She Waits Where Shadows Gather

by Michelle Tang

Parents should pass down stories, not spirits…

Avery and Carlos Tam have built their lives on logic, not legends. Carlos, the host of a hit reality show that exposes paranormal hoaxes, has made a name disproving the supernatural.

But when they travel to his ancestral home in the Philippines, darkness clings to every corner. The mirrors are shrouded. The housekeeper won't stay in the house alone. And no one will speak of the tragedies the family has seen.

Then a brutal car crash leaves Carlos trapped in his own body—silent, helpless, and utterly vulnerable. As Avery tends to him, the house begins to stir. It watches. It listens. And it speaks—in a voice only Carlos can hear—offering a twisted kind of comfort.

And as the lies buried by Carlos and his family begin to surface, Avery must confront the if the past won't rest, their future may never begin.

Some inherit memories. Others inherit monsters.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Mystery, Paranormal, Adult, Gothic, Horror Thriller

304 pages, Paperback

Expected publication May 5, 2026

Reviews

[Brandy Leigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Carlos returns home when his relatives request his help with haunting in their family home. He decides to bring his wife with him in hopes of also repairing their relationship.

This story focuses mostly on their toxic marriage. Avery’s desire for a baby and Carlos’s contempt for her feelings which ends up exposing how incompatible they truly are.

Shortly after moving to the house, Carlos is injured in an accident and left to sulk in his bitterness. While Avery is forced to deal with the haunting presence alone.

While the premise is strong, the ghost lore feels very underdeveloped, turning the story into more of a strange marital drama with paranormal elements. With a larger focus on the family history, it could have been a truly effective gothic horror but as it stands, the result is just okay.

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Liana Gold]

Horror, Mystery & Thrillers

Many thanks to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press and the author, Michelle Tang for the early eARC!

Publication date: May 5, 2026

[Tracey Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love it when I read a book that has very little fanfare, and it blows me away. This was definitely the case with Michelle Tang’s debut novel, She Waits Where Shadows Gather.

Avery and Carlos’s marriage is on the rocks. Avery badly wants a child, whereas narcissistic Carlos cannot deal with having to share his wife’s affections with anyone else. The couple moves to Carlos’s childhood home in the Philippines. Carlos, a TV paranormal investigator, has some dark secrets he wants to investigate in his family home.

Understandably, Avery isn’t too keen on the house. The house staff won’t go there alone, and several mirrors are dramatically covered. But things get infinitely worse when Carlos is involved in a life-changing accident.

One of my favorite tropes is “paranormal investigator gets more than they bargained for”, and this book checked that box. But that was just a minor part of my enjoyment of this novel. Avery is an incredibly relatable character; desperate for happiness, incredibly isolated, but strong. On the opposite side, Carlos is so repulsive, he is strangely engaging.

There are some genuinely scary moments in this novel. The house at the center of the novel has shadows lurking in every corner, but when Avery ventures up to the attic, I had to switch a few lights on. I also enjoyed learning a little about Philippine mythology and folklore.

A great combo of a compelling human narrative and supernatural tension.

[Becky Spratford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading for review in the April 2026 issue of Library Journal

Three Words That Describe This Book: Spotlight on International horror lore, intense unease, dual points of view

Also-- troubled marriage, family secrets, haunted house, souls

This is a solid haunted house story where the danger is real, the ghosts are active, and the problems they bring to the humans are tangible.

The story focuses on the Canadian Chinese-Filipino couple Avery and Carlos as they are arriving in Manila. It is intensely uneasy from the start. Avery is on the POV and is talking about souls separating from their bodies when they travel long distances. Clearly she is nervous about moving to the Philippines. She has never lived there and her and her husband are also having some issues-- readers can tell but don't know.

Carlos has moved his popular internet show where he disproves supernatural happening back to his home where he hasn't lived for decades. His family is uneasy about the two of them living in the haunted family home.

The POV moves between the two as family secrets are slowly revealed. As Carlos is seriously injured (it's in the publisher description) and Avery must live in the house and work against the ghosts and Carlos' injuries.

