The Villa, Once Beloved
The Villa, Once Beloved by Victor Manibo is a compelling gothic horror complete with an atmospheric estate, a mysterious family legacy involving a curse, and an innocent young woman at the center.
Our Gothic heroine Sophie is a Filipino-American student who was adopted by a midwestern white family and doesn’t know who her real parents are. She goes with her boyfriend Adrian Sepulveda to his family’s estate on an old coconut plantation in the Philippines for his grandfather’s funeral after his mysterious death. Though they’ve been together for three years, this will be the first time she’s meeting his family.
Soon after arriving, a storm wipes out all communications and washes out the only roads in and out of the plantation, stranding Sophie and the extended Sepulveda family and delaying the funeral.
Soon, Sophie begins experiencing terrible dreams and night terrors, and family secrets thought long-buried come to light, from long-ago dubious political ties to recent indiscretions, all shrouded in a mix of folklore and fact, and the Sepulveda family will stop at nothing to keep those secrets. Meanwhile, family members seem to be dropping like flies - is it possible the curse is real?
In The Villa, Once Beloved, Victor Manibo has given us an atmospheric setting on the old coconut plantation with a rich (if dark) past, complex characters, and a thrilling plot with a mix of folklore and history which combine to form a modern Gothic classic.
I listened to the audiobook along with the ebook, and the dual narration by Joel de la Fuente and Jensen Olaya was perfect. They are both excellent performers and brought life to the characters.
Thank you to NetGalley, Kensington Publishing, and RB Media for the advance copies for my unbiased review. Pub. Date 11/25/25
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