Fantastic story, bringing us right back to the Victorian ages, steeping in details and intriguing storylines. As always a fabulous!

Anyone who knows me, will know that Laura is one of my favourite writers, so I was so so happy to receive a copy of this book.

Laura writes about the Victorian era which again is one of my favourite era’s, and centres on Agnes, a silhouette artist who, now that photographs are coming out, is struggling to make ends meet to support herself, her nephew, and her mother.

After a couple of her clients are murdered, she ends up consulting a medium to see if her ex-clients can tell her who has killed them and why she is being targeted.

I would say that this is the darkest book that Laura has written - she always keeps me on the edge of my seat and unable to put her books down anyway, but this one truly surpassed the others in how sinister it was, I was utterly blown away, and had to re-read the final few pages again just to make sure I’d got it right.

Utterly phenomenal.

My thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ) for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review

I have absolutely loved her previous novels and this is no exception. Once again Ms Purcell has produced an exquisitely written novel with a bias towards the supernatural. With the evocative backdrop of the city of Bath featuring silhouette painting, mediumship and mesmerism, without being overly-descriptive the author manages to conjure a stunning visualisation in my mind’s eye, which is no mean feat as I tend to lack imagination. The plot keeps you thinking right up to the end. Very much a must-read author. Top marks.

Laura Purcell has yet to write a bad book. Each one she writes is marvellous in it's own special way about it's own special subject and this one was utterly gripping from the very beginning. It will suck you in, keep you guessing, leave you scratching your head, trip you up, give you thrills and chills and have you reaching for anything else the author has written. Taking place in the atmospheric setting of Victorian Bath we are introduced to the impoverished world of Agnes Darken, silhouette artist, and watch as she is drawn in to the world of mesmerism and spiritualism whilst attempting to uncover a mystery. However, all is not quite what it seems and discovering the truth will have you sitting on the edge of your seat, turning pages as fast as you can. A triumph of a novel and an author that I would recommend to anyone!

I read this over two days – far quicker than I usually do these days, but that’s because it is so compelling! The atmosphere just pours from the pages; a perfect example of the genre (gothic). It was a nice original touch to have such an unusual job for the main character too. Wonderful!

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<p>Wow oh wow!! What a book!! How can my review do this masterpiece any justice at all?</p>
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<p>Laura Purcell is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors. This book has definitely given me authentic Victorian feels. I have found this is darker than the other books by Purcell that I have read, but with that said- I loved it!</p>
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<p>I was so excited to get stuck into this one, I immediately made sure I had time where I wouldn't be disturbed. I devoured this gorgeous book from cover to cover in just hours. I have been both unable and unwilling to put this one down. Purcell is a master story teller and queen of this genre. </p>
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<p>The Shape of Darkness is a creepy and spine tingling novel which has elements of ghostly and supernatural selections. I absolutely love that Purcell has created a murder mystery/ ghost story combined. I have found this full of atmosphere, it is written in a way you experience the chills as you read. I have found this a completely compelling and enthralling read. This will definitely stick with you. I have been thinking about this one for hours after finishing it. </p>
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<p>I had very high expectations of this book after reading Purcell's previous books. I can safely say that this well-crafted masterpiece has not disappointed. Purcell is a hugely talented queen of storytelling and this is a book which is highly deserving of all the stars. I will absolutely be recommending this book. </p>
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<p>I cannot wait for more from this author. </p>
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This author is one of my go to instant reads. I don’t even look at the synopsis. I see her name on the cover and I instantly have got to have it!

The style of writing starts off subtle setting the scene and then draws you in taking you on a dark twisty journey. Set in Victorian Bath it’s a great historical/gothic story.

3.75
This author is becoming a go to for me in supernatural historical fiction. I always enjoy the atmosphere that they have. I don't know why, but spooky stories set in modern setting just aren't as creepy to me as a historical setting.
I did find the pacing a little more slow in the middle but it soon picked up again. I can't say too much about the plot since I think it's better if you don't know too much. There were some things I saw coming but there were also ones I didn't or were different to what I was expecting.
The spiritual movement theme included was very interesting but wasn't as big a part of the plot as I thought it would be. It was simultaneously part of and slightly apart from the main storyline if that makes sense.
Even with these slight niggles I highly enjoyed this book and have pre-ordered it for someone I know who I think will enjoy it as well.

