House of Shades follows Hester as she begins a four week job as nurse to an dying man. She feels something dark in the house as soon as she enters, and she starts uncovering the secrets of the family. Soon, her employer asks her to help him make atonement for some decisions in his past, which bring up more secrets, until Hester is in too deeply.
I don't think this is a bad book, it is historical fiction, depicting London as it begins to disallow any kind of slave labor. Hester is a Black woman, and so we are following her journey to discover more about her background. However, based on the description, I was expecting more of a Gothic tale where the house was a character, instead this was more of a family drama. It described as dark and immersive, neither of which came across to me in this read. For readers of historical fiction and stories and interfamilial relationships, this would be one to pick up.

Haunting? Cursed House? What or who is causing the perpetual tragedies befalling this family of former slave owners? Who will protect them, and do they even deserve it? I enjoyed this novel even as I was repulsed by the community's treatment of persons of color. Interesting twists in this mystery.

I wanted more from this book. It reminded me of Riley sager in some contexts. I thought it was easy to read and straightforward but I didn’t feel like the characters had an depth