I want to thank the publishers for my ARC copy but I was only able to get to 41% before I gave up. The plot seemed a bit like Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes with a dash of Birdbox throw in. I got bored and just could not continue on. I wish Kate Alice Marshall the best and hope other readers find this a worthy read but it just was not for me.

I really enjoy Marshall’s writing, and the concepts are compelling. However, I always feel like theres something off. The plot goes one step further than I want it to. (Maybe that just means I want more ambiguity in my horror). This was good though! I’ll always pick up books by this author.

This is a weird mix of The Inheritance Games and House of Hollow, but I think horror fans will love it. It's creepy and full of betrayal, gaslighting, and confusion. I'm still at a loss for words with exactly what *happened*, but it's unlike anything I've ever read so there's that.

*Thank you to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review*

Check out the aesthetic video I made for this book on TikTok & Instagram @katherinebichler. See the links below: ⬇️

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRABqXjJ/?k=1

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cgb8sh...

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
4.5/5 STARS

This is a YA paranormal thriller/horror. Since it isn’t my typical read, I went into it with an open mind and I really enjoyed it.

Helen’s grandfather dies, leaving her a mansion & inheritance in his will. The catch? She must survive living in the house for one year. Things are not what they seem as she encounters strange creatures and tries to solve the mystery of the house before it’s too late.

This book was the right amount of spooky and strange for me. It was unpredictable with a twist at the end. If you liked The Haunting of Hill House, you will enjoy this book.

There was a bit of forced romance that I thought the book didn’t need. It didn’t quite go with the story line. But other than that, it was good!

Thank you Penguin Teen & Viking Books for Young Readers for the advance reader copy! 🖤👻🏚

This book was good but it wasn’t my favorite and I usually love all things horror. I just felt a bit disconnected with the story. The premise is what originally drew me in Knives out meets Haunting of Hill House. It didn’t feel much like Knives out I was waiting for more witty twists and high stakes but it fell into more the horror.

I enjoyed the characters and the plot but the romance felt a little Insta love. I did enjoy the clues and the mystery surrounding the Vaughan’s and Harrow house. The weird things that are happening to Helen the main character are what kept me reading but the pacing at times felt slow and I often found myself putting the book down and had to remind myself to pick it back up.

Overall it was okay for a YA horror and at times had some creepy elements. I would say give this a chance if you’re looking for a weird creepy sapphic horror book.

Thank you PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, Viking Books for Young Readers for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was really intrigued by the premise of These Fleeting Shadows, especially since it seemed to give off the same vibes as This Poison Heart, The Dead and the Dark and Knives Out but unfortunately it just fell flat for me. I spent a good chunk of the book confused about what was going on, but did appreciate the final twist.

Admittedly, I think horror may not be my thing, but I found the pace to be far too slow and meandering. Somehow, Helen's memory lapses didn't speed the story ahead but made it feel longer, possibly because clearly action happened that we needed to backtrack to? The mythology-building was OK. I did like the reveal, but thought while the precedent for the memory lapses had been set, the build-up to Helen's plan wasn't well set up. The romance story was very charming and well-handled.

This was just as strange as Kate Alice Marshall's other YA books and I loved it.

There isn't a ton more to say besides what is in the synopsis or I would give it away. The pacing is a bit slower, but it didn't feel like it dragged much. And I didn't see the twist coming.

Helen spends much of the book confused or sick. But she does fall in love with the witch and becomes close friends with her two cousins. I loved all of these characters. The house itself was odd and the creature type things were super creepy. There is some blood and gore, but it wasn't overly graphic. Just enough that I could picture it well. The Vaughn family's history was interesting and I enjoyed the translated journals throughout the book. There were times where it was hard to know what was really happening. I just really enjoyed reading this and found it hard to put down.

I gave this book 5 stars. Kate is still an auto buy for me.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my earc.

What would make you want to live in your ancestral home, with family you don't remember, from where your mother took you and fled from when you were seven?
1. Inheriting a butt ton of money? eh no thank you
2. LIving with family, most of whom have an obvious issue that you're getting the butt-ton of money and the house? eh nope
3. Finding out all of the answers about why you are the way you are? Why you can see things others don't? Discovering all the super creepy dark family secrets?
check... yep that's the one!

When Helen and her mother return to Harrowstone Hall for her grandfather's funeral, she has no idea what is about to happen. If she stays in the house for one year she will inherit the house, and everything else. She has been dreaming about Harrow for as long as she can remember, so this is her chance to uncover why this house she can barely remember has such a hold on her, and why she is the way she is and can see the things she does.

