House of Shades: A Gripping Historical Thriller About a Black Doctor in Victorian London

by Lianne Dillsworth

A dark, immersive tale, steeped in atmosphere, of a woman's search for the truth.

Doctoress Hester Reeves has a new commission which will take her away from her canal-side community in Kings Cross into the upper echelons of Fitzrovia society - to Tall Trees, a house full of secrets and darkness.

Hester's charge, Gervaise Cherville, is in rapidly declining health. But on arriving at Tall Trees, Hester quickly discovers there is a bigger purpose for her. One that involves her carrying out dangerous work - which will upend the lives of many others, including Hester herself.

If she is to survive her time at Tall Trees, Hester will need to draw upon all of her strength and ingenuity...


Praise for Lianne

'A fascinating, empowering story of a young woman's search for identity and justice in Victorian London' JENNIFER SAINT

'Dillsworth is a class act' Woman & Home

'Highly recommended for anyone who loves mystery, drama and Victorian London' LOUISE HARE

'Memorable' Sunday Times

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Gothic, Horror, Fiction, Mystery, Audiobook

256 pages, Paperback

First published July 16, 2024

Reviews

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this story strangely flat. On reading the blurb and seeing the cover, I expected a gothic and atmospheric read, but I didn’t feel that either the writing or story delivered. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

[Nads · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book wasn't what I expected. The description made it sound as though it was going to be more of a gothic, almost supernatural/historical fiction novel. It became obvious as I read that where the house held secrets, it was the family itself that held the secrets. This is a story of an ailing slave owner who owns a plantation in Honduras. Despite the act making it illegal to own slaves being passed, Mr Bright, the local priest, urges Gervaise Cherville, owner of the plantation and a factory in London with a great fortune, to repent and release and compensate the slaves he owned and unbeknownst to him, still owned in Honduras where they were still being treated appallingly. Mr Bright encourages Doctoress Hester to take on a job at Cherville Manor to help aid him in his illness. However, Cherville has an ulterior motive and needs Hester to find 3 slaves her brought back with him to London. He believes it is their cries he hears in his nightmares and theirs alone that he will be judged on when he passes. Hester, a strong black female protagonist, is used for her race to appeal to these women. But with the promise of money for her unborn child and her family, including her wayward sister Willa, she agrees to help Cherville on his quest. There are many setbacks along the way with character such as the overprotective housekeeper and the son due to inherit his father's fortune who believes the abolition of slavery to be an injustice. Secrets are revealed and lives are changed for good. I enjoyed this book. It was easy to read. I wasn't riveted by it but it was a simple read with a strong message and a true representation of the part Britain played in the slave trade.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

House of Shades is well written with developed and believable characters, a plot filled with twists and turns, and there are lots of positives here - my only complaint and the reason for the 2 star review? I was simply bored throughout. Now that doesn’t mean others will be bored reading this, I think in hindsight this just didn’t the sort of book I tend to enjoy.

I think I went into this expecting the mystery element to be bigger and there were no twists or turns that I didn’t see coming a mile away. I was also expecting more of a dark, gothic read and while House of Shades was fairly dark it was also a bit drab and those reads just don’t engage me.

In short, House of Shades is not a bad book and it’s not badly written, at all, but it’s just not my cup of tea. If we’re doing dark mysteries then I want to be enchanted and instead it was all a bit dreary. When I think of Gothic, Victorian mysteries I think of midnight skies, black velvet, while House of Shades was grey clouds, and brown cotton. I’m hoping that makes sense to someone out there as it makes sense in my own mind!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-ARC

[Sarah-Hope · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was impressed by Lianne Dillsworth's 2020 debut novel, Theatre of Marvels, and House of Shades is, if anything, ever better than the first. Both novels take place in Victorian London and examine life from the point of view of Black women. Technically, slavery has been eliminated in Britain, but options for POCs are very limited—and they are carefully kept in "their place."

Doctress Hester Reeves, a Black woman who is the central character of House of Shades, is desperate to earn enough money to relocate her remaining family: husband Jos, sister Willa, and Hester's baby-on-the-way. Hester and Willa's mother has died, demanding a deathbed promise from Hester that she will care for Willa. Willa is running wild, keeping odd hours, and becoming involved with "men above her station." A kind cleargyman has arranged for Hester to take a position as in-house doctress to Gervaise Cherville who is soon to die of complications of syphilis. For a month's work, Hester will earn £10, enough to enable relocation if she's careful.