The fact that Avery and Carlos love each other but there is something in their relationship that is causing problems. Readers think at first that it is Avery's struggles with infertility, but they both know it is deeper than that. When the very real world truth is revealed-- that allows for the horror aspects to also be fully exposed.

Readers will learn about some very cool monsters and ghosts from Filipino folklore. Also learn about the Chinese-Filipino community. And like all good haunted house stories set in a family villa-- watch the secrets and ghosts reveal themselves. And there are many restless souls in this house.

This is a great example of a satisfying horror story that shines a light on new (to western readers) horror traditions. It adds an extra layer of originality and enjoyment. Allowing the novel to be both familiar and new.

This is also a story where the 2 points of view telling are KEY. It is not just a narrative device, it adds to the story in key ways, ways that keep the readers as unsteady as the characters.

For fans of the growing body of Filipino Horror for fans of The Villa, Once Beloved by Manibo more so than The House of Monstrous Women by Fama (which is excellent but not a readalike beyond being Filipino-- do not fall for that but the way, not all white horror is the same so why would all Filipino horror be the same).

Also a haunted house story very much for fans of We Live Here Now by Sarah Pinborough. Like the Manibo-- all three of these haunted house stories have a troubled relationship at their core and very sinister, patient, long waiting ghosts trying to use the fractures in their relationships to get themselves a foothold in the real world.

[paula a · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5

First of all, thanks to netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this e-ARC!

This book is scary. Take it seriously. But as much as it is about ghosts, it touches so many topics. It shows humanity, masculinity specifically, religion, culture and entire belief systems. It also shows love and grief. I loved every second of it, so if you like horror, ghosts stories and familial trauma, this one is for you!

[AgoraphoBook Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

She Waits Where Shadows Gather
Michelle Tang
Publication Date: May 5th

4.5 / 5

Ok, so....

I'd been in a bit of a reading slump over the past two weeks.
This book got me together, with quickness.

I love eerie horror. Something that makes me feel uneasy and (safely) nervous. Not many horror novels do this for me anymore, due to my desensitization.

(The few that easily come to mind are We Used To Live Here by Marcus Kliewer, Incidents Around The House by Josh Malerman, Mean-Spirited by Nick Roberts, The Deep by Nick Cutter, A Child Alone with Strangers by Philip Fracassi and House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski)

This book had me feeling uneasy from the end of chapter one. By the end of chapter three, I was nervous, jumpy and loving it. "She who creeps between" really unnerved me.

4.5
(Full Review to come)

Highly Recommend
If horror is your jam, and you love scaring yourself senseless, give this one a try. May it rattle you the same way it did me.

[Ai Jiang]

A big thank you to the publisher for an ARC of the book!!

SHE WAITS WHERE SHADOWS GATHER is a gothic novel reminiscent of Stephen King’s THE SHINING. Tang creates a haunted house lingering with generational ghosts in every corner, lies and unspoken secrets hidden in its threadbare walls, toxic and fragile bonds that rattle the floorboards, regret and revenge ravaging each room, with characters who desire to return to the past and who must learn how to grab hold of the courage to move forward.

[Heathers_readss · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my absolute favourite book plots is paranormal investigators. I genuinely find it more exciting / suspenseful to read about than when on tv 😅

In this book Carlos is the paranormal investigator, he moves himself and Avery to his creepy family home. You know things are suss when all of the locals act weird around the house.

Carlos himself is a very dislikable character, so when he is injured in an accident it’s easy not to feel a lot of empathy for him. Except now they’re stuck in this house and things kick up a notch and get very unsettling very fast.

I enjoy a potentially haunted / possessed home.. safe to say I enjoyed this book!

[Brett Mitchell Kent · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to read this prior to release & it has stuck with me in a big way. Tang’s prose is so beautiful and concise- she is such a master of wordplay. The story she weaves is truly heart-wrenching while simultaneously coiling around you with a creeping dread. Far from home and trying to exist within a space where she is both too foreign and not-foreign-enough with her only slice of home locked into his own hidden torment, Avery must rely on the part of herself she always pushed back in favor of logic and reason. Despite Michelle expertly laying the pieces out before you, this incredible take on the haunted house story will leave you guessing until the bitter end. Absolutely a must-read.

