This book had some modern gothic vibes and an eerie setting that set the mood for the story. The way the story unfolds you are not sure if supernatural elements involved or if there are reasons and events based in the character's life that are to blame. The story goes back and forth to two different storylines with two different moms whose teenage sons seem to be the victims of a witch or are they? I could sympathize with the mothers but at the same time they frustrated me. The story does develop a little slowly for me but the ending picks up a bit. Overall I liked the story and the setting but I wanted more suspense. Overall a solid read.

Well I loved The Safe Place but Anna Downes has outdone herself with The Shadow House!!!!!!! This story is gripping, scary at times, & so amazing that you can't put it down!!!!!

What a fun Thriller!

A mom moves her two kids to an eco-village. I've never heard of such a place but I think I want to live in one!

Things are not as they seem with this little family, nor in the village. Alex (mom) is not as welcomed as she had hoped to be.

Strange events begin to take place that made me think a bit of The Blair Witch project. Stories are told of a missing child in the past. Are there ghosts? Are there witches? Is there a supernatural element at the heart of this mystery? Or is it all easily explained?

There was a bit of a dip in the middle of this story for me where the action had begun to move into that Thriller category but the slow down made me lose interest for a bit. But the later part of the book picks back up again and I was very happy (and sad) with the ending.

I was able to listen to the audiobook and the Australian narration made this story even better! Solid 4 stars.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for my e-book of The Shadow House by Anna Downes.

Synopsis:
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.

The synopsis of this book really drew me in. Probably because someday I want to live in a rural community surrounded by trees. However, I wouldn't want to live in Pine Ridge, where this story takes place! The Shadow House had just the right amount of creepiness and suspense that I was looking for at the time. I thought it was well written and I look forward to reading more from Anna Downes in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Anna Downes for this E-ARC in exchange for my honest feedback and review.

Alex has moved to Pine Ridge with her moody son and infant daughter to start their lives over. Alex is fleeing from a man who was nothing but trouble. In this new community she finds herself wanting to be a part of it so desperately but her past and insomnia seem to be limiting her ability. Then a rumor seems to be coming true and Alex is afraid something is going to happen to her son. She is determined to get to the bottom of this mystery and protect her son at all costs.

I loved Anna Downes first book "The Safe Place" so I immediately requested her new one. I liked The Shadow House. It's one of those quick reads that you can get through without too much mental bog. I do think the character of Alex's ex could have been less mentioned and written off in a couple of paragraphs but I can see why it was drawn out. I didn't guess the end so that twist was awesome! I did not foresee any of that! Any book that can keep me entertained and on my toes is a winner to me. Don't miss this summer read from Anna Downes you won't be sorry!

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read The Shadow House for my honest for my honest review.

This was a great debut novel from the begging to the end. An unusual and thrilling gothic mystery.

The Shadow House did have an exciting storyline. Alex is a single mother of two, and she is on the run from the abusive father of her youngest child. Finding Pine Ridge was perfect, and Alex felt that she could make a fresh start for herself and her children. But things start to go sour when she receives weird gifts and overhears a bizarre rumor about a witch living in the surrounding woods. The more she digs into the secrets around Pine Ridge, the more unwelcoming the townspeople become. Can Alex figure out not only who is sending the gifts but why? And will her perfect refuge stay that way, or will it become tainted? And are the rumors about the witch true?

I highly recommend this 5 Star read!

Spooky? Check. Suspenseful? Double check. This was a slow burn but in a good way. The character development ratched up until I was fully engrossed in their lives and issues. I bought a copy just so I could read it again and again

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy of this one.

A woman running from her past with her son. A mysterious cult like community. Lots of interesting elements in this story. I enjoyed this one although I liked her first more.

This ended up being a bit creepier than I anticipated! I loved it! Full of dark, twisty turns and an ending I couldn't of seen coming! She has become a new favorite!

Anna Downes' The Shadow House opens with a rather spooky introduction - from a victim or a perpetrator of violence?

Then single mother Alex arrives at rural Pine Ridge ecovillage in Australia with her 2 children, antisocial teen Ollie and infant Kara. Alex is fleeing from something.