House of Shades is a Gothic novel, and is the case with Gothics, the situation quickly grows more complex. Gervaise's son turns out to be the wealthy bounder Hester hopes to separate he sister from and Gervaise has offered to double her pay if she will take on an unusual search. Gervaise Cherville has made a fortune via slavery and as death approaches he's suffering nightmares that he believes will only end if he can redeem himself with his former slaves—not all of them, but three women in particular, who ran away from his home when slavery was still legal in Britain. He says he wants to apologize and pay for the work they did in his home, but...

Hester's situation fluctuates wildly between hope, guilt, and fear. Seeing how she maneuvers through her increasingly complex situation leaves the reader hanging on tenterhooks, dreading disaster, but unable to stop reading.

If you enjoy Gothic fiction, particularly Gothic fiction that can straddle the divide between romance and social critique, you're in for a treat with House of Shades. Like me, you'll find yourself looking forward to seeing what Dillsworths' next novel will bring.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via Edelweiss; the opinions are my own.

[Dan Bassett · Rating 5 out of 5]

The year is 1833. London.
Doctress Hester Reeves has been offered a commission which won’t merely change her own life, but will shape the future of her dear sister, and her loving and patient husband. But she must be careful should she take on what is being offered, for every nerve in her body will be tested, and should she fail, Hester shall be left with nothing, and her dreams will remain just that, something to stay out of her reach forever more.
The price is of the highest order, for Hester must leave behind her husband and their canal-side home in King’s Cross, and unroot herself to Tall Trees - a dark, mysterious and foreboding house made up of much more than wood panels and twisted steel, for inside those walls, death and decay cling to every surface, and she cannot help but wonder if such a sacrifice of all that she knows will be worth it.
Her task? Hester must cure the ailing health of its owner, Gervaise Cherville, a man once at the height of his powers yet now bedridden and stricken by much more than a simple illness if Hester is to believe local gossip and hearsay. Yet if she can do the seemingly impossible and cure the man, the payment will deliver her to a new life but this won’t be easy if those within the house have their way with the new Doctress.
But on arriving at Tall Trees, Hester soon learns that an even bigger task awaits her, with a secret so heinous that has been festering for decades and should she choose to unearth such a thing, Hester may wish she had never stepped foot into that place of malice, deception and betrayal. What choice should she make?
A richly evocative tale stuffed with secrets, House of Shades is a page-turner dripping with atmospheric tension and high drama.

[Bethany (bookish.bethany) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though I read HOUSE OF SHADES by Lianne Dillsworth in one sitting, I still struggled to get through it - and it was less than 250 pages! This historical fiction novel focuses on Hester, a Black doctress, who is recently hired to care for the head of house at Tall Trees - a creepy and foreboding property. However, her patient has an additional request of her: help her track down his runaway slaves so he can pay them for their “employ.”

While the book does raise interesting points around reparations, the British’s role in the slave trade, and the legacy of slavery and lost identity - it all felt a little lost in some of the choices by the author. This book spends so much time focusing on our white male character and his guilty feelings (he is literally trying to pay off these women to quiet the guilty voices in his head), rather than focus any substantial time or prose on our Black characters, their feelings and their lives. While written by a Black woman, it felt like this book still centered whiteness and that narrative. *Minor Spoiler* At one point, the man even meets someone who he thinks is one of his previous enslaved women and pays them off - but there was no apology or acknowledgement of the harm caused; it was as it the simple transaction of money erased all transgressions.

As for the writing itself, the pacing was definitely a bit slower - which is odd given how many subplots and characters there were for such a short novel: an estranged sister; a pregnancy; a irate son who is furious at his father for giving away his inheritance; an abolitionist with some ulterior motives; a stern housekeeper; and the story of the previously enslaved women. However, the writing was very moody and atmospheric, which helped with my interest level.

Ultimately, this book felt slow, like the focus was misplaced, and ultimately there was no true reparations made.

