The Shadow House follows Alex as she and her two children move into a new community called Pine Ridge. It’s clear that Alex is running from something as she tries to placate her teenage son about the necessity of another move.

Upon their arrival, Alex finds a box on their doorstep with a dead bird in it. Several days later, a similar box with a disturbing doll arrives. As Alex learns more about the land the community was built on, she begins to worry that there may be something sinister afoot.

I was expecting so much more out of this book. All along, I was waiting for a big reveal about Alex’s traumatic past and a big reveal about what was happening at Pine Ridge. I got neither. There was so much build up and suspense and it fell totally flat for me. There were random side plots of Alex getting to know the other residents, which I expected to all tie together, but they seemed to just be tangents that were ultimately hard to keep track of.

Thank you to the publisher for my copy - all opinions are my own.

The Shadow House by @anna_downes_writer is a fantastically well done psychological thriller that has just the lightest touch of what feels like a ghostly element to it. I loved that this story reveals itself with present day vs. past flashbacks from two main character perspectives. I loved the creepy mood. I loved the mom dealing with teenagers element. Incredibly good escapism reading!

I was not really a fan of the characters in this book and while it hinted at a supernatural presence, there was a logical explanation for everything.

I really enjoyed the dual timeline and how it all resulted in an ending that merged the two. It is creepy and atmospheric, but sadly left me wanting a little more.

As a fan of Anna Downes’ The Safe Place, I’ve been eagerly awaiting this latest book.

I found The Shadow House to be a slow burn at first. With two alternating timelines, it took me a while to feel like I was really invested in the story. But once I was in, I was IN. Atmospheric and creepy with a few solid twists, The Shadow House does an excellent job wrapping up a pile of mysteries in a really satisfying way.

3.5 stars rounded up for me!

This book was way creepier than I was expecting but I love a good creepy old house book so I was happy about that. However the book still didn't do it for me. TW - There is an animal death in the book and those always throw my reading off so it could be related to that. I also just didn't vibe with the MC at all. I also wasn't happy about the romance in this one. It didn't fit with the rest of the story. overall this was kind of an EH read for me.

I love a mystery/thriller book surrounding hidden secrets that tie together the past and present. Downes unfolds her take on this concept through dual narration, with Alex representing the present and a woman named Renee representing the past. The things these women experience are creepy and unsettling, which adds a great foreboding feeling to THE SHADOW HOUSE. I loved the way Downes built up the story, but when it came to an ending I felt that the book would have benefited from being shorter. I respect that Downes wanted to close all of the loose ends in this book, but it left me feeling like the ending was dragged out. There were several times while listening to the audio that I assumed I was on the last chapter, only to find out there were more hours left on the recording. This is my second book from Downes and I’ll continue to check out her work as it releases!

🎧: I did a hybrid approach of reading and listening to the audio with this one. Ultimately I enjoyed the narration so much I chose to stay with that path.

A huge thank you to Minotaur Books for my gifted copy!

Alex as long as she can remember has been a pick up and move sort when it comes to escaping her problems. Her son Oliver is no stranger to this type of life. So when his mom tells him it's time to leave again it comes as no surprise. What Ollie doesn't expect though is to end up at an eco community to start over. For Alex it is an escape from her abusive partner and father of her baby girl Kara, as much as it is an escape from the school drama that follows her son.

For Alex the eco-community is an opportunity for escape but at what cost and what risk to her family? The Shadow House, Anna Downes Sophmore novel addresses just such a question and so many more. Pine Ridge seems to promise the escape Alex craves and the opportunity to start over, but at what cost? Such is the question Alex starts to ask herself when she hears the whispers of the children around Pine Ridge and the boxes start to arrive. Boxes with dead animals and wax dolls and walls painted with what seems to be blood.

It takes Alex to realize that perhaps a different kind of past has come to haunt her. A past that is not her own.

The Shadow House is split between narration of Alex and of Renee, a mother who resides in a house at the end of Pine Ridge. The reader may question what relevance that Renee's story has to Alex, but when things start to happen and Oliver goes missing Alex begins to wonder if the past is repeating itself.

Secrets are unearthed that have been deeply buried for long and the dark past of Pine Ridge begins to reveal itself. Those Alex has befriended are not who they seem and the underlying question the reader is left to answer is just how far will a mother go to protect her children?

