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The Shadow House
Extraordinarily tense and deliciously mysterious, Anna Downes's The Shadow House follows one woman's desperate journey to protect her children at any cost, in a remote place where not everything is as it seems.
A HOUSE WITH DEADLY SECRETS.
A MOTHER WHO'LL RISK EVERYTHING TO BRING THEM TO LIGHT.
Alex, a single mother-of-two, is determined to make a fresh start for her and her children. In an effort to escape her troubled past, she seeks refuge in a rural community. Pine Ridge is idyllic; the surrounding forests are beautiful and the locals welcoming. Mostly.
But Alex finds that she may have disturbed barely hidden secrets in her new home. As a chain of bizarre events is set off, events eerily familiar to those who have lived there for years, Alex realizes that she and her family might be in greater danger than ever before. And that the only way to protect them all is to confront the shadows lurking in Pine Ridge.
A HOUSE WITH DEADLY SECRETS.
A MOTHER WHO'LL RISK EVERYTHING TO BRING THEM TO LIGHT.
Alex, a single mother-of-two, is determined to make a fresh start for her and her children. In an effort to escape her troubled past, she seeks refuge in a rural community. Pine Ridge is idyllic; the surrounding forests are beautiful and the locals welcoming. Mostly.
But Alex finds that she may have disturbed barely hidden secrets in her new home. As a chain of bizarre events is set off, events eerily familiar to those who have lived there for years, Alex realizes that she and her family might be in greater danger than ever before. And that the only way to protect them all is to confront the shadows lurking in Pine Ridge.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published April 5, 2022
About the author
Anna Downes
9 books1,042 followersANNA DOWNES was born and raised in Sheffield, UK, but now lives just north of Sydney, Australia with her husband and two children. She worked as an actress before turning her attention to writing. She was shortlisted for the Sydney Writers Room Short Story Prize (2017) and longlisted for the Margaret River Short Story Competition (2018).
The Safe Place was inspired by Anna’s experiences working as a live-in housekeeper on a remote French estate in 2009-10.
The Safe Place was inspired by Anna’s experiences working as a live-in housekeeper on a remote French estate in 2009-10.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 870 reviews
July 9, 2022
Wow! First bones, then creepy doll and finally blood comes! Twilight zone opening theme starts playing in my head as I see shadows lurking around my house! Yes, the book hooked me up mentally and psychically! I keep jumping up and down at 3 a.m in the morning as my husband snores peacefully without having a clue. What a great choice for upcoming Halloween week!
Alex, 37, single mother of two, only wants a fresh start by moving to peaceful Pine Ridge surrounded by forests, far from civilization even though it gives cult-y vibes!
She is not only struggling from sleep deprivation because of new baby Kara. Her teenage boy Ollie is sulking, criticizing her sudden moving choice by leaving her partner Stuart behind. Well, Alex actually has her own reasons: first of all: Stuart is abusive, control freak douchebag who still sends threatening texts to her and Ollie is also nearly suspended from his old school after a viral scandal that he insists he wasn’t involved!
Alex truly needs to prove herself she can get on her feet and rebuild new life! Pine Ridge community leader Kit is too hot and welcoming. She’s intrigued by his charm even though he keeps so many secrets.
Most of her neighbors are welcoming instead of hostile, brooding Maggie. Even Ollie befriends Violet, forming his own friend circle. And Stuart’s stops texting her, keeping his silence.
But she realizes all those things are too good to be true. Somebody starts leaving creepy boxes to her house. And things get escalated.
A creepy witch is rumored to lurk around the woods and she leaves boxes to the houses when she decides to kidnap the son of household.
Does someone target her son? Is there a real witch threaten the community? Or one of her neighbors are too adamant to make them leave Pine Ridge immediately!
We also read Renee’s POV, married with Michael Kellerman, the son of first builder of Pine Ridge. They have problematic relationship with their son Gabriel who thinks a monster lives in the woods coming to get him. They get bones, creepy doll and finally their house is vandalized, covered in fake blood. Just like the same routine happened in Alex’s house. And then somebody is kidnapped Gabriel!
What’s the connection between two women?
Overall: I was so close to give five stars: especially first half of the book was so creepy, intriguing but in the middle it got slowed down and the most of the revelations are a little foreseeable but it was still one of the tensest, creepiest, most unputdownable reads I’ve lately had.
I’m giving full four witchy, solstices, addictive, twisty stars!
Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ Minotaur Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
Alex, 37, single mother of two, only wants a fresh start by moving to peaceful Pine Ridge surrounded by forests, far from civilization even though it gives cult-y vibes!
She is not only struggling from sleep deprivation because of new baby Kara. Her teenage boy Ollie is sulking, criticizing her sudden moving choice by leaving her partner Stuart behind. Well, Alex actually has her own reasons: first of all: Stuart is abusive, control freak douchebag who still sends threatening texts to her and Ollie is also nearly suspended from his old school after a viral scandal that he insists he wasn’t involved!
Alex truly needs to prove herself she can get on her feet and rebuild new life! Pine Ridge community leader Kit is too hot and welcoming. She’s intrigued by his charm even though he keeps so many secrets.
Most of her neighbors are welcoming instead of hostile, brooding Maggie. Even Ollie befriends Violet, forming his own friend circle. And Stuart’s stops texting her, keeping his silence.
But she realizes all those things are too good to be true. Somebody starts leaving creepy boxes to her house. And things get escalated.
A creepy witch is rumored to lurk around the woods and she leaves boxes to the houses when she decides to kidnap the son of household.
Does someone target her son? Is there a real witch threaten the community? Or one of her neighbors are too adamant to make them leave Pine Ridge immediately!
We also read Renee’s POV, married with Michael Kellerman, the son of first builder of Pine Ridge. They have problematic relationship with their son Gabriel who thinks a monster lives in the woods coming to get him. They get bones, creepy doll and finally their house is vandalized, covered in fake blood. Just like the same routine happened in Alex’s house. And then somebody is kidnapped Gabriel!
What’s the connection between two women?
Overall: I was so close to give five stars: especially first half of the book was so creepy, intriguing but in the middle it got slowed down and the most of the revelations are a little foreseeable but it was still one of the tensest, creepiest, most unputdownable reads I’ve lately had.
I’m giving full four witchy, solstices, addictive, twisty stars!
Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ Minotaur Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
September 7, 2024
Fleeing a toxic relationship, Alex, a single-mother of two, moves with her children, teenage-son, Ollie and infant-daughter, Kara, to the remote eco-village of Pine Ridge.
Alex dreams of a fresh start for them. Things had gotten bad in their old life, with Ollie even having been expelled from school due to a scandal involving some classmates.
Determined to make it work, Alex signs on to a 3-month commitment at Pine Ridge. They need this. They have to give it a fair shot.
Once arriving, Alex begins meeting current residents of the village, who try to clue her in to the ways of the community. This includes Kit, their charming and charismatic leader.
As much as she wants to fit in, however, there's something about the place that makes Alex feel unsettled. It's not just the rumors of the witch who lives in the woods and steals children, but things start to happen to them as well.
Mysterious, ominous packages, strange drawings; it's all a bit overwhelming. Add to this Ollie's temperamental and moody behavior, Alex finds herself close to the end of her rope.
Alex has always had a hard time accepting help, but as one of her neighbors reminds her, sometimes it takes a village. Slowly, she begins to lean into the experience, growing closer to some of the others.
It's unclear who she can trust though. Soon people Alex thought were friends are talking behind her back; it seems trying to push her out. Is this whole scheme some sort of sham?
In addition to Alex's perspective, the Reader also gets the historical perspective of a woman named, Renee.
Renee once lived in a farmhouse on the grounds of which the eco-village now sits. Years earlier, Renee's teenage-son, Gabriel, went missing. His disappearance was never solved.
As you learn more about Gabriel from Renee, you see that he has a lot of similarities to Alex's son, Ollie. Additionally, strange things about Gabriel's case mirror things currently happening to Alex and Ollie.
Could the two cases be related? Is Ollie in danger, as he fears? Is there a witch in the woods snatching children?
Alex begins investigating.
She needs to find answers before it's too late, but with no clue who she can trust, the odds seem stacked against her.
The Shadow House is hard to categorize. I wouldn't stick it in a strict Mystery, Thriller or Suspense category. I think if you go into it expecting that, you may be disappointed.
It feels Dark General Fiction, or Dark Domestic Drama to me, with a slight Mystery. Regardless, I really enjoy Downes storytelling. I was intrigued by her first book and even more with this one.
I loved learning about the eco-village; how it was run, it's history and the lore surrounding the area. The characters were vibrant and believable.
I also really enjoyed the way Downes used the two perspectives to build the story out. It's definitely a slow burn, but I was happy with the conclusion and the length of time it took for all of the pieces to fall into place.
I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was excellent. I felt like their accent attributed a sense of place to the overall story. It was a great listen!
There was a romance subplot that I personally could have done without, but I get it. I understand why Downes included it. I just may have enjoyed it a bit more if Alex had embraced her time finding herself and growing with her children on her own.
Overall, I had a lot of fun reading this. The atmosphere was fantastic. I loved the build and how it began to feel a bit claustrophobic.
I found certain aspects of it to be unsettling and I did start to feel a real sense of desperation towards the end. The whole is it supernatural, is it not supernatural-vibe; I thought it was very well done.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I appreciate it so much.
This is the second book that I've thoroughly enjoyed from Downes. I am certainly looking forward to more!
Alex dreams of a fresh start for them. Things had gotten bad in their old life, with Ollie even having been expelled from school due to a scandal involving some classmates.
Determined to make it work, Alex signs on to a 3-month commitment at Pine Ridge. They need this. They have to give it a fair shot.
Once arriving, Alex begins meeting current residents of the village, who try to clue her in to the ways of the community. This includes Kit, their charming and charismatic leader.
As much as she wants to fit in, however, there's something about the place that makes Alex feel unsettled. It's not just the rumors of the witch who lives in the woods and steals children, but things start to happen to them as well.
Mysterious, ominous packages, strange drawings; it's all a bit overwhelming. Add to this Ollie's temperamental and moody behavior, Alex finds herself close to the end of her rope.
Alex has always had a hard time accepting help, but as one of her neighbors reminds her, sometimes it takes a village. Slowly, she begins to lean into the experience, growing closer to some of the others.
