Review: In Darkness, Shadows Breathe by Catherine Cavendish

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Flame Tree Press in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

In Darkness, Shadows Breathe, by Catherine Cavendish, is a dark ride of twists and turns through non-linear timelines on haunted hospital grounds to learn what evil seeks to possess souls and lives, and to what end.

 The book is comprised of two parts, one featuring Carol Shaughnessy, and the second featuring Nessa Tremaine.  The story starts with store clerk Carol is renting a flat for 6 months, during which she begins losing chunks of time and having both audio and visual hallucinations involving antediluvian medical treatments in a Victorian era hospital. As time passes, the attacks on Carol become increasingly more dangerous. Part two of the story involves Vanessa "Nessa" Tremaine in the hospital across the street. Nessa is in the hospital to have a life saving surgery to cure her cancer, and while in-patient begins to have nightmares and hallucinations about the primitive surgeries done to the female patients of the hospital in the Victorian era. The two women's lives and fates are intertwined as they fight back against the evil that seeks to possess them.

I greatly enjoyed this story and couldn't put it down. Before this book, I had never read any of Catherine Cavendish's writing before, but have since added all of her books to my reading list.  Cavendish is masterful in her use of imagery and use of descriptions. I was truly creeped out and surprised by some of the events of the book. Particularly effective to me was how Cavendish handled the switching of perspective of the characters of Carol and Nessa, as well as adding elements of gaslighting and disbelief of the peripheral characters in the story.

 I highly recommend In Darkness, Shadows Breathe.

#In DarknessShadowsBreathe #NetGalley

 4/5 Stars