[Cody Selby · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know when you judge a book by its cover?
Yeah I know, we’re not supposed to do that.. but I did, I was intrigued after reading the description, then even more so after the first chapter.. then I struggled to put it down.
It gave me the spooky ghost story I crave with an added element of sorrow and shock, especially close to the end.
It definitely didn’t go the way I thought it would, and that’s a good thing..
Highly recommend.
I thank the author, their publisher and NetGalley for this ARC..

[TheNovelNomad · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book crept up on me, in the best way.

She Waits Where Shadows Gather is the kind of horror that doesn’t rely on cheap shocks but instead seeps under your skin and settles there. The haunted house isn’t just a setting; it’s a presence. From the covered mirrors to the silence around family tragedies, the atmosphere is thick with unease long before the supernatural fully reveals itself.

What really worked for me was the balance between human tension and horror. Avery and Carlos’s fractured marriage adds emotional weight, especially after Carlos’s devastating accident, which becomes a chilling turning point rather than a plot gimmick. Watching the power dynamics shift, while the house quite literally begins to speak, I was unsettling in a way that felt earned. The Filipino cultural elements and folklore elevate the story even further, grounding the terror in history, inheritance, and unspoken truths.

This is slow-burn, culturally rich horror that rewards patience. Creepy, emotionally layered, and quietly haunting,especially for readers who love when paranormal stories are about more than just ghosts.

[Nathalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love when a story infuses culture into the narrative, to both provide context and to inform the reader. She Waits Where Shadows Gather was absolutely full of Filipino cultural influence. Spanning from food and family dynamics, to views on the supernatural and faith.

The horror aspect of this story comes from a family home that is infested with spirits. Avery and her husband, Carlos, move to Manila to help his family with their ghost problem. But it’s not your typical haunted house: there is a fraught history attached to these spirits.

I struggled with the pacing of this story, mainly because I felt like the emphasis was placed on marital and infertility issues for a significant portion of the book. The horror/ suspense aspect came into play as the book progressed, and I really enjoyed how the author executed the events towards the end. Overall, I enjoyed how everything played out!

She Waits Where Shadows Gather releases on May 5, 2026.

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press (via Netgalley), for gifting me with an eARC. All thoughts expressed are my own.

[Misty Milk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great combination of descriptions that make your skin crawl and emotional connections that made me tear up 😭 The family dynamic is so strong in this one, and that's always a surefire way to tug on my heartstrings (e.g. Flanagan's Hill House adaptation or Tananarive Due's African Immortals series.)

[Xavier Whitman · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 Stars
She Waits Where Shadows Gather was a ride. I went expecting a haunted house story that included some Filipino elements and mythology from the Manila setting, and the book certainly delivered on that front. There were some additional elements to this book, however, that are responsible for shaping my opinions on it.
The book follows married couple Carlos and Avery as they move into Carlos’s childhood home in Manila from Canada, where he, a professional paranormal debunker, plans to prove that the house is not haunted, so that it can be sold. After Carlos becomes bed bound from a car accident, the standard horror novel paranormal madness ensues.
The book had a bit of a slow start before I was able to get into it, something that was not helped by me finding both Avery and Carlos somewhat insufferable as characters and especially pov characters. Avery did manage to grow on me even it was just me feeling kinda sorry that she got stuck in a bad situation for no real fault of her own (other than her unwillingness to leave her god awful husband).
One of the best parts of this book was the actual haunted house itself. The description was very well done and the claustrophobic and shadowy nature of the place was captured in the writing. Delores, the maid, also added nicely to the atmosphere of the story and was far more enjoyable than the other side characters. Though I was able to predict the “reveal” with her character so quickly I questioned the decision to even make it a reveal in the first place.
The body horror at the end of the book was also written very well and actually provided stakes to the book, that I wish it was integrated more.
There were some issues with the story. One was the discussions on classism, which is to say the lack of discussions on classism. The book set up these ideas of Carlos’s family being wealthy and the lack of consequences they face because of it, especially when juxtaposed with the poverty surrounding them. However, nothing ever came of it, and it’s just stated that Carlos is a selfish person just because he is and his social status having nothing to do with it.
Also, Avery develops this attachment to Manila almost out of nowhere, like we’re told that she’s developed an attachment to the place but we never see her interact with it in a positive way.
The twist at the end with Carlos was interesting but I feel like it should have been revealed earlier. The book was 90% of the way finished, and then there’s a massive reveal that has a lot of significance to the development of the characters and the plot, which is then rushed because there’s not that much book left. Additionally, the reveal kinda felt like it was a bit of a cop out to Carlos’s character development.
Overall, She Waits Where Shadows Gather is a decent ghost story that fills the itch of generational haunting, even if there are some flaws within the story. Because sometimes a haunted house and being replaced by your own ghost can save a crumbling marriage.