It's unclear who she can trust though. Soon people Alex thought were friends are talking behind her back; it seems trying to push her out. Is this whole scheme some sort of sham?
In addition to Alex's perspective, the Reader also gets the historical perspective of a woman named, Renee.
Renee once lived in a farmhouse on the grounds of which the eco-village now sits. Years earlier, Renee's teenage-son, Gabriel, went missing. His disappearance was never solved.
As you learn more about Gabriel from Renee, you see that he has a lot of similarities to Alex's son, Ollie. Additionally, strange things about Gabriel's case mirror things currently happening to Alex and Ollie.
Could the two cases be related? Is Ollie in danger, as he fears? Is there a witch in the woods snatching children?
Alex begins investigating.
She needs to find answers before it's too late, but with no clue who she can trust, the odds seem stacked against her.
The Shadow House is hard to categorize. I wouldn't stick it in a strict Mystery, Thriller or Suspense category. I think if you go into it expecting that, you may be disappointed.
It feels Dark General Fiction, or Dark Domestic Drama to me, with a slight Mystery. Regardless, I really enjoy Downes storytelling. I was intrigued by her first book and even more with this one.
I loved learning about the eco-village; how it was run, it's history and the lore surrounding the area. The characters were vibrant and believable.
I also really enjoyed the way Downes used the two perspectives to build the story out. It's definitely a slow burn, but I was happy with the conclusion and the length of time it took for all of the pieces to fall into place.
I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was excellent. I felt like their accent attributed a sense of place to the overall story. It was a great listen!
There was a romance subplot that I personally could have done without, but I get it. I understand why Downes included it. I just may have enjoyed it a bit more if Alex had embraced her time finding herself and growing with her children on her own.
Overall, I had a lot of fun reading this. The atmosphere was fantastic. I loved the build and how it began to feel a bit claustrophobic.
I found certain aspects of it to be unsettling and I did start to feel a real sense of desperation towards the end. The whole is it supernatural, is it not supernatural-vibe; I thought it was very well done.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I appreciate it so much.
This is the second book that I've thoroughly enjoyed from Downes. I am certainly looking forward to more!
April 7, 2022
3.5 stars, rounded up
I listened to this audiobook, and loved that the narrators' Australian accents gave me a sense of place. Having the two narrators helps to differentiate between the two points of view--Renee and Alex.
Alex is a single mom of two who chooses to leave an abusive relationship and move to a remote eco-village with her teenage son Ollie and infant daughter Kara. As soon as they arrive there are creepy things that happen and Alex hears rumors about a "witch" that steals children. She does some investigating and finds out about Renee, who used to live in the now-empty farmhouse on the property, whose teen son Gabriel disappeared six years before. Is Ollie in danger? Are the rumors true?
I am happy to say that this book has a "real" solution to the mysteries, although it seems like there might be something supernatural involved, that is not the case. Since I'm not a fan of supernatural explanations for mysteries, this elevated the book for me. I didn't particularly care for Alex, I thought she made many stupid choices and the inclusion of a romantic thread for her was wholly unnecessary and made me grade the book down a half star, especially since it was insta-love and she was in no place to head into another relationship.
I liked how everything came together, how the past and present storylines merge and create a few surprises in the meantime. This isn't a perfect mystery, there are some clunky parts--like what was so "eco" about this village? It was commune-like, but definitely not off the grid as the kids go to a local school, there are electronics everywhere, etc. I had difficulty wrapping my brain around what this place was supposed to be. Yet overall it worked for me, it was an intriguing book that kept me listening in order to find out what would happen, and I got through it pretty quickly so that's a win.
Warning--there is a kitty killed in a gruesome way.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
I listened to this audiobook, and loved that the narrators' Australian accents gave me a sense of place. Having the two narrators helps to differentiate between the two points of view--Renee and Alex.
Alex is a single mom of two who chooses to leave an abusive relationship and move to a remote eco-village with her teenage son Ollie and infant daughter Kara. As soon as they arrive there are creepy things that happen and Alex hears rumors about a "witch" that steals children. She does some investigating and finds out about Renee, who used to live in the now-empty farmhouse on the property, whose teen son Gabriel disappeared six years before. Is Ollie in danger? Are the rumors true?
I am happy to say that this book has a "real" solution to the mysteries, although it seems like there might be something supernatural involved, that is not the case. Since I'm not a fan of supernatural explanations for mysteries, this elevated the book for me. I didn't particularly care for Alex, I thought she made many stupid choices and the inclusion of a romantic thread for her was wholly unnecessary and made me grade the book down a half star, especially since it was insta-love and she was in no place to head into another relationship.
I liked how everything came together, how the past and present storylines merge and create a few surprises in the meantime. This isn't a perfect mystery, there are some clunky parts--like what was so "eco" about this village? It was commune-like, but definitely not off the grid as the kids go to a local school, there are electronics everywhere, etc. I had difficulty wrapping my brain around what this place was supposed to be. Yet overall it worked for me, it was an intriguing book that kept me listening in order to find out what would happen, and I got through it pretty quickly so that's a win.
Warning--there is a kitty killed in a gruesome way.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
March 13, 2022
4+ creepy stars
A house- a bone - a doll - blood. Intriguing! Alex Ives arrives at Pine Ridge, a sustainable self build eco-village concept and slap bang in the middle of nowhere. In tow are her teenage son Oliver who has had issues at his Sydney school and he most definitely doesn’t want to be there with his hugely palpable negativity coming in tidal waves. She also has baby Kara who is teething leading to Alex being massively sleep deprived. Alex wants a fresh start, away from her ex Stuart , father of Kara and as far away from his vile text messages as she can get.
There’s a second narrative from Renee who is married to farmer Michael. They are having serious issues with their son Gabriel who is giving cause for concern especially over his screen addiction. What connects Alex and Renee?
The novel starts slowly, it’s quite detailed but you do get a good sense of the surroundings. Don’t let that fool you, the author lulls you into a false sense of security as you pull up short with the beginning of disturbing signs in both narratives. Weird dreams, noises that send shivers down the spine, creepy shadows and oh boy, does the atmosphere ever build as it’s obvious this is not the idyllic place it seems and there are some shocker jaw droppers. There’s a really excellent goosebumpy supernatural element that is both spooky and malevolent and it escalates so that there’s a looming sense of something really bad approaching with palpable suspense and tension and in addition the sparking difficult dynamics don’t help the situation. The reveals when they come all good and they certainly surprise me.
The characterisation is very good especially of truculent teen Ollie and the struggling Gabriel, Alex is portrayed well and you ooze sympathy for the exhausted mother. Renee’s parents or something else too.
Overall this is another good novel novel from Anna Downes and I look forward to reading what she comes up with next.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Hodder and Stoughton for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
A house- a bone - a doll - blood. Intriguing! Alex Ives arrives at Pine Ridge, a sustainable self build eco-village concept and slap bang in the middle of nowhere. In tow are her teenage son Oliver who has had issues at his Sydney school and he most definitely doesn’t want to be there with his hugely palpable negativity coming in tidal waves. She also has baby Kara who is teething leading to Alex being massively sleep deprived. Alex wants a fresh start, away from her ex Stuart , father of Kara and as far away from his vile text messages as she can get.
There’s a second narrative from Renee who is married to farmer Michael. They are having serious issues with their son Gabriel who is giving cause for concern especially over his screen addiction. What connects Alex and Renee?
The novel starts slowly, it’s quite detailed but you do get a good sense of the surroundings. Don’t let that fool you, the author lulls you into a false sense of security as you pull up short with the beginning of disturbing signs in both narratives. Weird dreams, noises that send shivers down the spine, creepy shadows and oh boy, does the atmosphere ever build as it’s obvious this is not the idyllic place it seems and there are some shocker jaw droppers. There’s a really excellent goosebumpy supernatural element that is both spooky and malevolent and it escalates so that there’s a looming sense of something really bad approaching with palpable suspense and tension and in addition the sparking difficult dynamics don’t help the situation. The reveals when they come all good and they certainly surprise me.
The characterisation is very good especially of truculent teen Ollie and the struggling Gabriel, Alex is portrayed well and you ooze sympathy for the exhausted mother. Renee’s parents or something else too.
Overall this is another good novel novel from Anna Downes and I look forward to reading what she comes up with next.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Hodder and Stoughton for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
April 29, 2022
The Shadow House by Anna Downes is a 2022 Minotaur publication.
Alex is starting over once again. She and her two children have left an abusive relationship to live in the rural community of Pine Ridge.
Unfortunately, things get off to a bumpy start for Alex. Her teenage son, Oliver, is having trouble adjusting, while baby Kara, is keeping Alex awake around the clock. If that weren’t bad enough, the not always welcoming community also comes with its own legend about a witch that kidnaps children.
The secondary POV is centered around Renee, a mother whose husband’s family was one of the original builders of Pine Ridge. She, too, has a troubled teenage son, which points to an eerily troubling connection between Renee and Alex…
This book has some super creepy vibes. I wondered just what kind of community Alex had planted herself in!! The people were all a bit standoffish, and some are downright rude, except for Kit- but we aren’t entirely sure what his story is- and he never seems to be in the mood to share.
Without knowing who to trust or how Alex’s story is related to Renee’s, the reader is mostly in the dark without any way to gain their footing. I was very invested early on, but the middle portions of the book dragged, losing most of its momentum. Just as I was about to lose patience, though, the story suddenly got very interesting with a few startling revelations I never saw coming.
The last quarter of the book more than made up for the sluggishness that preceded it, and I ended up enjoying the story more than I had anticipated. Without giving too much away, this story has an ‘Ann Radcliffe’- Terror vs. Horror- approach- (and yes, there are a few Gothic undertones in this novel, to my great delight)-just in case that information helps those more inclined to one over the other.
That said, this would be a good book to read close to Halloween because it has all those great, ‘jumpy’ vibes to it, but will appeal to anyone who likes a good twisty psychological thriller, too.
3.5 stars rounded up
Alex is starting over once again. She and her two children have left an abusive relationship to live in the rural community of Pine Ridge.
Unfortunately, things get off to a bumpy start for Alex. Her teenage son, Oliver, is having trouble adjusting, while baby Kara, is keeping Alex awake around the clock. If that weren’t bad enough, the not always welcoming community also comes with its own legend about a witch that kidnaps children.
