The Shape of Darkness

Another gothic read (maybe I'm developing a bias here...). This one was a unique read that I devoured quickly because I loved it so much. Agnes was a great MC with an even cooler job (kinda wanna become a silhouette artist now...though I don't think I'd be any good. Sigggh.) This is a great murder mystery that'll keep you up late (if you're like me), watching shadows on your wall and dreaming of those old, haunted houses with ghosts and dimly lit hallways. Agh - just up my alley.

  ‘'Shadows flee across the cobbles and climb up walls. Agnes has spent her life studying them, but she has not appreciated their sheer number until tonight. She sees shadows thrown by a dancing flame, the shadow of a tree branch, of an alley cat, shadows from nothing at all.''
Agnes works wonders with her skilful hands. A silhouette artist in an era when the photograph is about to become THE fashion, she has to keep her business alive and provide for her mother and her nephew. But this is not the hardest part of her daily life. Still recovering from a severe illness, the shadows of the past are playing hide-and-seek. And then, clients of hers are murdered. One after another. A child with otherworldy powers seems to provide the only solution. A game of shadows begins...
Yes, one more masterpiece by the inimitable Laura Purcell.
‘'The gas lamps are up. Not high, but enough to taunt her. By their light, the parlour looks shabbier: the wallpaper a weak and faded lilac chintz that depresses the spirits. Pearl's spirits, that is. She doesn't know about the ghosts. They haven't complained about the decoration as yet.''
I don't think that Laura Purcell's work needs an introduction. In her fourth novel/masterpiece, we meet Agnes and Pearl. Taking place in Bath during the 1850s, this is the story of a woman and a child, two souls that have been plagued by the spirits of the past for so long...Grief and Death are their companions, and the narrative becomes haunting and mesmerizing in an almost twisted way as we witness the toil that burdens Agnes and Pearl's shoulders.
To what extent should you sacrifice yourself, your dignity, your happiness, your sanity for the sake of your family? Why is it that the innocents are left to atone in blood and tears for the mistakes of others? Laura Purcell creates a marriage between the themes of shadows - literal and metaphorical- and silhouettes and the daily responsibilities and hardship women have had to face to keep their families safe. The beautiful characters of Agnes and Pearl, their faith, determination and bravery are a wonder to behold within the pages of this beautiful book.
To say that the novel is rich in this distinctive, superb Gothic atmosphere we have come to associate with Purcell's works is an understatement. The conviction that the soul would be captured within a portrait or a photograph. The Victorian obsession with Spiritualism, mesmerism, the unethical madness of body-snatching, the popularity of the Penny Dreadfuls. What more could we possibly want as readers? 
Every Victorian Gothic element is here, in this novel, in all its eerie glory. Perfection after perfection, Laura Purcell never seizes to generously lure us into a mesmerizing net of pure literary delight.
‘'When the hours of day are numbered,And the voices of the nightWake the better soul, that slumbered, To a holy, calm delight. 
Ere the evening lamps are lighted,And, like phantoms grim and tall,Shadows from the fitful fire-lightDance upon the parlour wall;''
My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com/
 

Another fantastic gothic chiller from Laura Purcell. Doesn't quite stand up to the brilliance of The Corset and it is a little slow at the beginning but the ending is perfect.

This was my first Laura Purcell book, and I really liked it.

I wasn't sure initially, but once I got into it I didn't want to stop! I buddy read it with a friend, so it was read in 4 parts, but it was hard to refrain myself from continuing past our agreed stop points!

Agnes came across quite weak at times, well throughout most of the story, and I have to wonder if that was deliberately done by the author, to take away from the fact that there was more to Agnes then met the eye. If that was the case, then it was brilliantly done!

As for poor Pearl, I felt so bad her. Her sister was absolutely horrid and that's no exaggeration!

Thank you to NetGalley, publisher Raven Books and Laura Purcell for an eARC of this book.

In true Laura Purcell style this book is both haunting and mesmerizing. The characters came to life on the page and I immediately felt a strong connection to the two main female characters Agnes and Pearl. I adore the historic era that dominates Purcell's novels including the names given to her characters. For me, the setting, Victorian Bath, was just the perfect location for this novel. Living quite near to Bath, and through Purcell's descriptions, it was easy to visualise Bath back in the Victorian age and Agnes' movements around the city. The writing; atmospheric with a gothic feel, adds to the ghostly encounters and mysterious deaths that are taking place. Both chilling and gripping, the intricate plot cleverly weaves its way through the novel providing tension, some harrowing scenes and shocking surprises.

Being a bit of a Laura Purcell geek I found myself finding parallels between her other novels which I loved. In The Silent Companions you have the supernatural element which not only fascinated me but gave me chills. I was delighted to find this ghostly theme running through The Shape Of Darkness through Pearl and her ability to communicate with the dead. In The Corset you have a child/young woman trying to survive through poverty and mistreatment. I found there were links here to both Agnes' and Pearl's life as both had lost someone dear and were trying hard to get by. Just like Ruth in The Corset, Agnes has a skill, a silhouette artist. It was fascinating to read about this rare and timeless artform which, using just scissors and paper, Agnes cuts out the subject's portrait in profile. I could really imagine the charming, detailed and accurate likeness that Agnes could create in a few minutes. It is traditions such as these, that were highly popular during the Victorian era, that Purcell brings alive again through her writing. Educating and adding a uniqueness to her novels.

You can always count on Purcell to throw you into a world of darkness and to expect the unexpected. Even though I was fully prepared to be shocked and tried to surmise the outcome I was still left unprepared for the ending. Normally I rush to finish a book through sheer determination to find out what the outcome is. However, with The Shape Of Darkness I found myself slowing down, I truly did not want the reading experience to finish. As always the ending was perfect, the characters have routed themselves in my heart and I am now bereft having finished.

I can't wait to see what Purcell writes next, I just hope I don't have a wait too long.

This is a deliciously wicked gothic tale. Set in the late 1800s in Bath, this story follows Agnes Darken, a silhouette artist who finds herself embroiled in a murder mystery that scandalises the city. Everyone who seems to pose for one of Agnes's pieces starts to meet their untimely demise. Fearful that the murderer is trying to communicate with her, Agnes finds herself seeking answers from her dead relatives and former clients through the help of a medium, a 11 year old albino girl called Pearl.

This book packs a punch. A perfect read to be snuggled up with on the long cold nights of winter. It's atmospheric and ghostly and I love how the author plays around with big themes like loss and haunting's and seance's and the exploration of the afterlife in a gripping and propulsive way. It's creepy. It's gnarly. It's wonderful.

I can always rely on Laura Purcell to give me dark, twisty compelling reads to help me get through the bleak winter nights. I would highly recommend for people who enjoy reading gothic fiction.

Thanks to the author, Bloomsbury UK and Netgalley for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.