CW // racism and slavery; pregnancy; death of a loved one; sex work; suicide; alcoholism

https://www.instagram.com/p/DLAdKR3An-5/

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was promised a gothic tale, but it's not what I found. Instead, I found a London Victorian era historical fiction, telling the story of a Black doctoress in times of the abolitionism movement, helping the old man she's temporarily caring for make amends with his past and the slavery tied to his family's business. There's nothing spooky or eerie, or secret about it, so even though I got into something different from what I was expecting, I still enjoyed my reading. It's not very eventful, but the writing flows nicely, and the FMC was very touching. I'm also happy I accidentally picked a book with a Black FMC by a Black author !

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel itself isn't what its stupendous cover art, or what the blurb and description promise it to be.

Certainly, there is no conspicuous carelessness in Dillsworth's technique; there's nothing in the craft of her writing with which to take umbridge. It's just a bit heavy-handed.

I would describe Lianne Dillsworth's style as too much telling, not enough showing.

I did enjoy the act of reading 'House of Shades' (when I could be bothered to remember that I had it 'on the go' as a current read); it was cosy to come back to, but I didn't yearn to get back to it between readings.

Overall, the novel is a bit bland, a bit monotonous; it's all just a bit featureless and flat.

My thanks to Cornerstone for an eARC via NetGalley.

[Hannah Kern · Rating 2 out of 5]

Proof of why you shouldn't judge a book by its cover

[Kim McGee · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars
In Victorian London a young doctor is hired to care for a dying man - unusual because the doctor is female and Black. Hester has her own reasons for taking the job mainly one of protecting her sister and stays even when she discovers why her patient chose her. Suffering from night terrors he needs to ease his conscience by finding his former slaves and making restitution. Hester does help locate these women but finds herself in a precarious position and one that will bring more trouble to herself. Guilt, misguided reparation and family drama weigh heavily in this gothic tale of good and evil where money adds fuel to the fire instead of dousing it. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

[Wendy(Wendyreadsbooks) Robey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gripping read - dark and forbidding as the house itself. Tall Trees is the setting for tragedy and hideous deeds and Hester is determined to understand what’s happened. To try and understand the tales of slavery and sadness that fill the rooms. The writing is evocative and unsettling as more of the details of the slaves lives uncovered.
The characterisation within the whole
book is so cleverly detailed - not many characters fill the pages but each has such an important role to play. Even the house itself is part of the cast - the colours, the decor and the smells, all described so intimately so as to being gone house to life and be part of the history.
I really enjoyed seeing Hester ( with Jos and Jenny’s support) bravely uncover the secrets hidden by the Chervilles.

[Kelli Gutow · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a random library find and was outside my typical taste. I've never read a Victorian novel, but this was well written, and though the twists in the plot were predictable, I was not bored with it. This was a good introduction into a new genre for me.

[dean · Rating 3 out of 5]

i really enjoyed this book despite it not being to my usual tastes, the twist was really well done in my opinion and the characters are all pretty well rounded for the most part.

[Erica Shepp · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Maddie P · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting toward the end, but pretty boring overall so I didn’t want to read it that badly

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a possibility I read the description of this book being 'a dark, Victorian mystery' wrong, but I was expecting more mystery, more twists and turns and excitement. So I went into this expecting something very different, alas the writing was beautiful and the story flowed well but it needed something more thrilling for me to rate this higher. A great book for those who prefer a simple story that includes events and elements that have happened in history. Also, love the cover.

[Munch · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Book.ishJulie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although House Of Shades by Lianne Dillsworth published in July, I opted to save it for October as I thought it would be perfect for spooky season!

Ya, there is a "but" coming...

Although this book was atmospheric, it was not the haunting vibe I had expected based on the mysterious synopsis. Instead, slavery and repentance make up the backbone to this story, creating depth and volition... while simultaneously creating a too-large plot. Sadly, instead of this story being similarly focused, there was a split: one of Hester being the new doctor in a foreboding home, and one of a hidden past and slavery.

The house itself was atmospheric, and I enjoyed Hester as a character (a Black Doctoress in 1833 London is a badass in my books), but I wished for more action and more drama.

Dillsworth had a clear direction for her story, which was especially evident after reading her Author's Note, but I just wish the story was executed better.

I will say that this title was a perfect choice!

Thank you Harper Books for the complimentary copy to read and review.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gripping story that keeps you engaged with all the dark secrets revealed behind the walls of the rich and powerful. So well written!

