Three and a half stars......
I was really wrapped up in this gothic story about a family with many secrets. I enjoyed Marshall’s writing and loved how her words played as scenes in my head. At times throughout the novel I was a bit confused because a lot was happening quickly. The ending went on for too long to the point I got bored.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was super mysterious and intriguing and I genuinely did not guess some of the plot twists. I really liked the characters and representation. It was nice getting to see how Helen interacted with everyone, especially given the mysterious background of her childhood.

The one thing that made this a little harder to get through was the pacing. The book takes place over a year, but I felt like it was really hard to tell how much time was passing most of the time. I do think this had the intended effect, as Helen herself doesn't realize how much time is passing and keeps forgetting things. It just felt a little too jarring to me.

Overall, I think this is the perfect spooky read if you enjoy a little mystery. The queer representation was also super casual.

The vibes of this book were immaculate. It was very reminiscent of House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland. I was here for every single eerie page. The ending was phenomenal. Im trying to think of something I didn't enjoy about it, but nothing comes to mind. 5 star read. Would recommend.

<b><u>5 Reasons to read These Fleeting Shadows</u></b>

<strong>1.) Helen is an intriguing protagonist searching for the truth. </strong>She's <strong>awkward, bad at social interactions, and just a bit strange</strong> (which I very much related to). Her life has never been stable, she's been moving around all her life because bad things start happening once she stays too long in one place. <strong>Helen's feeling of isolation and like there is something wrong with her becomes a central part of the book</strong>. She becomes Mistress of Harrow to gain the inheritance of her deceased grandfather but she's still pretty much the black sheep of the family. No one will tell Helen what is going on, so she sets out to find the truth herself.

<strong>2.) The book is very atmospheric. </strong>I love how Kate Alice Marshall always manages to infuse her stories with a <strong>sinister, eerie atmosphere</strong>! The book is <strong>set at Harrowstone Hall</strong>, an old mansion that has been the Vaughan family home for generations and things are feeling off from the very beginning. The place feels like it might be haunted, even though everyone insists that there are no ghosts. <strong>Helen is drawn to Harrow's secrets and the house keeps playing tricks on her mind</strong>. The endless corridors and maze-like interior seem to serve a sinister purpose. The writing style really made the strangeness of Harrow and Helen's estranged family come to life and I loved how vivid it was. These Fleeting Shadows would make the perfect autumn read!

<strong>3.) Desmond & Celia are great secondary characters. </strong>They are Helen's cousins and immediately welcome her into the family. I especially <strong>loved Desmond, he is funny, charming, and loves all kinds of riddles</strong>. That's why Helen enlists his help in order to find out more about Harrowstone Hall. <strong>I loved their friendly banter</strong> and that Helen had someone in her family to confide in. Celia was also great, she could be a bit withdrawn but has a good heart and was genuinely trying to do what's right. In the end, I even came to like Eli, the brother of Helen's deceased grandfather.

<strong>4.) The sapphic enemies to lovers romance. </strong>Since Helen has to stay a year on Harrow's ground she meets the groundskeeper's daughter: Bryony Locke. Bryony also isn't like other people, she's the supposed 'witch of Harrow' and seems to notice things no one else does. <strong>Initially, both girls start out as enemies, Bryony hates the Vaughan family and Helen isn't used to people liking her</strong>. Throughout the book, both of them draw closer and try to solve the mystery of Harrow together. The understanding and tenderness between them were warming my heart, especially as it was in between horror and grief!

<strong>5.) It's such a fast, addictive read. </strong>I finished this book within a day because I was so intrigued and at a certain point I simply couldn't stop reading. <strong>I can never resist a good mystery and I loved the themes that were present</strong>, such as the meaning of humanity and the price of power.

<strong>IN CONCLUSION.</strong> ➽ <em>These Fleeting Shadows </em>is a <strong>great, atmospheric supernatural thriller</strong> that you won't be able to put down! I was hooked by the mystery from the very beginning and loved how romance and horror were interwoven here!

