This was a slow and steady read, that keeps the reader entertained from the beginning until the wtf moment end. Recommended for anyone who loves a good read.

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.

The first part of the book grabbed my attention and then it slowed off in the middle. I guessed most of the outcomes . I would rather my books be unpredictable.

What a creepy read! I'm a bit of a wimp with scary stories, but I really enjoyed this one.

I couldn't put it down, though I didn't want to read it at night! I loved the setting and the way the storylines all came together at the end. Overall, a very enjoyable read with the perfect amount of scariness for me!

This book is full of suspense and made me feel on edge throughout!! The book follows a single mum who moves to escape her past, she moves to a rural community. Everything seems great in this community until creepy events start to happen and they are in more danger than before. Four out of five star read.

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?

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.

Not often a second book by an author is better than the first... and, in this case, the first was fantastic! Anna Downes has managed to exceed my expectations with this book. Atmospheric and creepy in parts with a good mix of different, mostly likeable characters. No pressure, but not sure how this can be topped.

It’s a concept that has been done before in several books i have read so to keep me turning the pages means it was well written and had me engaged from page one.
Alex has fled from an abusive relationship with her teenage son Ollie and baby daughter Kara to Pine Ridge, an eco concept village set on what once was a flower farm.. the people seem friendly and Alex feels she has made the right choice. Parallel to Alex’s story is the story of Renee, her husband Michael and their teenage son Gabrielle. They used to own the flower farm Pine Ridge is set on.
As we travel the two time lines we see how the mothers both have the same fears for their children, and the terrors that haunted Renee are beginning to haunt Alex. Renee’s son Gabe goes missing and is never found., now it seems someone is after Ollie. The same cryptic boxes are left at the home as they were before when Renee’s family live there, and it seems the idyllic haven of Pine Ridge has secrets to keep.
It’s a tightly wound story that has you guessing till the final chapters.

#TheShadowHouse #NetGalley

Welcome to Pine Ridge. Create the life you want.

Set in Australia, NSW The Shadow House by Anna Downes is a dark read following the story of two different time lines. One in the past and one happening now. Alex, a single mother of two - Ollie and Kara she makes a fresh start at Pine Ridge - an eco village. Strange things start happening and boxes appearing at her doorstep. A kid at the village tells her a story about the witch who takes children.

We are also introduced to Renee who six years ago lived on the farm with her husband and son Gabriel. Gabriel went missing one night and was never found. We are left wanting to read on to see what connection Alex and Renee have and will history repeat itself?

I absolutely love the twists and turns of this book. I devoured it in a few days and stayed up late finishing it. If you are looking for a dark and creepy read this one is for you.

Thank you Netgalley and Affirm press for a copy of this book for my honest review.

‘There was nothing better than a fresh start.’

Alex flees from an abusive relationship with her two children: teenaged son Ollie and baby daughter Kara. She moves from Sydney to Pine Ridge, an ecovillage fifty kilometres north-east of the NSW Central Coast’s suburban sprawl. Alex has three months to decide whether life at Pine Ridge is right for her and her family and initially she thinks it is perfect.

But not everyone is as welcoming as Kit, the founder of the ecovillage, and some unsettling events shake Alex.

‘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.’

There is an abandoned farmhouse on the hill opposite the village, with a history. The family who used to live there lost a child: their son went missing. There is a rumour now that the house is haunted.

The story shifts between Alex in the present and Renee, the mother whose son went missing from the farmhouse. Alex is drawn to the farmhouse, to try to uncover its history. It seems that someone wants to drive her out of the ecovillage, and she is very tempted to leave. But Alex realises that she cannot keep running from uncomfortable decisions: her children need certainty and continuity.

‘Create the life you want.’

An unsettling read with a few twists I did see coming, and a few I did not. If you enjoy twisty thrillers, I can recommend this.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Affirm Press for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

First comes the bones, then the doll, then the blood. Bones. Doll. Blood. Remember Bones.Doll.Blood. Bones.Doll.Blood.....

The Shadow House by @anna_downes_writer is Anna's second novel. Anna's debut novel The Safe Place made her become an international bestseller despite her book coming out during covid lockdown. What an incredible achievement.

Unlike most thrillers I have read, this book was very different. It really made me think about how things occurred and there had to be a logical reasoning behind it like the seeping blood from the walls and how scratches are formed on the bodies.

It literally made me shudder to the point of almost being sick. I wanted to stop at several points of this book but I also wanted to keep going because I really wanted to know what or who was behind the things happening now and what happened to Gabe six years ago.

This alone made the book and the setting of the ecovillage very eerie and in a way I am kind of glad that this book is purely fictional.

I want to say thank you to @netgalley and @affirmpress for allowing me to read The Shadow House in exchange of a honest review.

A gripping read that keeps you turning the pages. The Shadow House, by Anna Downes, has great characters, and a wonderful setting. This is a story that keeps you wondering what's going to happen next.
Thanks to NetGaelly for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.