The secondary POV is centered around Renee, a mother whose husband’s family was one of the original builders of Pine Ridge. She, too, has a troubled teenage son, which points to an eerily troubling connection between Renee and Alex…
This book has some super creepy vibes. I wondered just what kind of community Alex had planted herself in!! The people were all a bit standoffish, and some are downright rude, except for Kit- but we aren’t entirely sure what his story is- and he never seems to be in the mood to share.
Without knowing who to trust or how Alex’s story is related to Renee’s, the reader is mostly in the dark without any way to gain their footing. I was very invested early on, but the middle portions of the book dragged, losing most of its momentum. Just as I was about to lose patience, though, the story suddenly got very interesting with a few startling revelations I never saw coming.
The last quarter of the book more than made up for the sluggishness that preceded it, and I ended up enjoying the story more than I had anticipated. Without giving too much away, this story has an ‘Ann Radcliffe’- Terror vs. Horror- approach- (and yes, there are a few Gothic undertones in this novel, to my great delight)-just in case that information helps those more inclined to one over the other.
That said, this would be a good book to read close to Halloween because it has all those great, ‘jumpy’ vibes to it, but will appeal to anyone who likes a good twisty psychological thriller, too.
3.5 stars rounded up
October 22, 2021
⭐️5 Stars⭐️
Oh my goodness I loved this from the first page, it was deliciously creepy, dark and addictive, it had my heart pounding and I couldn’t put it down. The author has nailed it and it deserves a well earned 5 Stars!
The Shadow House by Anna Downes is set in Australia and is narrated by two mothers from two timelines, six years apart.
Alex is a single mother of teenage son Ollie and baby daughter Kara, she escapes an abusive relationship and begins a new life at Pine Ridge. Pine Ridge is an eco village, it’s remote and set in an area of natural beauty that was once farmland.
The community are friendly (well mostly) and the founder Kit seems to have taken a special interest in Alex.
As Alex settles in, a series of chilling events take place and Alex senses her children are in danger from the shadows lurking in the surrounding forest.
Then we have Renee, a wife and mother to a teenage son Gabriel. The family had once lived on the farm the eco village had been built on. Renee’s teenage son went missing and was never found.
Amazingly written plot with twists you won’t see coming! The characters are realistic and the drama of motherhood is portrayed so well. This atmospheric and haunting mystery will give you the chills, highly recommended.
I loved Anna Downes writing style so much that I can’t wait to grab a copy of her debut book The Safe Place soon!
Thank you 🙏🏼 to the wonderful team at Affirm Press for a copy of the book to read and review.
Oh my goodness I loved this from the first page, it was deliciously creepy, dark and addictive, it had my heart pounding and I couldn’t put it down. The author has nailed it and it deserves a well earned 5 Stars!
The Shadow House by Anna Downes is set in Australia and is narrated by two mothers from two timelines, six years apart.
Alex is a single mother of teenage son Ollie and baby daughter Kara, she escapes an abusive relationship and begins a new life at Pine Ridge. Pine Ridge is an eco village, it’s remote and set in an area of natural beauty that was once farmland.
The community are friendly (well mostly) and the founder Kit seems to have taken a special interest in Alex.
As Alex settles in, a series of chilling events take place and Alex senses her children are in danger from the shadows lurking in the surrounding forest.
Then we have Renee, a wife and mother to a teenage son Gabriel. The family had once lived on the farm the eco village had been built on. Renee’s teenage son went missing and was never found.
Amazingly written plot with twists you won’t see coming! The characters are realistic and the drama of motherhood is portrayed so well. This atmospheric and haunting mystery will give you the chills, highly recommended.
I loved Anna Downes writing style so much that I can’t wait to grab a copy of her debut book The Safe Place soon!
Thank you 🙏🏼 to the wonderful team at Affirm Press for a copy of the book to read and review.
October 3, 2021
I loved The Safe Place and was excited to get a copy of The Shadow House to read. The premise of the story had me intrigued and I spent a weekend devouring it. It is dark, creepy and unsettling. I could feel the characters fears and worries and had me turning pages way into the night to see what would happen next.
Alex is looking for a new life. She wants better for herself and her children. She flees Sydney, packing up her life and moving to Pine Ridge. It is an idyllic, off the grid community and it is perfect to start again. Her teenage son isn't too happy about the isolation but they soon adapt to the slower lifestyle and make new friends. But something disturbing is happening, strange parcels arrive and Alex thinks she is seeing ghosts. And what is with that old farmhouse on the hill?
There were points where I was yelling at Alex in my head, some of her decisions were not the most sensible, especially for a mother. But that is the sign of a great story, you get so involved and care about the characters.
A fantastic and engrossing read. Highly recommend. Released in Australia September 28th. Thank you Affirm Press for sending me an advanced copy to read.
Alex is looking for a new life. She wants better for herself and her children. She flees Sydney, packing up her life and moving to Pine Ridge. It is an idyllic, off the grid community and it is perfect to start again. Her teenage son isn't too happy about the isolation but they soon adapt to the slower lifestyle and make new friends. But something disturbing is happening, strange parcels arrive and Alex thinks she is seeing ghosts. And what is with that old farmhouse on the hill?
There were points where I was yelling at Alex in my head, some of her decisions were not the most sensible, especially for a mother. But that is the sign of a great story, you get so involved and care about the characters.
A fantastic and engrossing read. Highly recommend. Released in Australia September 28th. Thank you Affirm Press for sending me an advanced copy to read.
April 11, 2022
Alex Ives has arrived in Pine Ridge, an off-the grid eco village, hoping to hide out from her controlling husband and father of baby Kara. A few hours north of Sydney, the village is a peaceful place, built on an old flower farm and surrounded by woods. Predictably Alex’s teenage son Ollie is less than impressed with the isolated village, smack bang in the middle of nowhere, lacking all the places teenagers like to hang out. However, after Ollie left his last school in the shadow of a scandal, Alex is hoping this will be a fresh start for all of them where her children can be safe and she can rebuild her life in a close and supportive community.
Alex sets about getting used to her new home by trying to get to know people and becoming involved in the life and events of the village. The founder and community leader, Kit Vestey, is certainly very welcoming, as well as very good looking, although she notices many of the women are drawn to him. Everyone in the village seems friendly and welcoming, except for Maggie, one of the original settlers, who seems to have taken an instant dislike to Alex.
On the hill above the village Alex can see a dilapidated house, which Kit explains is the old farmhouse belonging to the farm the village is built on. The farmer and his wife sold up after their son Gabriel disappeared and was never seen again.
‘The bones come first. A gift, but nothing wanted. Next, a doll: a likeness, a promise. And the blood marks the choice. It finds a face and then you know.’
Right from this opening paragraph, this psychological thriller casts an unsettling atmosphere, telling us that all is not well and drawing us into an almost gothic tale of two mothers and their teenage sons. With an unhappy teen and a fractious, teething baby to cope with, Alex is already feeling on edge when disturbing events start to happen around her. First a dead bird in a box outside her house, followed by a strange doll and then a threatening letter. Who could be doing this and why? Is it Maggie or has Alex’s husband found her or is it just kids playing a cruel trick? Wanting to protect her children but determined not to keep on running, Alex’s search for answers takes her to the old farmhouse where she wonders if secrets in the past might be the key to what is happening to her today.
The plot builds slowly with the arrival of strange packages, odd noises in the night, spooky symbols carved into trees and rumours of a witch in the woods all helping to raise the tension and create the sense of foreboding. I found the growing romance between Kit and Alex an unnecessary distraction that tended to dampen the growing suspense, but the climactic scenes on the night of the summer solstice certainly turned it up again, as long held secrets emerged from the shadows. With it’s interesting setting, flawed characters and eerie atmosphere this is an engrossing and entertaining read.
With thanks to St Martins Press via Netgalley for a copy to read. Original review first published in Mystery & Suspense Magazine https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/th...
Alex sets about getting used to her new home by trying to get to know people and becoming involved in the life and events of the village. The founder and community leader, Kit Vestey, is certainly very welcoming, as well as very good looking, although she notices many of the women are drawn to him. Everyone in the village seems friendly and welcoming, except for Maggie, one of the original settlers, who seems to have taken an instant dislike to Alex.
On the hill above the village Alex can see a dilapidated house, which Kit explains is the old farmhouse belonging to the farm the village is built on. The farmer and his wife sold up after their son Gabriel disappeared and was never seen again.
‘The bones come first. A gift, but nothing wanted. Next, a doll: a likeness, a promise. And the blood marks the choice. It finds a face and then you know.’
Right from this opening paragraph, this psychological thriller casts an unsettling atmosphere, telling us that all is not well and drawing us into an almost gothic tale of two mothers and their teenage sons. With an unhappy teen and a fractious, teething baby to cope with, Alex is already feeling on edge when disturbing events start to happen around her. First a dead bird in a box outside her house, followed by a strange doll and then a threatening letter. Who could be doing this and why? Is it Maggie or has Alex’s husband found her or is it just kids playing a cruel trick? Wanting to protect her children but determined not to keep on running, Alex’s search for answers takes her to the old farmhouse where she wonders if secrets in the past might be the key to what is happening to her today.
The plot builds slowly with the arrival of strange packages, odd noises in the night, spooky symbols carved into trees and rumours of a witch in the woods all helping to raise the tension and create the sense of foreboding. I found the growing romance between Kit and Alex an unnecessary distraction that tended to dampen the growing suspense, but the climactic scenes on the night of the summer solstice certainly turned it up again, as long held secrets emerged from the shadows. With it’s interesting setting, flawed characters and eerie atmosphere this is an engrossing and entertaining read.
With thanks to St Martins Press via Netgalley for a copy to read. Original review first published in Mystery & Suspense Magazine https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/th...
February 11, 2022
Eco-village thriller = E-colossal disappointment for me.
I had high hopes for this one and it started out strong with a creepy, supernatural, Jennifer McMahon-esque vibe with bones, dolls, and blood; but the wheels quickly fell off, and it ended up a crappy romance/mommy mystery read.
The short version of this very long book is that Alex, her teenage son, Ollie, and infant daughter, are running from Alex's abusive husband and land in to an eco-friendly community that advertises peace, love, and harmony - or something like that. Of course though, it is anything but paradise when Alex finds a box with a dead animal on her doorstep and begins hearing tales about witches stealing boys. She fears the her abusive husband has found her and is messing with her, but then she hears about the family that once lived in the now-abandoned farmhouse on the edge of the property. Enter Renee and the farmhouse family - odd things happened to them culminating in the kidnapping of their teenage son, Gabriel. Renee and Alex's stories weave together in past and present dual timelines, and the parallels in their lives and their boys' lives become eerily similar.
