3.5 stars. Billed as a creepy thriller, it just wasn't that creepy for me. I enjoyed the storyline, and the characters/setting are interesting. I enjoyed the dual timeline, and while I really enjoyed the Renee chapters, I didn't think they added to the creepy atmosphere. It's a quick, entertaining read.

"A HOUSE WITH DEADLY SECRETS.

A MOTHER WHO'LL RISK EVERYTHING TO BRING THEM TO LIGHT.

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."

Thanks to NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I thought I'd love this book, based on the blurb, but I had a hard time getting and staying engaged. I never felt connected to the characters. I enjoyed the creepiness, and the ending was a surprise, but it was a bit of a miss for me overall.

A creepy, bizarre, sinister read. Alex moves to an eco village and weird things left in brown boxes are left for her. She seems to be fitting in, but her son Ollie is miserable. And then there’s the mystery of what happened to that other family. It’s an ok read.

I give this 3.5 stars. Overall a good read. I think it could have benefited from some more character developed of the main character (Alex) and possible Renee as well. The story was good and it was well written, I just wasn't super invested in the characters.

I didn't finish this one. It just got a bit out there for me.
I'm not into paranormal at all and that is what this one is.
It starts out crazy and I read about 60% before finally just giving up.

I'm very sorry but this one just wasn't for me.

When Alex leaves an abusive relationship she has no idea of the challenges she faces. She is looking for a safe space from the man she lived with who threatened not just her safety and emotional health but that of her fourteen-year-old son and her baby. Her safe haven is an ecologically friendly place where other people are forging a new life. She knows only Kit, the charismatic salesman that attracted her to this place. Literally, as soon as she arrives weird things start to happen that make her question her own sanity and certainly the safety of her family. She is drawn to an old farmhouse on the hill, but it harbors a secret. A boy disappeared. If she can figure out the secret she may save her own family from what destroyed the family who lived there. The story unfolds and the reader finds out about the background of Alex, Ollie, her ex, and her own family. Alex herself sets out on a quest to find the answers to rumors and all the weird happenings in the peaceful community she has taken as her temporary and perhaps permanent safe haven. This is an interesting twisty thriller. The plot was fresh and the setting interesting. Thanks to #NetGalley#TheShadowHouse for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I liked reading this book, and trying to work out the clues to what happened in the past to Gabe, and what is happening to Alex's family.

I want to preface this by saying, I was gifted a digital copy of this book, so I could be wrong when I say there was no trigger warning given. This book includes depictions of self harm, violence, and murder.

That being said, I was deeply invested in this book from the very first page. The supernatural aspect had me guessing what would happen next and held me in suspense. I finished this in a weekend, barely putting it down to eat or sleep. That's how good it was.

But....then it lost me. The supernatural premise that had me hooked was not actually supernatural at all. There was a plausible explanation for everything that happened. And while that didn't completely ruin the book for me, it did bring it down to a 3 star read for me. The storyline was too drawn out for such an anticlimactic ending.

It was captivating and suspenseful, don't get me wrong. The ending just didn't do it for me. I think there was a lot of potential to have this be a supernatural thriller. It could have even developed itself into a thrilling series. But overall, it was decent.

Looking back at my review for Anna Downes first novel, The Safe Place, I can safely say that her sophomore novel is a vast improvement.  The Shadow House has a perfect build up to untenable tension.  I loved the chapter layout  that allowed the reader to see the story play out from opposite viewpoints.  Not as much Ruth Ware/Lisa Jewell as the previous novel, I'd compare this one more to Jodi Piccoult, but it would be enjoyed by any who follow those authors. There were a few storylines I would like to see more of, or a spinoff about Maggie.  Overall a very good book and a lovely cover.

The tense atmosphere-both due to internal and external circumstances- really set the stage for this one, and though it preyed on some parental nightmares, it was hard to stop reading. Set in a just-remote-enough eco-village, Alex really has a challenge dealing with her teenage son, an infant, and having run from her ex. Alternating with the perspective of Renee, years earlier, readers really get the unsettling, not-right sense about the place and people. A great sophomore effort!

I wanted this book to be about 75% better than it turned out to be.

