Sweet Reviews: Shadow Manor by Candace Nola
- aejs19852
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
"A stranded young woman seeking shelter from a violent storm discovers a journal written by the former lady of the manor. As the storm rages around her, something more than shadows shakes the girl to her core.
Will she be able to solve the mystery of the manor before time runs out?"
This is a haunting tale of sorrow, grief, and empathy. Nola creates an atmospheric setting and her prose fills the reader with dread as we turn the pages, eagerly wanting to find out what tragedy transpired in the mansion nearly one-hundred-years ago, and, also, what will become of our present-day MC, who we know only as Sinclair.
The story starts out on a dark and stormy night as Sinclair walks a desolate road after being dumped by her boyfriend. She suddenly finds herself in the looming prescence of an abandoned victorian manor, her only option of shelter from the weather. As she explores the old house, she is overcome by the sensation that she is not alone.
And she isn't.
A heaviness fills the halls as she seeks water and a way to warm up some soup and tea to help calm her nerves. She establishes herself in the library, the only room that doesn't feel oppressive, where she finds a candle and settles in to wait out the storm.
Then lightning flashes, revealing a shadowy figure in the yard---the source of her unease and feeling of not being alone. But as the night progresses, we learn that there is more to the story. Sinclair finds an old diary hidden in the master bedroom that changes everything.
By morning, Sinclair has found far more than just shelter from the elements. This night will stick with her forever.
The descriptions of unease, terror, and tragedy, are incomparable to anything else I've ever read. Other than Breach, and Desperate Wishes, both also written by Nola. She has a way of pulling you into the worlds she weaves, making it impossible for you to escape. Until the last words.
If you like haunted house stories, this is one for the books!
Where to find Shadow Manor: Amazon https://a.co/d/fG7s5Le
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