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Our Wicked Gifts
How much would you sacrifice for love? What would you trade for power? How far would you go for family?
The Winter family are worth billions. But only they know their success is built upon a sinister deal with the devil – each Winter possesses a unique supernatural gift to ensure their power and influence, but in exchange for their souls...
Nineteen-year-old black sheep of the family Cicely's gift is for uncovering secrets, which doesn't make her very popular. But, when her family are threatened, and her uncle is found dead, they need her for the first time. When the clues point to Soren, a boy the family banished years ago, Cecily must choose between loyalty to her family and her growing feelings for the person who is trying to destroy them.
A dark and twisty romantasy thriller, perfect for fans of The Inheritance Games , Succession and One Of Us is Lying from the bestselling author of Good Girls Die First .
The Winter family are worth billions. But only they know their success is built upon a sinister deal with the devil – each Winter possesses a unique supernatural gift to ensure their power and influence, but in exchange for their souls...
Nineteen-year-old black sheep of the family Cicely's gift is for uncovering secrets, which doesn't make her very popular. But, when her family are threatened, and her uncle is found dead, they need her for the first time. When the clues point to Soren, a boy the family banished years ago, Cecily must choose between loyalty to her family and her growing feelings for the person who is trying to destroy them.
A dark and twisty romantasy thriller, perfect for fans of The Inheritance Games , Succession and One Of Us is Lying from the bestselling author of Good Girls Die First .
432 pages, Hardcover
Published July 7, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
July 6, 2026
A blend of paranormal romance, mystery, and thriller that left me slightly heartbroken, kind of confused, but also completely entertained by a villainous family.
June 13, 2026
A huge thanks to Simon & Schuster for the ARC in exchange for my honest review, I really enjoyed reading this!!
If you took The Inheritance Games, tossed in a healthy dose of witchcraft, gave everyone magical powers, made the family even more dysfunctional, and then handed the whole thing over to the cast of Knives Out, you’d end up with something very close to the vibes of Our Wicked Gifts.
The story follows Cicely Winter, the black sheep of a ridiculously wealthy family whose fortune comes with a devilish catch. When members of the Winter family start turning up dead, Cicely sets out to uncover who’s behind the murders. Naturally, her prime suspect is Soren, a mysterious outsider with plenty of reasons to be distrusted. Unfortunately for her, that suspicion quickly starts developing into something a little more complicated. As one does…
One of my favorite things about this book was the Winter family itself. These people are a mess. A magical, wealthy, chaotic mess. The family dynamics were absolutely delicious to read and every gathering felt like someone could either reveal a dark secret or throw a drink in someone’s face at any given moment. The humor was also top-tier. Even when the stakes were high, there were plenty of moments that made me laugh.
I also found the concept of the Ruin absolutely fascinating. It felt a bit like the Upside Down from Stranger Things, this alternate reality constantly threatening to pull Cicely under if she doesn’t stay grounded. It’s such a unique concept and easily one of the elements that made this book stand out from other YA fantasy mysteries I’ve read.
That said, I occasionally struggled to visualize exactly what was happening, particularly during some of the more magical moments. There were times when I felt slightly disconnected from the action because I wasn’t entirely sure what I was supposed to be picturing. Combined with the large cast of characters, that sometimes slowed the pacing down for me. I also spent an embarrassing amount of time mixing up one of the sisters and one of the aunts. In my defense, the Winter family tree is practically a murder weapon in itself.
As for the mystery itself? I was completely clueless. I never pick up on clues. Ever. Our Wicked Gifts was no exception. I had absolutely no clue what was going on until things started getting explained, and even then Kathryn Foxfield still managed to surprise me. By the end of the book, and even in the epilogue, there were reveals and developments I genuinely didn’t see coming.
The only thing that felt slightly off to me was epilogue Cicely. She seemed a little different from the version of the character we’d spent most of the book with. I would’ve loved to see a few more hints of that side of her throughout the story. Then again, there’s also a very real possibility that the clues were there all along and I simply missed them while being busy failing to solve the murder mystery 🫣
Despite a few moments where the pacing dragged for me, I had a fantastic time with this one. The combination of dark magic, murder, family drama, humor, and a genuinely original premise made it incredibly entertaining. If you’re looking for a witchy, magical take on The Inheritance Games with strong Knives Out energy and a family that desperately needs several years of therapy, Our Wicked Gifts is definitely worth picking up!!
If you took The Inheritance Games, tossed in a healthy dose of witchcraft, gave everyone magical powers, made the family even more dysfunctional, and then handed the whole thing over to the cast of Knives Out, you’d end up with something very close to the vibes of Our Wicked Gifts.
The story follows Cicely Winter, the black sheep of a ridiculously wealthy family whose fortune comes with a devilish catch. When members of the Winter family start turning up dead, Cicely sets out to uncover who’s behind the murders. Naturally, her prime suspect is Soren, a mysterious outsider with plenty of reasons to be distrusted. Unfortunately for her, that suspicion quickly starts developing into something a little more complicated. As one does…
One of my favorite things about this book was the Winter family itself. These people are a mess. A magical, wealthy, chaotic mess. The family dynamics were absolutely delicious to read and every gathering felt like someone could either reveal a dark secret or throw a drink in someone’s face at any given moment. The humor was also top-tier. Even when the stakes were high, there were plenty of moments that made me laugh.
I also found the concept of the Ruin absolutely fascinating. It felt a bit like the Upside Down from Stranger Things, this alternate reality constantly threatening to pull Cicely under if she doesn’t stay grounded. It’s such a unique concept and easily one of the elements that made this book stand out from other YA fantasy mysteries I’ve read.
That said, I occasionally struggled to visualize exactly what was happening, particularly during some of the more magical moments. There were times when I felt slightly disconnected from the action because I wasn’t entirely sure what I was supposed to be picturing. Combined with the large cast of characters, that sometimes slowed the pacing down for me. I also spent an embarrassing amount of time mixing up one of the sisters and one of the aunts. In my defense, the Winter family tree is practically a murder weapon in itself.
As for the mystery itself? I was completely clueless. I never pick up on clues. Ever. Our Wicked Gifts was no exception. I had absolutely no clue what was going on until things started getting explained, and even then Kathryn Foxfield still managed to surprise me. By the end of the book, and even in the epilogue, there were reveals and developments I genuinely didn’t see coming.
The only thing that felt slightly off to me was epilogue Cicely. She seemed a little different from the version of the character we’d spent most of the book with. I would’ve loved to see a few more hints of that side of her throughout the story. Then again, there’s also a very real possibility that the clues were there all along and I simply missed them while being busy failing to solve the murder mystery 🫣
Despite a few moments where the pacing dragged for me, I had a fantastic time with this one. The combination of dark magic, murder, family drama, humor, and a genuinely original premise made it incredibly entertaining. If you’re looking for a witchy, magical take on The Inheritance Games with strong Knives Out energy and a family that desperately needs several years of therapy, Our Wicked Gifts is definitely worth picking up!!
June 21, 2026
Foxfield is an author I associate with fast-paced YA thrillers that usually leave me feeling a little dissatisfied. This was not the same experience, at all, and I can’t wait to see how this is received upon publication. Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review it early.
The pacing is slow at first, and there are elements to the pacing that distracted me throughout. However, the concept was fascinating.
Our focus is the Winter family, rumoured to have made a pact with the devil in exchange for magic. Over time they have used their gifts to amass great wealth and influence, and nobody is keen to relinquish this. Yet events from their respective pasts are responsible for putting each and every member of the family in great danger.
The book is told through the viewpoint of young Cicily Winter, the one who doesn’t seem to have mastered her gift fully. The one whose mother seems to dislike her. The one who wants to find a better way and who will stop at nothing to find the answers to the questions she seeks.
The pacing is slow at first, and there are elements to the pacing that distracted me throughout. However, the concept was fascinating.
Our focus is the Winter family, rumoured to have made a pact with the devil in exchange for magic. Over time they have used their gifts to amass great wealth and influence, and nobody is keen to relinquish this. Yet events from their respective pasts are responsible for putting each and every member of the family in great danger.
The book is told through the viewpoint of young Cicily Winter, the one who doesn’t seem to have mastered her gift fully. The one whose mother seems to dislike her. The one who wants to find a better way and who will stop at nothing to find the answers to the questions she seeks.
July 4, 2026
This is my first Kathryn Foxfield book. In the end I think it was an interesting premise and a good execution. It is an It was a deal with the devil, previous familial generation did it, so the family could prosper. The others go along with it except for Cicely, she's the black sheep, and her love interest is someone the family banished to the underworld, and he wants revenge.
Family members start dying and they have to figure out who is causing it. The pacing was consistent and on the faster side. Overall it was a fun read I enjoyed my time with it the more and more I got into the book I would pick this up again and read another of Kathryn Foxfields books in the future.
Thank you to Random House for the complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own
Family members start dying and they have to figure out who is causing it. The pacing was consistent and on the faster side. Overall it was a fun read I enjoyed my time with it the more and more I got into the book I would pick this up again and read another of Kathryn Foxfields books in the future.
Thank you to Random House for the complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own
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March 18, 2026"I could ramble about how much I loved this book. Our Wicked Gifts is perfect for readers looking for a fresh take on a mystery and low fantasy genre combo!" - Mylee J. Miller from SFF Insiders
Read the full review here: https://www.sffinsiders.com/blog/revi...
Read the full review here: https://www.sffinsiders.com/blog/revi...
July 2, 2026
Our Wicked Gifts is a thrilling, magical, YA Fantasy that will keep you on your toes while reading.
The story is wrapped in chaos, betrayal, hidden secrets, a slow burn romance and revenge.
The book was intoxicating. It kept my mind working in overdrive by trying to determine why things were happening and who or what was causing the problems.
Little bread crumbs were littered throughout the story revealing many small secrets that when stitched together revealed a web of truths and answers.
In this book the reader follows Cicely, who is an outcast in her magical family. A family that comprises of each person having their own magical gifts. A family that is high society, rich and powerful…. Until they aren’t.
This is a journey of a young woman finding herself within this web of family lies and realizing she is stronger than she gave herself credit for all while on a quest to uncover the truth.
Great book.
The story is wrapped in chaos, betrayal, hidden secrets, a slow burn romance and revenge.
The book was intoxicating. It kept my mind working in overdrive by trying to determine why things were happening and who or what was causing the problems.
Little bread crumbs were littered throughout the story revealing many small secrets that when stitched together revealed a web of truths and answers.
In this book the reader follows Cicely, who is an outcast in her magical family. A family that comprises of each person having their own magical gifts. A family that is high society, rich and powerful…. Until they aren’t.
This is a journey of a young woman finding herself within this web of family lies and realizing she is stronger than she gave herself credit for all while on a quest to uncover the truth.
Great book.
March 30, 2026
This had my attention from the very first chapter. I love the complex family dynamic and that everyone has their own role and personality. I enjoyed getting to learn about each person gifts and how the we’re going to add to the story. I never knew who was going to be next and it has me nervous for the next book.
Read
April 2, 2026Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!
July 8, 2026
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Books for Young Readers for this ARC Copy!
This book absolutely drew me in with the cover and it was so fitting for the story I just loved looking at it after finishing the story and seeing the easter eggs you won't realize are there until after you read the story.
I really enjoyed the progression of the FMC as she started gaining confidence. She starts out as such a weak character and I loved watching her grow throughout the story, even when it was not necessarily for the best.
I was also really surprised by the ending, I really thought I had it all figured out and knew what decisions she was going to make but I was absolutely shocked with the way things actually played out.
This book absolutely drew me in with the cover and it was so fitting for the story I just loved looking at it after finishing the story and seeing the easter eggs you won't realize are there until after you read the story.
I really enjoyed the progression of the FMC as she started gaining confidence. She starts out as such a weak character and I loved watching her grow throughout the story, even when it was not necessarily for the best.
I was also really surprised by the ending, I really thought I had it all figured out and knew what decisions she was going to make but I was absolutely shocked with the way things actually played out.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
First of all, thanks so much to the folks at NetGalley for gifting me an ARC!
You know what.... Hell Yeah! This book definitely won't be for everyone, but I had a really good time with it. It feels like a mashup of Netflix's The Fall of the House of Usher, The Inheritance Games, and Knives Out. It has those old money vibes where the entire cast is varying shades of awful, the family dynamics are toxic, and everyone is motivated by greed, ambition, or self-preservation.
