Excerpts Young Adult Read an Excerpt From The House Saphir by Marissa Meyer A retelling of the story of Bluebeard as a romantasy/murder mystery. By Marissa Meyer | Published on October 28, 2025 Comment 0 Share New Share We’re thrilled to share an excerpt from The House Saphir by Marissa Meyer, a young adult retelling of the story of Bluebeard publishing with Feiwel & Friends on November 4th. Mallory Fontaine is a fraud. Though she comes from a long line of witches, the only magic she possesses is the ability to see ghosts, which is rarely as useful as one would think. She and her sister have maintained the family business, eking out a paltry living by selling bogus spells to gullible buyers and conducting tours of the infamous mansion where the first of the Saphir murders took place.Mallory is a self-proclaimed expert on Count Bastien Saphir—otherwise known as Monsieur Le Bleu—who brutally killed three of his wives more than a century ago. But she never expected to meet Bastien’s great-great grandson and heir to the Saphir estate. Armand is handsome, wealthy, and convinced that the Fontaine Sisters are as talented as they claim. The perfect mark. When he offers Mallory a large sum of money to rid his ancestral home of Le Bleu’s ghost, she can’t resist. A paid vacation at Armand’s country manor? It’s practically a dream come true, never mind the ghosts of murdered wives and the monsters that are as common as household pests.But when murder again comes to the House Saphir, Mallory finds herself at the center of the investigation—and she is almost certain the killer is mortal. If she has any hope of cashing in on the payment she was promised, she’ll have to solve the murder and banish the ghost, all while upholding the illusion of witchcraft.But that all sounds relatively easy compared to her biggest challenge: learning to trust her heart. Especially when the person her heart wants the most might be a murderer himself. She ducked into an unused guest room, the furnishings cov­ ered in ghostly white cloths, to compose herself. Mallory sank against the door and buried her face in her hands, still scented with the shaving soap. The pleasure that had shivered at the end of her nerves now felt cold and traitorous. She spent an entire minute trying to convince herself that she’d been mistaken. It wasn’t Julie’s ring. It was only something similar. Surely other girls had sapphire wedding rings. Surely Armand couldn’t have murdered her. Surely… Nothing she told herself made any difference. All the signs were there. The way Julie had talked about her beau, like a knight coming to rescue her, like he was too good to be true. The pressed flower in her prayer book. The ring hidden beneath Armand’s vanity. She had to go to the police. Tell them everything. Have Armand imprisoned before he could harm anyone else.” She shuddered. For the first time, she felt like she could truly begin to under­stand what had compelled Bastien’s wives to choose him, despite all the signs that he was a man to be avoided. What had Julie said? The heart wants what the heart wants… Right now, her heart wanted away from this place. Away from Armand, and his manipulations, his lies, the way his uncertain smiles seemed crafted entirely for her… Crouching over her knees, she stuffed the hem of her skirt into her mouth and screamed. The fabric muffled her frustration and anger and betrayal, but didn’t lessen it. Gods alive, she liked him. She liked him so much. His curiosity. The way he flustered so easily. His bravery in the face of mon­sters. His willingness to believe her, no matter how many times she lied to him. The way he’d kissed her, as though she was both fragile and dangerous at the same time. Breathless, Mallory let the fabric fall from her mouth. She stared balefully at the floor as her pulse gradually slowed. She had to be sure. She had to be absolutely, without-a-doubt, cannot-possibly-be­ wrong-about-this sure. She stood, forcing strength into her legs. Smoothing her hair away from her face, she dared to step back into the hall. She found Anaïs in their room, embroidering a border of for­tune’s wheels onto a handkerchief, a full cup of tea on the table beside her. She startled when Mallory came in, pricking herselfwith the needle. “I was beginning to worry about you. Have you learned anything?” She must have seen something in Mallory’s face, because she sat straighter as she popped her jabbed finger into her mouth. “I need your help.” Anaïs watched her a long moment. Swallowing, she set the embroidery aside and picked up the teacup instead. The china clattered in her shaking hands. She turned back to the window and took a sip. “Please, Anaïs” Mallory dropped onto her knees beside the settee, pleading with her. “You know I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t have to.” Inhaling sharply, Anaïs glanced at the sky. Dark clouds were rolling over the vineyards. “I knew you would,” she whispered. “From the moment I saw her body.” “Anaïs—” “‘Just as I knew that you shouldn’t have to. Maybe I should have offered to do it from the beginning. But… I’m scared, Mally. It’s unnatural, and dangerous. And… what if it happens again?” “It won’t.” “You don’t know that.” “We can hardly summon him twice.” Crossing her arms, Anaïs settled deeper into the cushions, studying Mallory. “Who do you think it was, if not Le Bleu?” She didn’t want to say it. Saying it out loud would make it too real, too… plausible. The words came out brittle. “I’m afraid it was Armand who killed her.” Mallory had hoped for a gasp. Some shock. A whispered, no, surely not Armand. To her disappointment, Anaïs nodded. “I fear that as well.” Excerpted from The House Saphir, copyright © 2025 by Marissa Meyer. Buy the Book The House Saphir Marissa Meyer Buy Book The House Saphir Marissa Meyer Buy this book from: AmazonBarnes and NobleiBooksIndieBoundTarget The post Read an Excerpt From <i>The House Saphir</i> by Marissa Meyer appeared first on Reactor.