Thanks to Net Galley and Poisoned Pen Press for an advanced copy.

[Annelise · Rating 2 out of 5]

Avery and Carlos are a Canadian married couple spending time in the Philippines. Carlos is the star of a ghost-hunting show, and is visiting his childhood home in an effort to prove that there are no ghosts within its walls so it can be sold. Avery is frustrated with her infertility, and hopes that some natural Filipino remedies can help her out. When Carlos is incapacitated by a car accident, the house feels more like a prison than a sanctuary, and Avery alone must face its hauntings.

'She Waits Where Shadows Gather' has a great title and an interesting premise, but focuses more on an intimate marital drama than the horrors that reside in Carlos's childhood home. Avery wants kids so badly that she has lost her savings on fertility treatments, and Carlos is so against kids that the idea of having them makes him sick. This aspect of their relationship was not at all discussed before they tied the knot. Lack of communication can be an interesting plot point, but in this story, it's more frustrating than compelling. Carlos and Avery are both unsympathetic characters, and I simply don't understand why the two are married to one another. Carlos seems drawn to anyone who will give him attention, but why does Avery love him? I was rooting for them to get a divorce, because it seemed like the best option for them.

To risk some spoilers, while I agree that Carlos was the more selfish of the two for lying, I don't like how it concludes with 'not wanting kids is also selfish'. Again, I just think a divorce was the better option for this couple. Avery's desire for children seemed more 'babies are cute' than 'I want to care for a human I make' (especially with how reluctant she is to care for her bed-bound husband). I don't feel like these are people who would be good parents, and Carlos seems more responsible for actively not wanting a child (even if his reasons are a bit suspect).

Overall, the horror is not enough for me to enjoy this book about people who should not be married in the first place. The ideal ending would have been them realizing it was sunk cost fallacy keeping them together.

[B.S. Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Old houses have history. Over the years and many families, they can take on an energy that lingers, the way cooking smells stick to clothes. Floors might creak; some say it's mysterious footsteps. Others might say it's the house remembering."

Avery and Carlos don’t believe in ghosts; but now they’re in a real life ghost story. She Waits Where Shadows Gather is quite simply hauntingly beautiful. From the first line, the metaphorical fog rolls in and you feel enveloped in the story, in the beckoning darkness.

The story switches chapters between Avery and Carlos’ perspectives, circling around the plot from all sides with lyrical, anxious writing that mad your skin crawl and tingle. Their relationship itself was complex, become strained, poisonous, cracking under the weight of problems from their old life and their new situation — the toxicity brewing between them was palpable. They weren't inherently likable, creating a strange relationship between them and the reader, a curiosity that grows rather than a fondness.

These deeply human struggles mix with the supernatural to make a sensation that everything is ready to explode at a moments notice. The house itself becomes a character of its own — a part of the cast. This house, home to generations of Carlos’ family, and the place suspected of being home to family who have long since supposed to have passed on.

Every bit of history is perfectly placed, never feeling forced or expositional — revealing ancient Filipino myths as well as family history that runs deeper than anyone knew. It’s slow, in a controlled, purposeful way — letting each chapter simmer until it boils over into a labyrinthine conclusion; one that is so close to being “too much” or too far a stretch but instead just feels cinematic and suspenseful.

