The formula of orphan ostracized with weird talent + finding long lost family/inheritance + large, lonely, spooky manor house + remaining family/staff unhealthy but learned to live with curse/ghosts/unusualness + orphan's quirk saves the day = works really well even if it's overdone because V.E. Schwab is an excellent writer that makes all her books fun to read and atmospheric with engaging characters (I guess that was the weak point in this book, but it was still great)!