#1 - I did not like a single character in this book. Frankly, I am Maggie. Renee was miserable. Alex was annoying and frankly, a bad mom. Gabe and Ollie were typical teenage boys and just....the worst. Even Kara was annoying.

#2 - the setting. An eco-village? COME ON. A farmhouse...that rains blood? NO.

#3 - The internet. NO. It's too easy!

I think there are so many ways to play with a plot and split timelines, especially with horror. Making the timeline less that 10 years apart and throwing in an unnecessary romance is really not it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Australian thriller with some supernatural aspects. Few trigger warnings would be self harm, animal abuse, and domestic violence. Although, nothing too graphic.

I really enjoyed this, it moved along at a steady pace. Flipped between two different main characters and time lines. Keeps your attention.

It takes place on a commune, which I thought was very interesting. Small group of people coexisting together like a family.

I really liked it until the ending, when everything is revealed. I was just so caught up, on a high, that when the finale came about, I was disappointed. Let down. I expected something more worth while. Totally my own doing though, because I created such high expectations while reading.

This is very enjoyable though and I will definitely recommend it!

Anna Downes' second novel is creepy, dark and downright scary at times. Tension builds just right and my heart was in my throat a few times. There are really two stories here - Renee's and Alex's, and the story is narrated by both of them. Both stories involve bones, dolls, and blood.

Alex flees an abusive relationship and moves, with her teenage son Ollie and her baby daughter Kara, to an ecovillage community called Pine Ridge. The community seems welcoming, the leader is charismatic, and Alex is somewhat attracted to him. There are some very unsettling things happening at the house Alex is living in though, and Alex is afraid for her children's safety. And there are rumors of a witch.

Renee lived on a farm with her husband Michael and her son Gabriel. Some creepy things happen and then Gabriel disappears. No one knows if he's dead or alive, if he was kidnapped, killed, or ran away. This farm is later the site of the ecovillage, Pine Ridge.

A chilling tale with good tension building. I found the teenagers' relationships with their parents to be something that is becoming all too common with technology and isolation. I generally liked the concept of the ecovillage community, even though anytime you get a group of people there are some that just aren't likable. All the characters seemed to have issues to deal with besides the creepy things happening. The book kept my attention throughout and I enjoyed the twists.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on April 5, 2022.

I enjoyed this story. I truly appreciated the family and friendship dynamics. This story shows how secrets can impact lives.

After reading the synopsis of this one I was pretty excited to read it. But, unfortunately it didn't live up to the hype.

Alex and her kids are trying to escape her abusive husband. They find a wonderful place that promotes peaceful living and think their lives are going to be better. But, when a dead animal ends up on her doorstep and tales start being told, she wonders what the truth really is. Has her husband found them? Or, is the farmhouse they are in harboring deep secrets that are causing some of the eerie happenings?

It kept me entertained, I just expected more.

In The Shadow House (Anna Downes) Alex moves to a work in progress small village with her two children, Ollie 14 and Kara 8 months. Alex is running (and hiding) from a bad relationship, hoping to start on a better path. Strange things begin to happen immediately. At times The Shadow House is painfully slow, but others it reaches up and grabs you by the throat. I want to thank
NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an early copy to review.

Creepy, atmospheric mystery novel. Alex leaves an abusive husband to start over in an eco-focused community with a charming leader. Things are not what they seem in any aspect of this book, and the story twists and turns, ending with a satisfying conclusion. The book has references to witches, and animal killings right at the start, which may put some readers off. I was willing to push through because I liked the main characters and felt invested in their story, probably because I have had teenage sons and could relate. I would recommend this novel for readers who enjoy psychological thrillers. *Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this tense and creepy tale of a mother who would stop at nothing to protect her children. Throw in a witch, a dual timeline, dual points of view, a little murder and a little horror. It was a gut-wrenching race to the last page with twists and turns that kept me guessing and quickly turning the pages.

My thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A quick read with a semi predictable plot twist. Held my attention but wasn’t blown away. Left me a little perplexed.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc

If this doesn't put you off living in a rural ecovillage I don't know what would. I like stories about people who chose alternative ways of life and while this was fiction, I felt like it did a good job of showing how for so many people they are running away from something as much as they are turning towards something and how what seems like the answer often comes with hard realtities.