The Good
I think the second half of this book is considerably stronger than the first. Once all the pieces are in place, the plot really starts moving and there are more twists and revelations that make it more engaging. At the end of the day this was just a fun read. It’s dramatic and messy in a way that keeps you reading like you’re watching a train crash in slow motion.
In terms of things I liked, the Ruin has to be at the top. It’s this decaying and dreamlike alternate reality, superimposed on our own that reminded me a lot of the Otherworld from the Silent Hill franchise. I liked the idea that this billionaire family drew their powers and wealth from an inherently corrupted version of the world. Like, they ventured into a dimension that they weren’t supposed to.
I also really enjoyed that nearly all of the characters are terrible people. At first, I thought Cicely's criticism of her family was setting up the familiar YA arc where she rejects wealth and power in favor of morality. Her position as an outsider, combined with a lot of recognizable protagonist beats, naturally encourages the reader to root for her and overlook some of her early flaws. As the story progresses, though, it becomes clear that this isn't the story of an underdog with a heart of gold. It's closer to a villain-origin story or an antihero embracing the worst parts of herself. That's not something I see often in YA, and I appreciated the book's willingness to go there.
There are several moments that perfectly illustrate this. Cicely frequently frames her rudeness and entitlement as confidence or empowerment when, in reality, she's often just being cruel to staff and service workers. What I liked is that the book doesn't completely excuse this behavior. As the story progresses, she becomes increasingly comfortable with the family's disregard for the people beneath them.
I also liked how surprising some of the plot twists were.
The Bad
I felt like parts of the book were overwritten and lacked subtlety. There are multiple scenes where characters explain things to one another that they both already know or both already should know, making it obvious that the conversation exists purely for reader exposition. Information is often repeated several times within the same chapter, or couple chapters. Like, yes… I know that Sebastian and Felix are competitive… you just said that. This was especially noticeable early on. There were also a handful of lines where I genuinely couldn't tell whether they were intended to be funny or whether they just came across awkwardly. For example: "Stop. Wait. You killed my uncle, so I don't think we can be friends." Moments like this would yank me out of the narrative because they felt so unnatural and clunky.
The Maybe
Allegra
Allegra is a character I like more in theory than in execution. The way other characters talk about her makes her sound like a terrifying matriarch with an iron grip on the family. In practice, though, she often comes across as shallow, vain, and so cartoonishly awful that she becomes difficult to take seriously. There's a scene where she brings a choir to sing at her brother's funeral and states that "I've flown twenty-four children in from South Africa. They're from impoverished backgrounds, I made sure of it." I genuinely cackled out loud bc that’s so mustache twirling that I could not believe that she had said this. Like… we get it. She’s a terrible person lmao.
There’s also a couple things she says that just make her seem so stupid that I never really feared her as a threat. She gets delighted that they used a good image of her, meanwhile the family is going through a PR crisis. I love the idea of a matriarch that dabbles in the dark arts to bring her family wealth and power, especially one that uses a more traditionally feminine power to influence people (ie. the ability to make people want to do what she wants them to do). I wish there had been more subtlety to her characterization. If she had been portrayed as genuinely intelligent and calculating, she would've felt much more threatening. You could still have all of her breakdowns later in the story, but they would feel more impactful if we watched a competent, powerful woman gradually unravel as her empire crumbled around her and as her family was killed off one by one. Instead, she never really leaves the impact she could have been. It almost seems like the way she is talked about and looms large in people’s minds is so much greater than the actual person who just seems like a disgruntled, wealthy mother.
Cicely
There were a few moments where Cicely's motivations felt inconsistent to me. At times, it seems like she would choose her family over everything else. Then, suddenly, her priorities shift toward Soren. Then they shift again toward power and ambition. I understand that she's conflicted, but some of those transitions felt abrupt enough that I occasionally struggled to follow her emotional logic. Overall, I did like her arc though.
The Romance
The romance didn't work for me. I actually like the role it serves within the story. The idea of Cicely being forced to choose between family, love, and her own ambition is compelling. Unfortunately, the relationship develops so quickly that I never fully bought into the intensity of their feelings. By the time they're making major sacrifices for one another, I felt like they simply hadn't spent enough meaningful time together on the page for those choices to feel earned.
The Devil
The Devil reminded me a lot of Verna from Netflix's adaptation of The Fall of the House of Usher. I love that in theory! I just wish we got more of her. She's positioned as this mysterious force manipulating events from the shadows, but for much of the story she feels oddly absent. We never explore any of her motives and influence to feel like she’s a genuine antagonist. She just pops up occasionally. Cicely literally just bumps into her a couple of times. She’s just there, says a couple works and leaves.
I was also confused by the family's refusal to believe Cicely when she insists Soren is still alive. This is a family that literally made a deal with the Devil and possesses supernatural abilities. Yet somehow, someone surviving they’re magic ritual death is where they draw the line?
Conclusion
As much as I had gripes with some of the characterization and the clunky dialogue this was genuinely so fun! I love watching rich people be horrible to each other 😂
You know what.... Hell Yeah! This book definitely won't be for everyone, but I had a really good time with it. It feels like a mashup of Netflix's The Fall of the House of Usher, The Inheritance Games, and Knives Out. It has those old money vibes where the entire cast is varying shades of awful, the family dynamics are toxic, and everyone is motivated by greed, ambition, or self-preservation.
The Good
I think the second half of this book is considerably stronger than the first. Once all the pieces are in place, the plot really starts moving and there are more twists and revelations that make it more engaging. At the end of the day this was just a fun read. It’s dramatic and messy in a way that keeps you reading like you’re watching a train crash in slow motion.
In terms of things I liked, the Ruin has to be at the top. It’s this decaying and dreamlike alternate reality, superimposed on our own that reminded me a lot of the Otherworld from the Silent Hill franchise. I liked the idea that this billionaire family drew their powers and wealth from an inherently corrupted version of the world. Like, they ventured into a dimension that they weren’t supposed to.
I also really enjoyed that nearly all of the characters are terrible people. At first, I thought Cicely's criticism of her family was setting up the familiar YA arc where she rejects wealth and power in favor of morality. Her position as an outsider, combined with a lot of recognizable protagonist beats, naturally encourages the reader to root for her and overlook some of her early flaws. As the story progresses, though, it becomes clear that this isn't the story of an underdog with a heart of gold. It's closer to a villain-origin story or an antihero embracing the worst parts of herself. That's not something I see often in YA, and I appreciated the book's willingness to go there.
There are several moments that perfectly illustrate this. Cicely frequently frames her rudeness and entitlement as confidence or empowerment when, in reality, she's often just being cruel to staff and service workers. What I liked is that the book doesn't completely excuse this behavior. As the story progresses, she becomes increasingly comfortable with the family's disregard for the people beneath them.
I also liked how surprising some of the plot twists were.
The Bad
I felt like parts of the book were overwritten and lacked subtlety. There are multiple scenes where characters explain things to one another that they both already know or both already should know, making it obvious that the conversation exists purely for reader exposition. Information is often repeated several times within the same chapter, or couple chapters. Like, yes… I know that Sebastian and Felix are competitive… you just said that. This was especially noticeable early on. There were also a handful of lines where I genuinely couldn't tell whether they were intended to be funny or whether they just came across awkwardly. For example: "Stop. Wait. You killed my uncle, so I don't think we can be friends." Moments like this would yank me out of the narrative because they felt so unnatural and clunky.
The Maybe
Allegra
Allegra is a character I like more in theory than in execution. The way other characters talk about her makes her sound like a terrifying matriarch with an iron grip on the family. In practice, though, she often comes across as shallow, vain, and so cartoonishly awful that she becomes difficult to take seriously. There's a scene where she brings a choir to sing at her brother's funeral and states that "I've flown twenty-four children in from South Africa. They're from impoverished backgrounds, I made sure of it." I genuinely cackled out loud bc that’s so mustache twirling that I could not believe that she had said this. Like… we get it. She’s a terrible person lmao.
There’s also a couple things she says that just make her seem so stupid that I never really feared her as a threat. She gets delighted that they used a good image of her, meanwhile the family is going through a PR crisis. I love the idea of a matriarch that dabbles in the dark arts to bring her family wealth and power, especially one that uses a more traditionally feminine power to influence people (ie. the ability to make people want to do what she wants them to do). I wish there had been more subtlety to her characterization. If she had been portrayed as genuinely intelligent and calculating, she would've felt much more threatening. You could still have all of her breakdowns later in the story, but they would feel more impactful if we watched a competent, powerful woman gradually unravel as her empire crumbled around her and as her family was killed off one by one. Instead, she never really leaves the impact she could have been. It almost seems like the way she is talked about and looms large in people’s minds is so much greater than the actual person who just seems like a disgruntled, wealthy mother.
Cicely
There were a few moments where Cicely's motivations felt inconsistent to me. At times, it seems like she would choose her family over everything else. Then, suddenly, her priorities shift toward Soren. Then they shift again toward power and ambition. I understand that she's conflicted, but some of those transitions felt abrupt enough that I occasionally struggled to follow her emotional logic. Overall, I did like her arc though.
The Romance
The romance didn't work for me. I actually like the role it serves within the story. The idea of Cicely being forced to choose between family, love, and her own ambition is compelling. Unfortunately, the relationship develops so quickly that I never fully bought into the intensity of their feelings. By the time they're making major sacrifices for one another, I felt like they simply hadn't spent enough meaningful time together on the page for those choices to feel earned.
The Devil
The Devil reminded me a lot of Verna from Netflix's adaptation of The Fall of the House of Usher. I love that in theory! I just wish we got more of her. She's positioned as this mysterious force manipulating events from the shadows, but for much of the story she feels oddly absent. We never explore any of her motives and influence to feel like she’s a genuine antagonist. She just pops up occasionally. Cicely literally just bumps into her a couple of times. She’s just there, says a couple works and leaves.
I was also confused by the family's refusal to believe Cicely when she insists Soren is still alive. This is a family that literally made a deal with the Devil and possesses supernatural abilities. Yet somehow, someone surviving they’re magic ritual death is where they draw the line?
Conclusion
As much as I had gripes with some of the characterization and the clunky dialogue this was genuinely so fun! I love watching rich people be horrible to each other 😂
Review of advance copy
A big thanks to YABC for proving an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I don't know why, but this going into this book, I thought it had the vibes of Knives Out meets Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. But boy, was I wrong (in the best way)
Our Wicked Gifts by Kathryn Foxfield is a YA fantasy (almost murder mystery) novel that follows a family more dysfunctional than The Inheritance Game's Hawthorn. How much would you sacrifice for love? What would you trade for power? How far would you go for family? The Winter family are worth billions. But only they know their success is built upon a sinister deal with the devil – each Winter possesses a unique supernatural gift to ensure their power and influence, but in exchange for their souls... Nineteen-year-old black sheep of the family Cicely's gift is for uncovering secrets, which doesn't make her very popular. But, when her family are threatened, and her uncle is found dead, they need her for the first time. When the clues point to Soren, a boy the family banished years ago, Cecily must choose between loyalty to her family and her growing feelings for the person who is trying to destroy them. A dark and twisty romantasy thriller, perfect for fans of The Inheritance Games , Succession and One Of Us is Lying from the bestselling author of Good Girls Die First .
First things first, I LOVED this book, and I'm not one that usually reads books of this nature. I.e. mystery, as I ALWAYS end up figuring out the big twist in the first 50 pages of the book. But Our Wicked Gifts proves to be one that leave me wondering until the rug was ripped from beneath my feet. Another thing I absolutely loved about this book, are the characters strewn about. Yes, the Winters are quite inconceivable to fully understand with the many ties and knots of their motives, but I still found their complexity quite confounding. Though, of course my favorite is Soren (because why not!).
Regardless, the only thing I found to be quite odd about this novel is it's pacing. Foxfield kept her narrative tight and fast, which didn't allow any room for the reader to take a breath between reveals and twists. Which is fine for most, though I wish there was a bit more leisure to our sprint to the finish.