[Mareena Hardie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. I got an ARC copy from a library conference I went to, and holy moly it was so good. I really enjoyed uncovering the layers of the plot, the interconnectedness of the characters, and how the story surprise you.

My one critique is that I wish the ending had been a little more dramatic. Everything seemed to be tied up in a nice bow, but I think there could have been more catastrophe.

[Alli Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well developed story with dark undertones. This book deals with the subject matter of slavery.
Hester arrives at Tall Trees to care for its dying wealthy owner. A doctress, like her mother before her, the money she has been offered for the work will change her life. However, the air surrounding Tall Trees is malignant and dark secrets lie within it.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

[Books By Your Bedside · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Alice Dewing, Senior Publicity Manager, for the gifted proof of this title in return for an honest review.

I do love a good historical story about a woman in a big manor house with secretive staff and a hoity-toity owner. I've read a lot and I haven't come across one I haven't enjoyed. There's something so magically nostalgic about them and I find them so gripping.

Lianne has masterfully created such a habitable world. It's not always a good one or a pleasant one, but you can see it, you can feel it. The description of the walls in the house, the chill of the pantry, the smells in the kitchen, the lushness of the garden out front. It's all there so wonderfully depicted that you could become a character yourself.

I know we don't judge books by their covers (we totally do), but this cover was beautiful. Simple but striking.

It is a historical novel mostly, but it's thrilling, with a bit of romance, a bit of mystery and intrigue. I was expecting a bit more of the gothic nature that the cover and synopsis suggested. This doesn't make what's there bad, no, what's there is very enjoyable indeed. But there were times I wanted just a smidgen more darkness, and more twists and turns. But that's literally the only negative point I have. It's a well accomplished piece of writing, great characterisation, and an interesting plot.

It is more character than plot, which is a plus for me. The plot is fine, but I actually found more interest, more intrigue, more secrets through getting to know the characters and how they interact with each other than what they were actually doing. I also felt the house became a character in itself, which is what I want from a book of this genre.

There aren't many characters, or not many that I felt were key players, but I'll mention a few important ones here. We obviously have Hester who was a very intriguing main character and I really adored her and felt she carried the story well. We also have Jenny, the kitchen maid, young, trustworthy, and someone Hester could be honest with. Margaret, the housekeeper, who is brash and rude and almost acts like she is on the same level as the family she serves rather than the rest of the staff. And then you have Gervaise Cherville himself. At first I was mixed, he was clearly unwell and so I felt empathy towards him, but he was a bit rude, but there was a complexity within him and he ended up being far more interesting than I thought he would be. And finally we have Rowland, Gervaise's son. He wasn't in it much, more so towards the end, but he was very slimy, very cocksure, and I really didn't like him, but he was very well written.

To read a book about a black female doctor in the early 1800s...I mean, I don't know much about the period but I assume there weren't many female doctors, or black doctors, so to have a black female doctor, it had this importance that carried through the story that I'm not sure would have been achieved if it had been a white female or a black male.

It's extremely easy to read. Some historical novels are so bogged down in information and detail that it can feel a slog to get through. But Lianne has managed it. I acknowledge I am a quick reader, but I picked it up between work tasks and before I knew it I was 100 pages in. It flows well off the page, in terms of the actual words used and sentence structure, but also the characterisation and the plot. It has relatively short chapters which I enjoyed. I read it all in less than 24 hours, it was so addictive.

I will be absolutely honest here and say Lianne's previous book, Theatre of Marvels, wasn't for me. I know I'm in the minority here and that's fine. But even then I could see that she was a very talented writer and I was keen to see what else she created. Even though it wasn't for me, I did recommend it to others though as objectively I can say it was a well written book, but just not to my tastes. But this proof has been sat on my shelf since November 2023 that I couldn't resist any longer.