This book took me on a crazy ride, it sucked me in, Harrow wouldn't let me go until I reached the very last page. There are things that go bump in the night, girls who have gone missing, all referred to as Harrow girls, a house built like a Labrinth, designed to confuse, and underneath sordid family secrets, and a monster bound to the land... and to Helen.

I love the way Kate Alice Marshal writes, it's so atmospheric and makes me feel like I'm right in the middle of the story along with the characters. This has a crazy this that I did not expect, and absolutely loved! I thought it was just what I wanted it to be and I can't wait to see what she comes out with next!!

Helen was born at Harrowstone Hall, the grand and mysterious mansion estate that has been her family's home for generations. So why did her mother take them both away, never to return? And why does Harrow haunt Helen's dreams, drawing her back like a moth to a flame? Helen may finally get the chance to return to Harrow and find out, when her grandfather passes away, and mysteriously leaves the entire estate to Helen. However, her inheritance comes with one condition: Helen must spend one year at Harrowstone Hall, without leaving, otherwise she and her entire family will be left with nothing.

This story had everything I love. A creepy, possible haunted mansion, a young heroine determined to uncover its secrets, a hint of horror, a hint of magic, and even a cute, understated, sapphic romance. My only complaint was that the pacing did seem to move a bit slow at times, and it was sometimes difficult to keep track of Helen's many family members. But overall, it was a beautiful, mysterious, dark, moving, and enthralling adventure that I loved being on.

Thank you Penguin Teen for this ARC!

Thank you @tbrbeyondtours and @kmarshallarts for sending me this to review!

What a strange and wonderful little story! Part haunting of hill house, part Knives Out, and part gory LSD trip 😅 It's a story about a messed up family with a terrible secret, about what it means to be a monster and untangling the past to find a new way forward.

Overall, even though I didn't always know what the heck was going on, I enjoyed this read! It's spooky, and you never quite know what is real or who to trust but I let the author guide me along this twisting path and was surprised by the way things unfolded. I think at times it is a little too convoluted, it was hard to keep track of the tangled web of their family history, but the writing was vivid and intense. Overall, I give it 3.5/5 🌟!

I really wanted to love this story. I absolutely loved Knives out and Haunting of Hill House is one of my favorite books/shows. The comparison between this and that, set me up with high expectations. However, I felt like These Fleeting Shadows didn't live up to the expectations it set out for itself.

I really struggled to connect with the main character, Helen. I felt she was hollow at best. But it wasn't just her I had trouble connecting with. All of the characters felt unlikeable, even the ones I think we were supposed to like. Bryony was the closest character that could come to likable, but even that is a stretch.

The plot was...a lot? I don't know how else to describe it with spoiling it, but it felt like it was trying to hard to stand out by pulling a plot twist. And the twist makes sense, it was just weird. I wanted to read this book because I was expecting at best a quirky, gothic mystery a la Knives Out or a haunting ghost experience like Haunting of Hill House. But it was none of the things.

I did like the creepy, gothic atmosphere Katie Alice Marshall described. I think it created a spooky vibe that would interest some readers.

Oh. My. God. I am absolutely in love with this book! It's hands down the best book I've read all year, and I can't wait for you all to read it. Ready or Not meets House of Hollow with a dash of the Upside Down, this had absolutely everything you need for a hot, summer thriller. The twists and turns were out of this world, and I didn't see a single one of them coming. The reveals were perfectly timed, the mystery surrounding the house was spooky and dripping with tension, and the family was just creepy enough to make you question everything. I enjoyed the addition of the witch on the grounds and their subtle but sweet romance, but I especially loved that ending. I haven't read an ending that satisfyingly perfect in such a long time. I was worried that everything would be fixed all neat and proper, but I was blown away by everything that happened. You would do yourself a disservice if you didn't pick this up next month.

What a great creepy read! These Fleeting Shadows has The Haunting of Hill House vibes! The history of the house and what happens to its inhabitants provides readers with an explanation of the Vaughan house. This story was not predictable and will keep you wanting to read every creepy page.

I really liked the idea of this book, but I felt that it was not well executed. The story and characters were not developed. I really hoped it would improve as the story continued, but I stopped reading about 1/3 into this title. I may still purchase for my collection, but I'm undecided at this time.