Nonetheless, Our Wicked Gifts by Kathryn Foxfield is a perfect novel for anyone looking to fill the hole in their heart while they wait for eventual release of The Gilded Blade by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Or anyone wanting something a little more deadly than Maggie Steifvater's The Raven Cycle.
I don't know why, but this going into this book, I thought it had the vibes of Knives Out meets Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. But boy, was I wrong (in the best way)
Our Wicked Gifts by Kathryn Foxfield is a YA fantasy (almost murder mystery) novel that follows a family more dysfunctional than The Inheritance Game's Hawthorn. How much would you sacrifice for love? What would you trade for power? How far would you go for family? The Winter family are worth billions. But only they know their success is built upon a sinister deal with the devil – each Winter possesses a unique supernatural gift to ensure their power and influence, but in exchange for their souls... Nineteen-year-old black sheep of the family Cicely's gift is for uncovering secrets, which doesn't make her very popular. But, when her family are threatened, and her uncle is found dead, they need her for the first time. When the clues point to Soren, a boy the family banished years ago, Cecily must choose between loyalty to her family and her growing feelings for the person who is trying to destroy them. A dark and twisty romantasy thriller, perfect for fans of The Inheritance Games , Succession and One Of Us is Lying from the bestselling author of Good Girls Die First .
First things first, I LOVED this book, and I'm not one that usually reads books of this nature. I.e. mystery, as I ALWAYS end up figuring out the big twist in the first 50 pages of the book. But Our Wicked Gifts proves to be one that leave me wondering until the rug was ripped from beneath my feet. Another thing I absolutely loved about this book, are the characters strewn about. Yes, the Winters are quite inconceivable to fully understand with the many ties and knots of their motives, but I still found their complexity quite confounding. Though, of course my favorite is Soren (because why not!).
Regardless, the only thing I found to be quite odd about this novel is it's pacing. Foxfield kept her narrative tight and fast, which didn't allow any room for the reader to take a breath between reveals and twists. Which is fine for most, though I wish there was a bit more leisure to our sprint to the finish.
Nonetheless, Our Wicked Gifts by Kathryn Foxfield is a perfect novel for anyone looking to fill the hole in their heart while they wait for eventual release of The Gilded Blade by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Or anyone wanting something a little more deadly than Maggie Steifvater's The Raven Cycle.
Want to Read
January 28, 2026messy families in fantasy always intrigue me
Review of advance copy
**Content Warnings at End of Review**
I got this novel as a free arc, the first I’ve ever received, so I am going to try to both be detailed and not provide any spoilers as this story isn’t even out yet. I also recognize that I am well outside of the Young Adult genre so I am going to be generous with some of the things that bothered me as an adult reader. Overall, I found this a fascinating novel for young adults given how complicated and morally grey the main female character, Cicely Winter, is presented. It made me think of the meme "we need more complex female characters" because while Cicely might always be likable, she is always complex.
Our Wicked Gifts is focused on the Winter Family, one of the richest and most influential families in London. Their matriarch Allegra rules with charm and grace, loved by everyone, but behind closed doors her grip on the family is much more complex. Allegra has the ability to influence people with her words, a magical gift that was given to her through a pact with the Devil made generations before. This pact gives all the Winter’s powers, ones that have grown their business to its current heights, but no magic is given without a price. When that price returns in the form of a mysterious man that only Cicely can see, the Winters’ Empire starts to fall down around them. As Cicely uses her gift to find secrets in an attempt to save her family, she starts to realize that maybe they do not deserve to be saved. However, if she isn’t a Winter, what and who is she?
I really appreciated the way that Cicely’s magic and The Ruin was described in this novel. It was clear that Foxfield knew this area of the novel very well and the overall atmosphere she wanted to create. The idea of magic being able to find secrets is so fascinating and I think all the gifts that the Winters’ have are interesting. One of the things I was a little disappointed with is that we didn’t get to see the other family use their gifts more often, especially Felix. Foxfield found interesting powers and interesting ways to make powers that are common in the genre feel fresh and unique.
Foxfield also wrote the complexity of the family and their dynamic is a way that was visceral at times. It shows the dark side of the idea of blood is thicker than water and family is the most important thing. As the world talks more about emotional abuse and the role that parents have on shaping their parent’s self-worth, Foxfield added a magical element that made everything more sinister. It also shows how difficult to deal with the expectations and wants of family, no matter what those expectations and wants are.
My biggest pet peeve, especially at the beginning of the novel, was the constant explanations about what everyone was wearing. I understand that the point was to show the opulence and focus on appearance that the family had, but it was so draining to read page after page about polos, fancy dresses, and expensive shoes. A few key times would have been enough to get the point across along with the description of the house, grounds, and events that they attend. This stops further into the novel, but it was really jarring and took me out of the story in the beginning.
Cicely as a main character and an interesting main character in a young adult novel. She wants to be better than her family, but is far from perfect. She understands her privilege, but also knows that without it her life will be something that she cannot recognize and does not want. She is desperate to be loved and accepted, yet finds the most success when she is selfish and acts like other members of her family. When she does put herself first, is that the right decision, especially the cost? There were times when I wanted to shake her and she seemed a little dense for story sake, but she was complex in a way that I feel is lacking sometimes in main characters for fear of readers finding them “unlikable”.
The part of this novel that was the weakest was the romance. I cannot go into much detail without risking spoilers, but it felt instantaneous and flimsy compared to the platonic relationships with Cicely’s family. It felt flat and as if it was put into the novel because that was what was expected of a Young Adult novel rather than something that felt integrated into the story. It made it so that the choice at the end of the novel didn’t even feel like one at all. It is well documented that I am a slow-burn lover, which this was not, and just didn’t have the emotional punch needed to make the end of the novel stand out.
This was a fun read and I would recommend it to upper YA readers (14-18) due to some of the violence and other topics that are touched on. I will be placing it in a local Free Little Library in hopes that it gets into the hands of someone who will absolutely love it. For me, it was a 3.5 star rounded down to a 3.
**Content Warnings**
Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Murder, Sexual assault
I got this novel as a free arc, the first I’ve ever received, so I am going to try to both be detailed and not provide any spoilers as this story isn’t even out yet. I also recognize that I am well outside of the Young Adult genre so I am going to be generous with some of the things that bothered me as an adult reader. Overall, I found this a fascinating novel for young adults given how complicated and morally grey the main female character, Cicely Winter, is presented. It made me think of the meme "we need more complex female characters" because while Cicely might always be likable, she is always complex.
Our Wicked Gifts is focused on the Winter Family, one of the richest and most influential families in London. Their matriarch Allegra rules with charm and grace, loved by everyone, but behind closed doors her grip on the family is much more complex. Allegra has the ability to influence people with her words, a magical gift that was given to her through a pact with the Devil made generations before. This pact gives all the Winter’s powers, ones that have grown their business to its current heights, but no magic is given without a price. When that price returns in the form of a mysterious man that only Cicely can see, the Winters’ Empire starts to fall down around them. As Cicely uses her gift to find secrets in an attempt to save her family, she starts to realize that maybe they do not deserve to be saved. However, if she isn’t a Winter, what and who is she?
I really appreciated the way that Cicely’s magic and The Ruin was described in this novel. It was clear that Foxfield knew this area of the novel very well and the overall atmosphere she wanted to create. The idea of magic being able to find secrets is so fascinating and I think all the gifts that the Winters’ have are interesting. One of the things I was a little disappointed with is that we didn’t get to see the other family use their gifts more often, especially Felix. Foxfield found interesting powers and interesting ways to make powers that are common in the genre feel fresh and unique.
Foxfield also wrote the complexity of the family and their dynamic is a way that was visceral at times. It shows the dark side of the idea of blood is thicker than water and family is the most important thing. As the world talks more about emotional abuse and the role that parents have on shaping their parent’s self-worth, Foxfield added a magical element that made everything more sinister. It also shows how difficult to deal with the expectations and wants of family, no matter what those expectations and wants are.
My biggest pet peeve, especially at the beginning of the novel, was the constant explanations about what everyone was wearing. I understand that the point was to show the opulence and focus on appearance that the family had, but it was so draining to read page after page about polos, fancy dresses, and expensive shoes. A few key times would have been enough to get the point across along with the description of the house, grounds, and events that they attend. This stops further into the novel, but it was really jarring and took me out of the story in the beginning.
Cicely as a main character and an interesting main character in a young adult novel. She wants to be better than her family, but is far from perfect. She understands her privilege, but also knows that without it her life will be something that she cannot recognize and does not want. She is desperate to be loved and accepted, yet finds the most success when she is selfish and acts like other members of her family. When she does put herself first, is that the right decision, especially the cost? There were times when I wanted to shake her and she seemed a little dense for story sake, but she was complex in a way that I feel is lacking sometimes in main characters for fear of readers finding them “unlikable”.
The part of this novel that was the weakest was the romance. I cannot go into much detail without risking spoilers, but it felt instantaneous and flimsy compared to the platonic relationships with Cicely’s family. It felt flat and as if it was put into the novel because that was what was expected of a Young Adult novel rather than something that felt integrated into the story. It made it so that the choice at the end of the novel didn’t even feel like one at all. It is well documented that I am a slow-burn lover, which this was not, and just didn’t have the emotional punch needed to make the end of the novel stand out.
This was a fun read and I would recommend it to upper YA readers (14-18) due to some of the violence and other topics that are touched on. I will be placing it in a local Free Little Library in hopes that it gets into the hands of someone who will absolutely love it. For me, it was a 3.5 star rounded down to a 3.
**Content Warnings**
Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Murder, Sexual assault
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Morally gray, messy, magical, dysfunctional, wealthy families? Perhaps OBSCENELY wealthy families who sell their souls to the Devil in exchange for power? I’ll tackle that any day.
Our Wicked Gifts is a part horror-tinged fantasy, part mystery, and part ugly family drama. You’re never quite sure who you can trust … or if you’ll be sucked into the Ruin yourself.
Cicely has never fit in with the rest of the Winter family. Each member has a unique magical gift, but her ventures into the underworld to uncover secrets have never quite endeared her to the rest of them. And the divide between them grows much bigger after she hesitates to take out teenage Soren.
Four years later, her family members start dying in mysterious ways, and someone is trying to topple the Winter empire. Cicely thinks Soren is back and ready for revenge, but as she investigates, she starts pulling apart the threads of her entire family tree. She doesn’t know if she loves them, hates them, wants to lead them, or wants freedom. And she could be the next victim …
Cicely isn’t entirely likeable, and I loved her for that. She starts off a bit timid, feeling unsure of her stance in the family and desperately wanting approval & acceptance from her mom. As she uncovers more and more secrets and unravels the depths of her dark magic, she slowly builds her confidence. But the thing about mommy issues is that sometimes you end up seeing that toxicity form within yourself all the same. It’s also a little hard to feel grounded when you’re lured into a devilish underworld by secrets constantly - and if you don’t keep an insect conduit with you to burn up on your behalf and connect to home, you could be trapped for good.
The whole Winter family is absolute chaos, and I loved it. Allegra is the ULTIMATE horrifying Boy Mom. Powerful, controlling, perfect, and ready for her first born Felix to become the heir. Her brother Dorian is a slimy trophy hunter, and his wife Cynthia knows she’ll never be accepted, so she pushes everyone’s buttons. Cicely’s older brother Felix warps himself for everyone else’s dreams. He’s manipulative and acts like your typical privileged wealthy hot boy, but internally, he’s struggling to figure himself out. Younger sister Octavia is stunning, sensitive, and way too perceptive. Cousins Sebastian and Melissa are black sheep of their own: Sebastian puts everything into his paintings, and Melissa is deep in her alternative phase.
Soren is an interesting character, too. I think his death scene does him a little dirty (what regular teenager would be throwing clever retorts when they’re seconds from being murdered?), but we slowly see him come to life. He’s struggling between a desire for vengeance and a desire for connection.
Every character - in their own way - is hunting for love and safety. And as toxic as the Winter family is, they’re also the only ones these young adults have. They’re the devils they know, and there’s fear involved if you shrug off your safety blanket and run off into the greater world. But if they stay in this dysfunction, they have to slowly learn the rules of the ultra rich: the constant politics they play and how they use their money to control others. Every time Cicely faces a new challenge, she thumbs through her deck of other family members’ manipulation tactics.