The first turn-off for me was an unnecessary cat killing right away. A big wtf. Maybe it would have been somewhat less troublesome, but for the fact that Alex is such a horrible character. Much is made about the fact that she has zero relationship with her teenage son's father, and that her daughter's father is an abusive stalker; but the minute she arrives in eco-paradise, she sets her sights on the "leader" and their blossoming romance is a big part of the book. What an eye roll. And then there is A LOT of focus on a screaming kid and breastfeeding - and I mean A LOT. I'm all for the wonders of nature but it is excessive here and out of place in a supposed creepy thriller. Not to mention, I don't care how much Alex breastfeeds, she is still a crappy mother - end of story. The timelines are also misleading. I somewhat enjoyed Renee's story (to a point) but then when you find out that the past timeline only takes place five or six years before the present, it loses some of its creepy mystique. Finally, the ending was a huge disappointment. When you finally get to what happened to "farmhouse boy" Gabriel, it's a huge letdown and nothing supernatural or dark whatsoever. And just to give credence to my general loathing of epilogues - this one has a doozy of one - long, unnecessary, and just ridiculous.
In the end this probably would have been a mediocre, 3-star read for me but decapitating a pet is an automatic loss of a star, so I'm satisfied with 2 unenthusiastic stars.
I had high hopes for this one and it started out strong with a creepy, supernatural, Jennifer McMahon-esque vibe with bones, dolls, and blood; but the wheels quickly fell off, and it ended up a crappy romance/mommy mystery read.
The short version of this very long book is that Alex, her teenage son, Ollie, and infant daughter, are running from Alex's abusive husband and land in to an eco-friendly community that advertises peace, love, and harmony - or something like that. Of course though, it is anything but paradise when Alex finds a box with a dead animal on her doorstep and begins hearing tales about witches stealing boys. She fears the her abusive husband has found her and is messing with her, but then she hears about the family that once lived in the now-abandoned farmhouse on the edge of the property. Enter Renee and the farmhouse family - odd things happened to them culminating in the kidnapping of their teenage son, Gabriel. Renee and Alex's stories weave together in past and present dual timelines, and the parallels in their lives and their boys' lives become eerily similar.
The first turn-off for me was an unnecessary cat killing right away. A big wtf. Maybe it would have been somewhat less troublesome, but for the fact that Alex is such a horrible character. Much is made about the fact that she has zero relationship with her teenage son's father, and that her daughter's father is an abusive stalker; but the minute she arrives in eco-paradise, she sets her sights on the "leader" and their blossoming romance is a big part of the book. What an eye roll. And then there is A LOT of focus on a screaming kid and breastfeeding - and I mean A LOT. I'm all for the wonders of nature but it is excessive here and out of place in a supposed creepy thriller. Not to mention, I don't care how much Alex breastfeeds, she is still a crappy mother - end of story. The timelines are also misleading. I somewhat enjoyed Renee's story (to a point) but then when you find out that the past timeline only takes place five or six years before the present, it loses some of its creepy mystique. Finally, the ending was a huge disappointment. When you finally get to what happened to "farmhouse boy" Gabriel, it's a huge letdown and nothing supernatural or dark whatsoever. And just to give credence to my general loathing of epilogues - this one has a doozy of one - long, unnecessary, and just ridiculous.
In the end this probably would have been a mediocre, 3-star read for me but decapitating a pet is an automatic loss of a star, so I'm satisfied with 2 unenthusiastic stars.
April 8, 2022
3.5 stars
Two women, two timelines, what is their connection?
Alex has left an abusive relationship with two children in tow. They go to Pine Ridge, an eco-village to start over. It's in a rural area and Alex believes that she and her children will be happy and safe there. There is belief, then there is reality.
Renee is married to a farmer named Michael. They are having problems with their son...
These two women don't sound like they have anything in common, and yet....
This was a slow build, and I am not a slow build kinda gal, but this one grew on me. Initially I kept thinking when it this going to get going, is anything interesting going to happen? It does! Things begin to become creepy is this idyllic village. Slowly tension and dread begin to seep into the pages, and I had to keep going to see what the connection was and what was happening.
I had the privilege of being able to go back and forth between the e-book and audio book.
I found this to be creepy and captivating. Fans of Downes will not be disappointed. She is even one of the narrators of the audiobook.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
Two women, two timelines, what is their connection?
Alex has left an abusive relationship with two children in tow. They go to Pine Ridge, an eco-village to start over. It's in a rural area and Alex believes that she and her children will be happy and safe there. There is belief, then there is reality.
Renee is married to a farmer named Michael. They are having problems with their son...
These two women don't sound like they have anything in common, and yet....
This was a slow build, and I am not a slow build kinda gal, but this one grew on me. Initially I kept thinking when it this going to get going, is anything interesting going to happen? It does! Things begin to become creepy is this idyllic village. Slowly tension and dread begin to seep into the pages, and I had to keep going to see what the connection was and what was happening.
I had the privilege of being able to go back and forth between the e-book and audio book.
I found this to be creepy and captivating. Fans of Downes will not be disappointed. She is even one of the narrators of the audiobook.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
March 10, 2024
Sadly, this is another one of those thrillers that kept me reading until the end but one I'll soon forget in the long term.
2 below average stars.
Moving along to my next read.
2 below average stars.
Moving along to my next read.
April 10, 2022
Alex is a newly single, harried mom of fourteen-year old Ollie and eight-month old baby Kara and they have just moved into their new rental in an ecco-village community development called Pine Ridge. Alex has just left her abusive husband and wants a fresh start for her children and herself so she is feeling many mixed emotions about this move and when she finds a box with a dead bird inside on her first day of arrival she feels very unsettled although the majority of new neighbors have been very friendly and welcoming. Soon after moving in Alex hears strange and spooky sounds, even footsteps late at night and sometimes they seem to be right inside her house but whenever she checks nothing is there and also the bloodcurdling screams and animalistic loud grunts and growls coming from the woods behind the village make Alex think she's made a big mistake especially when she receives another box with an unwanted and very creepy gift inside. Alex is already overtired and stressed out from her baby still not sleeping through the night and needing feedings every couple of hours plus Ollie has still been angry with her over the move and she's always worried that her husband will find out where they are so Alex really doesn't need any more reasons to lose sleep or put her nerves on edge when she was already doing a great job at being frazzled all by herself. Alex and her life are quickly spinning out of control as she fights exhaustion and mysterious secrets of some of the neighbors who seem to be avoiding her now while also spreading vicious rumors about her son. Something sinister is happening within the village and if Alex doesn't soon get a grip on her life and the evil intent of someone who seems to be following her every move she may soon find that her entire family will need her to fight for all of their lives.
This was a very enjoyable and entertaining mystery that kept my interest page after page. Alex was a complicated character who seemed to make many poor decisions throughout her life but she was a young and loving mother and wanted the best for her children while still trying to find her way through life. I loved the creepy tension and the series of eerie events that would constantly plague Alex while not knowing who was behind all the spooky happenings. It was a lot of fun to keep guessing throughout the book. The parts I didn't like were when a mother (Alex) is still breastfeeding a baby round the clock and also experiencing a complete lack of body healing sleep there is no way in this world that woman would have romantic (especially sexual) feelings for a new man. A woman's hormones are still all over the place plus if she did feel any excitement or arousal (lol) her milk would letdown all over and there wouldn't be any way to control it, that's just how mother nature works. Sigh! (Sorry, just a fact of nursing moms everywhere). So, it seems that would be quite embarrassing but amusing for Alex and her new love interest. I can't imagine this playing out in real life (Smile). Maybe if the baby had been two or three years of age then the romance would have seemed more approriate (imo). Alex seemed to be a helicopter mom yet she would have virtually strangers watch over her baby girl for periods of time and that didn't sit well with me. If you just take the entertainment value of the story and leave the realistic area behind then this just was a terrific domestic/thriller with a lot of humor and fun. I will be looking forward to reading more of Anna Downes books.
I want to thank the publisher "St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!
I recommend this story and have given a rating of 3 1/2 DELICIOUSLY SINISTER 🌟🌟🌟🌠 STARS!!
This was a very enjoyable and entertaining mystery that kept my interest page after page. Alex was a complicated character who seemed to make many poor decisions throughout her life but she was a young and loving mother and wanted the best for her children while still trying to find her way through life. I loved the creepy tension and the series of eerie events that would constantly plague Alex while not knowing who was behind all the spooky happenings. It was a lot of fun to keep guessing throughout the book. The parts I didn't like were when a mother (Alex) is still breastfeeding a baby round the clock and also experiencing a complete lack of body healing sleep there is no way in this world that woman would have romantic (especially sexual) feelings for a new man. A woman's hormones are still all over the place plus if she did feel any excitement or arousal (lol) her milk would letdown all over and there wouldn't be any way to control it, that's just how mother nature works. Sigh! (Sorry, just a fact of nursing moms everywhere). So, it seems that would be quite embarrassing but amusing for Alex and her new love interest. I can't imagine this playing out in real life (Smile). Maybe if the baby had been two or three years of age then the romance would have seemed more approriate (imo). Alex seemed to be a helicopter mom yet she would have virtually strangers watch over her baby girl for periods of time and that didn't sit well with me. If you just take the entertainment value of the story and leave the realistic area behind then this just was a terrific domestic/thriller with a lot of humor and fun. I will be looking forward to reading more of Anna Downes books.
I want to thank the publisher "St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!
I recommend this story and have given a rating of 3 1/2 DELICIOUSLY SINISTER 🌟🌟🌟🌠 STARS!!
April 3, 2022
Rating: ⭐⭐ ½
Genre: Mystery Thriller
A single mother (Alex) of two children is running away from an abusive boyfriend. Pine Ridge which is a quiet rural community seems to be the ideal place to live with her children safely. Her teenage son, Oliver is not happy at all with this place. Between her unsatisfied son, her teething little daughter, the new place, and incidents that keep happening Alex finds herself exhausted and has to deal with so many things at once. Was this place the right place after all?