Laura Purcell is one of my must-read authors so I was delighted to receive this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I wasn't disappointed; this had me gripped throughout. Victorian gothic at its best, creepy, full of atmosphere and intrigue. Purcell clearly does her research and comes up with a really unusual story every time, all based on actual historical context – this time, the fashion of mesmerism, the emergence of photography and the horrific consequences of working in match factories. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

Another astounding chiller from Laura Purcell.

This book picks you up gently and carries you deeper and deeper into dark, cold waters. Complex characters and a nice evocation of period Bath helps bind Laura's new book into another gothic suspense story of the highest order.

More Gothic goodness from the wonderful Laura Purcell.  This book is set in Bath in the 1850s.  Agnes works as a silhouette cutter, trying to make ends meet and support her diminished family.  Clients are very few and far between and when her former customers start showing up as corpses Agnes worries that someone is targeting her personally.  She seeks out the assistance of a young clairvoyant in the hopes that the killer can be identified and stopped before Agnes herself comes to harm.  A very entertaining spooky, twisty read.

This gothic story set in Bath follows Agnes who is silhouette artist and young Pearl who is a medium. Through certain circumstances both characters are to find each other and the story goes on from there.

I really enjoyed The Silent Companions and The Corset, didn't enjoy Bone China as much and this book The Shape of Darkness even less.

What I did enjoy was the historical setting and descriptions, and from that I did get the sense of place. I also enjoyed how the silhouettes that Agnes created alongside with the mediumship are connected. This premise for me had so much promise.

What I didn't like was for me the story went on and on. I felt towards the latter part of the story that it was been filled out more and more, how much more plot can there be added. The story did drag on and I found myself becoming very bored.

I hate having to give 2 stars to a book by Laura Purcell and will read more by her in the future but this book just didn't do it for me.

Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review the book.

I have read and enjoyed several other gothic novels by Laura Purcell, so I was excited to get the chance to read her newest work. I am glad to say I was not disappointed.

Agnes is a silhouette-cutter and artist, living in Victorian Bath. She is recovering from an illness that has left her breathless and frail, trying to make ends meet from her profession which is losing out to the new fashion for daguerreotype photography. When some of her clients are killed shortly after she took their silhouettes, Agnes turns to a local spiritualist for help and meets Pearl, an eleven year old albino girl working as a psychic.

Pearl and Agnes each experience weird ghostly phenomena while trying to help the other. How much of what happens is supernatural and how much is caused by a human hand?

Recommended for those of us who like our murder mysteries to be historical and spooky.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing a review copy in exchange for honest feedback.

There has been a big of a resurgence in Gothic literature over the last couple of years, with Purcell at the front of the pack, leading the way with her terrifically spooky and at times simply terrifying novels. The Corset, Bone China and The Silent Companions have each carved out a place in literature, bringing back a level of spooky novel writing and reading that would make du Maurier envious.

With The Shape of Darkness, Purcell continues her skillful assent. The characters of Agnes and Pearl are very different, yet there is a unity in their desperate need to have some comfort from a person in their past that they can do nothing about. The first part of the novel gradually builds to Pearl and Agnes meeting for a consultation and this is the first time we get to witness Pearl's ability, whereas before that, she passes out and is unable to relay what she is seeing, hearing, and feeling.

The descriptions of ghostly beings are enough to make even a skeptic believe, both within the novel and without. It's very cleverly written, the historical fiction aspect only enhancing the spooky feel to the whole set up. It is also a poignant tale of the situation unmarried women found themselves faced with just generations ago, struggling to support themselves and any dependents they end up with through various circumstances.

It's not an easy book in many ways, and is certainly an emotional ride, but it is a brilliant story, and one I would recommend to anyone looking for something spooky, or just a bit different as a read this coming year.

Set in Victorian Bath, Laura Purcell once more excels in taking us to a time and place. She does spooky and historic so well. Agnes, our main character, isn't easy to like, but as she has had a really difficult life and I found myself badly wanting her to find some peace. There are twists and turns and clever use of plot and characters. I would definitely recommend this to those who like mysterious plots and strong female leads. A feast for fans of the genre and for those who are intrigued by gothic historic novels.
Thank you to the author, Bloomsbury Publishing and @NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this intriguing and memorable book.