The pacing was mostly very good. I do think there’s some repetition in conversations and Cicely’s inner thoughts that could have been trimmed to keep the mystery chugging along, but I never wanted to put this down. I also think the mystery was well done: it genuinely felt like the perpetrator could have been EVERYONE. This was a well-crafted setup with motive and means for everyone, as well as some fun twists & turns & red herrings. The twists were surprising, but also earned, and each change up had foreshadowing and clues to back it up.
It’s a great blend of murder, dark magic, parental manipulation, billionaire families imploding, and even a bit of forbidden romance. It’s a little bit cathartic! I liked the ending a lot, and the door was also left open for a sequel (which I would totally devour). But this is absolutely a complete standalone story!
CW: death, murder, body horror, emotional abuse, violence, gaslighting, animal cruelty, sexual assault, pedophilia
Follow me on social media for book recommendations!
(I received a free copy of this book; this is my honest review.)
Our Wicked Gifts is a part horror-tinged fantasy, part mystery, and part ugly family drama. You’re never quite sure who you can trust … or if you’ll be sucked into the Ruin yourself.
Cicely has never fit in with the rest of the Winter family. Each member has a unique magical gift, but her ventures into the underworld to uncover secrets have never quite endeared her to the rest of them. And the divide between them grows much bigger after she hesitates to take out teenage Soren.
Four years later, her family members start dying in mysterious ways, and someone is trying to topple the Winter empire. Cicely thinks Soren is back and ready for revenge, but as she investigates, she starts pulling apart the threads of her entire family tree. She doesn’t know if she loves them, hates them, wants to lead them, or wants freedom. And she could be the next victim …
Cicely isn’t entirely likeable, and I loved her for that. She starts off a bit timid, feeling unsure of her stance in the family and desperately wanting approval & acceptance from her mom. As she uncovers more and more secrets and unravels the depths of her dark magic, she slowly builds her confidence. But the thing about mommy issues is that sometimes you end up seeing that toxicity form within yourself all the same. It’s also a little hard to feel grounded when you’re lured into a devilish underworld by secrets constantly - and if you don’t keep an insect conduit with you to burn up on your behalf and connect to home, you could be trapped for good.
The whole Winter family is absolute chaos, and I loved it. Allegra is the ULTIMATE horrifying Boy Mom. Powerful, controlling, perfect, and ready for her first born Felix to become the heir. Her brother Dorian is a slimy trophy hunter, and his wife Cynthia knows she’ll never be accepted, so she pushes everyone’s buttons. Cicely’s older brother Felix warps himself for everyone else’s dreams. He’s manipulative and acts like your typical privileged wealthy hot boy, but internally, he’s struggling to figure himself out. Younger sister Octavia is stunning, sensitive, and way too perceptive. Cousins Sebastian and Melissa are black sheep of their own: Sebastian puts everything into his paintings, and Melissa is deep in her alternative phase.
Soren is an interesting character, too. I think his death scene does him a little dirty (what regular teenager would be throwing clever retorts when they’re seconds from being murdered?), but we slowly see him come to life. He’s struggling between a desire for vengeance and a desire for connection.
Every character - in their own way - is hunting for love and safety. And as toxic as the Winter family is, they’re also the only ones these young adults have. They’re the devils they know, and there’s fear involved if you shrug off your safety blanket and run off into the greater world. But if they stay in this dysfunction, they have to slowly learn the rules of the ultra rich: the constant politics they play and how they use their money to control others. Every time Cicely faces a new challenge, she thumbs through her deck of other family members’ manipulation tactics.
The pacing was mostly very good. I do think there’s some repetition in conversations and Cicely’s inner thoughts that could have been trimmed to keep the mystery chugging along, but I never wanted to put this down. I also think the mystery was well done: it genuinely felt like the perpetrator could have been EVERYONE. This was a well-crafted setup with motive and means for everyone, as well as some fun twists & turns & red herrings. The twists were surprising, but also earned, and each change up had foreshadowing and clues to back it up.
It’s a great blend of murder, dark magic, parental manipulation, billionaire families imploding, and even a bit of forbidden romance. It’s a little bit cathartic! I liked the ending a lot, and the door was also left open for a sequel (which I would totally devour). But this is absolutely a complete standalone story!
CW: death, murder, body horror, emotional abuse, violence, gaslighting, animal cruelty, sexual assault, pedophilia
Follow me on social media for book recommendations!
(I received a free copy of this book; this is my honest review.)
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for an Advanced Reader Copy - pub date 7/7/2026. We all know the jokes about billionaires being soulless, right? About selling their souls to the Devil for power and money? Well, in the case of the Winter clan, it is the literal truth. Generations ago, Great-grandmother Edith sold her soul and made a pact that granted herself and succeeding Winters magical gifts to insure their rise to power, fame, fortune, etc. The current batch are ruthlessly led by brother-and-sister-duo Allegra and Dorian, and their assorted children follow their lead with various levels of willingness. Cicely, Allegra’s middle child, falls under the category of most unwilling. Always having felt like a black sheep because of how her Gift works (plus a little incident that nearly led to the death of her mother Allegra), she wants nothing more than to prove herself to the rest of the family. She wants to be powerful and useful and needed. To do that, she has to figure out her Gift which means that she has to continue to enter into the Ruin, a terrifying mid-realm between reality and hell, and follow her power to the secrets hidden around her.
Unfortunately, now is not the time to have a learning curve. Someone is trying to sabotage the Winters and destroy everything they have worked for. Cicely’s ability to sniff out secrets appears to be just the thing to help but it immediately puts her in the path of Soren, the boy who her family sacrificed four years prior. Or murdered, as he likes to point out to Cicely, with her help, by the way. Living his life in the Ruin with strange powers of his own, he is determined to destroy the Winters and, while she is against her family getting hurt, Cicely sees his point. She has, on more than one occasion, thought of her family as monsters, too.
When family members start dying, though, things get more confusing and dangerous. Soren definitely has a motive and power but Cicely has doubts. Something about him makes Cicely feel seen and appreciated, safe while also in danger. If not him, who else could it be? It doesn’t help that everyone is lying.
The first thing that stands out in this book is the gorgeous, lush descriptions in creating the Ruin. We experience every uncomfortable moment spent in it with Cicely. The visuals, the odors, the creeping sensation of rot and decay, and the absolute unbalancing of all sanity and sense. Foxfield sets it in direct contrast with the “real world” and all of the rich fabrics and glittering jewels and name brands with which the Winters surround themselves. Cicely’s loosening grip on the difference between Ruin and reality affects the reader just as much as her. It is delightfully disorienting.
Equally disorienting is being inside Cicely’s head for the book. As you can guess, this family is super messed up and it is small wonder that Cicely has all sorts of hang-ups and self-doubt. Between the near-constant gas-lighting from her mother and the belittling of her abilities by the others plus the general dysfunction and emotional/mental abuse that is the real Winter legacy, the reader cannot blame the confusion. The fact that Foxfield keeps the plot moving ahead as she releases details of the mystery with or without coherency from Cicely is very impressive. Nearly as impressive as how many times she can break your heart as you read this book. You ache for all of the things done wrong, the missed opportunities, and the absolute entrenchment of abuse that has characters (especially Cicely) wanting approval that their thinking mind knows is wrong and toxic.
This is advertised as a kiss-or-kill romance and, yes, sure, it is that but it is a lot more than that. After all, there are all kinds of love. Romantic, platonic, familial. Who is to say which is stronger? Which is better? Which would you kill or lie for? Cicely gets to face all of these and more with a literal deadline and a Devil at the door. What she chooses is just another stroke of the messy lines that make up a life... And a wonderful book.
Unfortunately, now is not the time to have a learning curve. Someone is trying to sabotage the Winters and destroy everything they have worked for. Cicely’s ability to sniff out secrets appears to be just the thing to help but it immediately puts her in the path of Soren, the boy who her family sacrificed four years prior. Or murdered, as he likes to point out to Cicely, with her help, by the way. Living his life in the Ruin with strange powers of his own, he is determined to destroy the Winters and, while she is against her family getting hurt, Cicely sees his point. She has, on more than one occasion, thought of her family as monsters, too.
When family members start dying, though, things get more confusing and dangerous. Soren definitely has a motive and power but Cicely has doubts. Something about him makes Cicely feel seen and appreciated, safe while also in danger. If not him, who else could it be? It doesn’t help that everyone is lying.
The first thing that stands out in this book is the gorgeous, lush descriptions in creating the Ruin. We experience every uncomfortable moment spent in it with Cicely. The visuals, the odors, the creeping sensation of rot and decay, and the absolute unbalancing of all sanity and sense. Foxfield sets it in direct contrast with the “real world” and all of the rich fabrics and glittering jewels and name brands with which the Winters surround themselves. Cicely’s loosening grip on the difference between Ruin and reality affects the reader just as much as her. It is delightfully disorienting.
Equally disorienting is being inside Cicely’s head for the book. As you can guess, this family is super messed up and it is small wonder that Cicely has all sorts of hang-ups and self-doubt. Between the near-constant gas-lighting from her mother and the belittling of her abilities by the others plus the general dysfunction and emotional/mental abuse that is the real Winter legacy, the reader cannot blame the confusion. The fact that Foxfield keeps the plot moving ahead as she releases details of the mystery with or without coherency from Cicely is very impressive. Nearly as impressive as how many times she can break your heart as you read this book. You ache for all of the things done wrong, the missed opportunities, and the absolute entrenchment of abuse that has characters (especially Cicely) wanting approval that their thinking mind knows is wrong and toxic.
This is advertised as a kiss-or-kill romance and, yes, sure, it is that but it is a lot more than that. After all, there are all kinds of love. Romantic, platonic, familial. Who is to say which is stronger? Which is better? Which would you kill or lie for? Cicely gets to face all of these and more with a literal deadline and a Devil at the door. What she chooses is just another stroke of the messy lines that make up a life... And a wonderful book.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
3.5 stars
If you are looking for a fast-paced Young Adult novel infused with dark magical elements and a contemporary feel, Kathryn Foxfield’s *Our Wicked Gifts* is definitely worth adding to your radar.
The story revolves around the billionaire Winter family, whose wealth and influence aren’t just a product of savvy business choices. Instead, their empire is built upon a literal pact with the devil. Each family member possesses a unique, supernatural gift designed to secure their grip on power, though it comes at the ultimate cost of their own souls. Enter nineteen-year-old Cicely Winter. As the black sheep of the family, Cicely’s specific gift is uncovering secrets—a power that makes her deeply unpopular with her status-obsessed relatives. However, when her uncle is found dead and a looming threat targets the family empire, the Winters suddenly find themselves needing the very girl they cast aside. As Cicely digs into the mystery, the clues lead straight to Soren, a boy the family cruelly killed years ago.
This setup kicks off a fascinating character arc for Cicely. At the beginning of the novel, she is positioned as the classic outcast—the one person you want to root for against a corrupt, elite dynasty. However, as the mystery unfolds, Cicely’s trajectory shifts in a way that feels complex and genuinely surprising. Instead of remaining the untainted hero who takes down the system from within, she gets pulled directly into the family's toxic orbit. Driven by a desperate need for belonging, survival, and a twisted sense of family loyalty, Cicely undergoes an evolution. She morphs from an isolated truth-seeker into someone willing to play the family game by its own cutthroat rules. By the end, her arc reveals that she isn't immune to the family contagion; she turns out to be fairly shady herself, adapting to the shadows to survive.
That moral ambiguity is actually the driving force of the book, leading to my biggest realization while reading: almost every single character in this novel is a horrible person. Driven entirely by greed, a hunger for power, and a laundry list of toxic secrets, the cast is a collection of deeply unlikable individuals. They backstab, manipulate, and scheme against one another constantly.
The sole, refreshing exception to this rule is Soren. Banished and broken by the Winters, Soren acts as the emotional anchor of the story. Even as Cicely finds herself caught between her growing feelings for him and her loyalty to her family, Soren remains the only character whose motives feel remotely honest, grounding an otherwise fiercely cynical world. Although there is a bit of a twist at the end that may have you wondering if he is truly the "good guy".
