I didn't hate this book but I didn't love it either. I went into this expecting a period piece gothic horror. However, while there was the gothic element, the horror was definitely lacking.

The book was written extremely well, with a beautiful prose at times. I did like the setting and I found The narrator to be an interesting character indeed. They were times when I found it hard to follow what was going on. Nonetheless, I still understood the story at the end.

I don't think I'm the right target audience for a book like this. And I don't think it should be categorized as a horror. It's more of a historical fiction, with a slight supernatural element thrown in. It wasn't a bad book by any means, just not my preferred taste.

Thank you to Netgalley, Publishers and The Author for my eARC of this book.

The way Shank writes brings the horror to life like I have rarely seen. The characters are compelling, the ending was impossible to predict, and it was left HAUNTED.

Set in Hungry 1468, Andras ends up in Kuszkol, a desolate mountain fortress that is haunted, left abandoned for 60 years.
It is dark and atmospheric, written with a poetic lilt, but I did find that I did not always understand what was happening, so I just had to go with it.
The key link seems to be Andreas’ wife who had burned in a fire in a prison where she was being held for knowing and speaking things not possible.
Black shadows roam the castle halls, there is fierce winter cold, dead horses, men's figures covered in black soot and the disappearance of the men, one after the other.
While Andras was just there to deliver a letter, he wants to keep an eye on and protect Pal, his nephew who he loves like a son. As such he resists leaving when Pal goes missing.
The writing style is steeped in folklore. An evil fairy-tale if you will. It is quite spooky and unsettling, set in a bitterly cold and odd place. There is nothing much that is graphic, more mysterious and ominous. To that end there is reasonable tension, but mainly a sense of being lost and bewildered. I think I kept expecting more to unfold that it did. It kept me intrigued but perhaps a little disappointed. Overall it was just sad.

Loved! I give this book 4 stars because it has such a good storyline and plot. The characters are amazing and the writing is fabulous.