For a Sophmore novel I truly felt that The Shadow House was a home run. The story was as fascinating as her first novel , The Safe Place, which I highly recommend if you have not had the chance to read it. Downes herself shows an expertise in leaving the reader engaged and drawn into her characters. In my opinion any of her novels could easily be made into movies or a tv series. Regardless if that came to be, I certainly recommend the Shadow House and eagerly await her next book. Until next time, Happy Reading!

Alex and her two kids have recently moved to the very rural community of Pine Ridge. Her teenage son is not at all quiet about his displeasure in having moved YET AGAIN while it seems her baby is constantly crying. I really felt terrible for Alex and her situation. All while struggling to get her family acclimated to the new living environment, she also needs to make a good impression on other residents so she will be allowed to stay past the three month trial period. Assuming she wants to stay that is...

Soon after moving in, Alex is told about a witch that lives in the woods. A witch that leaves strange gifts and "signs" that she has marked a family. She hears the story about another teenage boy that went missing years prior. The story is eerily similar to the struggles she has with her own son. Alex eventually finds herself digging deeper and deeper into the mystery....

I gave this a 3 star rating, could be as high as 3.5. I think I was expecting more of a haunted house story and that is not what this is. I found it to be fairly slow paced and was sort of disappointed in the ending. Its not a terrible book by any means, so if you are looking for a slow paced mystery this might be exactly what you are looking for.

Alex flees her old life in hopes for a better life for her and her kids. She finds herself in this close-knit community, Pine Ridge. Everyone instantly seems welcoming. That is until she finds out about the witch. "First the bones, then the doll, then the blood. Things arrive and then she takes you."

Not only is Alex dealing with trying to fit into her new life and community, she has to deal with her unruly kid, Ollie. Now this kid, IMO, is horrible. The way he talks and acts towards his mother made me cringe everytime. Alex is at her wit's end once she finds out about his internet activities given the trouble he got in in his previous school. With a baby and a teen she's exhausted until she begins fearing for her son's life.

This one had some suspenseful times as well as some very creepy moments! I do feel as though it was a slow burn for me. The first half was setting the tone for the book, but it was quite slow. Towards the end it did pick up as everything unfolds. The creepy "witch" the mysterious child disappearance, and the new to her Pine Ridge Community was fun to put the pieces together and figure out. It was a good read and I'm looking forward to read more from Anna Downs!

I was so intrigued from the very start because this book had so much going on (in a good way!) that it kept my attention and had me guessing throughout the entire story.

Creepy at times and full of suspense, reading this one late at night had me on edge wondering if a witch would get me in my sleep - which in my opinion makes for the best kind of thriller read!

Written in dual POV along two timeframes, Downes kept us invested in everything going on while tying it together in a way that had me in awe. Alex, a mom on the fun from her previous life moves her and her children to a close-knit rural community. Renee lived in the farmhouse on the same property where strange things happen leading up to the disappearance of her son years before Alex and her family move in. As Alex and her children are trying to get settled in, strange things start happening that have an eerie familiarity with the rumors going around about what happened at the farmhouse.

For me, this had just the right blend of what if. At times I worried it would end up being a supernatural story (this has happened to me a few times lately, and just not typically what I love reading) but the way Downes wraps up the story arcs and what's happened to both moms in a way I didn't see coming but makes so much sense, all done with such great pacing.

Mixed in with the thrills of the book were some tough issues that I thought were so well written. Alex and her relationship with her teen while also being a new mom, struggling to fit in with, and knowing who to trust in her new community were so raw and relatable and made her character so interesting to read.

Thank you BookSparks + Minotaur Books for sending me this title to read and review as part of the #SPRC2022 campaign!

As Alex runs away from a volitile domestic situation, she brings her two children, Ollie and Kara, to a place where she believes they can have a fresh start. Pine Ridge is an "in the growing proces" ecovillage begun by people who had the desire to live in a way that would be environmentally friendly. While on the surface people seem friendly and anxious to make Alex's family seem welcome, underneath there is a growing uncertainty fueled by someone in the village.. The dark history and scary tales told by the village children put Alex on high alert to find what is happening with her son and witchcraft-type things that are showing up at her house. While the story takes some turns to find the truth, I found that I could not get invested in either the story or the characters. The underlying story/truth seems inevitable and yet there are some side-stories that seem incomplete and an after thought to pull the story along. I know that many people will really appreciate the writing and storyline. Unfortunately this time I struggled. While the rating will show a 3--- I see it more as a 3.5. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read and review this advance reader copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #TheShadowHouse #NetGalley.

