Thank you to Netgalley, Melanie, and Spiderline for an advance copy of The Shadow.

1) The Shadow has previously been published in German, the ARC that I received is for the release of the English translation.
2) I am weirdly attracted to books that have ferris wheels on the cover? Is this a thing?
3) I spent a couple of days in Vienna last winter and it’s such a beautiful place, and so rarely featured in books so it was lovely to get to escape back to that city for a bit (even given the sinister plot!)

The Shadow is a slow burn psychological thriller. When I say slow burn, I mean s l o w burn. There were times where I was like ‘okay give me something factual already!’ but ultimately, the pacing really does add to the anxiety and curiosity of the story.

Norah leaves Berlin and her break up and moves to Vienna for a fresh start. Her bright outlook doesn’t last long however, as she encounters a homeless woman who tells her that she will kill a man named Arthur Grimm on February 11th of her own free will and with good reason. Who is Arthur Grimm? Who is this woman and why did she choose her? Most importantly, how does this strange woman know that February 11th is a significant date in Norah’s life? Soon after, things in Norah’s apartment start to disappear and items that aren’t hers start to turn up and Norah starts to spiral and begins a dangerous search for answers.

The plot, as I mentioned, does move slowly. It builds slowly and then absolutely explodes, along with some aftershocks. Norah’s history does play a significant role and we learn about it, but it doesn’t engulf the present day story, which I really enjoyed. Sometimes the flashbacks or backstory can eat up the plot and get in the way.

We don’t get to know the side characters very well, but they did their job as supporting cast. Norah was actually a very likable and relatable character. Her flaws were just enough that you could understand why she was/felt/did the things she did.

All in all it was an enjoyable story that I could imagine myself in, I loved the art references (vanitas paintings are among my favorites) and the twists were original and super creative.

Norah moved from Berlin to Vienna hoping to start a new chapter in her
Iife. The first day she is there she is approached by a homeless person and told that she will kill a man named Author Grimm on the 11th of February of her own free will. This is a. significant date from her past so it is troubling to her even though she has never heard of this person. Lots of unexplained things start to take place which is even .more concerning.
I really enjoyed reading this book. I like the style of writing, the characters, and the abundance of twists and turns along the way to the ending that I didn't see coming! I highly recommend!

Thanks to Met Galley for allowing me to read this amazing ARC for my honest review.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t finish this because at the 25% mark I just wasn’t intrigued enough. Barely anything had happened and there was so much mundane everyday dialogue.

This was such a fun read! I loved Raabe’s concise writing style. It kept the story moving at a rapid pace and kept me turning page after page way after bed time! Absolutely outstanding imagery that played out like a movie in my head while I read.
Norah has hard a hard few months. She loses her job and long-term relationship, causing her to pack up and move to a brand new city. Her first week there, a mysterious beggar prophesies something sinister in Norah’s future. Norah becomes obsessed at getting to the bottom of this prophecy. With many twists and turns, lovable and relatable characters, The Shadow is a great read!

I received an ARC of #TheShadow from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

An intriguing thriller that almost didn’t make a blip on my radar.

Norah is a journalist who has just moved to Vienna from Berlin. One day, while walking through town, a homeless woman stands right in front of Nora and says these chilling words:

“On February 11 you will kill a man called Arthur Grimm. Of your own free will. And for a good reason.”

The woman disappears into the crowd, leaving Norah perplexed and disturbed...especially since something bad from her past occurred on the 11th of February. She has no clue who Arthur Grimm is, or why she would want to kill him. Little does she know all of the trouble that is coming her way.

I have a confession to make: I found myself bored and a tad bit confused with the first 40% of this book. It seemed like there were just a bunch of random scenarios. I asked myself, “Self, are you reading the same book that your friends Jayme and Ceecee raved about? What is going on?” Soon after that internal chit chat...BAM! The pieces started coming together, and I was hooked!