The story movies back and forth between past horrors and present mystery.

We see previous events echoed in current ones, leading to a surprising conclusion.

I really loved reading Anna Downes first book, The Safe Place and I was really hoping that she could keep that same spirit in her second book. Sadly though it falls just a bit short. I did read this really fast because I wanted to know what all the creepiness was with the boxes, bones, dolls, and blood. I liked the suspense and it was fun to try and figure out what the mystery was before it unfolded but the big reveal fell kinda flat for me. It was also too abrupt and so I was left wanting more.

The two timelines were good and it added suspense going back and forth between Renee and Alex with the parallels between sons and what might happen to Ollie. The romance bit with Kit and Alex however was unnecessary. It did not add to the story at all. I know some people did not like Alex as a character but if you add in how sleep deprived she is from taking care of a teething baby, it is understandable some of the choices she makes trying to uncover this mystery.

I think this is not bad for a second book and I am still looking forward to the next book she writes. Finger crossed it is like The Safe Place!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of thsi book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

I have only read one book from this author before and I really enjoyed it, so I had high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, this book did not hold up to those expectations. I found the storyline had lots of potential but it just never got there for me.

The Safe Place was such a good read that I was excited to read The Shadow House. It was definitely a unique storyline and kept me guessing as to who the witch was that kept tormenting the kids. In the end I did not see that twist.

While not my typical type book, I do love an Anna Downes book. This was a good one, maybe a bit too heavy supernatural-wise for me but it’s plenty creepy🧟‍♀️😁

I wanted to like The Shadow House. I am a big fan of thrillers/mystery/suspense, and from what I read, this book was something that I would like. Then I read it, and I was let down.

The Shadow House did have an exciting storyline. Alex is a single mother of two, and she is on the run from the abusive father of her youngest child. Finding Pine Ridge was perfect, and Alex felt that she could make a fresh start for herself and her children. But things start to go sour when she receives weird gifts and overhears a bizarre rumor about a witch living in the surrounding woods. The more she digs into the secrets around Pine Ridge, the more unwelcoming the townspeople become. Can Alex figure out not only who is sending the gifts but why? And will her perfect refuge stay that way, or will it become tainted? And are the rumors about the witch true?

I hate to say this, but I was not too fond of Alex for about 90% of the book. She had a massive chip on her shoulder. She had gotten herself into a bad situation with her ex. Nobody deserves to be treated that way. But my pity was overwhelmed by my dislike of her.

I also didn’t care for Renee when the author switched to her POV. She knew that her husband was abusive toward Gabriel, but she didn’t do anything. Her son was crying out for help/attention/both, and she turned a blind eye. I get that she was dealing with her stuff (overbearing, uber-religious parents and her overbearing husband). It’s a problem when your kid locks himself in his bedroom for hours upon hours and refuses to come out. So, yeah, I didn’t pity her (Gabriel, on the other hand, oodles of concern for him).

I did think that The author very well wrote the mystery angle. I liked seeing Alex’s detective work and where it led her. A couple of twists took me by surprise, and one of those twists was a big one.

Several minor storylines were used as a filler. The one with Ollie and his school was heartbreaking, and considering how the author tied it into another secondary character, it broke my heart even more. Of course, that too was a surprise, and I feel that it got overshadowed by everything else.

The thriller angle was a little “meh.” I wasn’t sitting on the edge of my seat, waiting for the next thrill to show up with bated breath. It was barely there. If there, I should have been glued to my Kindle. Instead, I was putting my Kindle down and getting bored.

I was a little surprised by the end of the book. I was left feeling “meh” about it. I wasn’t expecting Renee/Alex’s storyline to be resolved the way it was. The author made it so that almost everyone had a happy ending. It just didn’t sit right with me.

I would recommend The Shadow House to anyone over 21. There is nongraphic sex, mild violence, and mild language.

From my blog: Always With a Book

Having read, and loved, Anna Downes debut novel, The Safe Place, I have been quite eager to see what she would write next and so I was quite ecstatic to get my hands on her sophomore novel. And I have to say I was not disappointed. This is another addicting read that will keep you captivated from start to finish!