Similar to other books by this author, this one builds the creepy factor a little slowly at the beginning. The reader, like the characters, can at first find rationalizations for why things are off. As the story goes on, there's no denying the paranormal. The reader finds themself questioning the reliability of the narrator.

This is different from some of Marshall's other books in that it's a straight first person narrative instead of a collection of documents and different accounts of the story. It's a satisfying read for someone looking for a haunted house with a twist.

Now this was the YA Horror I’ve been waiting for! It’s creepy AF and I had the hardest time putting it down.

Helen is forced back to her childhood home of Harrow. It turns out her sadistic grandfather put together an elaborate plot to get her back to the house after he will’s (he literally changed his will and then died) her back to take over as Mistress of the place. Now she’s forced to live there for a year but when things start happening and she starts losing time she becomes determined to uncover its secrets.

With the help of some unlikely friends, including the “Witch” of Harrow, there may be more than secrets to be uncovered. This was the perfect mix of thriller and horror. I was definitely creeped out throughout the story and would definitely recommend it for those who pick up horror during the spooky season! You will not be disappointed.

This was such a good thriller! It kept me guessing and intrigued the whole time! The characters were likable and well developed. I would definitely recommend this to everyone!

Reading this book feels like you lived in limbo. Floating around like you were trapped between reality and the afterlife. That's how eerie I felt about the situation. You'd know what I meant if you've read Rules of Vanishing.

The mysteries surrounding Harrow confused me (in a good way) thus I couldn't stop reading because I wanted to know what happened. What causes all of this stuff that happened in Helen's life? Why did her mother decide to flee from Harrow? Why was the house built like a labyrinth? Why was every family member acting strange, not just because they were mad Helen will inherit the mansion but because there was something more like they were hiding secrets? Sinister secrets.

When the answers were revealed, I seriously did not see that coming. Twists after twists blew me away!

Though I found the romance feels out of place and a little bit unnecessary, but they were cute! Out of everyone, I like Bryony the most. But I would prefer a more emotional bond between Helen and her mother so when <spoiler>the ending when Helen said that she loves her Mom, it would be believable and shake the inner feeling or motherly nature of her Mom<spoiler>

Overall a great YA horror which I enjoyed!

TW: gore (stabbed, mutilation), violence against children

Thanks to @tbrbeyondtours and the publisher for giving me a copy in exchange for a review.

Hello, new best book ever. Definitely a favourite of this year. Amongst many. I think I’ll have to sort them by age range and category. This for sure would fall under the YA Horror category. And book by an author I’ve read before. I very much recommend it. And all of Marshall’s other books (even though I’ve only read two books now).

Ever since I read Rules for Vanishing some time back (maybe 2019?) I knew that this author would be a firm favourite of mine. She once again proved it with These Fleeting Shadows and will further prove it when I get to her other books.

The blurb for this is The Haunting of Hill House meets Knives Out. I still haven’t watched Knives Out but Hill House is one of my favourite TV series so I had high hopes it would deliver on that – it absolutely did and much more. It actually made me want to rewatch Hill House straight away (which I’ve done now

The writing was absolutely phenomenal. It drew me in, it kept me captivated throughout the entire book. I never felt bored, I never felt like the writing was boring me. I always thank the book thoroughly when the writing doesn’t bore me – you will too when you go from a boring book to an exciting one.

Helen is the main character of the story and I love her so much. There was a moment at the start of the book where I thought I wouldn’t really like her but that quickly turned around and I did love her immensely. She’s a strong character, stronger than she thinks she is. She’s curious (but also how curious do you want to be in a horror story?) and that helps her to be a stronger character. She’s a bit apprehensive when it comes to relationships (who could blame her, though) although she improves at that as the book carries on.

The house is also the other main character in this. Which might not make sense but if you’re familiar with a lot of haunted house stories (or have watched The Haunting of Hill House), you know what I mean. The house has a rich history (albeit bad), there’s a lot of stories that have happened in the house, countless of people who have lived and died in that house. That all makes it as much of a main character as Helen. It has its own agendas, its own story to tell. It has secrets that it reveals to us and to Helen.