Despite—or perhaps because of—how awful everyone is, the story remains thoroughly engaging. Foxfield crafts a narrative where you don't necessarily need to like the characters to be completely invested in their downfalls and discoveries. The pacing is incredibly swift, making it a great choice for a weekend binge-read. It masterfully balances the flashy, high-stakes drama of modern wealth with a genuinely eerie, dark magic system. If you love a morally gray cast where absolutely no one can be trusted, *Our Wicked Gifts* is a delightfully wicked ride.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.
If you are looking for a fast-paced Young Adult novel infused with dark magical elements and a contemporary feel, Kathryn Foxfield’s *Our Wicked Gifts* is definitely worth adding to your radar.
The story revolves around the billionaire Winter family, whose wealth and influence aren’t just a product of savvy business choices. Instead, their empire is built upon a literal pact with the devil. Each family member possesses a unique, supernatural gift designed to secure their grip on power, though it comes at the ultimate cost of their own souls. Enter nineteen-year-old Cicely Winter. As the black sheep of the family, Cicely’s specific gift is uncovering secrets—a power that makes her deeply unpopular with her status-obsessed relatives. However, when her uncle is found dead and a looming threat targets the family empire, the Winters suddenly find themselves needing the very girl they cast aside. As Cicely digs into the mystery, the clues lead straight to Soren, a boy the family cruelly killed years ago.
This setup kicks off a fascinating character arc for Cicely. At the beginning of the novel, she is positioned as the classic outcast—the one person you want to root for against a corrupt, elite dynasty. However, as the mystery unfolds, Cicely’s trajectory shifts in a way that feels complex and genuinely surprising. Instead of remaining the untainted hero who takes down the system from within, she gets pulled directly into the family's toxic orbit. Driven by a desperate need for belonging, survival, and a twisted sense of family loyalty, Cicely undergoes an evolution. She morphs from an isolated truth-seeker into someone willing to play the family game by its own cutthroat rules. By the end, her arc reveals that she isn't immune to the family contagion; she turns out to be fairly shady herself, adapting to the shadows to survive.
That moral ambiguity is actually the driving force of the book, leading to my biggest realization while reading: almost every single character in this novel is a horrible person. Driven entirely by greed, a hunger for power, and a laundry list of toxic secrets, the cast is a collection of deeply unlikable individuals. They backstab, manipulate, and scheme against one another constantly.
The sole, refreshing exception to this rule is Soren. Banished and broken by the Winters, Soren acts as the emotional anchor of the story. Even as Cicely finds herself caught between her growing feelings for him and her loyalty to her family, Soren remains the only character whose motives feel remotely honest, grounding an otherwise fiercely cynical world. Although there is a bit of a twist at the end that may have you wondering if he is truly the "good guy".
Despite—or perhaps because of—how awful everyone is, the story remains thoroughly engaging. Foxfield crafts a narrative where you don't necessarily need to like the characters to be completely invested in their downfalls and discoveries. The pacing is incredibly swift, making it a great choice for a weekend binge-read. It masterfully balances the flashy, high-stakes drama of modern wealth with a genuinely eerie, dark magic system. If you love a morally gray cast where absolutely no one can be trusted, *Our Wicked Gifts* is a delightfully wicked ride.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Before I get into the review, a quick thank you to both NetGalley and the publishers over at Random House Children's Books for allowing me access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Our Wicked Gifts follows the Winter family who have a dark secret: one of their ancestors sold their soul to the devil in exchange for power, money, and magical gifts. Now, generations later, the Winter family also has a lot to lose. Cicely is the black sheep daughter of the powerful matriarch and finds herself obsessed with using her magic to uncover the family's secrets. Why did they banish that boy to the underworld? Why did Felix's girlfriend get scared off? And when a dark enemy always seems to be one step ahead of them at every turn, can this tortured family come together? Or will the bodies keep finding their way to the mausoleum? Our Wicked Gifts comes out on July 7th and is available for preorder now.
This one was a mixed bag for me. The premise is just so spot on for something I could love. I love rich people drama, family drama, magic, mysteries. And we get all of that. To a degree. Everything really hinges on this one big family secret, but the way it's drawn out throughout the novel was getting on my nerves by the end. And yet I like what the actual secret was. I liked that some people had blood on their hands (theirs and other people's) and that the author wasn't fully pulling their punches. I also struggled with the way every single plot point was another tiny grenade thrown into the story. I get that it's supposed to be a Thriller so we need some thrilling moments, but by the end I would see one of these plot grenades and shrug my shoulders. Because of course that's how that happened, you couldn't find a more dramatic way to do it if you tried. And yet there were moments when the characters would show growth or bravery that they didn't show before in those moments. Not to give too big of a spoiler here (spoiler warning, obviously), which was annoying the first time and pissed me off the second. Maybe it's the amount of reading I've done (or even movies I've watched) but I get so tired of the stakes being lowered by bringing characters back from the dead so to speak. It doesn't feel like playing fair with the reader. Another thing I enjoyed from the novel was how the magic worked. Each character had their own type of magic and they would call on "the Ruin" which is the dominion of the devil in order to power the magic. Cicely is a little odd since she has to actually travel through a rift in the real world to the Ruin in order to access her magic which came with its own consequences.
So, overall, I'm just conflicted. I had a good enough time reading this. I didn't hate it and I didn't feel like I had wasted my time by the end. But the plot grenades got old and I spent a lot of time wanting to shake some sense into some characters. I think if you aren't as jaded as me (or you've just read less than me) then you're more likely to come out of this one with a win.
This one was a mixed bag for me. The premise is just so spot on for something I could love. I love rich people drama, family drama, magic, mysteries. And we get all of that. To a degree. Everything really hinges on this one big family secret, but the way it's drawn out throughout the novel was getting on my nerves by the end. And yet I like what the actual secret was. I liked that some people had blood on their hands (theirs and other people's) and that the author wasn't fully pulling their punches. I also struggled with the way every single plot point was another tiny grenade thrown into the story. I get that it's supposed to be a Thriller so we need some thrilling moments, but by the end I would see one of these plot grenades and shrug my shoulders. Because of course that's how that happened, you couldn't find a more dramatic way to do it if you tried. And yet there were moments when the characters would show growth or bravery that they didn't show before in those moments. Not to give too big of a spoiler here (spoiler warning, obviously), which was annoying the first time and pissed me off the second. Maybe it's the amount of reading I've done (or even movies I've watched) but I get so tired of the stakes being lowered by bringing characters back from the dead so to speak. It doesn't feel like playing fair with the reader. Another thing I enjoyed from the novel was how the magic worked. Each character had their own type of magic and they would call on "the Ruin" which is the dominion of the devil in order to power the magic. Cicely is a little odd since she has to actually travel through a rift in the real world to the Ruin in order to access her magic which came with its own consequences.
So, overall, I'm just conflicted. I had a good enough time reading this. I didn't hate it and I didn't feel like I had wasted my time by the end. But the plot grenades got old and I spent a lot of time wanting to shake some sense into some characters. I think if you aren't as jaded as me (or you've just read less than me) then you're more likely to come out of this one with a win.
July 10, 2026
Content Warning: violence, death
World Building: The story is set in a contemporary world but with some fantasy because of the magic and deal with the devil the Winter Family has made. There is also a place called the Ruin which is where their magic comes from or something to that effect and I likened it to hell or the underworld. The Winters are wealthy and powerful and they are trying to hold onto that power, no matter the cost.
Characters: I love the complicated characters in the Winter Family. Told through Cecily, we see every aspect of her flawed family. Her mother who is like the queen of their family, her siblings who are more favored in their mother’s eyes. Her uncle Dorian and his family add to the dysfunction as well – and all of them have some kind of magical power because of the deal with the devil their ancestor made. Then there is Soren, a boy that the family killed to keep a secret, but he isn’t quite dead yet and has come back to cause havoc to the Winter family. Cecily herself is someone who loves her family, wants badly for her mom to love her as much as she loves her siblings, but also realizes how wrong her family is for wielding their power the way they do – yet Cecily will do the same if need be. It made for a lot of drama – fun drama though!
Romance: Cecily is the only one who can go into the Ruin and come back out, so it’s not a surprise that the boy she is falling for is dead and part of the Ruin. Soren wants revenge on her family, and Cecily knows her family isn’t good and she’s trying to uncover all the secrets but there are some hard choices that have to be made where Soren is concerned. I feel like the ending left it open for a book two and I hope there is one so I can see if Cecily and Soren’s romance progresses.
Story: I was very into this story. The Winters are trying to stay the top dog but lately it hasn’t been easy with so many scandals brewing. Most of them are not good people, and when their power starts to crack and someone starts murdering members of the family, it leads to a search for who is trying to kill them. I enjoyed the different magic each family member had, I thought it was unique. I enjoyed the complicated relationship between all of them, how they kind of despise one another but it’s family over everything and everyone. I liked the mystery and the suspense! There were some moments in the middle where it slowed down a little but it does pick up again. There are a few twists and the ending feels like it’s setting up for a book two, which I hope is the case.
Final Thoughts:
I thought this was a fun young adult story with magic, so much family secrets and drama, a murder mystery and even a little romance. I hope there is a book two!
Read if you like:
rich family drama
magic
World Building: The story is set in a contemporary world but with some fantasy because of the magic and deal with the devil the Winter Family has made. There is also a place called the Ruin which is where their magic comes from or something to that effect and I likened it to hell or the underworld. The Winters are wealthy and powerful and they are trying to hold onto that power, no matter the cost.
Characters: I love the complicated characters in the Winter Family. Told through Cecily, we see every aspect of her flawed family. Her mother who is like the queen of their family, her siblings who are more favored in their mother’s eyes. Her uncle Dorian and his family add to the dysfunction as well – and all of them have some kind of magical power because of the deal with the devil their ancestor made. Then there is Soren, a boy that the family killed to keep a secret, but he isn’t quite dead yet and has come back to cause havoc to the Winter family. Cecily herself is someone who loves her family, wants badly for her mom to love her as much as she loves her siblings, but also realizes how wrong her family is for wielding their power the way they do – yet Cecily will do the same if need be. It made for a lot of drama – fun drama though!
Romance: Cecily is the only one who can go into the Ruin and come back out, so it’s not a surprise that the boy she is falling for is dead and part of the Ruin. Soren wants revenge on her family, and Cecily knows her family isn’t good and she’s trying to uncover all the secrets but there are some hard choices that have to be made where Soren is concerned. I feel like the ending left it open for a book two and I hope there is one so I can see if Cecily and Soren’s romance progresses.
Story: I was very into this story. The Winters are trying to stay the top dog but lately it hasn’t been easy with so many scandals brewing. Most of them are not good people, and when their power starts to crack and someone starts murdering members of the family, it leads to a search for who is trying to kill them. I enjoyed the different magic each family member had, I thought it was unique. I enjoyed the complicated relationship between all of them, how they kind of despise one another but it’s family over everything and everyone. I liked the mystery and the suspense! There were some moments in the middle where it slowed down a little but it does pick up again. There are a few twists and the ending feels like it’s setting up for a book two, which I hope is the case.
Final Thoughts:
I thought this was a fun young adult story with magic, so much family secrets and drama, a murder mystery and even a little romance. I hope there is a book two!
Read if you like:
rich family drama
magic
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I received an ARC from the publisher in preparation for a UKYASpotlight interview. It has not affected my opinions.
OUR WICKED GIFTS is a tale of a broken family who are cruel and use their magic to retain power.
This book is part thriller, part paranormal fantasy, which makes for a nice continuity with her previous books (thrillers and horrors) but also a step in a new direction. The plot is a thriller one, seeking out family secrets as bodies turn up, but the world is a fantasy version of our own, where deals with the devil are literal and secret-finding magic is incredibly useful.
The magic is all about manipulation, but in ways that you have to choose to manipulate others. Cecily's magic shows her where secrets are hidden, but she has to choose to uncover them. Her sister can see people's desires in mirrors, but it's up to her how she uses that information. And so on. I really liked the way this magic system played out because it gives these people the tools to be awful but doesn't make them use them - that choice is all theirs.
And they are a deeply unpleasant family. They have money and power and have been drilled relentlessly on family loyalty. The children are definitely a product of their upbringing - the head of family, Cicely's mother, is the absolute worst. She's a snob and cruel to everyone, even her children. A complete narcist, everything is about her and she's the hero of her own story. But the book shows that there are exit routes open to the characters, if they're willing to give up their power.
There is something delightful about reading about such morally corrupt people. They can go places in the story that we (hopefully!) wouldn't, and there's an escapism in that. It plays into that "what if" itch, that alternative of being cruel that we might flit through our minds that we squash (thought I doubt we even have "what ifs" anywhere on this scale! But it's that same impulse that might make us think for a second about smashing a plate just to see the mess). Here, the impulse isn't squashed, and there's an indulgence to it, a safe way of seeing those "what ifs" play out and reminding ourselves why we don't indulge in them. It doesn't end well.
This is a standalone, I think. There certainly feels like space at the end left for more adventures, but that could simply be the author allowing the world to breathe rather than intending to write another book.
OUR WICKED GIFTS is a tale of a broken family who are cruel and use their magic to retain power.
This book is part thriller, part paranormal fantasy, which makes for a nice continuity with her previous books (thrillers and horrors) but also a step in a new direction. The plot is a thriller one, seeking out family secrets as bodies turn up, but the world is a fantasy version of our own, where deals with the devil are literal and secret-finding magic is incredibly useful.
The magic is all about manipulation, but in ways that you have to choose to manipulate others. Cecily's magic shows her where secrets are hidden, but she has to choose to uncover them. Her sister can see people's desires in mirrors, but it's up to her how she uses that information. And so on. I really liked the way this magic system played out because it gives these people the tools to be awful but doesn't make them use them - that choice is all theirs.
And they are a deeply unpleasant family. They have money and power and have been drilled relentlessly on family loyalty. The children are definitely a product of their upbringing - the head of family, Cicely's mother, is the absolute worst. She's a snob and cruel to everyone, even her children. A complete narcist, everything is about her and she's the hero of her own story. But the book shows that there are exit routes open to the characters, if they're willing to give up their power.
There is something delightful about reading about such morally corrupt people. They can go places in the story that we (hopefully!) wouldn't, and there's an escapism in that. It plays into that "what if" itch, that alternative of being cruel that we might flit through our minds that we squash (thought I doubt we even have "what ifs" anywhere on this scale! But it's that same impulse that might make us think for a second about smashing a plate just to see the mess). Here, the impulse isn't squashed, and there's an indulgence to it, a safe way of seeing those "what ifs" play out and reminding ourselves why we don't indulge in them. It doesn't end well.
This is a standalone, I think. There certainly feels like space at the end left for more adventures, but that could simply be the author allowing the world to breathe rather than intending to write another book.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The Winters, including our point of view character, Cicely, are some of the worst people you'll ever meet. After all great grandma sold the entire family's souls for generations to the devil. In return they have money, power and magic. I actually disagree with the blurb, Cicely isn't the black sheep of the family, that would be Melissa (goth girl). She's the unwanted and frankly emotionally abused daughter of the matriarch, Allegra.
It opens in media res with the blurb's mention of Soren, the boy they 'banished to the underworld' (i.e. murdered by feeding him to the Dark, the agent of the Devil). A few years later someone is trying to bring the Winters to their knees in terms of losing their money/reputation/power and then the deaths begin. All of them have powers including Allegra who is literally one of the worst mothers I've read in recent years. If you don't want to murder her by the end, I'll be surprised. She has three kids, Felix, the eldest, heir apparent and the child she dotes on to the point of it feeling gross. Cicely whose power allows her to go into the Ruin (sort of the underworld) and discover secrets and Octavia, the youngest. There is Dorian, Allegra's brother, his wife Cynthia and their children Sebastian and Melissa.
Their problems go from bad to worse when Dorian is killed (not a spoiler, that's in the blurb) and Cicely believes it was Soren back from the Ruin but only she can see him because of her gift. Naturally for someone whose magic is to find secrets, Cicely starts investigating her uncle's death and finds it, along with subsequent deaths, to be intertwined with whatever reason Allegra had for ordering the family to kill Soren and banishing him to the Ruin.
Cicely and Soren's relationship is interesting. He almost makes her a better person. Almost. He asks her point blank did she think she was the hero of the story and he the villain? I really liked Soren. He makes for a good shadow daddy and there is definitely dark romance elements to this. Cicely is exactly what you'd expect from a young woman with no soul. That is important to remember.
The mystery unfolds well. You might even cheer the killer on, honestly. Cicely is unwavering in her own lust for power as she tells herself she's doing the right thing. And if I'm critical here, some of it gets a little overdone. This book could have been a bit shorter if some of that repetition was cut out. The ending isn't quite what I was expecting but it fits Cicely's personality.
I thought it was unlikeable characters done well and that's not easy to do. This could be a one shot but it sets up for more if the author wanted it. I almost tagged this horror since it borders on it. I didn't tag it romance for reasons I don't want to spoil. I enjoyed it. Loved the cover too
Thanks to Netgalley for the arc.
It opens in media res with the blurb's mention of Soren, the boy they 'banished to the underworld' (i.e. murdered by feeding him to the Dark, the agent of the Devil). A few years later someone is trying to bring the Winters to their knees in terms of losing their money/reputation/power and then the deaths begin. All of them have powers including Allegra who is literally one of the worst mothers I've read in recent years. If you don't want to murder her by the end, I'll be surprised. She has three kids, Felix, the eldest, heir apparent and the child she dotes on to the point of it feeling gross. Cicely whose power allows her to go into the Ruin (sort of the underworld) and discover secrets and Octavia, the youngest. There is Dorian, Allegra's brother, his wife Cynthia and their children Sebastian and Melissa.
Their problems go from bad to worse when Dorian is killed (not a spoiler, that's in the blurb) and Cicely believes it was Soren back from the Ruin but only she can see him because of her gift. Naturally for someone whose magic is to find secrets, Cicely starts investigating her uncle's death and finds it, along with subsequent deaths, to be intertwined with whatever reason Allegra had for ordering the family to kill Soren and banishing him to the Ruin.
Cicely and Soren's relationship is interesting. He almost makes her a better person. Almost. He asks her point blank did she think she was the hero of the story and he the villain? I really liked Soren. He makes for a good shadow daddy and there is definitely dark romance elements to this. Cicely is exactly what you'd expect from a young woman with no soul. That is important to remember.
The mystery unfolds well. You might even cheer the killer on, honestly. Cicely is unwavering in her own lust for power as she tells herself she's doing the right thing. And if I'm critical here, some of it gets a little overdone. This book could have been a bit shorter if some of that repetition was cut out. The ending isn't quite what I was expecting but it fits Cicely's personality.
I thought it was unlikeable characters done well and that's not easy to do. This could be a one shot but it sets up for more if the author wanted it. I almost tagged this horror since it borders on it. I didn't tag it romance for reasons I don't want to spoil. I enjoyed it. Loved the cover too
Thanks to Netgalley for the arc.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
thank you netgalley and random house
Our Wicked Gifts • Kathryn Foxfield
One phrase: deadly family secrets with devilish magic 🖤🔮
This book was such a delicious surprise.
Our Wicked Gifts has rich family drama, murder mystery tension, dark magic, a deal with the devil, and a family so dysfunctional they make every holiday dinner you’ve ever survived look peaceful.
The Winter family has power, money, influence, and supernatural gifts… but all of that came with a price. Their souls.
Cicely is the black sheep of the family, overlooked because her gift is “only” uncovering secrets. Which honestly feels wildly useful when your family is full of liars, murder suspects, and morally questionable rich people, but okay Winters, stay delusional.
Then her uncle turns up dead at a masquerade ball, and suddenly Cicely becomes the one person her family actually needs.
What I loved most was how twisty this felt. I usually figure out mysteries early, but this one kept me guessing and pulling at every thread. The pacing is fast, the reveals keep coming, and the entire story has this sharp, sinister energy that makes it hard to put down.
And then there’s Soren.
Banished to the underworld by Cicely’s family and possibly back for revenge? Say less. His dynamic with Cicely brought that perfect kiss or kill tension where you are never fully sure if they should trust each other, betray each other, or kiss in the middle of a murder investigation.
The Winter family itself is a whole mess in the best way. Everyone has motives. Everyone has secrets. Everyone feels like they could be lying directly to your face and calling it tradition.
✨ Tropes & vibes:
🔮 dark family magic
🎭 masquerade murder
🖤 kiss or kill tension
👀 family secrets
😈 deal with the devil
💰 rich corrupt family drama
🗝 secret uncovering FMC
⚔️ revenge vibes
🩸 fantasy thriller
🕯 dark YA mystery
📚 Read this if you like:
The Inheritance Games, House of Hollow, One of Us Is Lying, Succession style family drama, magical secrets, and murder mysteries where every character looks guilty.
This was fast, twisty, dark, and so much fun. Perfect for anyone who loves their fantasy with secrets, betrayal, and just a little bit of “wow, this family needs therapy.”
#OurWickedGifts #KathrynFoxfield #YAFantasy #FantasyThriller #BookReview
Our Wicked Gifts • Kathryn Foxfield
One phrase: deadly family secrets with devilish magic 🖤🔮
This book was such a delicious surprise.
Our Wicked Gifts has rich family drama, murder mystery tension, dark magic, a deal with the devil, and a family so dysfunctional they make every holiday dinner you’ve ever survived look peaceful.
The Winter family has power, money, influence, and supernatural gifts… but all of that came with a price. Their souls.
Cicely is the black sheep of the family, overlooked because her gift is “only” uncovering secrets. Which honestly feels wildly useful when your family is full of liars, murder suspects, and morally questionable rich people, but okay Winters, stay delusional.
Then her uncle turns up dead at a masquerade ball, and suddenly Cicely becomes the one person her family actually needs.
What I loved most was how twisty this felt. I usually figure out mysteries early, but this one kept me guessing and pulling at every thread. The pacing is fast, the reveals keep coming, and the entire story has this sharp, sinister energy that makes it hard to put down.
And then there’s Soren.
Banished to the underworld by Cicely’s family and possibly back for revenge? Say less. His dynamic with Cicely brought that perfect kiss or kill tension where you are never fully sure if they should trust each other, betray each other, or kiss in the middle of a murder investigation.
The Winter family itself is a whole mess in the best way. Everyone has motives. Everyone has secrets. Everyone feels like they could be lying directly to your face and calling it tradition.
✨ Tropes & vibes:
🔮 dark family magic
🎭 masquerade murder
🖤 kiss or kill tension
👀 family secrets
😈 deal with the devil
💰 rich corrupt family drama
🗝 secret uncovering FMC
⚔️ revenge vibes
🩸 fantasy thriller
🕯 dark YA mystery
📚 Read this if you like:
The Inheritance Games, House of Hollow, One of Us Is Lying, Succession style family drama, magical secrets, and murder mysteries where every character looks guilty.
This was fast, twisty, dark, and so much fun. Perfect for anyone who loves their fantasy with secrets, betrayal, and just a little bit of “wow, this family needs therapy.”
#OurWickedGifts #KathrynFoxfield #YAFantasy #FantasyThriller #BookReview
July 9, 2026
Our Wicked Gifts is a deliciously dark fantasy thriller that you won't be able to resist.
The story follows the Winter family; a sinister family who - many years ago - made a bargain with the Devil in exchange for riches, power, and ruthless magic. Cicely is the black sheep of the family, desperate for her mother's approval. No one in her family seems to appreciate her magical gift of uncovering secrets, until Cicely's gift is the only thing that can help her stop the man killing her family off, one by one.
Soren is the boy Cicely's family banished to the underworld. When Cicely's abhorrent uncle is murdered, their fates intertwine. Cicely suspects Soren is out for revenge, but the more she investigates Soren - and gets to know him - the more she begins to question if her family is actually worth her loyalty. But when it comes to being a Winter, one can have love or power, but rarely both, leaving Cicely with a choice to make...
This is an enticing book that feels like it's a dirty little secret. Especially as Cicely uncovers more and more secrets of each member of the Winter family. Everyone is harboring a secret they don't want anyone to know about, and it's exciting to watch as Cicely discovers them one by one, and the family drama that ensues afterwards.
Kathryn Foxfield does a fantastic job of creating a cast of characters you will absolutely loathe and delight in hating. The world she builds is so gripping and dark you almost forget the Winter's live in England. Most of the book is spent on the Winter's sprawling estate, which Foxfield paints in vivid colors, giving her readers the complete picture of all the Winter family secured when they made their deal with the Devil all those years ago.
Each of Foxfield's characters is fully fledged and thought out. The family dynamic the Winters have can only be described as toxic, which makes the story that much more intriguing.
But my favorite part of the story is the kiss-or-kill romance between Cicely and Soren. Foxfield does such a great job of carefully weaving her story that, when it comes time for Cicely to make a final choice, the reader doesn't know what she will choose, and her choice will surprise you.
Fantastic book!
The story follows the Winter family; a sinister family who - many years ago - made a bargain with the Devil in exchange for riches, power, and ruthless magic. Cicely is the black sheep of the family, desperate for her mother's approval. No one in her family seems to appreciate her magical gift of uncovering secrets, until Cicely's gift is the only thing that can help her stop the man killing her family off, one by one.
Soren is the boy Cicely's family banished to the underworld. When Cicely's abhorrent uncle is murdered, their fates intertwine. Cicely suspects Soren is out for revenge, but the more she investigates Soren - and gets to know him - the more she begins to question if her family is actually worth her loyalty. But when it comes to being a Winter, one can have love or power, but rarely both, leaving Cicely with a choice to make...
This is an enticing book that feels like it's a dirty little secret. Especially as Cicely uncovers more and more secrets of each member of the Winter family. Everyone is harboring a secret they don't want anyone to know about, and it's exciting to watch as Cicely discovers them one by one, and the family drama that ensues afterwards.
Kathryn Foxfield does a fantastic job of creating a cast of characters you will absolutely loathe and delight in hating. The world she builds is so gripping and dark you almost forget the Winter's live in England. Most of the book is spent on the Winter's sprawling estate, which Foxfield paints in vivid colors, giving her readers the complete picture of all the Winter family secured when they made their deal with the Devil all those years ago.
Each of Foxfield's characters is fully fledged and thought out. The family dynamic the Winters have can only be described as toxic, which makes the story that much more intriguing.
But my favorite part of the story is the kiss-or-kill romance between Cicely and Soren. Foxfield does such a great job of carefully weaving her story that, when it comes time for Cicely to make a final choice, the reader doesn't know what she will choose, and her choice will surprise you.
Fantastic book!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I loved the premise of this book, but in the end, I'm afraid it wasn't for me. the concept of knives out/succession/inheritance games was very clever and catchy but a few things fell short:
- Characterisation. I will not say Cecily doesn't have a character arc, because she most definitely has. My main niggle was that I didn't find her massively lovable and therefore I never became particularly invested in her journey. Her relationship with everybody else felt either one dimensional, unrealistic or not fleshed out enough. Her relationship with Allegra felt too exaggerated and actually, implausible. Even if it was dysfunctional, we essentially have flat out hatred, and I couldn't subscribe to it. Her relationship with Felix and Octavia felt more realistic, but I think there was a missed opportunity there to allow for more depth, which would subsequently lead to more visceral and gut punching reactions as the narrative progresses. The same could be said about Sebastian and Melissa. Soren, on the other hand, that felt a bit more organic, but again, not substantial enough to warrant for the declarations, when these arrive.
- World and magic system: I thought it was all very interesting, but I have to admit the concept of the Ruin or the extend/limitations of all the different Winter family gifts never became 100% clear in my head, it all read a bit like a fever dream (which I didn't mind at all, it was rather enjoyable and well presented). There were moments I was pulled out of the story as a result.
- The pace was good, but at 400+ pages, I'm not sure it tighter editing and bringing the page count down slightly would have made for a more memorable reading experience. Ultimately, not much hit home. It all read at a surface level in the end, and did not go deeper, sadly. This could, of course, be my personal reading experience and very much me as a reader not vibing with the book as much as I had originally hoped.
Thank you to Kathryn Foxfield, Simon and Schuster UK Children's | Gallery YA and NetGalley for this review copy, all opinions are my own
- Characterisation. I will not say Cecily doesn't have a character arc, because she most definitely has. My main niggle was that I didn't find her massively lovable and therefore I never became particularly invested in her journey. Her relationship with everybody else felt either one dimensional, unrealistic or not fleshed out enough. Her relationship with Allegra felt too exaggerated and actually, implausible. Even if it was dysfunctional, we essentially have flat out hatred, and I couldn't subscribe to it. Her relationship with Felix and Octavia felt more realistic, but I think there was a missed opportunity there to allow for more depth, which would subsequently lead to more visceral and gut punching reactions as the narrative progresses. The same could be said about Sebastian and Melissa. Soren, on the other hand, that felt a bit more organic, but again, not substantial enough to warrant for the declarations, when these arrive.
- World and magic system: I thought it was all very interesting, but I have to admit the concept of the Ruin or the extend/limitations of all the different Winter family gifts never became 100% clear in my head, it all read a bit like a fever dream (which I didn't mind at all, it was rather enjoyable and well presented). There were moments I was pulled out of the story as a result.
- The pace was good, but at 400+ pages, I'm not sure it tighter editing and bringing the page count down slightly would have made for a more memorable reading experience. Ultimately, not much hit home. It all read at a surface level in the end, and did not go deeper, sadly. This could, of course, be my personal reading experience and very much me as a reader not vibing with the book as much as I had originally hoped.
Thank you to Kathryn Foxfield, Simon and Schuster UK Children's | Gallery YA and NetGalley for this review copy, all opinions are my own
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Our Wicked Gifts has a premise that is genuinely hard to resist. A billionaire family whose power traces back to a deal with the devil, each member carrying a unique supernatural gift with a soul-sized price tag, a black sheep daughter whose gift for uncovering secrets makes her both the most useful and least popular person in the room, and a murder at a masquerade ball that forces the family to finally need her. That is a lot of good ingredients.
And for a while, the book delivers on them. The Winter family is the right kind of messy. Morally compromised, deeply secretive, and just compelling enough that you do not want to look away even when you probably should. Cicely is easy to root for, and her dynamic with Soren has genuine tension to it. The magic system is dark and specific in ways that feel earned rather than decorative.
Where I started to lose the thread was in the pacing. The story moves fast, which works in its favor through the first half, but eventually the relentless churn of reveals started to feel less like momentum and more like the narrative catching its breath was not an option. By the time a few too many plot grenades had gone off, I found myself less surprised than I probably should have been. The book also leans on a trick or two that tend to deflate stakes rather than raise them, and once you notice the pattern, it is hard to un-notice it.
That said, the final stretch pulled things together better than I expected, and Cicely's arc lands with some real weight. Enough that I came away conflicted in a way that feels like a compliment more than a complaint.
If you love rich family dysfunction, dark magic, and mysteries that keep you genuinely guessing for most of the ride, this one is worth your time. Just maybe keep your expectations calibrated to a fun, fast thriller rather than a slow-burn puzzle box.
Our Wicked Gifts has a premise that is genuinely hard to resist. A billionaire family whose power traces back to a deal with the devil, each member carrying a unique supernatural gift with a soul-sized price tag, a black sheep daughter whose gift for uncovering secrets makes her both the most useful and least popular person in the room, and a murder at a masquerade ball that forces the family to finally need her. That is a lot of good ingredients.
And for a while, the book delivers on them. The Winter family is the right kind of messy. Morally compromised, deeply secretive, and just compelling enough that you do not want to look away even when you probably should. Cicely is easy to root for, and her dynamic with Soren has genuine tension to it. The magic system is dark and specific in ways that feel earned rather than decorative.
Where I started to lose the thread was in the pacing. The story moves fast, which works in its favor through the first half, but eventually the relentless churn of reveals started to feel less like momentum and more like the narrative catching its breath was not an option. By the time a few too many plot grenades had gone off, I found myself less surprised than I probably should have been. The book also leans on a trick or two that tend to deflate stakes rather than raise them, and once you notice the pattern, it is hard to un-notice it.
That said, the final stretch pulled things together better than I expected, and Cicely's arc lands with some real weight. Enough that I came away conflicted in a way that feels like a compliment more than a complaint.
If you love rich family dysfunction, dark magic, and mysteries that keep you genuinely guessing for most of the ride, this one is worth your time. Just maybe keep your expectations calibrated to a fun, fast thriller rather than a slow-burn puzzle box.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This book is SO. GOOD. Y’all need to run, not walk, to grab your copy.
Our Wicked Gifts combines three of my favorite genres: fantasy, mystery, and romance. I think it can be challenging to balance multiple genres, but this book does it so well! All three genres connect to each other and the central plot, which makes for an addictive read.
And speaking of addictive, this book has plot twists I did not see coming. I've read hundreds of mysteries, but this one caught me by surprise. The scene where the killer is revealed really shocked me. My jaw was on the floor! It immediately sent my mind racing to all of the clues I'd missed in the pages leading up to it. I can see how everything comes together. To me, that is a sign of a good mystery.
I also like the fantasy elements. Everyone in the Winter family has a special gift. Our main character, Cicely, has a knack for uncovering secrets. To follow their trail, she has to step into the Ruin, an alternate reality between life and death. It's in the Ruin that she meets Soren, a boy her family murdered four years earlier...
I feel like a lot of enemies-to-lovers romances are predictable. This one is not. I had no idea which direction Cicely and Soren's relationship would go, and I LOVED it! I'm still surprised by the turn it took at the end of this book. While the story leaves off in a mostly satisfying place, I can't help but wonder where things will go from there...
I really liked this book. If you don't hear from me in a while, it's because I'm busy manifesting a sequel. Seriously, this book is so good! And if the promise of a twisty plot & an ending that will stick with you isn't enough, the first edition copy comes with a matte naked hardcover and gorgeous stenciled edges. It's a beautiful book, inside and out.
I received a copy of Our Wicked Gifts as a #GetUnderlinedPartner from Penguin Random House. All opinions are my own.
Our Wicked Gifts combines three of my favorite genres: fantasy, mystery, and romance. I think it can be challenging to balance multiple genres, but this book does it so well! All three genres connect to each other and the central plot, which makes for an addictive read.
And speaking of addictive, this book has plot twists I did not see coming. I've read hundreds of mysteries, but this one caught me by surprise. The scene where the killer is revealed really shocked me. My jaw was on the floor! It immediately sent my mind racing to all of the clues I'd missed in the pages leading up to it. I can see how everything comes together. To me, that is a sign of a good mystery.
I also like the fantasy elements. Everyone in the Winter family has a special gift. Our main character, Cicely, has a knack for uncovering secrets. To follow their trail, she has to step into the Ruin, an alternate reality between life and death. It's in the Ruin that she meets Soren, a boy her family murdered four years earlier...
I feel like a lot of enemies-to-lovers romances are predictable. This one is not. I had no idea which direction Cicely and Soren's relationship would go, and I LOVED it! I'm still surprised by the turn it took at the end of this book. While the story leaves off in a mostly satisfying place, I can't help but wonder where things will go from there...
I really liked this book. If you don't hear from me in a while, it's because I'm busy manifesting a sequel. Seriously, this book is so good! And if the promise of a twisty plot & an ending that will stick with you isn't enough, the first edition copy comes with a matte naked hardcover and gorgeous stenciled edges. It's a beautiful book, inside and out.
I received a copy of Our Wicked Gifts as a #GetUnderlinedPartner from Penguin Random House. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Our Wicked Fights is sharp, tense, and deliberately uncomfortable in the way it explores relationships under pressure. Kathryn Foxfield leans into conflict and moral ambiguity, creating a story that keeps you engaged even when the characters are difficult to like.
The pacing is one of the book’s strengths. It moves quickly without losing clarity, and the tension builds in a steady, controlled way. Foxfield knows how to hold back just enough information to keep the reader leaning forward. The structure works well for the kind of story she is telling.
The characters are messy and often frustrating, but that is clearly intentional. Their flaws drive the narrative, and the dynamics between them feel volatile and real. No one is simplified into a clear hero or villain. That complexity adds weight to the story, though it can also make it harder to stay emotionally attached at times.
The dialogue stands out. It feels natural, sharp, and often loaded with subtext. Much of the tension comes through what is said and what is left unsaid. This is where Foxfield’s writing is most effective.
Where the book falls slightly short is in emotional depth. The conflicts are strong, but some of the underlying motivations could have been explored further. There are moments where characters make significant decisions that would benefit from more internal insight. The result is that a few key turns feel abrupt rather than fully earned.
The ending is solid, though not as impactful as it could have been given the buildup. It resolves the central conflicts, but it does not fully expand on the emotional consequences in a lasting way.
Summary:
Our Wicked Fights delivers strong tension, effective pacing, and complex character dynamics. It loses some ground in deeper emotional exploration, but the sharp writing and compelling conflict carry it through. A solid four-star read for those who enjoy character-driven tension and morally gray storytelling.
The pacing is one of the book’s strengths. It moves quickly without losing clarity, and the tension builds in a steady, controlled way. Foxfield knows how to hold back just enough information to keep the reader leaning forward. The structure works well for the kind of story she is telling.
The characters are messy and often frustrating, but that is clearly intentional. Their flaws drive the narrative, and the dynamics between them feel volatile and real. No one is simplified into a clear hero or villain. That complexity adds weight to the story, though it can also make it harder to stay emotionally attached at times.
The dialogue stands out. It feels natural, sharp, and often loaded with subtext. Much of the tension comes through what is said and what is left unsaid. This is where Foxfield’s writing is most effective.
Where the book falls slightly short is in emotional depth. The conflicts are strong, but some of the underlying motivations could have been explored further. There are moments where characters make significant decisions that would benefit from more internal insight. The result is that a few key turns feel abrupt rather than fully earned.
The ending is solid, though not as impactful as it could have been given the buildup. It resolves the central conflicts, but it does not fully expand on the emotional consequences in a lasting way.
Summary:
Our Wicked Fights delivers strong tension, effective pacing, and complex character dynamics. It loses some ground in deeper emotional exploration, but the sharp writing and compelling conflict carry it through. A solid four-star read for those who enjoy character-driven tension and morally gray storytelling.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This book was... it was interesting. I sped through this book and, admittedly, skipped large sections to get the book done quicker. Had I not done that, I would never have finished the book at all. The concept is interesting, and so are some of the characters, I really appreciated the way that Foxie played with morally gray personalities and actions.
However I really just can't get over how much | hated the writing. It felt almost like a caricature of YA writing, especially in the romance scenes, that how cringe-worthy it is. Within the prologue alone, our main character devotes two full paragraphs to explaining to us how she's 'not like other 15 year old girls' and the mmc (hello instalust. btw) is actively flirting with and winking at her while being LITERALLY SACRIFICED. I also just generally have some cringe issues with the way the Devil is portrayed in this piece of media, like perhaps it could have been just a tad more interesting or unique. Don't get me wrong, I adore YA, but this book was just a little much for me- maybe an actually 15 year old girl should pick this up.
I liked Soren, and Felix, Cicely was consistently on my nerves (we get it, you're quirky and different and hate parties and boys and want nothing to do with the hot magical man in the mask who's clearly in love with you, congrats.) And all the other characters just fell short for me. I think I would have liked this book a lot more if it was either written (a) for an adult audience, or (b) the editor was a lot more serious about skimming off the cringe dialogue, instalust, and the heavy reliance on romance and fantasy tropes rather than actually building on the plot and the characters.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Children's Books for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
However I really just can't get over how much | hated the writing. It felt almost like a caricature of YA writing, especially in the romance scenes, that how cringe-worthy it is. Within the prologue alone, our main character devotes two full paragraphs to explaining to us how she's 'not like other 15 year old girls' and the mmc (hello instalust. btw) is actively flirting with and winking at her while being LITERALLY SACRIFICED. I also just generally have some cringe issues with the way the Devil is portrayed in this piece of media, like perhaps it could have been just a tad more interesting or unique. Don't get me wrong, I adore YA, but this book was just a little much for me- maybe an actually 15 year old girl should pick this up.
I liked Soren, and Felix, Cicely was consistently on my nerves (we get it, you're quirky and different and hate parties and boys and want nothing to do with the hot magical man in the mask who's clearly in love with you, congrats.) And all the other characters just fell short for me. I think I would have liked this book a lot more if it was either written (a) for an adult audience, or (b) the editor was a lot more serious about skimming off the cringe dialogue, instalust, and the heavy reliance on romance and fantasy tropes rather than actually building on the plot and the characters.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Children's Books for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
"The daughter of a sinister magical family who made a deal with the devil must stop the man killing them off, one by one, in this deliciously dark fantasy thriller that’s House of Hollow meets Succession, laced with a kiss-or-kill romance."
I was hooked as soon as I read this line in the synopsis. Cicely is the black sheep of her family, the powerful Winter clan, whose ancestress made a pact with the devil in exchange for riches and magic. When Cicely has a chance to use her gift to help her family out when she is just a teenager by stabbing a friend of her brother's who she is told is threatening her brother, she hesitates and her mother is hurt. The family still banishes her brother's friend to The Dark, but Cicely is reminded regularly that she failed the family. About 4 years later, Cicely is still trying to harness her gift, the ability to cross over into "The Ruin" (the underworld), when her uncle is murdered and the boy her family banished, Soren, might just be at the heart of it all. When more of her family members die, Cicely decides it's up to her to save her family.
I loved this book! The premise was very unique and the world building when she crossed over into The Ruin (the underworld) was phenomenal The difference between the here and there was stark, but you could easily tell when she was in The Ruin because the descriptions were very dark and depressing there. The characters were easy to connect with and varied considerably. As a black sheep myself, I was able to relate to Cicely the most, and Soren was a great character. The book in total was well written and the ending was very satisfying.
All in all, I enjoyed this book very much and highly recommend it.
5/5 stars
*** I would like to thank NetGalley, Random House Children's Books, and Kathryn Foxfield for the opportunity to read and review this book.
I was hooked as soon as I read this line in the synopsis. Cicely is the black sheep of her family, the powerful Winter clan, whose ancestress made a pact with the devil in exchange for riches and magic. When Cicely has a chance to use her gift to help her family out when she is just a teenager by stabbing a friend of her brother's who she is told is threatening her brother, she hesitates and her mother is hurt. The family still banishes her brother's friend to The Dark, but Cicely is reminded regularly that she failed the family. About 4 years later, Cicely is still trying to harness her gift, the ability to cross over into "The Ruin" (the underworld), when her uncle is murdered and the boy her family banished, Soren, might just be at the heart of it all. When more of her family members die, Cicely decides it's up to her to save her family.
I loved this book! The premise was very unique and the world building when she crossed over into The Ruin (the underworld) was phenomenal The difference between the here and there was stark, but you could easily tell when she was in The Ruin because the descriptions were very dark and depressing there. The characters were easy to connect with and varied considerably. As a black sheep myself, I was able to relate to Cicely the most, and Soren was a great character. The book in total was well written and the ending was very satisfying.
All in all, I enjoyed this book very much and highly recommend it.
5/5 stars
*** I would like to thank NetGalley, Random House Children's Books, and Kathryn Foxfield for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Our Wicked Gifts brings us a fun blend of family drama, billionaire politics, bored rich kids, sacrifices, deals with the devil, and magical gifts!
Cicely is stuck in her family's whirlwind drama. From fancy galas to charity balls, to sacrifices in the woods. Yeah... that last one kind of stuck with her more than the others. To top it all off, her family members aren't your average rich folk - they each have their own unique gift that brings their games of manipulation and money to a new level! And Cicely has decided it's time to use her gift to figure out what secrets her family is really hiding behind their perfectly polished facade. But as her family members start being picked off one by one, Cicely starts to wonder just how deep and how bloody their secrets run. Oh, and that sacrifice from the woods? He's back with a vengeance... only Cicely is the only one who can actually see him.
This book is a lot of fun! The family drama, the murderous mystery, the fragile connection between a rich girl and the innocent boy her family sacrificed all blends together into a magical mystery steeped in shadows. I loved Cicely's gift and the concept of The Ruin! Her ability to slip between worlds and search out others' secrets added another otherworldly layer to the mystery, and I loved it! All of the interfamily drama, secrets, and revelations kept me hooked. And of course, the sorrow of Soren's story had me desperate to find answers for him!
Our Wicked Gifts blends the family politics of Succession with the bored rich games of Cruel Intentions mixed with the murderous mystery vibes of Knives Out... with the book's own unique, magical, wicked gifts!
*Disclaimer: I received an advanced review copy from Penguin Teen Canada. However, all viewpoints expressed above are my own!
Cicely is stuck in her family's whirlwind drama. From fancy galas to charity balls, to sacrifices in the woods. Yeah... that last one kind of stuck with her more than the others. To top it all off, her family members aren't your average rich folk - they each have their own unique gift that brings their games of manipulation and money to a new level! And Cicely has decided it's time to use her gift to figure out what secrets her family is really hiding behind their perfectly polished facade. But as her family members start being picked off one by one, Cicely starts to wonder just how deep and how bloody their secrets run. Oh, and that sacrifice from the woods? He's back with a vengeance... only Cicely is the only one who can actually see him.
This book is a lot of fun! The family drama, the murderous mystery, the fragile connection between a rich girl and the innocent boy her family sacrificed all blends together into a magical mystery steeped in shadows. I loved Cicely's gift and the concept of The Ruin! Her ability to slip between worlds and search out others' secrets added another otherworldly layer to the mystery, and I loved it! All of the interfamily drama, secrets, and revelations kept me hooked. And of course, the sorrow of Soren's story had me desperate to find answers for him!
Our Wicked Gifts blends the family politics of Succession with the bored rich games of Cruel Intentions mixed with the murderous mystery vibes of Knives Out... with the book's own unique, magical, wicked gifts!
*Disclaimer: I received an advanced review copy from Penguin Teen Canada. However, all viewpoints expressed above are my own!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
”Tonight, my family's future hangs in the balance. If the boy lives, the Winters will fall.
When you're a Winter, family comes first, and killing this boy is the only way to protect the people I love.”
Soren Ashwood was someone who needed to be taken care of, and for Cicely Winter, she was responsible for making that possible, but when she hesitates to kill him, he grabs the knife and aims it at her mother, Allegra Winter. Almost killing her. That night, Soren dies, but what if he isn’t completely dead.?
”Why do you make me feel like I'm the one who's burning up from the inside out?”
Someone is coming for the Winters, killing them one by one. Can Cicely figure out who the killer is and the reason why the Winters needed to get rid of Soren? Can she truly trust Soren, or is he behind it all? Find out July 7th, 2026!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I definitely could relate to Cicely Winter and not feeling enough or good enough sometimes, and it can be a lot on someone her age or for anyone. I’m so glad we get to see her blossom into herself during the ending, and I was so proud to see her live life for herself.
That ending had me in tears. Did I expect that ending no and I don’t think I’m okay, but I do understand the meaning behind it, and for that also puts me in tears for Cicely’s growth. 😭
I was in love with these characters besides… a few and we don’t have to get into it, I believe we all know who after finishing Our Wicked Gifts. But if you like me to say it was Allegra. Sorry, not sorry 😭
Thank you to Kathryn Foxfield, Random House, and NetGalley for the chance to read and review this e-arc in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts and opinions remain my own.
When you're a Winter, family comes first, and killing this boy is the only way to protect the people I love.”
Soren Ashwood was someone who needed to be taken care of, and for Cicely Winter, she was responsible for making that possible, but when she hesitates to kill him, he grabs the knife and aims it at her mother, Allegra Winter. Almost killing her. That night, Soren dies, but what if he isn’t completely dead.?
”Why do you make me feel like I'm the one who's burning up from the inside out?”
Someone is coming for the Winters, killing them one by one. Can Cicely figure out who the killer is and the reason why the Winters needed to get rid of Soren? Can she truly trust Soren, or is he behind it all? Find out July 7th, 2026!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I definitely could relate to Cicely Winter and not feeling enough or good enough sometimes, and it can be a lot on someone her age or for anyone. I’m so glad we get to see her blossom into herself during the ending, and I was so proud to see her live life for herself.
That ending had me in tears. Did I expect that ending no and I don’t think I’m okay, but I do understand the meaning behind it, and for that also puts me in tears for Cicely’s growth. 😭
I was in love with these characters besides… a few and we don’t have to get into it, I believe we all know who after finishing Our Wicked Gifts. But if you like me to say it was Allegra. Sorry, not sorry 😭
Thank you to Kathryn Foxfield, Random House, and NetGalley for the chance to read and review this e-arc in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts and opinions remain my own.
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