The Last Heir of Bradbury Manor

Thank you Three Dragons Press for providing me with an ARC of The Last Heir of Bradbury Manor through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Michael Mizov’s historical horror, The Last Heir of Bradbury Manor, punches you in the stomach the moment the novel begins with the death of the manor’s beloved gardener, Edgar, found dead by Charlotte “Lottie” Bradbury after 12 years away from the grounds. The manor immediately becomes a character in its own right, as it feels as if it is determined to drink up the blood spilt by Edgar and the voracity of Lottie’s desire to understand why she was kept away for so long after the untimely death of her beloved Mother. The Last Heir of Bradbury Manor does a wonderful job of capturing the depth of fear of unknown things that go bump in the night, or in this case, are ever determined to enter a room. Around the 50% mark, I couldn’t put it down, as the visceral fear began to pick at my nerves so deeply that I needed to know what had happened to Lottie. Whilst there were times in which I struggled to connect with Lottie’s characterisation — as she felt overly modern in the manner she tackled conversations with the estranged Lord Bradbury — in relation to the time frame and her noble rank, I still found myself rooting for her to find her own way out of the grasp of the manor. 

Her story also features two male leads from vastly different socioeconomic backgrounds. Arthur, a commoner who found his way to the manor in the midst of grief, and Gregory, the spritely gentleman from a family seeking to improve their rank within society, are quickly framed as romantic interests for Lottie. Each one presents a different path her life could take while fulfilling different emotional needs she lacked at finishing school. I appreciate that Mizov didn’t take away our time with Lottie to make the story all about the men pursuing her romantically. The ending also reflected Lottie’s emotional growth and her understanding of what she needs in a potential significant other. 

Whilst I am not sure if it was intentional or not, I also found myself enjoying what felt like a social commentary on how women in this time frame were perceived as mentally unstable or unwell if they did not act within the norm; we see this highlighted in the manner people describe one woman with little to no regard for the anguish she was enduring due to forces far beyond what one would normally expect to encounter. It would have been nice to see this unpacked a bit further toward the end of the novel. Although I would have appreciated a slightly quicker wrap-up for what felt like the novel’s epilogue, I highly advise readers to take a peek at some of the book club questions at the end of the book. The one which stuck out the most to me posits for the reader to question the reality of certain events within the narrative, and it has me itching to find others who have read the book to be able to pull all the details apart at the seams to come up with our own perspective of the truth.

The Last Heir of Bradbury Manor is not a perfect horror. Still, I firmly believe perfection doesn’t always mean finding a way to pull at your heartstrings or question what you see out of the corner of your eye. Horror is a genre I have not delved into heavily in the last decade or so of my life, sans the time I got bullied into reading the brilliant but horrifying Leech by Hiron Ennes by a staff member at my favourite independent bookstore; the closest suggestion I can confidently give is if you enjoyed watching the TV version of The Haunting of Hill House. There were so many times throughout my read when it felt like Mizov beautifully captured the manor as a living entity of its own. It echoed the unnerving sensation I felt while watching Hill House for the first time. With that being said, I give The Last Heir of Bradbury Manor a 4 rating out of 5 stars. If you’re ready to step into a bit of fear as we approach spooky season, you should grab a copy of this novel to read whilst snug and cosy at night.