The House of Light and Shadows is a dual timeline atmospheric gothic mystery by Lauren Westwood. Released 18th Feb 2025 by Boldwood Books, it's 298 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free. The first 3 books in the series are also currently available on KU.
The author uses an interesting storytelling device; each of the books is a standalone based around an actual (fictional) house and the mysteries of the past contained in it. In this case, a dilapidated stately house with secrets and echoes from sisters who lived there a century before and modern day estranged sisters tied to the house.
The author is quite adept at scenery and descriptive prose. It's not very flowery or overblown, but there's a palpable sense of dread and creepy atmosphere. There's an element of paranormal/magical realism, and although it's integral to the story, it doesn't overwhelm the plot.
The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 8 hours 12 minutes and is expertly read by Laura Kirman. She has a well modulated rich alto voice and does a great job of switching between a range of accents (from RP cut-glass precision to broad countryside) and a range of ages and both male and female without hiccups. Sound and production quality are high throughout the read.
Three and a half stars. Recommended for fans of gothic romance/mystery with paranormal elements.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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