dangerous Stitchwort manor house estate. This is a fantastic read for anyone who likes their middle-grade fantasy adventure a little bit gothic – The Stitchwort Curse would make a PERFECT animation directed by Tim Burton (just putting that out into the universe!)
October 12, 2025
I spotted this in the kids section in the library. I was intrigued by the premise of the story, and taken in by the little ivy or spider drawings on the pages. The story turned out to be better than I expected. I would love more books about Etta, her family, and her home.
August 25, 2024
2.75 stars.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews