I loved loved loved this book and listening to it was brilliant, this is a book I would highly recommend to book lovers.

This one was middle of the road for me. Might try it again later, but for now, I can't get into it. Really appreciate the review copy approval.

I was provided an audio ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

Alex is a single mom who tries her best to take care of her two kids. She's got a teenager and a baby, so trying to tend to both of their needs is hard. She grew up in an abusive household, so when she was old enough to get away, she did and never went back. As an adult, she's found herself escaping her own abusive relationship to protect herself and her kids. Alex moves her family to an eco-village in an attempt to hide out until she can figure out what to do next and hopefully start over. The residents of the village are mostly all friendly and the location seems like a great place to make a fresh start for Alex and the kids. Shortly after they move in, weird stuff starts to happen in their new home that seems to be tied to a local legend involving the old abandoned farmhouse on the land the village sits on and a witch. Alex's son Ollie seems to be a target of the threats, and Alex is determined to get to the bottom of who is sending strange packages and weird notes to her and her son. She isn't sure who to trust

This story alternates between Alex's POV and Renee's POV and eventually their stories come together. Renee's chapters take place several years before Alex's arrival in eco-village and they tell a similar story to Alex's trials with her own teenage son. He is obsessed with technology, gaming, and the internet. His story is very similar to what Alex is experiencing with her own son especially when it comes down to receiving weird and creepy packages. Renee's story unfortunately ends with her son going missing leaving and eventually forming the legend of the witch taking children. I did appreciate the twists and the reveals that occured in learning what was really going on. I had part of the story figured out but other parts I did not, and I really appreciated the way the author crafted this thriller so you didn't know what was coming next. You weren't sure if there was a witch or what was happening until the very end.

Overall I enjoyed this. I didn't particularly care for Alex's character until the very end. You don't really get to know and understand her until late in the book. Early on she is always running away from her problems and making emotional decisions in the moment. As you get to understand her character you understand why. I also could have done without the romance sub-plot. Other than that I thought Renee and Alex's storylines came together nicely in the end and the author did a good job mirroring Gabe and Ollie's experiences.

I listened to the audiobook version of this book and enjoyed the narrator. Though I was excited to read this book, given all the glowing reviews, and despite the premise that sounded very intriguing, it never really captured my attention and took me so long to finish. I'm not sure if I was just restless, reading this while following the disturbing and distressing developments in the war in Ukraine, but I just couldn't connect to the story of the characters. That being said, the writing is good and the setting very evocative. It may simply have been a case of bad timing for this one, unfortunately.

Oooh la la...that was a creepy read yet the author managed to keep the plot believable and relatable, particularly towards the end. The story was told using two timelines and involved the same small community in both perspectives. Sort of a then and now but with two different families. The publisher description sums the plot up well.

The audio performance was engaging. A gracious thank you to MacMillan audio and Netgalley for an advanced audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

Alex is a single mother of two trying to get away from an abusive relationship. She moves to Pine Ridge, a reclusive community surrounded by trees run by a man named Kit. When she moves into her new house, she discovers the disturbing history of the town, and the secrets the locals are keeping.

I enjoyed the alternating POVs between Alex and a woman named Renee, who's teenage son disappeared years ago. The story is definitely a slow burn, so if you're looking for something fast-paced, this may not be for you. I do think that the incorporation of the supernatural was really well done though. The biggest complaint I have is that I wasn't the biggest fan of the romance, it felt a bit unnecessary in my opinion and would have been better left out.

This story was spooky, sad, and unexpected! Really loved the narrators, especially Alex! I will definitely read more books by this author

I can’t help but love a good eerie storyline and boy, oh, boy this was it. I enjoyed her precious storyline The Safe Place but I found this one so much better. I preferred the audiobook over the reading. The narrator did a fantastic job in my opinion. It was still a slow build up but still a fantastic story. I think this would be a great October read!

I thought the beginning of the book started out strong but then it just fizzled out. I never really liked Alex, she seemed more focused on herself then anyone else. I thought maybe the book would have a creepy element to it but unfortunately it didn't.

This one was a bit of a letdown for me. It was interesting and well put together, but I just felt like something was missing or maybe it was just too slow paced? I'm not sure, but it didn't quite hit the way I wanted it to.

The mystery was there. I did like how the mystery played out, there was quite a good/sad story there. I think I wanted a little more creep factor though. It had the base of a good creepy story, but I think that part could have been explored a little more.

All in all a decent story. Great for anyone just getting into this genre or not wanting anything too crazy.

Thank you Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for this advance listener copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really liked this book. The story was interesting and I had no idea where it was going. Most of the twists were shocking and I couldn't stop listening.

I liked both protagonists, Alex and Renee. I liked the parallel telling of their stories. I loved the connection between the two stories and I loved the twist regarding the two stories. I won't delve into it much further as I don't like spoilers.