The story is told from two mothers' perspectives. Alex’s story is narrated in first-person narration while Renee’s story is from a third-person perspective. The book has a good start. Moving to a new unknown place is one of my favorite tropes. The story is titled The Shadow House, so it has all the ingredients needed for me to love it. That’s what I thought initially getting into this book and to some extent, in the first few chapters it did fulfill that part but soon it completely swayed away from this narrative. After reading the story I feel the title is misleading. It is not about the shadow house at all. It has nothing to do with this trope. I feel that must be the catchiest title that has been chosen for the book.
Disregarding the (lack of) trope, I still continued reading with an open mind to see where things would go and that I might enjoy the story eventually. Unfortunately, the story kept dipping as I progressed. The flip-flopping between the two main characters' perspectives was tedious. Yes, one element that I felt was surprising was the true identity of one of the residents. I think that was a nice addition to the plot. The ending especially Renee’s part was too melodramatic and over the top for my taste. I felt the author did not have a clear focused plot here. The story felt all over the place. Sadly, the negatives outweigh the positives for me. This ended up being the wrong book for me.
Many thanks to the publisher Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing me with an advance reader copy of this book.
Genre: Mystery Thriller
A single mother (Alex) of two children is running away from an abusive boyfriend. Pine Ridge which is a quiet rural community seems to be the ideal place to live with her children safely. Her teenage son, Oliver is not happy at all with this place. Between her unsatisfied son, her teething little daughter, the new place, and incidents that keep happening Alex finds herself exhausted and has to deal with so many things at once. Was this place the right place after all?
The story is told from two mothers' perspectives. Alex’s story is narrated in first-person narration while Renee’s story is from a third-person perspective. The book has a good start. Moving to a new unknown place is one of my favorite tropes. The story is titled The Shadow House, so it has all the ingredients needed for me to love it. That’s what I thought initially getting into this book and to some extent, in the first few chapters it did fulfill that part but soon it completely swayed away from this narrative. After reading the story I feel the title is misleading. It is not about the shadow house at all. It has nothing to do with this trope. I feel that must be the catchiest title that has been chosen for the book.
Disregarding the (lack of) trope, I still continued reading with an open mind to see where things would go and that I might enjoy the story eventually. Unfortunately, the story kept dipping as I progressed. The flip-flopping between the two main characters' perspectives was tedious. Yes, one element that I felt was surprising was the true identity of one of the residents. I think that was a nice addition to the plot. The ending especially Renee’s part was too melodramatic and over the top for my taste. I felt the author did not have a clear focused plot here. The story felt all over the place. Sadly, the negatives outweigh the positives for me. This ended up being the wrong book for me.
Many thanks to the publisher Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing me with an advance reader copy of this book.
April 4, 2022
So riveting I couldn’t go to sleep until reaching the end! This is a highly atmospheric, very unsettling—domestic/gothic/psychological/mystery, it’s got it all!—thriller, with some horror elements. It follows Alex, a single mother of two, that’s just moved her family to the secluded Australian eco-village of Pine Ridge for a fresh start.
The Shadow House is told in two different time periods.. and in two women’s viewpoints.. Renee Kellerman and Alex, both mothers of teen sons. Renee’s family lived and farmed the property before the existence of Pine Ridge. Alex is living in the new ecovillage. Renee’s farmhouse now stands vacant. Alex finds herself drawn to the old house, and the dark ‘n scary stories surrounding it that circulate among the youth.
Alex is experiencing an almost deja-vu repeat of what happened (six years before) to Renee. Who or what is behind it? Is it supernatural?
Anna Downes deeply-dives into parenting and relationships, with trust being a big issue, and brought the two alternating stories together seamlessly. I loved my OMG!!! moment.. so completely surprised of what REALLY happened, and what was behind Alex’s disturbing troubles. Anna Downes nailed it, and good! 👏🏻
I received an ARC thanks to St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Shadow House is told in two different time periods.. and in two women’s viewpoints.. Renee Kellerman and Alex, both mothers of teen sons. Renee’s family lived and farmed the property before the existence of Pine Ridge. Alex is living in the new ecovillage. Renee’s farmhouse now stands vacant. Alex finds herself drawn to the old house, and the dark ‘n scary stories surrounding it that circulate among the youth.
Alex is experiencing an almost deja-vu repeat of what happened (six years before) to Renee. Who or what is behind it? Is it supernatural?
Anna Downes deeply-dives into parenting and relationships, with trust being a big issue, and brought the two alternating stories together seamlessly. I loved my OMG!!! moment.. so completely surprised of what REALLY happened, and what was behind Alex’s disturbing troubles. Anna Downes nailed it, and good! 👏🏻
I received an ARC thanks to St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
May 10, 2022
2.5 Stars — Ultimately I liked how the mystery played out, but it took a long time to get there. The eco-village was an odd setting to me. For some reason it took away from the creep-factor. Surprising twists toward the end, but I struggled to stay interested for a lot of the book. Borrowed from the library.
April 14, 2022
I listened to audiobook of The Shadow House by Anna Downes and found it be just the right amount of creepy and tense. It was pleasingly narrated by Natasha Beaumont. Anna Downes confessed at the end of The Shadow House how difficult and scary an undertaking it was for her to write The Shadow House, her second novel. She need not have worried so much because she was able to capture just the right balance between darkness, mystery, fear, hope and panic in this cleverly plotted book. The chapters alternated between Renee and Alex, two strong, concerned and loving mothers that were fearful for their teenage sons. There were many twists and turns throughout The Shadow House that I did not see coming. The ending was satisfying and answered all the looming questions that were lurking within its pages.
Alexandra (Alex) Ives, a thirty-seven year old single mother with a fourteen year old son, Oliver (Ollie) and an eight month old daughter, Kara, had finally run away from an abusive relationship. She knew she had to leave her current boyfriend when she realized her son was being influenced in negative ways by her abusive and controlling boyfriend. It was one thing for Alex to endure the abuse but she put her foot down when the safety of her children came into question. She woke her sleeping children and vanished in the middle of the night. Alex, Ollie and Kara left Sydney and relocated to an eco village known as Pine Ridge in rural Australia. Ollie was not happy about the move. He didn’t know anyone and there was little to do in this planned community in the middle of nowhere..
Upon Alex’s and her family’s arrival, she discovered a mysterious box on their front porch. Inside the box was the remnants of a dead bird. Who could have left such a box on their porch? That in itself should have sent up red flags for Alex but she was determined to give Pine Ridge a chance so she quickly disposed of the box before Ollie got a chance to view its contents. Alex had agreed to a three month trial in Pine Ridge to see if she and her family liked it and if the villagers liked them. Alex was particularly drawn to the company of an older woman resident, Jenny, who lived nearby. Jenny and Alex forged a friendship and Jenny even took care of her children on occasion. Alex really like Jenny. Then there was Kit, the founder of the eco village. It was obvious from the start that Kit and Alex were drawn to each other. Kit was very secretive about his past though and Alex wasn’t sure she could trust him. Then strange things started to happen. Alex was sure she had viewed a woman who appeared to be a witch on more than one occasion in the woods near her house. There was an incident that occurred many years ago before the eco village had been built. All the locals believed the details of the legend without question. The legend stated that when bones of a dead animal were left outside a house followed by the presence of a doll and lastly blood, a young child would be taken and made to disappear. Alex having received a box that contained the bones of a dead animal started asking questions and tried to figure out what was going on in this quiet village. Could she figure out what was happening and protect her children at the same time?
Alternating with Alex’s story, Renee slowly revealed her story. Renee and her husband and teenage son had once lived in the abandoned farmhouse that remained standing on the land of Pine Ridge. A long time before Pine Ridge was built, Renee’s family also experienced the discovery of a box of animal bones, the presence of a doll left on their son’s bed and the presence of blood seeping through and coating the walls of their sitting room. Then the unimaginable happened. Their son disappeared and was never found. Could the two incidents be connected? Did they warrant merit? The past and the presence were on the verge of colliding and truths would soon be revealed.
I enjoyed listening to The Shadow House by Anna Downes and recommend it highly. Thank you to Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this audiobook through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Alexandra (Alex) Ives, a thirty-seven year old single mother with a fourteen year old son, Oliver (Ollie) and an eight month old daughter, Kara, had finally run away from an abusive relationship. She knew she had to leave her current boyfriend when she realized her son was being influenced in negative ways by her abusive and controlling boyfriend. It was one thing for Alex to endure the abuse but she put her foot down when the safety of her children came into question. She woke her sleeping children and vanished in the middle of the night. Alex, Ollie and Kara left Sydney and relocated to an eco village known as Pine Ridge in rural Australia. Ollie was not happy about the move. He didn’t know anyone and there was little to do in this planned community in the middle of nowhere..
Upon Alex’s and her family’s arrival, she discovered a mysterious box on their front porch. Inside the box was the remnants of a dead bird. Who could have left such a box on their porch? That in itself should have sent up red flags for Alex but she was determined to give Pine Ridge a chance so she quickly disposed of the box before Ollie got a chance to view its contents. Alex had agreed to a three month trial in Pine Ridge to see if she and her family liked it and if the villagers liked them. Alex was particularly drawn to the company of an older woman resident, Jenny, who lived nearby. Jenny and Alex forged a friendship and Jenny even took care of her children on occasion. Alex really like Jenny. Then there was Kit, the founder of the eco village. It was obvious from the start that Kit and Alex were drawn to each other. Kit was very secretive about his past though and Alex wasn’t sure she could trust him. Then strange things started to happen. Alex was sure she had viewed a woman who appeared to be a witch on more than one occasion in the woods near her house. There was an incident that occurred many years ago before the eco village had been built. All the locals believed the details of the legend without question. The legend stated that when bones of a dead animal were left outside a house followed by the presence of a doll and lastly blood, a young child would be taken and made to disappear. Alex having received a box that contained the bones of a dead animal started asking questions and tried to figure out what was going on in this quiet village. Could she figure out what was happening and protect her children at the same time?
Alternating with Alex’s story, Renee slowly revealed her story. Renee and her husband and teenage son had once lived in the abandoned farmhouse that remained standing on the land of Pine Ridge. A long time before Pine Ridge was built, Renee’s family also experienced the discovery of a box of animal bones, the presence of a doll left on their son’s bed and the presence of blood seeping through and coating the walls of their sitting room. Then the unimaginable happened. Their son disappeared and was never found. Could the two incidents be connected? Did they warrant merit? The past and the presence were on the verge of colliding and truths would soon be revealed.
