This is a gloriously gothic fairy tale, teeming with herbal magic, secrets, and monsters. From the first line, SOMETIMES SHE SMELLED LIKE BLOOD, I knew I was in for a wild ride. About halfway through, the pace picks up so much you can't stop turning the page for the rest of the book.
Morals are questionable at times, often leaving the main character, Maire, slightly unlikeable, but strangely that is what also makes her appealing--how far she'll go to protect her sister. The same can be said for the brooding lord, because you can't have a gothic book without a scarred and secretive love interest.
Thanks to the author and NetGalley for the arc and my lack of sleep!

I could not put this book down! Cyla has crafted such a compelling story, infused with the gothic. Her style of writing is beautifully lyrical, with such a haunting quality. It reads like a thriller, with Marie searching desperately for a cure for her beloved sister, the clock ticking down and the real killer on the loose. There are twists and turns that will keep you turning the pages, desperate to reach the end and discover all the book's hidden secrets.

To call it a retelling of Beauty and the Beast does not do it justice, this is a unique, darkly gritty and very beautiful book which will haunt you long after you turn the final page. If you love books like Addie LaRue, with complex heroines and rich historical detail, you will LOVE this.

STALKING SHADOWS has everything I love in a story: a fierce heroine, a gorgeously spooky atmosphere, and a perfectly Gothic aesthetic. With perfume magic, snowy forests, a brooding lord, and a girl who becomes a beast, this is a retelling the way retellings should be done - fresh and vivid, comparable to Angela Carter's work.