This is a shockingly good mystery/thriller with quite a few surprises in store. I think I was meant to feel that confusion early on, and as I saw how it all started to fit into the brilliantly orchestrated plot, things made sense. There are quite a few surprises in store, and the suspense builds as the story reaches its conclusion...and we also get an encore.

There were a few times where I thought “Oh, there’s a plot hole”, or “Wait a second. Whatever happened to THAT thread of the plot?” But I was wrong every time! Everything I questioned was explained. The book is wonderfully written, and it’s rich in atmosphere, especially in the last quarter. The translation from German to English is phenomenal - not clunky at all.

4.5 stars. I highly recommend.

Thank you to Spiderline and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com

You are going to want to add this one to your mounting TBR list! 📚

I was mesmerized from the opening paragraph which I will share with you now-
(excerpt) “ Norah loved goodbyes. She loved moments of transition: the minutes between night and day, Winter and Spring, one year and the next. She loved new babies and weddings. Another life, a second chance, rebirth.
A clean slate, and a new pencil. “

So, why was she crying?

Journalist Norah Richter has just moved from Berlin to Vienna, to put some distance between herself and “the incident “.

But, soon after arriving, a beggar woman on the street looks right into her eyes and says, “On Feb. 11th you will kill a man called Arthur Grimm. Of your own free will. And, for a good reason.”

She would usually shrug something like this off, but years earlier something terrible happened on Feb. 11th.
And, when she meets a man named Arthur Grimm, a few days later, she cannot just let it go.

Because Norah does not believe in coincidences.
And, worries that this may be a self fulfilling prophecy??

This was such a UNIQUE, suspenseful story filled with vivid descriptions!
I could picture the people passing her on the street, or sharing espressos and gossiping in the corner shop.
I could feel the chill in the air, and smell the tobacco smoke from the pipe that ALWAYS seems to be nearby.

As the story progressed, I had an inkling of where this was going, but Melanie Raabe had a few more surprises up her sleeve!!

This hasn’t gotten the attention of many of my friends yet.
I hope it will now.

I LOVED it! ❤️

This book was originally published in German in 2018, under the title Der Shatten. It was translated to English by Imogen Taylor and will be released in the USA on Jan. 5, 2021 by House of Anansi Press, Inc.

I received a gifted copy and it was my pleasure to provide a candid review!

Atmospheric and creepy, this novel is a bit on the slow side. Norah is running. Running from a relationship, running from a lost job, and running from her painful past. She has left her old life behind and moved to Vienna from Berlin. Just as she’s getting settled in, a homeless women approaches her with a message. A message telling her that she will kill a man called Arthur Grimm on February 11. As the story progresses odd things are happening to Norah. Things are missing from her flat. Her friends are acting strange and all of a sudden she’s hearing and seeing the name Arthur Grimm in more than one place. Who is Arthur Grimm and why ever would she want to kill him? Norah was a difficult character to connect with and the overall premise of this book was a strange one. Not until we reach the ending do we get the whole story, which does finally tie everything together.

This novel would have blindsided me completely if I hadn’t seen a play by Neil LaBute with a similar twist. It was still an unexpected plot, very dark and with philosophical implications that gave me a lot to think about. Norah is a journalist with issues. She recently moved from Berlin to Vienna and the city is gloomy and depressing. Then one day a homeless woman makes a prophecy and Norah seems to do everything possible to fulfill it, even if it’s not a good prophecy. The novel is very atmospheric, you can almost feel the cold Austrian winter and hear the cracking boards in Norah’s apartment. The plot is well-built, and the clues fit together like a puzzle. Once the mystery is solved, it makes perfect sense and I kept going back to the story and analyzing it with that knowledge. It held up. Norah is not a likable character. She is aloof and stubborn and just plain weird. At some point I got so wrapped up in the story that I kept yelling at her in my head. The ending is also really good.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/ House of Anansi Press Inc.!

Thank you to House of Anasi Press for this ARC via Netgallery. Publication date for this novel is Jan 5, 2021.