I enjoyed listening to The Shadow House by Anna Downes and recommend it highly. Thank you to Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this audiobook through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
April 6, 2022
Though I was excited to read this book, given all the glowing reviews, and despite the premise that sounded very intriguing, it never really captured my attention and took me so long to finish. I'm not sure if I was just restless, reading this while following the disturbing and distressing developments in the war in Ukraine, but I just couldn't connect to the story of the characters. That being said, the writing is good and the setting very evocative. It may simply have been a case of bad timing for this one, unfortunately.
Thanks to Minotaur Books for a copy of The Shadow House in exchange for an honest review.
Find my book reviews and more at https://maliayz.wixsite.com/princessa...
Thanks to Minotaur Books for a copy of The Shadow House in exchange for an honest review.
Find my book reviews and more at https://maliayz.wixsite.com/princessa...
October 27, 2021
I loved this book- so creepy and suspenseful. This is my favorite kind of story, where even things that seem out of the realm of possibility end up being explained in a way that does not make me have to suspend my disbelief. It centers primarily on Alex, who leaves her abusive husband with her 2 kids to move to an eco-village. As soon as they arrive, creepy things start happening and she fears for their safety. You also get the story of Renee weaved in- Renee lived on the same plot of land a few years ago and her son disappeared after experiencing similar events to what Alex is currently experiencing.
This book is downright creepy- from the actual things that happen to the feeling of foreboding that the characters experience, the author did a fantastic job of immersing the reader into the experience. All of the characters were flawed but believable; even when they made mistakes, I could empathize with them. Hints of the supernatural were expertly weaved in with the outwardly plausible happenings, leaving me to question what was really going on the entire way through. When all was revealed, there were multiple twists that I didn't see coming. There were no loose ends left untied and the culmination of the story, while sad, was very satisfying.
I would definitely recommend this book- I stayed up well into the night to finish it and challenge you to be able to put it down once you get going. I am excited to check out other books by this author. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book is downright creepy- from the actual things that happen to the feeling of foreboding that the characters experience, the author did a fantastic job of immersing the reader into the experience. All of the characters were flawed but believable; even when they made mistakes, I could empathize with them. Hints of the supernatural were expertly weaved in with the outwardly plausible happenings, leaving me to question what was really going on the entire way through. When all was revealed, there were multiple twists that I didn't see coming. There were no loose ends left untied and the culmination of the story, while sad, was very satisfying.
I would definitely recommend this book- I stayed up well into the night to finish it and challenge you to be able to put it down once you get going. I am excited to check out other books by this author. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
June 10, 2022
Thank you so much to Anna Downes and Minotaur books for my copy of The Shadow House. This book is about Alex, a single mother-of-two, who is determined to make a fresh start for her and her children. She heads to Pine Ridge, a rural community but finds she may have disturbed barely hidden secrets in her new home. After a chain of bizarre events is set off, events eerily familiar to those who have lived there for years, she realizes that she and her family might be in greater danger than ever before. And that the only way to protect them all is to confront the shadows lurking in Pine Ridge.
Thoughts: I love all the creepy aspects of this book! The setting is great and the suspense builds and builds for the reader. Though all the elements were there, I had SUCH a hard time connecting with this book. I'm not sure what it was, but I couldn't fully get into it and it never really captured my attention. It was absolutely a slow burn and I think you have to be in the right frame of mind to get into it.
There is animal death in this book so beware of that. I also didn't really like Alex as the main character and I wish there was less romance here. The witch in the woods is so much fun and the dark themes are interesting, but romance really kills thrillers for me. I know it's a personal preference, and this has some amazing reviews, but it is 3 stars for me.
Thoughts: I love all the creepy aspects of this book! The setting is great and the suspense builds and builds for the reader. Though all the elements were there, I had SUCH a hard time connecting with this book. I'm not sure what it was, but I couldn't fully get into it and it never really captured my attention. It was absolutely a slow burn and I think you have to be in the right frame of mind to get into it.
There is animal death in this book so beware of that. I also didn't really like Alex as the main character and I wish there was less romance here. The witch in the woods is so much fun and the dark themes are interesting, but romance really kills thrillers for me. I know it's a personal preference, and this has some amazing reviews, but it is 3 stars for me.
September 14, 2022
When single mother, Alex escapes her abusive relationship all she wants is a fresh start for her and her two children. Finding refuge in a rural community seemed like a good place to start. Alex found the locals of Pine Ridge to be very friendly and welcoming, but would this be a fresh start or could Alex and her children be in more danger than before?
Anna Downes certainly knows how to keep her readers entertained with suspense and mystery and of course let’s not forget to mention twists and turns when you least expect them. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone looking for their next book.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my digital copy to read and review.
Anna Downes certainly knows how to keep her readers entertained with suspense and mystery and of course let’s not forget to mention twists and turns when you least expect them. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone looking for their next book.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my digital copy to read and review.
October 11, 2021
*https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com
‘There wasn’t a tiger. Of course, there wasn’t. But there was a lot of blood. The house was soaked in it.’
International bestselling author Anna Downes returns with an intriguing new thriller. The Shadow House is filled with issues of trust, safety, protection, pressure and strain, as two mothers across two different timelines negotiate a threat to the safety of their respective families. The Shadow House is spine tingling read for fans of psychological thrillers.
The Shadow House follows the life of Alex, a single mother who must escape quickly from her abusive relationship in order to protect her children. Alex makes a new life for herself in a remote ecovillage. It seems like a wise move until strange things start to happen to this stressed family unit. Despite the pure tranquility of the Pine Ridge ecovillage, disturbing events begin to occur. From shadowy secrets, odd events and the looming presence of a farmhouse, Alex finds it difficult to feel at home at Pine Ridge. But Alex knows she must make a go of things and she cannot continue to run from her responsibilities. Will Alex and her family finally find peace?
It is fabulous to see a new writer on the Australian literary scene make a splash on the international publishing circuit. Anna Downes has received purchasing rights for her new novel, The Shadow House from a US publisher. This is a great achievement for a new Australian writer and it indicates that this talented author has a fabulous career to come. Downes has produced another thrilling and addictive page turner with The Shadow House.
It is a great when a book displays the capacity to reel you from the opening. The Shadow House is a tale that hooked me from the moment I read the blub and the prologue. Consuming, speculative, questionable, creepy and perplexing, I was soon caught up in The Shadow House. I was keen to see where this book would take me as there was a strong element of the unknown. Anna Downes seems to keep the reader at arm’s length and she maintains this lingering air of mystery for the duration of this book. It was certainly a psychological teaser! The Shadow House maintains a solid level of suspense and it follows a very even tone pace wise from start to finish. Decent sized chapters help this novel progress really well and the reader is kept entertained from cover to cover.
The rural Australian ecovillage setting proved to be a excellent backdrop, matching the tone of this gothic thriller. I found the emphasis on the ecovillage side of The Shadow House to be quite unique and interesting, which encouraged me stick by this one until the end. Downes does a good job of illuminating her setting and this rural backdrop, which compounds the shadowy events of this book very well. I enjoyed the addictive two-part narrative utilised by Downes and I was completely drawn in to the unfolding events from the viewpoint of both female leads. Downes places her leads in very unstable and bizarre circumstances, testing these women to their very limits. It was interesting to see the fallout from these trying situations. I felt that Downes really tapped into the fears of a mother. The Shadow House is a smart and conflicting thriller, that offers plenty of food for thought.
The Shadow House is an unsettling read, that thriller lovers will absorb. Recommended.
*I wish to thank Affirm Press for providing me with a free copy of this book for review purposes.
The Shadow House is book #90 of the 2021 Australian Women Writers Challenge
‘There wasn’t a tiger. Of course, there wasn’t. But there was a lot of blood. The house was soaked in it.’
International bestselling author Anna Downes returns with an intriguing new thriller. The Shadow House is filled with issues of trust, safety, protection, pressure and strain, as two mothers across two different timelines negotiate a threat to the safety of their respective families. The Shadow House is spine tingling read for fans of psychological thrillers.
The Shadow House follows the life of Alex, a single mother who must escape quickly from her abusive relationship in order to protect her children. Alex makes a new life for herself in a remote ecovillage. It seems like a wise move until strange things start to happen to this stressed family unit. Despite the pure tranquility of the Pine Ridge ecovillage, disturbing events begin to occur. From shadowy secrets, odd events and the looming presence of a farmhouse, Alex finds it difficult to feel at home at Pine Ridge. But Alex knows she must make a go of things and she cannot continue to run from her responsibilities. Will Alex and her family finally find peace?
It is fabulous to see a new writer on the Australian literary scene make a splash on the international publishing circuit. Anna Downes has received purchasing rights for her new novel, The Shadow House from a US publisher. This is a great achievement for a new Australian writer and it indicates that this talented author has a fabulous career to come. Downes has produced another thrilling and addictive page turner with The Shadow House.
It is a great when a book displays the capacity to reel you from the opening. The Shadow House is a tale that hooked me from the moment I read the blub and the prologue. Consuming, speculative, questionable, creepy and perplexing, I was soon caught up in The Shadow House. I was keen to see where this book would take me as there was a strong element of the unknown. Anna Downes seems to keep the reader at arm’s length and she maintains this lingering air of mystery for the duration of this book. It was certainly a psychological teaser! The Shadow House maintains a solid level of suspense and it follows a very even tone pace wise from start to finish. Decent sized chapters help this novel progress really well and the reader is kept entertained from cover to cover.
The rural Australian ecovillage setting proved to be a excellent backdrop, matching the tone of this gothic thriller. I found the emphasis on the ecovillage side of The Shadow House to be quite unique and interesting, which encouraged me stick by this one until the end. Downes does a good job of illuminating her setting and this rural backdrop, which compounds the shadowy events of this book very well. I enjoyed the addictive two-part narrative utilised by Downes and I was completely drawn in to the unfolding events from the viewpoint of both female leads. Downes places her leads in very unstable and bizarre circumstances, testing these women to their very limits. It was interesting to see the fallout from these trying situations. I felt that Downes really tapped into the fears of a mother. The Shadow House is a smart and conflicting thriller, that offers plenty of food for thought.
The Shadow House is an unsettling read, that thriller lovers will absorb. Recommended.
*I wish to thank Affirm Press for providing me with a free copy of this book for review purposes.
The Shadow House is book #90 of the 2021 Australian Women Writers Challenge
April 27, 2022
following blair witch's vibrations,
I related so easily to alex's struggle
fleeing her toxic ex (with a teen son
AND a baby!) that I'd even forgotten
there might be plot twists to come!