I liked that I had no idea which direction this story was heading in. Was it supernatural? Was it not? I never could tell. It fascinated me and kept me guessing. All in all, this was a solid 4.25 star book and I will be seeking out anything else Anna Downes has written or will write in the future. She's a master storyteller.

The audio was fantastic. I'm really not sure if there were two narrators or just one, but it sounded like Renee and Alex had different narrators and the story telling was amazing.

This book really benefited from the audio book approach both because of the Australian accents and because it separated the two main narrators nicely. Alex, a mother in her 30s, is narrated by the author. This allows the author's intention to shine through the narration, and Alex becomes a very sympathetic character because of it. On the other hand, Renee is narrated by a separate reader (Natasha Beaumont), and I found her voice rather annoying. It is sort of whispery, which sets Renee apart from Alex and I suppose adds to the ghostly atmosphere of the book, but I'm not sure anyone actually talks like that. The accents help keep the Australian location in the listener's mind, since otherwise the location (a farm turned into an eco-village) isn't firmly geographically unique.

Throughout the book, there is always the possibility of a supernatural explanation, which makes trying to figure out what is happening more difficult. A teenage boy, an isolated computer geek, disappeared about 5 years ago when the property was a farm, and now another boy (very tuned in to social media) is under threat of the same thing happening. Is there a witch in the woods...is the creator of some very creepy signs a member of the eco-community or actually a witch or maybe both? These are things that Alex must figure out if she is to protect her son at the same time that she must keep herself hidden from the man she fled from and raise two children alone in an unfamiliar setting surrounded by strangers. Pretty much everyone she comes into contact with at the eco-village acts in a manner that could be construed as creepy or suspicious at some point given Alex' frame of mind, so there are lots of red herrings to keep the story interesting.

The book was engrossing and kept me coming back to find out what was actually going on. I had a lot happening in my own life that limited my listening time, but I had no trouble dropping right back into the story each time I returned.

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.

What I did love was the narration. I loved the accents and the cadence, and it kept me engaged in the story.

No sophomore slump here–I liked The Shadow House even more than Anna’s previous book, The Safe Place. We meet Alex, a single mom with two children, just as she’s moving to a rural community to give her family a fresh start. The Pine Ridge community gave me culty summer camp vibes, which was the perfect setting for this tense thriller.

The Shadow House was one of those audiobooks that I listened to straight through. The story was perfectly paced, with some well-placed red herrings. While the reader may be able to guess some twists, there is no way they will be able to figure out all the threads. I really enjoyed how the ending came together!

Audio Review: I liked that the author, Anna Downes, read a few passages throughout the book. The other narrator was Natasha Beaumont. I loved the Australian accents. I always think listening to a thriller on audio lends a little more air of suspense to the story, and The Shadow House was no exception.

This book was so much fun! I loved the twists and turns, and really enjoyed the evolution of the main characters. It explores relationships between parents and children as well as female friendships and issues of trust and feelings of parent-guilt. I appreciated how this was not just the average quick beach read thriller - but actually hit on deeper character and emotional concerns.

If you are looking for more of a "gothic" feel for a domestic suspense or thriller, you will enjoy this one. I also listened to the audio and alternating between reading the physical book and the narrator was great. Loved her accent and I think the audio adds a lot to the story. I highly recommend this one as an audio book. Pick this one up for your upcoming summer vaca trip!

Thank you to Netgalley for my audio version in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a spooky setting and I really enjoyed these characters. I really liked the way it was told through the audio. I did have some issues with parts of the plotline, but overall it was really good and well told.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of The Shadow House.

This was a slow burn and I did not know what was going to happen. You can usually predict the ending, but I did not here. Great mystery thriller.

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!

4.5 stars rounded to 5

Very well written, twists and turns, never going in the direction that I think it’s going. Not the best character development, but I’ve seen worse. Narration was perfectly acceptable. Not too gore-ish for a suspense novel, which I appreciate.

I also own the ARC paperback of this book as well and will likely reread at some point to see if it’s even better the second time around.

(ALC received from NetGalley and ARC received from Goodreads in exchange for honest review. Thank you both!)

a creepy, atmospheric page turner that pecks at all a mother's worst nightmares.

A newly single mother, Alex, moves to a new little rural community, where she is determined to start a new life with her teenage son and baby daughter. Life wasn't always perfect but she loves her children and will protect them at all costs. Strangec things start happening, the town has a strange history, there is talks of a witch that will bring bones, then dolls, and finally blood before they go missing. Will Alex be able to protect her children here, well the towns eerie history be solved?

I was hooked to this one right from the start, told in a dual narrative of two women. I was captivated by the towns history and how both the two women's stories came together to uncover what occurred years ago. This thriller is tense, twisty, creepy, addictive unputdownable that you'll definitely want to add to your spring reading list.