The family and the family dynamics that we get in this book was written so well. You get to know the family and (eventually) the secrets, but there’s still so much you don’t know, or could know about the family. All that just adds to the mysteriousness of everything – the book, the house, the plot – so well. Also I would not like to be in this family. Married in, biologically, legally adopted, basically part of the family (like you have your preferred mug and you do chores).

As I did with Rules for Vanishing, I read most of These Fleeting Shadows late at night – as in after midnight. I recommend and I also do not recommend doing that. It’s scary and the writing and the plot just make it so much scarier so maybe don’t read it late at night? But also to me it just elevated the reading experience that much more. I also listened to the Hill House soundtrack while I was reading the book, to further push the vibes of Hill House. That I do recommend – it was quite fun.

Bryony was an absolute delight to meet and get to know. I’m always for the quirky characters, the ones that other people always think of as weird – probably because that that’s me. She knew who she was and she wasn’t afraid to just be herself, plus she encouraged Helen to be more of herself too.

The book is more than just a family and a house and secrets. It’s about knowing yourself. Who you are on the outside versus you on the inside and how you portray yourself to be. It’s about not letting other people decide who you are. It’s about acknowledging who you are.

This book has a great premise with the combination of The Haunting of Hill House and Knives Out! It certainly caught my attention at first and I wanted to give it a try even though horror is not a genre I would usually go to.

The plot was actually interesting to follow. The eerie atmosphere and scary monsters at night are well written. The pacing was a little slow in the middle but it picks up again in the last few chapters.

I really like the growing relationship between Helen and other characters in this book. However, her romantic relationship with Bryony slightly felt like an instant attraction.

I have to admit, some parts can be confusing, some parts is a bit hard to envision and I keep trying to guess where the plot is going.
But, everything will make sense near the ending once the big puzzle comes together and the twists are revealed.

Overall, it's a pretty good read. It has the creepy vibes with a mysterious element that makes you keep flipping the pages to know what really happen.
If you love to read YA horror mystery then you can check this one out!

Thank you to Netgalley, Kate Alice Marshall, TBR and Beyond Tours as well as Penguin Young Readers Group for giving me this e-arc and letting me be a part of the book tour. I'm leaving this honest review voluntarily!

Actual rating: 3.5⭐

If I had auto-buy authors Kate Alice Marshall would so be on that list. My husband would have a coronary if I did that though. Anywho, back to gothic greatness! There's a beautifully sinister magic to Marshall's writing style and I've adored everything I've read by her so far.

These Fleeting Shadows is a touch on the idea of the novel The Great God Pan. The synopsis calls it a mix of Knives Out and The Haunting of Hill House. I think I'm more prone to agree with Marshall's authors note however. This novel pulls together a town's mystery of missing girls, a dark folklore of gods and ghosts and the estrangement of rich and weird extended family. It was the sinister creep I needed in my evening reads.

Marshall brings a lot to the plate for this novel. The way women were viewed as property, the push away of certain family members based on color or sexual orientation, keeping bloodlines pure, misogyny and a host of other eyebrow raising and spine-tingling scenarios. Atmospheric is not enough to describe the scenes portrayed in these pages.

The character depth was more along the lines of what I like. Outcasted, dark spirit and light touches of abilities that tie into the plot. The inner monologue was a lot but instead of dwelling on repetitive, it fit the disjointed labyrinth of what the MC, Helen, was dealing with. The twist was one I didn't see coming and the slow building romance was probably my favorite part next to the horror aspects. I'm utterly surprised how well it all fit.

The narration is done by Megan Trout. There are four characters I adored and each one was given a distinctive voice that held throughout the novel. The perfect amount of emotion too!

It was a little longer than I expected and a few parts felt rushed. Overall though, it's exactly what I like and this is just another reason I'll grab anything by this author. If you love YA gothic style horror that feels like something you'd find snuggled alongside Poe and Lovecraft, look no further. True rating 4.5/5.

