It's not often you come across a historical fiction novel set in Wales and the atmospheric, gothic setting of the remote Plas Helyg estate was a refreshing change. The eerie village, shrouded in Welsh folklore and occult mysteries, provided the perfect backdrop for a story filled with creepy and disturbing moments.

Susan Stokes-Chapman's writing style is rich with vivid descriptions that brought the gloomy Welsh landscape and its sinister secrets to life. The plot is full of twists and turns and kept me guessing right up to the end.

I really liked Henry as a character with his determination and logical approach to unravelling the mystery. But it was Linette who truly stood out for me. She’s fiercely independent, refusing to conform to society's expectations of her as a woman, yet she also has a vulnerable side that makes her incredibly relatable. Her dynamic with Henry added depth and warmth to the story.

Overall, The Shadow Key is a must-read for fans of gothic mysteries and historical fiction.

The book takes a bit of getting into as there is a lot of screen setting. I love that it goes into a lot of Welsh folk tales, it made me reminiscent of the mabinogion tales from childhood. I originally thought those that did not have an idea of Welsh would struggle with some of the words. Later finding out the author is not originally Welsh themselves it has been well researched. About 60% into the book is where it gets particularly good, with twists and turns for a lot of the characters. So do give it time for the story to get going. I love Henry and Linette, other characters are a bit hit and miss on how they develop as the story goes on.

Welsh Gothic folklore, what's not to love? It's beautifully written, atmospheric and devilishly dark at times. The characters are rich and well developed and the overall plot is intriguing. The opening chapter is definitely the most 'scary' it gets, and it definitely hooks you in to the mystery.
I absolutely love historical fiction and love reading about folklore, mythology and magic so this was a great read for me.
Lack lustre ending dropped it down a star for me, but overall an enjoyable read.

I really enjoyed reading The Shadow Key, the theme of occult had me intrigued and the story was engaging. The characters were realistic and developed well. The descriptive writing created a world that was immersive and I really enjoyed getting hooked into the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading "The Shadow Key" by Susan Stokes Chapman. The story was engaging and kept me hooked from beginning to end. The characters were well-developed and relatable, making it easy to become emotionally invested in their journey. Chapman's writing style is descriptive and immersive, painting a vivid picture of the world she has created. Overall, "The Shadow Key" is a great read that I would highly recommend to fans of fantasy and adventure novels.

I don't normally enjoy novels with an occult theme, but The Shadow Key had me hooked from page one. That's because it's predominantly a fine historical novel that brings the time and place (19th century, a small mining village in Wales) vividly to life. It's completely immersive.

Henry, a surgeon, has been forced to leave London under the shadow of a cloud, after being dismissed from his position. He takes up an offer from a landowner, Lord Julian, to come and be the local physician serving a remote Welsh village. The extent to which he is not welcomed by the locals surprises him, but Julian's young cousin, Lynette, tries to help him adapt. He also befriends a local herbalist, Rowena. The Lady of the Manor, Gwen is considered unstable and even mad, and is confined to her bedroom most of the time.

As tensions mount in the village and strange events occur, Henry seeks to understand why he was really invited to come here, who he can trust and what is really going on.

It's an intriguing tale, well paced and beautifully written. I was sucked in and thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Occult in Wales.
Henry is a disgraced Surgeon, when he is dismissed from his London post Lord Julian from a small mining village in Wales engages him to be the Doctor for the Village and for his household. Henry at first finds the village stifling added to the dislike bordering on hate of the village's inhabitants. The Lady of the Manor, Gwen is mostly confined to her bedroom as she is thought insane and unpredictable. Julian's cousin Linette runs the estate and cares for the villagers, although she has a violent temper and dresses in her Fathers cast off clothes, her and Henry get on well. An accident at the mine changes things as Henry, Linette and the local herbalist Rowena all work together to save the miners.
Gwen continues to be unpredictable but Henry meets her in the garden and she is quite lucid, he visits her and discovers that she is being drugged by her carer. The plot picks up pace here and Linette and Henry discover Julian's true motive for engaging Henry and his deep involvement in the occult.
A well written novel, with lots of surprises and information.
Thank you Susan and NetGalley.

