If Oscars were given out for opening chapters of a book, I’d hope Anna Downes would get one for this one. The opening chapter was deliciously creepy and drew me in right away. I instantly wanted to keep going.

Alex is such a broken character. With a teenager (who’s good at being a teenager) and a baby still being breastfed, she’s clearly worn out and looking for something new. Add that she’s running from an abusive relationship and you have a woman so mentally exhausted even the smallest shadows will play on her mind.

Alex’s story is told in the first person point of view (my favorite!) so we’re treated to the internal monologues of a person trying to stay connected with her disengaged teenaged son who clearly needs his mother now more than ever yet still care for a baby whose basic needs seem all consuming. I liked her instantly. I felt her weariness at life over all, her desire to constantly run away and her fierce love for her children.

Renee’s story is told in 3rd person but we are also treated to a kaleidoscope of emotion. I placed Renee at around the same age as Alex. While Alex has a baby to contend with, Renee has two overbearing, interruptive and opinionated parents to deal with. She feels their constant judgment of her as a wife and a mother while standing in the gap between them and her husband and her son, trying to keep the peace.

In the midst of all of this is a creepy force attempting to steal their children and their lives. It disrupts the very fabric of the lives of these two women at the very worst of times. It plays on their minds, steals their peace and leaves both women hopeless.

I really loved how these two stories were written. The events in Alex’s and Renee’s lives are lived perpendicular to each other at first but later in the story, they intersect in a most shocking reveal which I did not see coming.

I loved the ending, how just when you thought it was all over, it really wasn’t. Not until the very end and I have to say, I was so pleased with the ending each character got. It wasn’t unbelievable in any way.

If I have a critique at all, it’s how Renee’s parents were written. They could have been written as the insane, overbearing, judgmental people they were without adding in the Christian element. This is more of a personal remark as we Christians are almost always portrayed as Bible-thumping, unloving, calling Satan down, unreasonable people when most of us are not and most of us would not act like they did with our families. That being said, I will also add that it works well in this story. Go figure.

My recommendation is to read this! It’s not scary but it is creepy and will keep you engaged from the first page to the very last.

I really enjoyed this one. I thought the author did a great job of creating a creepy suspenseful atmosphere throughout the story and tying the two narratives in. I found the overall plot to be believable. I did find it dragged a little in the middle but maybe it’s because I was dying to find out how it ended. I had figured some things out but overall was still surprised in the end. A good story and I will likely read more of the author’s work.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A must read! The Shadow House will stop you in your tracks. It’s fast paced, well written and parts were just plain creepy. I didn’t want to keep reading before bed but I couldn’t put it down. …….. Great writing- descriptive and filled with intrigue. I’ll be looking for other Anna Downes books.
Thank You to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Special thanks to netgalley and St martins press for this e-arc.

What a good mystery!!!

Very interesting read, kind of spooky, a mystery, a tad of romance, what else can you ask for.

The only reason it wasn't a 5 star read for me was I found some of the character development was very good and some not so much.

There were some things that were never explained, which bothered me.

All in all, though, its a good read.

I loved this book! This was a great thriller. I loved the paranormal vibes from this plot.

In this book, main character Alex moves to a commune neighborhood with her teen boy and her baby. She is trying to escape a domestic abase situation. However, Alex is questioning her move when weird and spooky things start to happen. Things like items moving on their own, blood covering the walls, and random scratches on her son's body that he has no explanation for.

Thank you Net Galley for this book!

This book gripped me from the very beginning and kept me guessing. I finished it in one day. The story is about two women with similar events happening to them 6 years apart at an ecovillage in Australia. Strange and creepy packages start arriving like bones and hanging dolls and then things get even more weird. I loved the descriptions of the place and thought the characters were well developed. This book is more suspense and mystery than thriller. This is the first book by Anna Downes that I have read but it will not be the last. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Minotaur for allowing me to have an advanced copy.

A creepy and taunt read, The Shadow House will have you at the edge of your seat!
Alex is fleeing a violent relationship.Her and her teen son and baby have arrived at Pine Ridge, an eco-village in Australia. She is trying hard to fit in but having trouble juggling the multiple personalities and her son's anger of being uprooted from his life. Upsetting events transpire as she receives strange "presents" at her door and hears tales of a local witch who "steals people from their homes."