I related so easily to alex's struggle
fleeing her toxic ex (with a teen son
AND a baby!) that I'd even forgotten
there might be plot twists to come!
March 28, 2022
4.5★s
The Shadow House is the second novel by British-born Australian author, Anna Downes. Mother of two, Alex Ives is in hiding from an abusive partner. She stumbled on the Pine Ridge ecovillage some months earlier and decides its isolation provides a much-needed refuge. But her fourteen-year-old son Oliver is highly resentful of being plucked from his school and social life in the city to come to this hippy dump. Eight-month-old Kara is vocal only about her emerging teeth.
It doesn’t take her too long to realise that the attentions of Kit Vestey, the charismatic founder of the village, are not for her alone, and that most, but not all, in the village are as welcoming as he is. But more disturbing is the box she finds on her doorstep, containing a mutilated dead bird. Symbols on trees in the surrounding bushland, a note in her mailbox, and a story of a witch that took a boy from the farmhouse across the valley: surely just scary myths?
Ollie’s YouTube activity is a worry too; she’s shocked to learn he’s been on the dark web, and she can’t find a trace, in this skinny, surly teen, of the smart and funny boy he was five years earlier. Should she send him to the local school, and risk another incident like that in his last school, or try to home-school him? Between Kara’s teething and noises from the bush at night disrupting her sleep, Alex feels ragged with exhaustion.
In her twenty years on her husband’s flower farm, Renee Kellerman has weathered good times and bad: bumper harvests, the GFC and droughts; but nothing has been as challenging as the disconnect with her once-sweet sixteen-year-old son. He keeps to his room, immerses himself in technology, and is he cutting? On top of this, a box with the mutilated body of her beloved cat and vandalism of their home. Then Gabe goes missing.
Downes easily evokes era and setting in this dual time-line mystery, and gives the reader two credible and relatable protagonists living in difficult circumstances, who are faced with realistic problems which are then exacerbated by bizarre incidents. Those incidents, six years apart, seem to connect two fearful teenaged boys. Incidents in Alex’s timeline are potentially related to her ex-partner, Ollie’s online activity, or unfriendly villagers, thus keeping the reader guessing right up to the final, exciting reveal. Moody, unsettling and filled with suspense, this is a riveting thriller.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton.
The Shadow House is the second novel by British-born Australian author, Anna Downes. Mother of two, Alex Ives is in hiding from an abusive partner. She stumbled on the Pine Ridge ecovillage some months earlier and decides its isolation provides a much-needed refuge. But her fourteen-year-old son Oliver is highly resentful of being plucked from his school and social life in the city to come to this hippy dump. Eight-month-old Kara is vocal only about her emerging teeth.
It doesn’t take her too long to realise that the attentions of Kit Vestey, the charismatic founder of the village, are not for her alone, and that most, but not all, in the village are as welcoming as he is. But more disturbing is the box she finds on her doorstep, containing a mutilated dead bird. Symbols on trees in the surrounding bushland, a note in her mailbox, and a story of a witch that took a boy from the farmhouse across the valley: surely just scary myths?
Ollie’s YouTube activity is a worry too; she’s shocked to learn he’s been on the dark web, and she can’t find a trace, in this skinny, surly teen, of the smart and funny boy he was five years earlier. Should she send him to the local school, and risk another incident like that in his last school, or try to home-school him? Between Kara’s teething and noises from the bush at night disrupting her sleep, Alex feels ragged with exhaustion.
In her twenty years on her husband’s flower farm, Renee Kellerman has weathered good times and bad: bumper harvests, the GFC and droughts; but nothing has been as challenging as the disconnect with her once-sweet sixteen-year-old son. He keeps to his room, immerses himself in technology, and is he cutting? On top of this, a box with the mutilated body of her beloved cat and vandalism of their home. Then Gabe goes missing.
Downes easily evokes era and setting in this dual time-line mystery, and gives the reader two credible and relatable protagonists living in difficult circumstances, who are faced with realistic problems which are then exacerbated by bizarre incidents. Those incidents, six years apart, seem to connect two fearful teenaged boys. Incidents in Alex’s timeline are potentially related to her ex-partner, Ollie’s online activity, or unfriendly villagers, thus keeping the reader guessing right up to the final, exciting reveal. Moody, unsettling and filled with suspense, this is a riveting thriller.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton.
January 19, 2022
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**4.5 stars**
The Shadow House by Anna Downes. (2021).
Single mum Alex has fled her abusive relationship and moved with her teenage son, Ollie, and baby daughter, Kara, to a rural ecovillage - Pine Ridge. It's idyllic: off-grid lifestyle, remote location, a welcoming (mostly) community and a magnetic founder (Kit). But Alex's arrival disturbs secrets, and she's shaken by a series of eerily familiar events that seem to be connected to the abandoned farmhouse on the hill. Alex realises that in escaping her own shadowy past, she's stumbled into someone else's. And this time there may be nowhere to run...
I had my eye on this one after enjoying the author's previous novel (The Safe Place); this one fully lived up to my expectations and I really enjoyed it. This book alternates chapters between two female perspectives: Alex, who has just moved to the ecovillage and Renee, who used to live in the farmhouse that is now abandoned. Both women have teenage sons who seem to be being targeted by someone or something strange and ominous. It's a tension filled race to the end, and pretty creepy to boot! I couldn't have predicted the ending at all with twists and turns all throughout the book.
Overall: I highly recommend this novel for any reader that enjoys an absorbing psychological thriller/suspense story.
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**4.5 stars**
The Shadow House by Anna Downes. (2021).
Single mum Alex has fled her abusive relationship and moved with her teenage son, Ollie, and baby daughter, Kara, to a rural ecovillage - Pine Ridge. It's idyllic: off-grid lifestyle, remote location, a welcoming (mostly) community and a magnetic founder (Kit). But Alex's arrival disturbs secrets, and she's shaken by a series of eerily familiar events that seem to be connected to the abandoned farmhouse on the hill. Alex realises that in escaping her own shadowy past, she's stumbled into someone else's. And this time there may be nowhere to run...
I had my eye on this one after enjoying the author's previous novel (The Safe Place); this one fully lived up to my expectations and I really enjoyed it. This book alternates chapters between two female perspectives: Alex, who has just moved to the ecovillage and Renee, who used to live in the farmhouse that is now abandoned. Both women have teenage sons who seem to be being targeted by someone or something strange and ominous. It's a tension filled race to the end, and pretty creepy to boot! I couldn't have predicted the ending at all with twists and turns all throughout the book.
Overall: I highly recommend this novel for any reader that enjoys an absorbing psychological thriller/suspense story.
April 8, 2022
The Shadow House by Anna Downes is a beguiling excursion into Australian gothic.
The spooky story of a threatening presence in the bush, the appearance of threatening talismans and a series of strange marks carved into trees unfolds from the dual perspectives of two women, six years apart. Both are mothers to troubled adolescent sons, feeling a powerlessness as they struggle to communicate and protect their beloved children from the dangers and cruelty of the world.
British-born protagonist Alex Ives has been resident in Australia for about fifteen years. She's brought up elder child Oliver on her own, since she was deserted by her British boyfriend on what was a youthful overseas adventure. They've moved around the country a bit, before settling in Sydney four years ago, where Alex married an Australian husband, resulting in the birth of 8-month-old daughter Kara. But the marriage was not a happy one, and Alex has finally made the decision to escape from the violence and control, seeking sanctuary at an eco-village, Pine Ridge, located in the coastal hinterland north of Sydney.
Pine Ridge is an evocative setting, a growing community of sensitively-designed units arranged in a natural amphitheatre above a lake, and surrounded by forested hills and farmland. The rather well-heeled members of the community tend to co-operative fruit and vegetable propagation in the village's greenhouses and attend regular meetings and get-togethers. Founder Kit Vestey is a charismatic leader, inspiring the respect and devotion of those who've chosen to make Pine Ridge home.
To Alex, it seems an idyllic alternative to the life she has left behind. Her children aren't so convinced, however. Fourteen-year-old Ollie left his previous high school under the cloud of a scandal that is all-too-familiar in modern Australia. He resents Alex for uprooting him and spends a great deal of time shut up in his bedroom, embroiled in the online world and gaming. Meanwhile, 8-month-old Kara seems even more unsettled than she was in Sydney, leaving Alex exhausted and feeling that she's failing as a parent.
Almost as soon as the family have arrived in Pine Ridge, things take a dark and spooky turn. Someone has left a box containing a dead bird on their doorstep, there are weird sounds emanating from the forest at night. Added to this, the children of the eco-village are preoccupied with stories of a witch who haunts the area and steals children from their homes.
Feeling rattled and on-edge, Alex becomes fascinated with a dilapidated but picturesque farmhouse that sits on the hillside beyond the lake. She's heard references to a child - a teenage boy - who went missing some years previously and was never found. Is there really an evil supernatural presence hanging over this otherwise Arcadian setting, or is the threat more human and closer to home?
Meanwhile, six years earlier, Renee Kellerman lives in an attractively renovated farmhouse, overlooking a lake and the flower-farming property she and her husband own and run. Despite the beautiful surroundings, Renee is troubled. Her marriage hasn't been happy, since her rather belligerent husband Michael spends every waking hour on the farm. Added to this, her sixteen year old son Gabriel seems to have become a recluse, locking himself away in his bedroom with his digital equipment, refusing to communicate and often not even emerging for meals. Her own parents are little help, with their judgmental interference and insistence on seeking religious solutions, which only further inflames the situation with Michael.
Several frightening incidents occur - first the brutal killing of Renee's beloved pet cat, the body left in a box on the doorstep for her to find, then the appearance late one night of a threatening effigy hanging by the neck on the verandah. Finally, windows are broken and a blood-like substance strewn around the family's living room. Who - or what - could be behind this targeted campaign of terror, which has only compounded Renee's feelings of helplessness and Gabriel's apparent descent into mental illness?
The narrative unfolds with Alex's and Renee's experiences being revealed in parallel, the eerie similarities evident to the reader before Alex realises the extent of the threat. There's a powerful sense of foreboding as, day by day, the unusual signs pile up and Alex begins to regret her decision to enter the Pine Ridge community.
Downes creates a convincingly menacing atmosphere which combined with psychological features bring to mind classics of the genre, such as The Turn of the Screw. The reader is left constantly wondering: is it real? is she just over-wrought? Who can be trusted?