🎧Audiobook Review🎧

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I want to thank NetGalley for approving me for an ARC of this book. Special thank you to @wendyreadsbooks for the buddy read.

🕯️Gothic
🗝️Folklore
🕵🏻Mystery
🗺️Historical Fiction

The whole tone of this book had me on edge from the start. The mystery surrounding the village of Penhelyg and Henry Talbot's arrival intrigued me. Susan Stoke-Chapman has a lyrical prose the draws you into the story, I especially loved the Welsh folklore that was weaved throughout.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was a gripping read, I thought the characters were intriguing and I'm going to keep an eye out for more from this author.

This was a gripping read, I thought the characters were intriguing and I'm going to keep an eye out for more from this author.

This perfect new novel from star author Susan Stokes Chapman is ALL you’ll hope it will be. Set in Wales where tensions and grudges run deep, new doctor Henry Talbot arrives from England without welcome from the mining town’s community. Aiming to do his best, he looks for support where he can, but comes across further mysteries and more questions he can’t answer alone.

Readers follow Henry as he navigates the landscape and townsfolk, faces languages barriers and questions all he thought he knew. Superstitions and folklore are a part of life here, but at what cost, and how is Henry connected?

Brilliant characters, a wonderful setting and twists galore make for a great read. I adore a dark and twisty historical thriller and this has all the elements of a classic.

I thoroughly enjoyed Pandora when it came out, so requested this new release – and again it was a good time! I love what she does with her stories – historical settings, with some supernatural happenings, where we never really find out if any of it was real, or all man-made. The atmosphere is great, and I enjoyed the Welsh setting for this story. These books remind me of Laura Purcell, who does a similar thing though leans much more into the supernatural rather than straddle that line like Stokes-Chapman does, and I find I really liked both of those angles. I’m very interested to see what she writes next!

How lovely to read a good historical novel set in Wales for once! It's moody and gothic, and a nice read. It didn't blow my mind, so solid 3 stars.

An atmospheric mystery story set in an eighteenth century Welsh village full of wary strange people who don't like strangers. Oh yes, and a big old gothic mansion to boot.

At a time when superstition was being replaced by scientific observation in the Age of Reason, a modern doctor arrives to a sleepy Welsh village from London. Obviously, the locals do not take to him so much so that his life is in danger. They cling to their own ways, their traditions and folklore and other things they don't wish to share.

Stokes-Chapman has a writing style that is perfect for this type of tale. Timeless with very few modern phrases, it almost could have been written in this period. The story is told from two points of view in the third person, where the newcomer tries to decipher why he is so unpopular. The tension and atmosphere is a slow build up, with plenty of narrowing eyes and pauses while folk struggle to keep the secret. The secret, when it is revealed, is not a pleasant one and is exposed in a huge divulgence.

A story about social class, privilege, trust and identity, this book shows how people keep to the status quo even if it doesn't serve them. I love how Welsh mythology weaves through the tale as well as the details of the Welsh landscape. Added bonus is the dog, who makes an appearance on the wonderful cover and is illustrated throughout. A glossary of Welsh words and some pronunciation make this a complete reading experience.

Pandora fully cemented Susan Stokes-Chapman as an auto-buy author for me so The Shadow Key has been such an anticipated read.

When Dr Henry Talbot is offered a job in Wales, his circumstances force him to take it, but when he arrives he learns that the accommodation he was promised has been burned down and that the locals hate him.

Befriending Linette, the owner of the estate where he is living, he learns that his predecessor died under mysterious circumstances, and that that’s not the only strange thing that has been happening in the village.

Told from both Henry and Linette’s point of view, I was hooked from the first chapter. The setting of rural Wales fitted perfectly and I loved the lore, which was very well researched. The tension builds as the mystery is slowly uncovered in this gothic setting which is written beautifully.