In a separate timeline, Renee lived in the same house in the past and lost her son Gabe. Alex and Renee experience many of the same events. It's scary, and creepy and there are many red herrings as you try to piece together what is happening and why.

If you like gothic thrillers, creepy books and terrifying twists, this is a book for you! #NetGalley #TheShadowHouse

Thank you so much for this ARC!

I was so blown away by The Safe Place. When I saw that Downes had another new book out, I requested it without even reading the description (and will continue to do so because she is just that good!).

Another fabulous book! Totally intriguing and creepy with such a unique setting. I love books told from different view points and this did not disappoint. At first I thought the characters were from different time periods, but once I figured it out, I was so impressed with how the two were weaved together and perfectly the story wrapped up.

Whoa. Did this one have twists and turns?! Uh huh! I felt this was going to be a good story and my feelings were correct! It starts out with Alex trying to make a new home for her and her children, a teenage son, Ollie, and baby girl Kara. Alex is trying to escape a toxic relationship and wanting better for her children. So she finds this echo village and decides to try that out. Once she gets there lots of mysterious, scary things begin to happen and as she finds out more about the property, she finds out another family once lived on the property and had a young teenage son, likes she does, that disappeared several years ago. It is a twisted tale with many jaw dropping moments. One time you’ll believe you’ll know the whole story and then, nope, you’ll realize, there’s more. Only complaint I can make about it is there was too language in it for me, though it wasn’t completely throughout the book and I’m appreciative of that. But, for me, it was still too much, because I’d rather have none. So, anyone wanting to read this one be forewarned, there is language, not an extreme amount, but enough for me to say it bothered me. I can look over some, but every few pages, there it was again. The F 💣bothered me the most. Don’t believe there was any GD cursing 🤬, but if there were it was so little that I’ve forgotten it or overlooked it. I would have hated that. I’m rating this book 4 stars. It would have gotten 5 ⭐️ If there hadn’t been language in it. Thank you to #NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review with my honest thoughts. I appreciate it sincerely.

Genre: suspense/mystery/thriller
Pub date: April 5, 2022

In one sentence: When her son is suspended from school after a scandal, single mom Alex relocates to rural community Pine Ridge...but there's plenty of trouble there too.

I enjoyed Anna Downes' first book The Safe Place, so I was excited to read this one! Unfortunately, I had a bit of a hard time getting invested in Alex's story - I put aside the book for a week or so because I didn't feel compelled to read it. On the positive side: the action did speed up after about 50% of the way through, and I did not guess the main twist! I also think Downes did a good job building up a spooky atmosphere.

If you like your thrillers creepy, you may enjoy this one! Just don't expect a mile a minute thrill ride - this is more of a slow burn. 3.5 stars.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for providing an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Posted to Goodreads Oct 26, 2021. Review to be posted to Instagram closer to pub date.

I loved this book- so creepy and suspenseful. This is my favorite kind of story, where even things that seem out of the realm of possibility end up being explained in a way that does not make me have to suspend my disbelief. It centers primarily on Alex, who leaves her abusive husband with her 2 kids to move to an eco-village. As soon as they arrive, creepy things start happening and she fears for their safety. You also get the story of Renee weaved in- Renee lived on the same plot of land a few years ago and her son disappeared after experiencing similar events to what Alex is currently experiencing.

This book is downright creepy- from the actual things that happen to the feeling of foreboding that the characters experience, the author did a fantastic job of immersing the reader into the experience. All of the characters were flawed but believable; even when they made mistakes, I could empathize with them. Hints of the supernatural were expertly weaved in with the outwardly plausible happenings, leaving me to question what was really going on the entire way through. When all was revealed, there were multiple twists that I didn't see coming. There were no loose ends left untied and the culmination of the story, while sad, was very satisfying.

I would definitely recommend this book- I stayed up well into the night to finish it and challenge you to be able to put it down once you get going. I am excited to check out other books by this author. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Delightfully creepy and addictive. Told from two viewpoints, this book has you glued to the pages waiting for the next twist. For a second novel, Anna Downes has nailed it!!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you NetGalley, Anna Downes and Minotaur Books for this edition and hearing my honest review. Looking forward to reading more with you
#partner

The Shadow House by Anna Downed tells the story from the viewpoint of Renee and Alex. Alex has run away from her life to an ecovillage. Renee's son has disappeared from the farmhouse nearby. The author wove the story from the 2 of them very nicely. The story flowed from one viewpoint to another. A very creative story. I didn't expect some of the endings to the different characters. At first, I thought Renee was from a different time period, but came to figure differently. I wasn't sure what year the story took place, but did eventually figure it out. I will recommend. Thank you for letting me review.