These Fleeting Shadows is a young adult horror novel by Kate Alice Marshall. It is described as "The Haunting of Hill House meets Knives Out in a bid for an inheritance that will leave Helen Vaughan either rich...or dead." Does that not sound like the best book mash up ever? The Haunting of Hill House is my favorite scary movie ever and Knives Out is another one of my movie favs, so to say I was super excited to read the summary for These Fleeting Shadows is the understatement of the century. This book lived up to everything I was expecting it to be. It was so much fun, spooky and kept me on the edge of my seat. I absolutely loved it!


In These Fleeting Shadows, our main character Helen, inherited her family's ancestral estate- called Harrow (even the estate name is spooky) from her grandfather. However; The inheritance comes with one condition: she must stay on the grounds of Harrow for one full year, or she'll be left with nothing. When Helen gets to Harrow, things start to really get interesting. Helen is starting to wonder if the nightmares she has been plagued with her whole life are somehow linked to Harrow. I absolutely loved trying to solve the mysteries of the house. That aspect of the story is very much like Hill house, which is exactly what I was hoping for. I am obsessed with a mysterious maze of a house that changes to try and hide its' own secrets.


I will say this book was darker than I expected it to be. I was expecting creepy and spooky, but I wasn't expecting some of the theme explored to be as dark as they were. It was all very well done. Be sure to check out the trigger warnings for the book before you dive in. (Content warnings include body horror, murder, gore, violence, abuse, misogyny, grief, references to sexual assault, experimentation, mutilation.) If you are a fan of haunted house stories, These Fleeting Shadows is one you do not want to miss. I loved this book! And it gets bonus diversity points for the sapphic romance.

P.S. If anyone knows of any other books, tv shows, movies like The Haunting of Hill House, I would love to hear it!

Let’s get one thing out of the way first: Despite how the publishers summary begins, this is definitely not “Knives out meets The Haunting of Hill House.” Only in terms of the very basic and loose premise of the book is this true.

The novel has nothing in common with Knives Out and very little in common with Hill House. So, fair warning. That said, it was a surprisingly good story and is well worth a read regardless of the misleading comps.

I love the “there’s something wrong with the house”
trope, and it’s well used here in a manner that is creepy, intriguing, and unique. Marshall created an excellent setting for the story, and mostly delivers on weaving that setting into a strong sense of place and atmosphere.

Conceptually I think the fantasy elements of this were good, if a bit convoluted and confusing toward the end. There is some obtuseness to both Helen’s role relative to Harrow and also to how she extricates herself from her predicament that I didn’t love, but the bones of it were good and there’s plenty to like about the book aside from some half-baked magical concepts.

These fleeting shadows were so good and will be the perfect reread for fall! The story and setting were chilling and the twist was perfectly set well! This was a wonderful tale of mystery that will keep you guessing!

✨ PRINCEMAN REVIEW ✨

What's the season you're always looking forward to? ❄️☔️☀️ 🍁

🍂 For me, it's always the fall! I love the smell outdoors, colors, pumpkins 🎃, and BOOKS!!!! One book that I have been anticipating to kick start the season is #thesefleetingshadows by @kmarshallarts!!!! Trust me, you'll want to grab this one!

📝: "I promise to tell the truth. But first, I need to lie."

17 year old Helen Vaughan was born at the Harrow Family Estate, but she hasn't been back for years! Helen and her mother fled one day, never to return again. Then, her Grandpa Leopold dies, 🪦 and Helen inherits everything! The only catch...she must remain at Harrow for an entire year. But strange things keep happening, and Helen wonders if Harrow might be connected to all the missing girls.

What I 🤍:
🛏 YA Horror (But Won't Keep You Up at Night)
🏚 Haunted House
🌪 Twisted Secrets & Lies
🏳️‍🌈 LGBTQ+ Representation
💕 Interesting Characters

I was invested in this book from the very first chapter. Marshall did a phenomenal job of setting the "creepy" scene, while also keeping me guessing the whole time. Also, the last 20% takes a very CRAZY left turn! 🌀

Prince's Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Steaminess: 🔥 (Kiss)
Read If ➡️: You want the perfect book to kick start Fall, or you loved the Truly Devious Series.

