2.5 ☆

Shadow Sister is a thrilling book with moments that kept me on the edge, with a chilling atmosphere that made me hold my breath, a writing that had a mix of creepy and beauty and questionable characters all around was a novel that held me in and got me hooked. Although the pacing was off sometimes, felt a little repetitive and the timeline got me a little confused sometimes it didn't fail to keep my attention since i read basically 80% of it in a day.
However not everything is perfect and i did predict the twists which wasn't the worst part for me, i really didn't like the ending, it felt rushed and I really didn't know hot to feel or process it.
What really caught me off guard was the use of the t slur in the middle of a chapter that had no purpose except being there, it didn't matter to the story and the character never showed up again, I honestly had to reread it three times to make sure i wasn't seeing things. Even before writing this review I made sure to go back into it to see if it was actually there and I remembered it correctly, but yeah, it was. Plus there was quite a lot of fatphobic quotes. So that kind of ruined it for me.

Thank you NetGalley for sending me the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

TWS // use of t slur (transphobia), fatphobia, suicide, sexual assault.

Shadow Sister's twisting point of views, haunting manor, and spine-chilling ghost will keep you riveted to the page until the very end.

There was a great creep factor in this book! The set-up in the beginning really solidifies the mystery of Ava's mother's death and drives the reader towards wanting to understand what happened all those years ago. I also really enjoyed the idea of a ghost haunting this manor and the way it impacted both kids as they grew up in a very clearly toxic household with parents who were struggling heavily. The "ghost" was a great representation to show the weight each family member carried after losing someone close to them as it often appeared during moments of stress for the characters.

This book was very dialogue heavy. It's my first novel by the author and I found myself struggling to stay grounded in scenes as a majority of the text is dialogue between characters and very rarely contains scene descriptions. I do feel like this book could have been tightened up in that aspect and scenes shortened, some of the character interactions feel lengthy and slow the pace of the book down even further. Unfortunately, the excitement and mystery of the beginning is somewhat tamped down in the middle and I found myself struggling as the plot dragged. I also feel like my enjoyment of this novel was impacted by me figuring out the twist early on. I loved the split point of views, but it made it very easy for me to deduce where the ending was going.

I also wished there had been a content warning for some of the plotlines and throwaway additions in this book. Going into a thriller, I don't expect a lighthearted plotline, but I think some of the more uncomfortable implications of Didi's backstory should have been warned about like sexual abuse and fatphobia throughout. A simple one page warning with some of the content wouldn't take away from the impact of said content in the novel, but it would help readers understand this isn't a simple ghost story.

Overall, I enjoyed the author's writing! I think Marcott has a great voice, but I struggled with some of the decisions made in regarding to plot and character. I went into this book hoping for a haunted house story with a little more of a punch and instead got a revenge tale. I would be willing to check out more by the author at a later time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing me with a copy for an honest review.

Ava goes home to her childhood house seventeen years later. It’s always been haunted. Now there’s more than a ghost, but a new mysterious sister-in-law and an eccentric girl from the past who may be creeping around.

My favorite part of the book was the haunted house and the ghost. It was the best element in the read but I felt it could have been more deeply explored. I enjoyed Didi’s parts a lot more than the others and found myself looking forward to those chapters. It was a quick, easy, and entertaining read.”

Shadow Sister comes out 10/18.

If you like a horror mixed with thriller, then this book will be a perfect choice.

Ava grew up in Blackworth Mansion, which is believed to be haunted. But when her mother died mysteriously, Ava believed that her mother was murdered although no one believed her. Seventeen-years later, Ava returned back to her childhood home. Her vindictive father might be stalking her and her brother married Sarah, a mysterious woman with a past.

It was an OK thriller in my opinion. The first part was slightly boring and the story was told in multiple POVs--Ava, Sarah and a woman named Didi who worked in Blackworth mansion in 2003, the year Ava's mother died. It was quiet a slow burn in my opinion with a hint of haunted stories about the mansion. The ending was interesting however and the twist at the ending was quiet unexpected.

Overall, if you like a thriller with a horror element in it, this book is one for you. Worth 3.5 stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. The review is absed on my honest opinion only.

#ShadowSister by @LindsayMarcott is total fun! Lots of creepy moments and a twist I definitely didn't see coming! It could be any of this twisted and devious bunch! Terrific read, highly recommend.

P.S. Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC.

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. This was my first book by Lindsay Marcott and I really liked it! It had a creepy, gothic, suspenseful feel to it and it kept my interest from the beginning to end! I liked the writing style and the shorter chapters. I also enjoyed how it switched between Ava’s, Sarah’s and Didi’s perspectives.