This book has proved my reasoning for trying another book of hers. Don't write authors off just because you didn't like one of their books, because you might just be missing out on a gem.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed Lianne Dillsworth’s first novel, Theatre of Marvels, so I was looking forward to her new book, House of Shades, which sounded like an atmospheric Gothic mystery. It turned out to be not quite what I expected, although that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

The setting is London, 1833. Hester Reeves is a young black woman whose mother has recently died, urging Hester to take care of her younger sister, Willa. Unfortunately, Willa already seems to be getting herself into trouble, having caught the eye of Rowland Cherville, the manager of the factory where she works. Rowland is running the factory on behalf of his invalid father, Gervaise, and with the differences in race and social status, Hester is sure his intentions towards her sister are not good. If only Hester and her husband, Jos, could improve their financial situation, then they could move out of the slums of King’s Cross and get Willa away from Rowland’s influence…

Hester’s chance to make some money comes when the local vicar puts her name forward for a job at Tall Trees, home of the elderly Gervaise Cherville, who has a serious medical condition and wants someone to nurse him through it. Hester is considered suitable for the position as she is a ‘doctoress’ – not really a female doctor, as it will still be several decades before the first woman earns her medical degree and even longer for the first black woman to do the same, but someone with a knowledge of herbs and healing potions. However, Hester soon discovers that Mr Cherville has another task in mind for her.

The Chervilles made their fortune through mahogany and they own slaves on a plantation in Honduras. With the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 stating that slavery is to be abolished across most of the British Empire, it seems that Gervaise has developed a conscience and wants to give compensation to his slaves – not the ones in Honduras, though, whom he has never met, but two who once lived at Tall Trees before running away. Aphrodite and Nyx have been missing for many years and Gervaise wants Hester to help track them down so he can make amends.

If you can accept the rather unlikely plot (for a start, is it really believable that a wealthy 19th century gentleman like Gervaise Cherville would bring an unknown young woman from a slum community into his home as a nurse?), this is quite an entertaining novel. Like Dillsworth’s first book, it has a likeable heroine, it’s easy to read and the pages go by surprisingly quickly. There are a few twists, although they’re fairly predictable and I was hoping for one or two more! Apart from Hester herself, most of the other characters lack depth and nuance – there’s no real explanation for why Rowland is such a wicked person with seemingly no redeeming qualities at all, and we don’t see much of Willa’s good side either, which makes it difficult to understand why Hester views her as such a beloved sister, putting her needs above those of herself and her husband.

The most interesting aspect of the book is Gervaise Cherville’s desire for atonement and his attempt to make reparations for the harm he has caused. It seems clear that, at least at first, Cherville’s main motive is to assuage his own guilt, but Hester reflects that “maybe when it came down to it, all apologies were like that, even when they were heartfelt.” I would have liked more depth here as well, but maybe that would have been difficult as the whole novel is narrated by Hester and we never get inside Cherville’s head to see what he’s really thinking or whether his feelings are genuine.

House of Shades is a book with lots of good ideas and interesting themes, but I struggled to get past the implausibility of the plot and on the whole I preferred Lianne Dillsworth’s first book.

[Denis Wheller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before 1859 medicine was unregulated, and much was carried out by herbalists, one such being Hester, who describes herself here as a Doctoress, a rarely used term in England. Hester was born in England but is of Afro-Caribbean heritage and the term was used there. She has just been hired to care for Gervaise Cherville, a rich London gentleman who is terminally ill, at the phenomenal wage of £10 for four weeks (that’s about a year’s wage for a working man) The Cherville fortune has been made largely from Mahogany, grown and harvested in Honduras by slaves. However it is now 1833 and the UK is just about to pass a law banning the ownership or employment of slaves in all British overseas territories (note it has never been legal to own slaves in Britain). Slave owners will be compensated and Gervaise wishes to pass on some of this to his own slaves, starting with two that he had previously freed and brought to London, but who had run away. In addition to her medical duties, he hopes Hester will be able to help him find them. Her position in the household is compromised by Margaret, the housekeeper, who has dedicated herself to caring for her Master; her duel roles are challenged by Rowland, the son and heir who has no wish to see his inheritance given to slaves; her homelife is troubled by the antics of her younger sister, Willa, whom she has promised her dying mother she will protect. Willa is causing trouble partly because she has to share the cramped cottage where Hester and her husband, Jos, live, but also because she has become the focus of the lascivious Rowland’s attentions. Somehow Hester must resolve all of these issues and earn her £10.
I’m not sure how to classify this book, it clearly isn’t the gothic/haunted house story that seems to be indicated by the early blurb and the cover. It is a mystery story, perhaps, but not a crime story; there is a certain amount of tension but it is not a thriller. There is historical background but it isn’t really historicity. There are some echoes in present day thinking but it doesn’t carry a political agenda. There are a few twists but nothing very surprising. So I’ve defined it by saying what it isn’t. It isn’t a bad book, it’s well written, the characters are fairly clear and believable, the plot is neat, it’s an easy read. I think it would have been stronger if there were more depth to the background, if it had more sense of place.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