Brief Synopsis:
'On the eleventh of February, you will kill a man called Arthur Grimm . . . With good reason. And of your own free will.' These are the words spoken to Norah by a homeless woman when she moves to Vienna. Slightly unnerved, she brushes it off, but then days later she meets Arthur Grimm. Full of questions, she wonders who this Arthur Grimm is and why is she expected to hate him so much that she is supposed to kill him? Also...will she kill him?

My Thoughts/Opinions:

The Shadow was a quick thriller read that captivated me while reading! It was an interesting concept and you definitely wanted to keep going to figure out how everything will tie together and why we are wanting to kill this stranger and what he's done to deserve it. The characters fell a little bit flat for me though & interactions were really quick between any other supporting characters. I wanted a bit more depth. Also, Norah was a really angry character & for being a journalist, she seemed to jump to conclusions pretty quickly. It felt like the opposite traits of her character's career.

I'm giving it 3 stars as it was exciting but..it didn't really do it for me. It's not one that I will find memorable unfortunately. But it really made me want to travel back to Europe to some of the old cities!

I just couldn’t get into this one and had to give up about 40% through. I LOVED the plot and it sounded like it had so much potential but right from page one all the characters are very bizarre and there were so many strange tidbits from the main character’s past that found it hard to keep track of all the crazy.

The twists and ending made up for the slower parts in the middle. I also felt like it could benefit from a stronger title than "The Shadow" as it feels a bit generic.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was really surprised by this book!
Norah is trying to start a new life, She gets a quick fortune telling by a beggar in the street. Weird, but it triggers something in her. The date of the prediction is significant and troubling.
Thus begins a wild ride with neighbors, friends, headed down a dangerous path that's a little obsessive at times. Things that happen are creepy, timing is all strange and Norah ends up turning the tables and putting pieces together just in time.
I loved the twists, the unpredictability and never saw the end coming!
Good read!

The synopsis of this book is what drew me in. I was so intrigued by it, and I had to know why Norah believed the woman’s prophecy and if she would actually follow through with killing Arthur Grimm.

To be honest, if the second half of this book hadn’t been so engaging and suspenseful, I would have given it a lower rating. The first half of the book dragged on so much that I considered not finishing it, but I’m so glad that I did. The pacing and buildup in the second half was so much better, and the outcome of the story was absolutely phenomenal. I honestly didn’t see any of it coming! For that alone, I highly recommend this book.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3529378571

Thank You NetGalley Publisher and author for this gifted book!

Summary
'On February 11 you will kill a man called Arthur Grimm. Of your own free will. And for a good reason.'

Norah has just moved from Berlin to Vienna in order to leave her old life behind her for good when a homeless woman spits these words at her. Norah is unnerved- many years earlier, something terrible happened to her on February 11. She shrugs this off as a mere coincidence, however, until shortly afterwards she meets a man called Arthur Grimm.

Review
This was a great thriller that had me on the edge of my seat the entire time.
It was a good book from start to finish.
The characters were enjoyable. The plot was great and the writing was brilliant

Overall- great book

Norah has recently moved to a new city. So she knows that no one knows who she is. She has been approached by a random homeless woman that warns her that she will kill someone on the eleventh of the month. Norah is quite taken aback. That is the date that her best friend committed suicide.
To make matters worse she starts receiving odd text messages. Then things start disappearing from her apartment. To make things more difficult, shes finding odd stuff that doesn't belong to her. Friends that she's known since school are avoiding her, and seem angry at her.
She doesn't know what is going on, but she is definitely determined to find out.
She is being manipulated and she needs to discover why and by whom.
An intriguing read that keeps you guessing what will happen next.
Recommended!

Norah’s move to Vienna was supposed to be a fresh start, but her past comes calling when an elderly woman approaches her and tells her that on February 11 she will kill a man named Arthur Grimm of her own free will. It’s an especially chilling statement given that Norah has some very bad memories associated with February 11. And then she meets a man named Arthur Grimm. Was the old woman setting her up, or could Arthur actually be to blame for the tragic events related to that long ago February day?