The Shadow House
A Novel
by Anna Downes
Pub Date 05 Apr 2022
St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books
General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers




I am reviewing a copy of The Shadow House through St Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books and Netgalley:



A house of deadly secrets!



A Mother willing to risk it all to bring those secrets to life!




Alex is a single Mother of two who 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, for the most part!




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.




I give The Shadow House five out of five stars!



Happy Reading!

The Shadow House is centered on a single mom who has just moved into a rural town from the get go creepy things start happening to her.

This book is definitely atmospheric I could feel the warmth of this small town on my skin. It had some good twists in it and kept me guessing. It never really scared me, but it kept me interested enough throughout.

If you like slow burn atmospheric creepy thrillers you will enjoy this one!

Alex is a single mom trying to escape and start over in an up and coming eco village. Thinking she found the perfect safe place for her kids weird things start happening. This started out for me really good a creepy house, new weird neighbors, and witches and just took a turn i didn’t really see coming. I did enjoy it. More like a 3.5 stars

The Shadow House by Anna Downes is a thriller about Alex and her two children. They have recently moved to Pine Ridge, an eco-village, to get away from Alex's abusive ex. Soon after their arrival though, strange things start happening. As Alex looks into the history of the area, she finds out that a teenage boy went missing several years earlier, and the events leading up to that boy's disappearance are sounding very familiar to her. She will do anything to protect her children, but who can she trust? This story was a little strange at times, but I still really enjoyed it and found it to be a very quick read. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

The Shadow House is a thriller about Alex and her two kids. They recently have moved to a new eco-village setup, which her son is NOT happy about. The author did a great job holding back all the details, making me wonder what was going to happen next. Soon, things get creepy, and it's revealed a boy went missing previously. Alex knows she must protect her children, but from what? From whom? And who can she trust? Decent read, wasn't sure how I felt about the ending. Would definitely read her next book.

The Shadow House by Anna Downes is a thriller about Alex and her two children. They have recently moved to Pine Ridge, an eco-village, to get away from Alex's abusive ex. Soon after their arrival though, strange things start happening. As Alex looks into the history of the area, she finds out that a teenage boy went missing several years earlier, and the events leading up to that boy's disappearance are sounding very familiar to her. She will do anything to protect her children, but who can she trust? This story was a little strange at times, but I still really enjoyed it and found it to be a very quick read. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

Good thriller that will keep you reading with a "eh" kind of ending. Loved the dual timeline and couldn't wait to see the outcome of the book, but the ending was just ...okay. The epilogue was also a bit too long. All in all, a pretty good read.

Honestly, I don’t know what I can really say about this one without spoiling it. It’s a slow burning suspense that had me feeling anxious and on edge for most of the book. I was distrustful toward just about every single character in this book, and felt like I was going at bit mad trying to figure things out, and by the end I still wasn’t remotely close to figuring out what was going on.

Anyway. If you love suspense that builds slowly and will keep you guessing and second guessing, then you absolutely need to read The Shadow House!

Reading Between the Wines book review #27/135 for 2022:
Rating: 3 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book 🎧: The Shadow House
Author: Anna Downes
Genre: General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers
Available now!

Sipping thoughts: This was definitely a spooky read, hence the title and book cover. I was a little confused with all the characters and sometimes was completely lost. The further I got the easier it was to follow. This was not a knock you over read but was interesting and the spooky factor made it a little better. I will be interested in reading another Downes book.

Cheers and thank you to @StMartinsPress, @MinotaurBooks and @NetGalley for an advanced copy of @TheShadowHouse.

#TheShadowHouse #AnnaDownes #StMartinPress #MinotaurBooks #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

Thank you to NetGalley, Anna Downes and St Martin's Press for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

The beginning of this one was a bit slower than I thought it should be, but then it picks up and gets dark quickly. It's definitely more of a slow burn and it's very ominous the whole way through. The end gets very fast paced and action packed and I can honest say that I was thoroughly surprised by what happens and who was behind the entire thing.