[BOOKLOVER EB · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hester Reeves leaves her husband, Jos, and younger sister, Willa, for a short while to nurse a sick man named Gervaise Cherville, who owns a gloomy estate called Tall Trees. Hester's only friend there is Jenny, a kindly maid who is happy to share meals and chat. The reason Hester took this job is her fear that her sister will be ruined by Gervaise's son, a reprobate named Rowland, who manages his father's factory. Hester plans to use her earnings to relocate her family. Willa fiercely resents Hester's bossiness, and she lashes out repeatedly when Hester tries to reason with her.

"House of Shades," by Lianne Dillsworth, takes place in England in 1833. Hester, who is Black and an expert in using herbs to help her patients, soon learns that Cherville's problems are mental as well as physical. He often wakes up in terror after hearing voices crying in the night. The vicar, Mr. Bright, who recommended Hester for her new position, has told Gervaise that he must atone for his family's past practice of keeping slaves on their plantation in Honduras. However, the old man has a different agenda—to find the women he brought to England decades earlier as slaves and pay them reparations so that he will be able to sleep peacefully.

The author's implausible and talky plot is riddled with lapses in logic. In addition, Hester has such poor judgment that it is difficult to cheer for her. She is overbearing in her attitude towards Willa, makes boneheaded decisions that come back to haunt her, and learns too late that meddling in other people's business can be unwise if not downright catastrophic. In "House of Shades," the characters are, for the most part, one-dimensional. The novel's saving grace is Dillsworth's exploration of how poverty and racism can destroy people's lives.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Victorian gothic? Yes please! I really wanted to like House of Shades, but something about it didn’t work for me. We follow Hester Reeves, a Black ‘doctress’ employed at Tall Trees to take care of a dying former slave owner looking to make amends in his last days. But ~secrets~ abound, trapping Hester in the middle, unsure what to do.

As a genre, gothic horror has some pretty well-set tropes: hauntings/ supernatural, decay, manors or similar looming architecture, and secrets. House of Shades has much of this and some good period details. So far so good. While I found the plot an original, ingenious twist on some very well-trod paths, as the story progresses, the horrors were far less ‘gothic’ and much more ‘real’: The supernatural element was blink-and-you-miss-it and the story as a whole wasn’t working as a ‘light horror’ read so it almost felt like the book wasn’t doing the story justice by being shoehorned into a trope structure that can be a little unserious.

The horrors of slavery and the lasting consequences of its aftermath are ripe for narrative considerations. Compared to the southern folk horror book, The Reformatory, which used the tropes of that genre to great effect and brings out a real sense of the horrific and realism even while dealing with very active, malevolent haunts (I highly recommend it!). House of Shades wants the ‘hidden secrets’ of its gothic setting and plot to be shocking, but they end up not only not being shocking, but almost downplayed by the cartoon villainy of the son and insufferable pouting tantrums of the sister. Still, there were some interesting ethical questions posed and worth exploring, but better served in a different narrative style.

The book was interesting but fundamentally shallow in an unsatisfying way. But I also think, for some readers of the genre, it might be a refreshing take on some old tropes.

[ReadsandThings · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liane Dillsworth's House of Shades is a gothic historical drama that blends themes of resilience and identity. Set against the backdrop of Victorian London, the story traces the experiences of doctress Hester Reeve, who has been offered a life-changing commission. But arriving at Tall Trees, she soon discoveres that not all is as it seems and dark secrets await.

Dillsworth’s prose is richly descriptive, bringing to life the grime and glamour of the era in equal measure. Every detail feels painstakingly researched. The characters, too, are complex and compelling.

That said, the pacing was occasionally too slow, and I thought the novel suffered from mis-marketing to tap into the popular genre of pseudo-historical haunted house gothic novels - it seems to promise a dark, mysterious, gothic tale centering around a possibly haunted house, but the story that unfolds is merely historical, about the secrets of the family that lives there. As such, the book did not quite meet the expectations I had going in, and I have to admit that I was partly a little bored of the story.
And while this is a personal preference and does therefore not influence my rating, I also do not enjoy the kind of historicising novel that uses a thoroughly modern heroine and puts her into a corset and frock to push a feminist message before a Victorian background. Your mileage here will vary.