I went into this one fairly blind – not having a print copy, I didn’t have the back of the book to glance at when I picked it up to read – and I think that helped. This is a very atmospheric, creepy read that uses alternating timelines quite well. Having the story told from two perspectives really keeps you wondering just what is going on and where things are headed and I have to say, I had many questions as I was reading this, trying to put all the pieces together.

This book explores loss and the lengths a mother will go to protect her children. The characters are richly drawn and I loved the idea of an eco-community – it almost becomes a character itself. I loved that the way the characters were developed, it was hard to tell whether they were to be trusted or not, and as we get further into the story, my radar was going crazy. The suspense builds steadily throughout and I found myself flipping through that pages quite frantically to see how it would all play out.

There were just enough twists to keep this one from being predictable and I loved that there was a little bit of a supernatural element added in. I’m not usually a fan of this, but it really worked here. I am clearly a fan of this author’s work and cannot wait to see what she writes next!

I wanted to love this a lot more than I did so I’m pretty sure I’m in the minority on this one, it was okay but it didn’t grab me. It took a big part of the of the book for the story to pick up.
I did like the dual POVs from the different mothers that come together in a way I wasn’t expecting.
The story has a creepy feeling which makes it hard to put down, it just felt very predictable and not what I was expecting. But everyone else loved it so maybe it’s just me 🤷🏻‍♀️🤣

I haven't yet read Ms. Downes' debut so this was my first experience with this author and I was pleasantly surprised. We start out with Alex, a single Mother to teenage Son, Ollie and baby girl, Kara. Alex needs a fresh start.... she's leaving her abusive partner and Ollie has just been practically expelled from school.
She decides a completely fresh start is in order and move with her Children to an eco-village called Pine Ridge, located far from civilization. At first it seems everyone is quite welcoming and things just might be good for them there. Then as Alex is dealing with sleep deprivation from caring for a teething baby as well as her Son Ollie's resentment and poor attitude.... Things start getting really weird. Someone is leaving creepy packages outside her for at night and she starts hearing stories about a Witch who lives in the Woods and steals Children. She becomes more unsure of who she can trust as she investigates the reason behind these strange things happening. She can't help but feel as if Ollie might be in danger.
We also get a second POV from a woman handed Renee, who used to live on the same land as Alex. She actually married a man whose family was one of the original builders of Pine Ridge. She had A Son, Gabriel, who went missing and his car was never solved. We start to see an alarming amount of similarities between Gabriel and Ollie.
I loved the dark, creepy atmosphere of this book. The one big weak point for me is that when the POV from Renee is introduced, we don't know the reason for it,which makes the middle of the book drag quite a bit. I may even have considered making it a DNF.. But I sure was glad I persisted with it. The way these two story lines are brought together in the end is genius. I was happy with the conclusion......I've never been a fan of supernatural explanations unless I'm reading a book specifically from that genre. Overall, this is a well written book that has super creepy vibes radiating from the page. I already purchased her first book and look forward to reading it! Thank you to Netgalley, the Publisher and Author for the opportunity to read an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
#Netgalley #TheShadowHouse

The Shadow House follows Alex as she and her two children move into a new community called Pine Ridge. It’s clear that Alex is running from something as she tries to placate her teenage son about the necessity of another move.

Upon their arrival, Alex finds a box on their doorstep with a dead bird in it. Several days later, a similar box with a disturbing doll arrives. As Alex learns more about the land the community was built on, she begins to worry that there may be something sinister afoot.

I was expecting so much more out of this book. All along, I was waiting for a big reveal about Alex’s traumatic past and a big reveal about what was happening at Pine Ridge. I got neither. There was so much build up and suspense and it fell totally flat for me. There were random side plots of Alex getting to know the other residents, which I expected to all tie together, but they seemed to just be tangents that were ultimately hard to keep track of.

Thank you to the publisher for my copy - all opinions are my own.

The Shadow House by @anna_downes_writer is a fantastically well done psychological thriller that has just the lightest touch of what feels like a ghostly element to it. I loved that this story reveals itself with present day vs. past flashbacks from two main character perspectives. I loved the creepy mood. I loved the mom dealing with teenagers element. Incredibly good escapism reading!