This book was too disturbing for me to recommend to my students, though they probably would like the horror aspects of it.

This book was borderline too creepy for me, I wished it had focused more on psychological aspects of both Alex's and Renee's stories rather than using "horror' to illustrate them. Overall things were wrapped up and explained and there was growth for the characters. I was a big fan of her first book but this book wasn't for me

This intriguing, creepy, dark, and irresistible book had me craving more and more with each turn of the page. Putting it down as not an option and I read way past my bed time. This amazing author deserves every star I can give.

Alex is a single mother of two who goes in search of a fresh start after leaving an abusive relationship. They settle in a little place called Pine Ridge after leaving Sydney. Her eldest, a typical angry teenager named Olliver absolutely hates it. Alex believes it is exactly a place she wants him and her youngest to be raised. But there are disturbing secrets in this little town.

I was pulled in constantly with the author's very detailed and descriptive writing. I was hooked before I even started after reading what others thought. You know a book is going to be good when you are reeled in from the beginning.

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with an E-ARC copy to read and review. I can't wait to add it to my collection upon its release.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

This is exactly the kind of book you want to read on a cold weekend with a mug of tea under the covers. Trust me. It’s a bit OTT in a good way but suspenseful enough to keep you turn in pages. Perfect escapism. I really liked the characters as well, which always helps

Alex, a single mother-of-two, has escaped a bad relationship and has moved her children to Pine Ridge. Almost immediately strange occurrences and odd people began to appear. Then she learns hears vague stories of a witch, bones, boxes, dolls and blood. She is in fear for the safety of her son and begins pulling away the secret layers to learn the truth about Pine Ridge.
The description intrigued me and the story started off strong then it dropped for me. Right as I was about to give up the story picked up and my interest returned. The last half of the book kept me reading until the end.
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books and Anna Downes for this ARC.

When single mother of two, Alex, escapes to an eco-community, desperate to find safety for her family, she thinks she's found perfection at Pine Ridge. But behind the idyllic setting lurks a dark past, and when bizarre events begin to happen to Alex and her son, she fears that maybe she's taken them all to the most dangerous place in Australia.

Having enjoyed Anna Downes debut, The Safe Place, I was really looking forward to The Shadow House. I have to say that I was not disappointed. It's a quick and easy read and Downes sets up an eerie atmosphere in her Australian commune. I connected with Alex and loved her narrative, though I have to say I found it hard to be sympathetic to the teen boys in this--both the original missing boy and Alex's son, Oliver. I'm not sure I'm on board with books that want me to believe that the mother is going to go above and beyond to protect her precious children when the children in question act obnoxiously. But other than that personal pet peeve, I enjoyed this one and would recommend it to suspense fans out there.

Special thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for a review.

St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books Thank You! For this extraordinary new Anna novel!

I loved The Safe Place by Anna!

So I was freaking thrilled to have the chance to read another early release by this remarkable author!

Thank you St. Martin Press|Minotaur Books for this amazing approval!❤

The Shadow House is a damn good, phenomenal story!

Alex is a single mother of two.
She is set.on starting over for her kids to have a fresh new start!.
For both her and them.
She needs to get away from her perturbed past!
And that's when she finds a community in Pine Ridge.
But little does she know that she may have just unsettled hidden secrets in her new home.
When a series of weird events start taking place Alex fears and her and her family !at be in danger!
In order to keep them all safe she will have dig more into Pine Ridge and discover wild crazy things here!

WoW! This book is greater than the first..... I swear!
I've never been so hooked to a book as I was to this one!
This exceptionally written plot has many twists ya never see coming!
It is compelling and intriguing!.
What I loved most were the amazing well written characters.....
So damn realistic it is honestly the best!

A haunting, chilling story that will leave you wanting more of Anna's work!
And I seriously need another book NOW.... please! 😉😘
💀💀💀💀💀

Thank you again for this amazing new novel!
I will post to my platforms closer to pub date!