"Something new was growing between them, a fragile, tender understanding like a blooming flower - silent, but no less beautiful."

[Ally · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Now on to the review!
I wasn't a big fan of the story until the seance near the end. Both Avery and Carlos were so unlikable. I do not even understand how they were together for 10 years at this point and stayed together that whole time when their position on children were so different. That is such a huge dealbreaker. They should've broken up 9 years ago. Then Avery moves to the Philippines with Carlos to hopefully have a kid and salvage their marriage???? A kid is not going to do that. Spending life savings on IVF??? Why did Avery even want a kid that bad? It was never really explained. I just feel like this book focused too much on family and marriage drama over the ghosts and mystery. I would have preferred the book to focus more on that. In the end, older Carlos basically gives in and has the child anyways? Like what was the point of all of this back and forth for TEN years then?

Plot spoilers below
Lolo, Carlos's grandfather, took in Dolores after her parents were killed by the witch. The witch's daughter is locked in the mirrors. Carlos did almost die in the crash and he has been floating around while older Carlos took over his body and saved Avery from killing herself with the pills. That's why older Carlos came back. Then Carlos decided to sacrifice himself to take the witch's daughter away and they could both move on. I just don't understand why Avery would stay with older Carlos. He's technically still the same Carlos, he just regretted his actions. But he still did those actions. Avery should have left Carlos altogether and found someone else.
The ending with the seance and mystery and older Carlos is the reason why this book has 3 stars instead of 2.

[sami is losing her mind · Rating 3 out of 5]

"He came back from the dead, but he didn't come alone"

She Waits Where Shadows Gather follows Avery and Carlos who have recently moved to Manila to help Carlos' family sell their ancestral house. After a car accident leaves Carlos paralyzed, Avery is left to care for him while settling into a new unfamiliar country & culture and getting over her grief of not being able to conceive. However, they soon learn that the house has a life of it's own as it watches and listens and starts to speak back.

The book is told through alternating perspectives between our main couple. With very engaging writing, Michelle Tang had me hooked, from the beginning, in equal parts about the unusual eeriness of house that no-one would acknowledge and the cracks in Avery and Carlos marriage that seemed to be worsening. The tension is very well constructed and it makes sense as Tang herself has said in interviews that she "liked building dread drop by drop, like blood dripping from a scalpel."

My only dilemmas with the book both have to do with the fact that certain parts of the book feel inadequate, namely: the characters and the ending. Don't get me wrong I enjoyed the tension in their marriage, atleast initially I did. Despite all their flaws and unlikable actions, it felt like their human-ness was not fully fleshed out. And the ending—while it managed to surprise me—left me a partially unsatisfied. However, I could've (and probably would've) ignored the feeling, if it wasn't for the epilogue. It truly, for lack of a nicer word, pissed me off. Carlos going off into a bright white light could've been a decent ending had it been left at that and it would've not require me to bump down a star.

That said what I really loved about the book was al the Filipino culture and legends. I have so many bookmarks to deep-dive into! I can't wait to learn more about the many things I read.

Overall, She Waits Where Shadows Gather was a fun read! I loved reading about the Filipino culture and legends. It was a very engaging and even though it didn't 100% work for me, I can definitely see many people enjoying it!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carlos and Avery return to Carlos's childhood home to investigate potential a haunting. They bring with them a haunting of their own, in the form of a doomed relationship rife with secrets and unspoken resentments. A supernatural, haunted house horror follows, with a generous and enjoyable nod to Filipino culture. The horror elements had so much potential: body, insect, and supernatural horror were incorporated; however, this fell short of a truly scary reading experience for me.

One reason for this was that I never felt like I fully engaged with the story. Ultimately, I think, too much time was spent in the tedious turmoil of an unhappy relationship of incompatible partners. Both of whom, I am sorry to say, were not terribly likeable.

Twists that arrived in the fourth quarter were fantastic, truly the best part of the book; in fact, I don't think I have seen a premise like this in any other horror I have read. But this all came so late, and was so hastily covered - I wish more had gone into an exploration of this component of the story, and less time spent on yet another argument or inner dialogue of resentment between the two star crossed lovers.