A beautiful and gripping read set in the 18th century full of folklore and mystery. I loved the myths,legends and stories told and the Welsh history was brought to life beautifully in Susan Stokes-Chapman’s writing.
It was so interesting to learn of the mines and the history of the house and family. The research undertaken must have been extensive.
The details of the characters personality’s added such depth to the story- the twisted beliefs, the delusions, the hatred all wrapped together to make a superb tale.

What a very enjoyable read. Set in Wales in the village of Penhelyg in 1783. Dr Henry Talbot has been dismissed from his job in London and the only job he can get is with the Tresilian family looking after the family and local villagers. Arriving at Plas Helyg Manor House he meets Lord Julian Tresilian, his cousin Linette and the servants who are less than welcoming. Although Linette owns and runs the estate her father lost the mines to Julian and he has an overseer who runs them on his behalf. This is very well written and very immersive although there were some parts written in Welsh that weren’t translated which drove my need to know brain crazy!

Briefly, Henry soon realises that his life here is not going to be simple. The house he was expected to occupy has been trashed, the villagers treat him with distain and someone tries to shoot him! It’s hard for him to understand why they hate him so much just because he is English. Then he makes a discovery that leads him to believe his predecessor did not die a natural death. Putting his trust in Linette and a local woman who uses herbs to treat the villagers he starts to investigate.

This wasn’t as dark as I was expecting but that was fine. It was an entertaining gothic read with some good characters some of whom are very unpleasant and not always the ones I expected. I could almost feel the disdain from the villagers as Henry tried to introduce himself to them and I did feel sorry for him as he was reaping the rewards of the actions of others. There were some very good red herrings and some shocking reveals. A delightful historical novel with a great storyline. I loved it.

This was some story, started fairly normally but boy, did it develop. Devil Worship, black magic and every thing that goes with it. Some great characters who changed as the story developed. A book like this needs a great conclusion and it certainly had that.

"Within each of us there lies a devil."

It's 1783 and Doctor Henry Talbot's illustrious career as a surgeon in London is over following a scandal. The only place he can find a job is as a village physician in rural Wales. There, the people are inexplicably hostile towards him, and as a man of science, he doesn't understand their beliefs in myths and magic. When he discovers his predecessor's death doesn't make sense, he decides to investigate.

Linette Tresilian is the owner and manager of Plas Helyg, the estate paying Henry's salary. She's nothing if not unconventional – she's outspoken, walks about in men's clothing, and runs the estate with competence. But, Linette, for the love she's shown her villagers, is lonely. Her father is dead, her mother wastes away while battling demons no one else can see, and her strange cousin, who had acted as her guardian, believes she is as mad as her mother, and wants Henry to prove this.

Together, the two will try to uncover the truth and discover dark secrets that are decades old.

This work of gothic historical fiction has an element of magic realism to it and I enjoyed it immensely, though I feel like the magical element could have been played up even more. The author's research into Welsh life near the turn of the 18th century shines through strongly.

Henry is very rigid in his beliefs, which can be frustrating, although his quest for answers is admirable. But the star of the story is Linette, who just doesn't give a damn about men's (and society's) expectations of her as a woman. She's fiercely independent and has a strong sense of justice, but still has a vulnerable side.

I think I like this story even more than the author's previous book, 'Pandora', which is saying something. A fun read, especially if you're interested in the history of Wales and its people.

A Gothic tale in the middle of Wales. A doctor with a hidden back story. Something odd in the Village. I was intrigued enough to jump in, but intrigue only gets you so far.

The most Gothic part of the story is the first chapter, beyond that it limps through foggy bumps in the night and shadows in the corner. Not likely to keep you up at night reading or with fright.
However, the characters are interesting enough to keep you reading. Even the servants in the wings are well written and add to the story. The village comes alive and its the characters that kept me going through the story for the first three quarters. The last quarter squeezes it all in and rushes to the close.
That last quarter twists and turns and, thankfully, wraps up the intrigue the other three quarters dispensed at a very slow pace.

Grab this book for a bedside table read. Don't worry, you wont need to keep the lights on afterwards.