Aside from that, House of Shades is a well-written novel that will appeal to fans of historical fiction with a (very) light touch of the gothic and spunky heroines. Liane Dillsworth has a keen eye for human vulnerability and a talent for crafting a story that is both gripping and emotionally resonant.

I want to thank NetGalley and Random House for a free copy in exchange for a free review. All opinions here expressed are my own.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lianne Dillsworth established herself as adept at writing historical fiction with her debut novel, Theatre of Marvels, and her latest story uses that skill to shine light on the issues of compensation and restorative justice for victims of the slave trade and their descendents.

Through the protagonist Hester – a dedicated wife, sister and soon-to-be mother – the strength of promises, generational trauma, familial duty and moral greyness are all explored well. When Hester begins work for a family grown rich through dealings in the slave trade, helping their patriarch attempt to atone for his sins, she has the very best of intentions. But as secrets from the past start to unfold, she’s drawn into a web of corruption and resistance, finding enemies on every side.

Although it’s over 300 pages, you can read this book in a couple of sittings. The chapters are short and punchy, the characters are always embroiled in drama and the historical setting is believable and well-described. Despite her inability not to interfere, even when she knows it will do damage (e.g. with her sister), Hester is a character you end up rooting for, and the cause she takes up is a worthy one still being fought for today.

There’s not as much gothic suspense as you’d expect from the cover and descriptions, and at times the writing style’s bold simplicity feels a little jarring. Some of the family-level conflict feels overdramatic, but then again, most families are! Overall, the plot, themes and characters are solid and strong, and if you’re looking for a read that will help you engage with societal and generational issues, you should pick this up.

A big thank you to @hutchheinemann for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a wonderful book, in fact, I was enjoying it so much on the bus on the way home from the theatre that I missed my stop! This is a compelling story set in London in 1833, some years after the passing of The Slave Trade Act in 1807 and the subsequent Slavery Abolition Act 1833. It follows Doctress Hester Reeves who has been offered a four week job tending to Gervaise Cherville a wealthy man whose fortune was built on the backs of slavery. Cherville is dying and wants Hester to help him assuage his guilt. A well written and fascinating story which is focussed on British black history.

Briefly, Cherville wants Hester to find two women, slaves he had brought over from his plantation, who had run away from his home many years ago and to whom he wishes to make financial reparation. But housekeeper Margaret and Cherville’s heir Roland are both determined to stop her. Meanwhile, Hester’s home life is difficult. Her sister Willa has fallen for Roland’s charms and life is awkward as her husband is reaching the end of his tether with the unruly Willa.

Hester is a strong character who is determined to carry out her mothers dying wish to look after Willa, but I did think she needed to see things more from her husbands side and not repeatedly sideline him in favour of her sister. I thought all the characters were well written and well fleshed. A good historical novel with slight gothic vibes, a thought provoking plot and topical theme about reparation this was a very entertaining read.

4.5⭐️

[Helen_t_reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

London, 1833. Doctress Hester Reeves has been offered a life-changing commission. But it comes at a price. She must leave behind her husband and their canal-side home in Kings Cross and move to Tall Trees - a dark and foreboding house in Fitzrovia.
If Hester can cure the ailing health of its owner, Gervaise Cherville, she will receive payment that will bring her everything she could dream of. But on arriving at Tall Trees, Hester quickly discovers that an even bigger task awaits her. Now she must unearth secrets that have lain hidden for decades - including one that will leave Hester's own life forever changed...

The cast of characters within House of Shades is drawn from various levels of Victorian society, and Hester is a really likeable engaging protagonist. To have a black, female 'doctress' as the main character of a historical fiction set in Victorian England adds additional layers of interest, and I would happily have read more about this aspect.

The maid Jenny was equally likeably drawn, whilst the villains are decidedly dastardly and villainous.

Whilst this historical mystery isn't as darkly Gothic as the blurb and cover might hint at, it does have a number of twists and turns which propel the reader through the pages, as it explores themes of slavery, and justice; about truth and accountability; and about reconciliation and reparation.

Thank you to Hutchinson Heinemann for the proof copy in exchange for my honest review.