Also, while the twist brought the story back to life, the final chapter let me down. It felt like a strange, unfitting afterthought, like a halfhearted bow placed on a carefully wrapped gift.

You may still enjoy this if you don't mind (or perhaps enjoy) a very in depth look into an unhappy relationship in your horror experience and can suspend some disbelief for a somewhat inexplicable denouement.

Thank you to NetGalley, Michelle Tang, and Poisoned Pen Press for sharing an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the eARC!

I always appreciate a book that is culturally diverse, so it was great to see Filipino culture in this novel.

However, I feel the story itself fell a little flat. We follow the story of Avery and Carlos, a couple that probably shouldn’t be together anymore. Avery is seeking fertility treatments, and Carlos refuses to take part in supporting his wife in this way, even though he has consented to having a child with her. Their story arc seems a little confusing, as the book went on, they were very back and forth. One minute they love each other, the next minute they are essentially wishing each other ill or wanting to separate. I never found myself feeling particularly sympathetic towards any of the characters, besides Avery towards the end.

As a big horror fan, there was not enough horror for me. This story arc was also confusing, as Carlos’ family was very firm in their beliefs about the house, and no one was allowed to talk about ghostly things while they were inside, but the next minute they were ghost hunting and trying to get to the bottom of paranormal activities in the house. And then everything is fine again, while they are still in the haunted house. The few scenes we get of creepy happenings are very quick and not very scary, in my opinion.

The first part of the book was very slow, and it did pick up the pace towards the end. All in all I think there is a nice plotline here, but the execution fell a little short for me.

[anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well this one just wasn’t for me.

While the blurb is pretty accurate, I went in expecting a really creepy, unsettling horror story that also deals with themes of grief and familial obligation, and I was a bit let down.

I suppose it does fit that bill to some degree, but it felt like so much more time was spent on the state of Avery and Carlos’ marriage that the interesting elements (the family’s tragic history, and the Filipino supernatural folklore) just felt underexplored and rushed.

I was so frustrated with how much these two seem to despise each other despite insisting on the contrary. Seriously, why are they together? They don’t seem to like each other and have no qualms thinking awful things, but then in the next breath they’re talking about how in love they are. It made no sense to me.

The most interesting part was learning about what happened with Carlos’ family in the past and how the repercussions have been affecting the family for generations now. Yet, it was rushed in at the end in a scene where all the main characters are conveniently gathered to hear the story told.

On the positive side I felt like the descriptions of the house and Avery’s feelings of oppression whilst in it were done well, you could really feel the relief from claustrophobia every time she left the house. Whilst it didn’t really scare me (I’m not sure I’m able to be scared by a book tbh), I absolutely felt how the soul-sucking isolation and despair of the house was affecting everyone’s mental state. So my two stars are for that, and the interesting take on Filipino folklore. And Tessa. She was great 😂

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Wessy Acrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC read granted by Poisoned Pen Press of:

She Waits While Shadows Gather by Michelle Tang

Overall, the ending climax saved the book for me. Although this is a story that deals with horror-related themes, such as the real mythical Filipino manananggal vampire/monster, the whole story is more of a romance/relationship story about two people struggling to keep their marriage alive after moving countries and encountering tragedy.

I would say that although the book is creepy at points, I do not think marketing this as a horror book is the right move. Could it be marketed as a thriller? Absolutely. However, because I saw it was Horror/Fiction, I expected much more detail and time spent on the hauntings of the story and less on how the main characters were feeling.

The end was a great way to wrap up a lot of holes in the story line, especially because often the rooms, scenes, and characters are not what they were in the pages prior. I have no idea what would have helped with the confusion of some of the plot, that is in turn wrapped in the twist at the end, without giving away the twist. However, many parts of the book could be clarified or written in a way that better describes more of the situation of the scene and not so much the internal dialogue of the character.

All in all, it was a slow burn but a good read based on the twist at the end, which is unique in its own right. Highly recommended for romance and thriller readers! If it can be considered horror, it would definitely be a horror-starter for the less spook-interested reader.