Anna Downes explores the subject of parent guilt, and the challenges of parenting an adolescent in particular, sensitively and in a way that will have readers who are parents nodding their heads in recognition (I was). She evokes a setting that is simultaneously idyllic and forbidding with great skill. Similarly, the community of individuals with a common purpose but quite disparate expectations and preoccupations also rings true, contributing to the reader's sense of dislocation between what is real and what is simply Alex's sleep-deprived and somewhat paranoid perception. While we don't spend as much time in Renee's POV, six years prior to Alex's arrival, her emotional state is palpable and our foreknowledge of Gabriel's disappearance increases the reader's sympathy for her plight.
All in all, I found The Shadow House an engrossing read, with well-developed and convincing characters, a great setting and a twisty plot. It's the first of Anna Downes books that I've encountered so far, but won't be the last.
The spooky story of a threatening presence in the bush, the appearance of threatening talismans and a series of strange marks carved into trees unfolds from the dual perspectives of two women, six years apart. Both are mothers to troubled adolescent sons, feeling a powerlessness as they struggle to communicate and protect their beloved children from the dangers and cruelty of the world.
British-born protagonist Alex Ives has been resident in Australia for about fifteen years. She's brought up elder child Oliver on her own, since she was deserted by her British boyfriend on what was a youthful overseas adventure. They've moved around the country a bit, before settling in Sydney four years ago, where Alex married an Australian husband, resulting in the birth of 8-month-old daughter Kara. But the marriage was not a happy one, and Alex has finally made the decision to escape from the violence and control, seeking sanctuary at an eco-village, Pine Ridge, located in the coastal hinterland north of Sydney.
Pine Ridge is an evocative setting, a growing community of sensitively-designed units arranged in a natural amphitheatre above a lake, and surrounded by forested hills and farmland. The rather well-heeled members of the community tend to co-operative fruit and vegetable propagation in the village's greenhouses and attend regular meetings and get-togethers. Founder Kit Vestey is a charismatic leader, inspiring the respect and devotion of those who've chosen to make Pine Ridge home.
To Alex, it seems an idyllic alternative to the life she has left behind. Her children aren't so convinced, however. Fourteen-year-old Ollie left his previous high school under the cloud of a scandal that is all-too-familiar in modern Australia. He resents Alex for uprooting him and spends a great deal of time shut up in his bedroom, embroiled in the online world and gaming. Meanwhile, 8-month-old Kara seems even more unsettled than she was in Sydney, leaving Alex exhausted and feeling that she's failing as a parent.
Almost as soon as the family have arrived in Pine Ridge, things take a dark and spooky turn. Someone has left a box containing a dead bird on their doorstep, there are weird sounds emanating from the forest at night. Added to this, the children of the eco-village are preoccupied with stories of a witch who haunts the area and steals children from their homes.
Feeling rattled and on-edge, Alex becomes fascinated with a dilapidated but picturesque farmhouse that sits on the hillside beyond the lake. She's heard references to a child - a teenage boy - who went missing some years previously and was never found. Is there really an evil supernatural presence hanging over this otherwise Arcadian setting, or is the threat more human and closer to home?
Meanwhile, six years earlier, Renee Kellerman lives in an attractively renovated farmhouse, overlooking a lake and the flower-farming property she and her husband own and run. Despite the beautiful surroundings, Renee is troubled. Her marriage hasn't been happy, since her rather belligerent husband Michael spends every waking hour on the farm. Added to this, her sixteen year old son Gabriel seems to have become a recluse, locking himself away in his bedroom with his digital equipment, refusing to communicate and often not even emerging for meals. Her own parents are little help, with their judgmental interference and insistence on seeking religious solutions, which only further inflames the situation with Michael.
Several frightening incidents occur - first the brutal killing of Renee's beloved pet cat, the body left in a box on the doorstep for her to find, then the appearance late one night of a threatening effigy hanging by the neck on the verandah. Finally, windows are broken and a blood-like substance strewn around the family's living room. Who - or what - could be behind this targeted campaign of terror, which has only compounded Renee's feelings of helplessness and Gabriel's apparent descent into mental illness?
The narrative unfolds with Alex's and Renee's experiences being revealed in parallel, the eerie similarities evident to the reader before Alex realises the extent of the threat. There's a powerful sense of foreboding as, day by day, the unusual signs pile up and Alex begins to regret her decision to enter the Pine Ridge community.
Downes creates a convincingly menacing atmosphere which combined with psychological features bring to mind classics of the genre, such as The Turn of the Screw. The reader is left constantly wondering: is it real? is she just over-wrought? Who can be trusted?
Anna Downes explores the subject of parent guilt, and the challenges of parenting an adolescent in particular, sensitively and in a way that will have readers who are parents nodding their heads in recognition (I was). She evokes a setting that is simultaneously idyllic and forbidding with great skill. Similarly, the community of individuals with a common purpose but quite disparate expectations and preoccupations also rings true, contributing to the reader's sense of dislocation between what is real and what is simply Alex's sleep-deprived and somewhat paranoid perception. While we don't spend as much time in Renee's POV, six years prior to Alex's arrival, her emotional state is palpable and our foreknowledge of Gabriel's disappearance increases the reader's sympathy for her plight.
All in all, I found The Shadow House an engrossing read, with well-developed and convincing characters, a great setting and a twisty plot. It's the first of Anna Downes books that I've encountered so far, but won't be the last.
February 21, 2022
Anna Downes' second novel is creepy, dark and downright scary at times. Tension builds just right and my heart was in my throat a few times. There are really two stories here - Renee's and Alex's, and the story is narrated by both of them. Both stories involve bones, dolls, and blood.
Alex flees an abusive relationship and moves, with her teenage son Ollie and her baby daughter Kara, to an ecovillage community called Pine Ridge. The community seems welcoming, the leader is charismatic, and Alex is somewhat attracted to him. There are some very unsettling things happening at the house Alex is living in though, and Alex is afraid for her children's safety. And there are rumors of a witch.
Renee lived on a farm with her husband Michael and her son Gabriel. Some creepy things happen and then Gabriel disappears. No one knows if he's dead or alive, if he was kidnapped, killed, or ran away. This farm is later the site of the ecovillage, Pine Ridge.
A chilling tale with good tension building. I found the teenagers' relationships with their parents to be something that is becoming all too common with technology and isolation. I generally liked the concept of the ecovillage community, even though anytime you get a group of people there are some that just aren't likable. All the characters seemed to have issues to deal with besides the creepy things happening. The book kept my attention throughout and I enjoyed the twists.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on April 5, 2022.
Alex flees an abusive relationship and moves, with her teenage son Ollie and her baby daughter Kara, to an ecovillage community called Pine Ridge. The community seems welcoming, the leader is charismatic, and Alex is somewhat attracted to him. There are some very unsettling things happening at the house Alex is living in though, and Alex is afraid for her children's safety. And there are rumors of a witch.
Renee lived on a farm with her husband Michael and her son Gabriel. Some creepy things happen and then Gabriel disappears. No one knows if he's dead or alive, if he was kidnapped, killed, or ran away. This farm is later the site of the ecovillage, Pine Ridge.
A chilling tale with good tension building. I found the teenagers' relationships with their parents to be something that is becoming all too common with technology and isolation. I generally liked the concept of the ecovillage community, even though anytime you get a group of people there are some that just aren't likable. All the characters seemed to have issues to deal with besides the creepy things happening. The book kept my attention throughout and I enjoyed the twists.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on April 5, 2022.
April 4, 2022
I sat down to start this one and ended up reading the entire book. I couldn't put it down. The creepy feeling and building suspense was just too good! Bonus points for leaving me feeling unsettled for half of the book. Love it!! Plus I love me a dual timeline.
Overall I thought this was a great thriller! But I'm going to purposely leave this vague review, because I don't want to give anything away.
Thanks so much to Minotaur Books for my gifted copy!
Trigger warnings: Death of family pet/emotional/physical abuse/self inflicted wounds
Overall I thought this was a great thriller! But I'm going to purposely leave this vague review, because I don't want to give anything away.
Thanks so much to Minotaur Books for my gifted copy!
Trigger warnings: Death of family pet/emotional/physical abuse/self inflicted wounds
November 20, 2021
I had zero expectations going into this one and I vaguley remembered the synopsis. I'm so glad I decided to just jump in not knowing a whole lot about the author or the storyline because this was such a fun surprise!
It truly was a really good read and I'm a bit puzzled by some of the lower reviews for it. This had a great premises and a wonderful back drop. I had so much fun reading and while some things were predictable others definitely weren't.
A fun engaging read that I think more like me, fans of both mysteries and thrillers, will really enjoy.
*ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
It truly was a really good read and I'm a bit puzzled by some of the lower reviews for it. This had a great premises and a wonderful back drop. I had so much fun reading and while some things were predictable others definitely weren't.
A fun engaging read that I think more like me, fans of both mysteries and thrillers, will really enjoy.
*ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
December 22, 2021
I'm impressed with this book... not only was it a second novel after a great debut (usually the kiss of death), but it was also written during Covid (where most books have been leaving me dissatisfied)
Good story, interesting setting, and I always like a dual timeline. There were a few times at the beginning where I felt lost and the story seemed disjointed, but the writing smoothed out and I ended up getting really into the mystery of the witch in the woods. Also a bad case of insta-love, but thankfully wasn't a major plot line.
Looking forward to reading what Anna Downes writes next!
Good story, interesting setting, and I always like a dual timeline. There were a few times at the beginning where I felt lost and the story seemed disjointed, but the writing smoothed out and I ended up getting really into the mystery of the witch in the woods. Also a bad case of insta-love, but thankfully wasn't a major plot line.
Looking forward to reading what Anna Downes writes next!
April 5, 2022
Alex leaves an abusive relationship with her young son and baby to rural Pine Ridge. The people seem so welcoming and she wants to try and get back on her feet. But creepy things start happening around her house, and on the surrounding property, giving Alex the feeling that her children could be in danger. I do not want to say much more, because I went into this one mostly blind, and I thought it was really suspenseful and enjoyed it alot. Really atmospheric and creepy thriller!! The relationships between the adults and children, and the portrayal of motherhood are believable. There are a few twists I did not predict and a few I did, but overall, I really liked this one. I'd definitely recommend you add this to your list.
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.
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