I so wanted to like this book, it sounded like the perfect horror/mystery book. I’ve enjoyed other YA horror books, so I went into this one with an open mind. Yet…something about it just didn’t work for me overall.

I loved the book Hill House, and I’ve never seen Knives Out (so I can’t say how it compared to that), but I felt that the book was a tad bit…boring? I liked Helen, just felt that as a reader I wasn’t invested with her. What I did like was her relationship with Bryony. It was a bit of an insta-love romance, but I liked it anyways.

I even liked the atmosphere of the book. At times it felt a little campy and reminiscent of the original Dark Shadows TV show, but I liked that aspect of it.

There is a weird connection with the house and ghosts — and those are things I absolutely adore in books. I am still not sure how I felt about them in this book.

I think one of the issues I was having was with the writing style of this book. It just didn’t jive with me. I felt some aspects of the dialogue were stilted, and just awkward to read.

I liked Desmond a lot in this book and how he was helping Helen. Some of their interactions were really amusing.

There was a twist I wasn’t expecting; and I did enjoy that part. It kept me reading until the end of the book!

The book was good and I think it is going to appeal to a lot of people, it just didn’t end up being the best book for me.

Helen travels with her mom and stepdad Simon to Harrow; the place where her maternal family has resided for decades. Her grandfather has died and left Harrow and the responsibility of being the master of the manor and the family to Helen. If she doesn’t agree to stay, everyone in the family will lose their entire inheritance. Mystery surrounds the manor and the family. Several girls have disappeared through the years and it seems that Harrow is in the middle of the suspicion. An old journal is found describing the founder of Harrow, Nicholas Vaughn. In the journal are descriptions of poison and separating body parts of victims to control a being known as the Other. Nicholas wanted power and control and he found both by sacrificing girls to this being. Things have gotten out of control and the power is loose. Helen discovers more than she’s ready for and she wants to stop the violence but she’s going to need help. An unusual story about greed and twisted ideals, 4 stars!

Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. This book just jumped to the top of my favorite books this year. I had no idea what I was expecting and went in largely blind (I got "Hill House" meets "Knives Out," my favorite book and a film I love respectively), and was blown away. I'd argue it's more "Ready or Not" meets "White Is for Witching" meets sapphic cosmic horror and that rules. I am not at all mad about that. I was not entirely sure what the plot of this book was for about 80% of it, but the vibes were immaculate and extremely gay (I was pleasantly surprised to see so many queer characters and a queer main relationship, which I wasn't expecting in the genre!). This was a proper horror book in the best possible way; it was incredibly compelling, and I stayed up far too late several nights in a row to finish it. I didn't see the twist ending coming--in part because I was too confused but just along for the ride up to that point to even start to guess at it--and for a bit I was worried that it would ruin my experience of the book, but everything pulled together in a satisfying, hopeful, beautiful way.

There's likely a very strong analogy in here for not only violence against women but also about cycles of violence in families and the teenage--particularly queer--experience of being unwanted, unwelcome, and trapped by a home. It's a primal scream of a book, and it's marvelous.

This is a book like no other I have read, in part a feminist horror story and in part a love story, and in all parts strange and unsettling. Helen and her mother are called back to Harrow House, a place they ran from years ago, when the patriarch dies. Without understanding how or why Helen knows she has a connection to this house and the dark things that lurk in its heart. As Helen learns more and more about herself and her family it is clear that she is inextricably tied to this house and even the love of the Harrow Witch can’t truly sever that bond. What follows is a fantastic tale that can only be read to be e lei ed but one that certainly pulls the reader in and makes them turn the pages in wonder.

So I greatly enjoyed Marshall’s Rules For Vanishing which I read over the course of like two days around Halloween, so when I saw this was available for request, I jumped on it.

I’m so glad I did.

I’m a sucker for a good atmospheric spooky book and this is IT! Pitched as Hill House meets Knives Out, that’s exactly how this starts: Knives out but with way more bones. Somewhere along the way, that creeping sense of dread solidifies into a horror that’s downright cosmic, and while it’s a very different place than I’d thought we’d end up considering where we started, I appreciated how bonkers it got (and I say that affectionately.) Both this and RULES started off as a ghost story that veered hard into cosmic horror by the end, and if that’s Marshall’s brand then I am HERE FOR IT!

The only so-called complaint I had was when the fate of a side character I was fond of was revealed, I found that to be just gut wrenchingly sad. But the fact that I felt that strongly shows how talented the author is.