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

She Waits Where Shadows Gather is a properly creepy novel, with horror elements of a haunted house, restless ghosts, and Filipino myths and superstitions. Our protagonist, Avery, moves with her husband, Carlos, from Toronto to the Philippines under the pretense of helping his family with a big move. Avery is struggling: struggling with infertility, adjusting to a new country and culture, and not feeling Chinese-Filipino enough for her in-laws. Carlos, on the other hand, is determined to solve a childhood mystery of his home, while establishing his paranormal reality show, Convince Carlos, in Manila. I loved learning about Carlos’ family and Avery’s new experiences, though I felt the portrayal of the Philippines to be a bit one-dimensional.
The couple move into the rumored-to-be haunted family home, where there’s a dark and eerie energy, unexplained noises, and terrifying mirror reflections. Michelle Tang amps up the scary tension with mysterious family histories and superstitious phenomena, and then a dark and unexpected accident occurs that drastically changes Carlos and Avery’s marriage.
The novel opened with an intriguing buildup into paranormal activity, but I found the middle of the story to be much slower-paced and drawn out. As a reader, many of the characters’ actions and consequences felt unavoidable, seemingly done for the sake of the plot, and therefore frustrating to comprehend. There’s a genuinely surprising twist revealed at the end, though I still found the ending to be quite confusing with many questions left unanswered.
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

[Elisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s good haunted house stories and then there’s the rare novel that will give you gooseflesh, that will make you look around to try to figure out if the closet door has moved, that will give even the most jaded reader nightmares. She Waits Where Shadows Gather is one of these. Truly, deeply, terrifically scary, creepy and unsettling. Set in the Philippines, Avery and Carlos relocate from Canada to work on their marriage. Carlos hosts a ghost-hunting show and Avery just wants to have a baby. They move into Carlos’s childhood home, that is all but abandoned, with an agenda he’s not sharing with his wife. Alternating between Avery and Carlos, it’s interesting to see how they perceive the same events very differently. The characters are complex and well rounded. I loved the family dynamics and especially Carlos’s super-likable sister, Tessa. The plot ties it all together. It’s hard to discuss it and avoid spoilers but what I thought were glaring plot holes turned out to be clues. Once the secret was revealed, I was blown away. Atmospheric and filled with disturbing passages. the house is described just enough to picture what’s happening. The horror doesn’t just overwhelm the characters, but happens little by little and then all at once. Let’s just say that the part set in the attic caused me heart palpitations. I cannot recommend it enough.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Poisoned Pen Press.

[fede · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story starts when Avery and Carlos travel to Manila to help Carlos’s family sell their ancestral home. After they land, they start feeling uneasy. It seems like the house doesn’t like them, the spirits living inside it are angry and looking for vengeance. Ghosts, paranormal activities, a haunted house - this novel has all the ingredients for a terrifying horror story.

When I started reading this I was expecting a horror novel, I wanted to be scared. Instead, what I got from this novel is a story of love and hate between two partners trying to reconnect again after being deeply hurt by lies and trauma. There were some unsettling moments and I liked the inclusion of Filipino folklore, but the continued fights between the main characters kept distracting me from the main plot. I would have loved more focus on the creepy elements.

The characters felt underdeveloped. Everything happened too quickly: Carlos’ incident and the couples’ fights and subsequent make ups. Carlos’ emotions towards Avery, his wife, changed constantly. These changes were explained over and over, leaving the reader no space to wonder what these characters where feeling and why they were acting a certain way. I would have loved for the characters to be more well-developed. And Carlos was insufferable.

Interesting premise, I liked the ghost stories, but the main characters lacked depth and acted like teenagers, ruining the atmosphere the novel was trying to build.

Thanks to the publisher for the Advance Copy. All opinions are my own.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

She Waits Where Shadows Gather, the Debut novel from Michelle Tang, just might be one of the best books I’ve read since I reignited my reading journey in 2023.

The book follows the married couple, Avery and Carlos Tam (written from duel prospective), as they move from Canada to the Philippians to help Carlos’ family with his childhood home. Carlos, being a TV paranormal investigator, has some secrets he aims to investigate in this house.
Their marriage is already a bit rocky, with Avery wanting children and Carlos being too self-centered to think of anyone aside from himself & his aspirations, when they make this move. Things get immensely worse after Carlos is involved in a life-changing crash.

