Caffeinated Reviewer

Narrated by Catherine Ho, The Manor of Dreams by Cristina Li delivers a rich mystery steeped in gothic horror. Perfect for fans of Mexican Gothic. Told in dual timelines, spanning three generations, Li takes us into the life of Vivian Yi and the mansion she called home.

Vivian Yin is dead. The first Chinese actress to win an Oscar, the trailblazing ingénue rose to fame in the eighties, only to disappear from the spotlight at the height of her career to live out the rest of her life as a recluse.

Now her remaining family members are gathered for the reading of her will, and her daughters expect to inherit their childhood Vivian’s grand, sprawling, Southern California garden estate. But due to a last-minute change to the will, the house is passed on to another family instead—one that has suddenly returned after decades of estrangement.

In hopes of staking their claim, both families move into the mansion. As Vivian’s daughters race to piece together what happened in the last weeks of their mother’s life, disturbing visions and bizarre behaviors start to take hold of everyone in the house, forcing them to realize they are being haunted by something far more sinister and vengeful than their regrets. After so many years of silence, will the families finally confront the painful truth behind the house’s origins and the last, tragic summer they spent there—or will they cling to their secrets until it’s too late?

Told in dual timelines, spanning three generations, and brimming with romance, betrayal, ambition, and sacrifice, The Manor of Dreams is a thrilling family gothic that examines the true cost of the American Dream—and what happens when the roots we set down in this country turn to rot.

The Manor of Dreams was an atmospheric gothic horror with mystery, suspense and dual timelines. The first time line is that of young Vivian Yi as we follow her first marriage, acting career and new marriage that moves her into the Southern California garden estate. Then, the second is after her death when her children are shocked to learn that the home they shared has been left to another family instead; one they have been estranged from.

Twisted and slow building, I was drawn to both time-lines and the mansion itself became a character. The story is filled with domestic violence, romance, betrayal, and twists as the tension grew and truths were revealed. Li’s prose was chilling as the supernatural elements took hold. The characters’ despair, fear, and horror were palpable to me. Once we got into the meat of the storyline, I found I could not stop listening.

Catherine Ho narrates and did a wonderful job of capturing the voice and emotions of the characters, both young, old, male and female. The story has diversity, young forbidden love, second chances, family secrets and sheds light on dark secrets.

Both time lines were intense, especially when Vivian realizes what she must do. The final climatic scenes when things are revealed in the present day timeline were nail-biting and deliciously creepy.

For gothic horror enthusiasts, The Manor of Dreams is a worthwhile and suspenseful listen.

Amazon | Audible | Libro.fm

About Christina Li

CHRISTINA LI is the award-winning author of children’s books Clues to the Universe, which was a Washington Post summer book club pick, and Ruby Lost and Found, which was an NPR and New York Public Library Best Book of the Year and recognized for the Asian Pacific American Librarians’ Award for Best Children’s Literature. She is also the author of the YA title True Love and Other Impossible Odds, as well as a forthcoming fiction debut, The Manor of Dreams (Avid Reader Press), which has been listed as one of TIME Magazine’s most anticipated novels of 2025. She loves to daydream about characters and drink too much jasmine green tea. She grew up in the Midwest and California but now calls New York home.

Instagram

About Catherine Ho

Catherine Ho is a Midwesterner living in NYC. She's an AudioFile Best of 2021, Earphones Award winner, and AA2022-nominated voice actor. She's voiced hundreds of characters for the Big 5 publishers, Nickelodeon, Havas, TedLive, Macy's, IBM, and more. Raised in Ohio by English language learners, she has an ear and agility for accents. She is a relentless and eclectic consumer of media in all forms, reader for a literary magazine, coached and passable at kickboxing and boxing, music literate, a trained singer, and truly mediocre at the ukulele.

Instagram

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

• 2025 Audiobook Challenge

About Kimberly

Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

Related Posts

• Same Genre