As far as characters go, I liked Ava, Jamie and Thomas. I was not a fan of Sarah or Didi. Didi was just completely crazy (honestly, she was totally messed up😳). I also didn’t care for Christina too much either (Ava and Jamie’s mom). At times she was okay I guess, but there were so many things she did that really annoyed me.

The descriptions in the book were very well written. It gave me chills at times when it described the creepiness of Blackworth Mansion and “Cinderella” (the ghost).

The reason this wasn’t quite a 5 star book for me is because it was very predictable. I figured out the “twist” very early on but still enjoyed reading how the story unfolded. Although there was a part in there that I didn’t expect with Ava and Jamie’s dad so that’s was a nice little shocker.

Overall I did enjoy this one and do recommend picking up a copy when it’s released on October 18th. It’s a perfect book to read around Halloween time! Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

To see other reviews I’ve left, check out my Instagram and Goodreads accounts:
*Instagram - bookworm_traveler808
*Goodreads - Cherihy808

Thank you for NetGalley for providing me with this book for review. Well this book was not at all what I was expecting, despite that possibly better for it, it's a chilling thriller, with an hint of a ghost story, it kept me on edge, I raced through to the end.

This is a truly creepy book. The whole family, including Ava, are crazy and dysfunctional. The dad will haunt my nightmares. Makes me really great full for my family!.

Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again... is the Shadow Sister vibe but very different story and author voice.

I love books where the main character is forced to go back to the metaphorical or literal haunted mansion to confront the past. All day, every day I could read a variation of this plot line. Shadow Sister throws a crazed story into this beloved genre.

I don't know how to write this review because every line of the story is a potential spoiler. The book is high-stakes, fast moving, zany, evil characters with twisted motivations. It's just fun, the perfect vacation read.

The only real criticism I have is that the writing could have been tighter. There's a looseness that's difficult to describe. A severe edit in terms of strengthening verb choices or something like that, tighter language, would have elevated the book to the level of domestic thriller classic.

The author's plotting and character creation must have drained her because it's so well-thought out. I'll definitely read her future books because they're fun, really fun, and any author who adds a touch of magic realism to their story is an author I will read forever.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book. This is my honest review.

The premise was intriguing. A modern day gothic thriller. I sped through the first half of this book, However, by the latter half, I had guessed the ending. There were one or two minor plot twists but nothing exciting.

It's a fast read with good characters and not many surprises.

Whoa! Shadow Sister, by Lindsey Marcott, is one of those suspense novels that you really won't be able to put down! So, you're going to want to read this when you have your days off. All the lead characters were really interesting and well fleshed out. All the family drama makes this story, and the main character, fairly relatable.
The large mansion that Ava grew up in intrigued her and her brother's friends. But after their Mom became horribly ill, Blackworth Mansion seemed to lose any of its previous charm. Ava had never believed that her mom had suffered a natural illness before she died but no one listened to her.
Now it's several years later and Ava has decided to move back home. She's determined to learn exactly what or who killed her mother. But she seems to be dealing with a stalker and she has no idea who she can trust.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The synopsis of this book sounded interesting to me so I requested a copy to read.
Unfortunately, I have tried reading this book on 2 separate occasions and during this 2nd attempt, I have
decided to stop reading this book
and state that this book just wasn't for me.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

A long book, but a fairly easy read. Overlapping story of a woman who returns home to find out what really happened to her mother and her father. It is also the story of her brother and his new wife, friends and crush from her childhood and the abused daughter of the cleaning woman who worked there. How their stories all overlap and interact was pretty interesting. I did guess the main twist. Unreliable narrators, a ghost named Cinderella and issues with drugs and alcohol also affect how the story is told 3.5

Nicely written story about siblings, their eccentric yet intriguing mother character, and the house they have returned home to in order to reckon with their past and what will happen in their future. The question lingers... who is there to trust when the brother's new wife comes to stay?

Growing up, Ava and James lived both in the shadow of their mysterious, possibly haunted, house, Blackworth Mansion, and their artistic and flighty mother, Christina, who died young, presumably from a neurological illness. Ava, convinced her mother was killed, returns to Blackworth Mansion 17 years after her mother’s death sent her and her brother fleeing, determined to face the ghosts of her past and get some answers. She is soon joined by James’ new wife, Sarah, a friendly but secretive woman whom Ava can’t quite put her finger on. What exactly happened at Blackworth Mansion all those years ago? And what is happening now?

The book is told from multiple points-of-view along two main timelines: the events leading up to Christina’s death, and the present day.