This novel had me HOOKED from the get-go. Some genuinely scary moments that I’m still thinking about. Despite all this, by the end, I knew it was not only a story of the horrors people face growing up but a story of the lengths people will go to for the ones they truly love (and shed quite a few tears). I also loved learned a bit about Philippine folklore/mythology!
Truly cannot recommend this one enough!

Many thanks to NetGallery, Poisoned Pen Press, & the author, Michelle Tang, for the early eARC!

Publication date: May 5, 2026

[Hibs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I had a good time with this book. The story begins with Carlos, a TV paranormal investigator, and his wife, Avery, travelling to the Philippines to investigate an alleged ghost haunting in his ancestral home.
Their marriage is barely hanging on, and both of them are hoping this trip will fix their issues. However, they get more than they bargained for when they begin to live at the house and experience all its peculiarities, with mirrors that must be covered, strange objects moving around, and housekeepers who refuse to stay in the house alone. Things get infinitely worse when Carlos gets into a life-altering accident.

Avery, I really liked. She was brave, dedicated, and relatable. Carlos, an eyesore, was immediately dislikable, and I wasn’t even upset when he got into his accident. I mostly felt bad that now Avery was stuck.
The atmosphere was creepy and gothic. I didn’t have nightmares, but I might’ve been more scared if I had read this in the middle of the night, and I loved learning about Filipino folklore.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5

Carlos is the host of a paranormal show. When his family's housekeeper sees his grandfather's ghost he is called back home to investigate. Avery (his wife) goes with him for the opportunity to rebuild their marriage and (hopefully) to start a family. Tragedy strikes when Carlos ends up in a car accident and is trapped in his body and Avery is tasked with caring for him. She struggles with the enormity of this as well as giving up on her dream of children. And the whole time the ghosts are becoming more active.

I really liked this. It was a bit of a slow burn, focusing mainly on Carlos and Avery's marriage and the trouble they are having. Man, Carlos is a selfish SOB, I felt bad for Avery. It wasn't in-your-face scary, but it did creep up on me. I didn't see the twist coming. However, I did think the final "showdown" was a little convenient. The pacing was a little slow at times, it took me a bit to be invested and then I was all in. Glad I read this and looking forward to more from this author.

Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this eARC from NetGalley for my review. She Waits Where Shadows Gather follows the story of Carlos and Avery, a couple whose relationship is on the brink of collapse after years of infertility and family losses. When they choose to go back to his family home in the Philippines for unusual reasons, Avery begins to uncover secrets about her husband and his family that involve the supernatural and local folklore, which she is firmly skeptical of.

The story and settings in the novel were intriguing, I loved the secondary characters and the time spent developing them; Tessa and Avery had the best growing sisterly bond throughout the novel. I also enjoyed Avery’s strength and character development throughout the novel. The pacing is where the story felt a bit off to me. The novel trudged along a bit slowly without much happening, and when the story got to connecting the dots with the ghosts and the supernatural threads, it felt a bit disjointed. Then the last fourth of the story everything felt very rushed to wrap the ending up. But this is a good book and the setting and plot felt fresh and engaging. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.

[Krystelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Please note this is a 3.5!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I think we really have a long way to go with horror, and horror that is diverse culturally is so important to ensuring we pep that narrative up and bring it to the forefront. It does stuff that we don’t have in the ordinary canon, and I love it for that.

This book is definitely a gem in that respect. It handles a story that is told with richness and complexity, and while it does lose a little bit of steam now and then, it also presents a really interesting twist on a ghost story.

It isn’t something I can wholeheartedly say hasn’t been done before, at least to some extent, but it was definitely done in a different way. I also really appreciate how there is a focus on the implications of family and generational trauma, and how we end up hurting those we love when we lose the forest through the trees.

I do think there could have been a little bit of a better focus on the mythology behind the ghosts, but it was still pulled off with aplomb. The writing style as well got a little repetitive now and again, but it was still a really enjoyable stab at a gothic horror.