I honestly can't remember a time I asked so many questions as I read. The mystery and disturbing family dynamics had me gripped! My only wish was that there had been a family tree at the beginning of the book. I ended up drawing one out, but all the characters are so interesting, that you'll want to understand how they connect.

🌟 These Fleeting Shadows is out NOW! 🌟

Huge thank you to @tbrbeyondtours and Kate Marshall for gifting me a free ARC of this book! To read more on this Book Tour, check out TBR Beyond Tour's Website.

Thank you to Penguin Teen for providing me with an e-ARC of These Fleeting Shadows in exchange for an honest review!

I decided to sit with this overnight before giving it a star rating/review & friends, I landed on a perfect 5-star. There's no reason for me not to give this all of the love; it was perfectly creepy, very trippy & I kept wanting to know what the heck was going on. I am pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this one!

Characterwise, we have some characters we're unsure if we trust, while other characters we insta-fall in love with (or is that just me? Love you Simon & Desmond!) As this book is pitched as Knives Out meets Haunting of Hill House, the Knives Out part is sure to tell you that a lot of the family sucks. But that's okay because that adds ~spice~ to the story!

These Fleeting Shadows gets a bit trippy & confusing, especially towards the end. I was so confused as to what was going on, that it had me quickly rushing through the pages to figure it all out. Love a book that keeps me hooked & questioning.

& that sapphic romance, baby!! I was shipping it hard the entire time!! Loves it.

I think These Fleeting Shadows would be a perfect addition to anyone's spooky season TBR! Creepy house, family secrets & in general, an atmospheric read? Yes, please.

Harrow House is a mysterious building. It is a real labyrinth, you need to stay inside your room during night and every single time another revelation comes to light. Will Helen ever be able to leave Harrow House after one year? This is a question that follows the reader during the whole novel.

“These Fleeting Shadows” can definitely be defined as a strange book, and the description that “The Haunting of Hill House” meets “Knives out” fits perfectly! I loved the writing style, and it was just the perfect amount of horror for me to get the chills.

However, this book messes with your brain, and you’re constantly rethinking every single thing. I’m not even talking about the twists because they were mind-blowing as hell. I also liked the fact that Helen grew as a character as she had to solve dangerous mysteries and had to take care out of every thing currently out of control.

“These Fleeting Shadows” is a great YA Horror Novel that will have to be on everyone’s TBR in the future. It might even be the perfect Halloween Read.

Helen and her mother have left their ancestral home and she doesn’t understand why. Harrowstone Hall has been left to them after her grandfather has died, all of it, and she must return and live there for a full year or lose all of her inheritance. Harrow has always haunted her memories and returning will unleash why her mother left all those years ago.

A haunting tale of a house and family.. which I love a good story on, and this one didn’t miss the beat. It’s a slow haunting read with history. There’s creepy and disturbing instances that centers around missing girls and this house. And how heritage can taint us in ways we never knew.

If you’re looking for a YA horror thriller for the spooky season, I recommend this one for sure!

When I heard this book was The Haunting of Hill House meets Knives Out I knew I had to read it. The beginning of the story was interesting and had my attention. I loved the super creepy gothic mansion Harrowstone Hall, I'm a sucker for a setting that feels like a character. Around the middle of the book through to the end I was lost. Some of subject matter was confusing and so were the descriptions of it. There were a few sections that were very repetitious and really slowed the pacing. I didn't see the twists coming and loved the relationship between Helen and Bryony. Overall it's a solid YA queer paranormal/horror story that just slightly missed the mark for me. I will definitely try more from this author. Thank you to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for my eARC of this book.

I liked the spooky haunted mansion in the woods vibe, where the MC returns after a death in the family. It gives off a really cool, mysterious feeling but with a little dread thrown in. I was intrigued by the MC's "affliction" and what exactly it could be. The scenes were set well, and the twist was set up really nicely that I didn't see it coming. A great tale of murder and mystery plus an otherworldly being playing tricks on everyone's mind. If you are into ghosts, creepy maze-like buildings, and hidden rituals.