This book has a great atmosphere: it’s gothic thriller set in a maybe haunted house along the Northern California coast, starring the rich elite who can afford to live in isolated mansions and homes made of glass and steel overlooking the ocean on steep cliffs. It paint a vivid picture doesn’t it? The author does a great job with it, too! The central mystery, the two questions posited at the end of the book description above, really draw you in right from the beginning as things start to ramp up as the book goes on. And there are plenty of twists to keep you guessing, so nothing is set in stone until the very end!

Although I have to say, the one “big twist” is pretty obvious. I obviously won’t post it here, but it’s pretty easily guessed. But there’s more to the story in there, which means that even with guessing that one, there’s still plenty of surprise to be had.

Also, the characters were great. Each was deeply drawn and I enjoyed getting to know them. They were all complex and layered. The author does an excellent job bringing them to life.

Overall, this is a great book for anyone looking for a modern-day gothic thriller with some good twists and turns. I’d definitely recommend it!

This is the eerie, creepy story of a California haunted house — where Ava and Jamie grew up, where their mother died at a young age of “natural causes” when they were young teens, and where adult Ava wants to return to before it can be sold (a trust prevents it from sale until the 29 year old turns 33) in order to stage her own “horror film in a single still” photographic art. Jamie, now a psychology professor, also returns with new wife Sarah (a young widow), who seems to have a strange interest in Ava and the house. Then Jamie disappears.

There are three POVs: Ava and Sarah’s in the present, and Didi’s in the past— who was a teenager who stalked Sarah when Didi’s mom was a house cleaner for Ava’s mother. Of course, you’re going to wonder if one of them (or more) is an unreliable narrator and how their stories are going to converge in present day.

BTW, you will want to Google “Τιμωρία”

Lindsay Marcott did an incredible job with “Mrs. Rochester’s Ghost” and “Shadow Sister” will equally enthrall thriller fans. 5 stars!

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO Tawny, blue, sad and bloodshot, but no green ones. Christina, however, has golden eyes (not rare, impossible).
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO The Monterey Peninsula has its own type of stormy haunted landscape. Ava’s brother Jamie is deformed by the “claws” of a juniper and Mom might have been poisoned by the plants she used in her paints.

Shadow Sister by Lindsay Marcott is a modern haunted house thriller about revenge. I read and really enjoyed Mrs. Rochester's Ghost from Marcott so I was excited to read this upcoming release.

Ava and Jamie were raised in Blackworth Mansion. It's a family house, haunted by a ghost of a murdered woman--the guest of a gin slinging family member from years past. Their father is a drunk, their mother is an artist and a wild spirit. In their youth, their mother, Christina tragically dies and they leave their home, never to return.

Except now...years later, Ava has decided to return home to confront her demons and to create HER art. Jamie is now a professor. Ava quickly realizes that the ghosts are still haunting her. Jamie calls with news, that he has gotten married and Sarah, his new wife, is eager to meet.

Then Ava and Sarah are thrown together because of an accident and trouble seems to follow. Ava deals with memories of her past - including her first crush reigniting, and disturbing developments at the mansion.

While I did have some of the "twists" figured out - I didn't have all of them. Like Marcott's previous work, I quite enjoyed Shadow Sister. She writes well thought out, full developed, adult characters. I really appreciate that about her writing--it's hard to find that sometimes. I'm excited to see what's next.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Ava grew up in a haunted mansion, envied by all her friends. But when her mother died mysteriously there, the thrills of Blackworth Mansion became nightmares. Ava never accepted that her mother perished from natural causes, but no one would believe her.
Seventeen years later, Ava returns home to unravel the truth of her mother’s death and her own demons quickly follow. Her estranged and vindictive father may be stalking her. Her secretive new sister-in-law lands on her doorstep with troubles of her own. And then there’s the strange girl who may or may not be haunting the grounds. Even Ava’s romance with her first crush is shadowed by her suspicions.
When Ava makes a terrifying discovery on the property, she must decide just how far into the past she’s willing to go. Some secrets can be deadly especially the ones Ava’s kept hidden in the dark.
Really gripping I couldn’t put it down really enjoyed this book totally recommend
Thank You NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer
I just reviewed Shadow Sister by Lindsay Marcott. #ShadowSister #NetGalley

A great mystery surrounding a haunted house and haunted family.Told from multiple narrators, the plot was enthralling enough to keep reading until I found out what was actually happening.A quick read too! Love this type of book.Definitely recommend to gothic readers.

Told through the lens of Jamie's new wife, Sarah, and his sister, Ava we follow the story of what is believed to be how Jamie and Ava's mom died. In a multiple timelines we also see from Didi's pov of how things played out. Was it murder or did their mother die from a disease like they were led to believe. The plot twist wasn't what I expected but it also left me feeling underwhelmed. Over all this was a fun palate cleanser mystery for if you just need an entertaining fun read full of red hearings.