What a treat this book was! Laura Purcell just gets better and better with every book.
Agnes is a struggling silhouette maker in 1840s Bath. Haunted by a lost love and the shade of her vengeful sister, Constance, she lives with her Mother and Nephew in a tiny, unkempt house, where magpies caw and cackle on the roof. Then some of her clients are murdered in hideous ways and she tries to establish a connection via The White Sylph, a young girl called Pearl who is dominated by her older sister, Myrtle West.
Myrtle has an iron grasp on her money-generating sister and in a back room Pearl’s father slowly fades, expiring in horrific degrees from ‘phossy jaw’ from his time in a match factory.
Once again, Purcell centres the quiet desperation of the lives of poor women in that era and she excels at drawing the reader in to their narratives. There are male characters but they seem largely ineffectual. Men of science against an onslaught of female spirits who simply will not let go.
The final twists were genuinely shocking without being far fetched. I shall look forward to buying a physical copy of this book to enjoy it again on publication.

Agnes is a silhouette artist in 1850s Bath, caring for her nephew and her mother and struggling to make ends meet. When her sitters start dying one after the other, she requests the help of young Pearl, 11, who can communicate with the dead, and she tries and finds out who murdered the people whose silhouettes she cut in paper and who is thus hurting her business.

I find Laura Purcell's historial fiction exquisite - well-written, full of suspense, with characters that you get attached to, and when you think you have guessed the whole story, she finds ways to keep surprising you. I know 'The Silent Companions' is a favourite of many readers; personally I preferred 'The Poison Thread' and I found this one to be more similar to it than to 'The Silent Companions'.

Once again Laura Purcell gives us perfect winter reading fare with her atmospheric Victorian era Gothic spine chiller set in the filthy, disease ridden, bleak streets of Bath in the late 19th century. Agnes Darken has been struck by illness that has left her fragile and vulnerable, a woman with responsibilities to provide for her elderly mother and her much loved orphan nephew Cedric. As a silhouette artist, she is struggling in a time where people are turning to and preferring the new fields of photography and daguerreotypes. So when her silhouette clients start being murdered, it is understandable that Agnes is left a worried and frightened woman, why would anyone want to target her business?

She looks for answers and the identity of a killer from beyond the grave, more specifically from 11 year old albino spiritualist, Pearl, a girl with her own issues, some of which echo those of Agnes, and who has a dominating half sister in mesmerist, Myrtle West. In a story of the supernatural that includes seances, ghosts, where in an ever increasing menacing, creepy and eerie narrative, horror and danger lurks. Insightful information is provided about the matchstick industry and the terrible and deadly effects it has on its workers. This is dark, sinister and dramatic read of grief and loss, secrets and deception, filled with Purcell's trademark twists and surprises.

What makes Purcell a stand out author is the depth she provides with her evocative rich descriptions that make this location and this period of history come to vibrant life. It is a time of societal flux, a novel that captures the extreme inequalities and class distinctions, the Victorian obsession with spiritualism, the position of women, new ideas and technologies. If you are in search of dark gothic novel, then this should fit the bill, it is well crafted and a compulsive murder mystery and so much more. Many thanks to Bloomsbury for an ARC.

If you’re after unnerving historical fiction that comes wrapped in a big ol’ bow, then let me introduce you to the Queen of Gothic Spooks, Laura Purcell.

Having read The Silent Companions, The Corset and Bone China I knew exactly what I was getting myself in for and this did NOT disappoint.
This is what you’re in for:

✨ Set in Victorian Bath (the era and the city, not a very old tub)
✨ Spiritual mediums who seem to _actually_ speak to the dead
✨ An artist losing the plot
✨ People dying left, right and centre

So if that’s caught your attention, lemmie introduce you to the characters. First up, the main gal Agnes Darken. A silhouette artist (legit had no idea this was a thing) and the breadwinner for her very small family. Only she has the slight issue of her clients dying after she’s done their portrait. Can confirm it ain’t good for business.

And then you’ve got wee Pearl. A wee 11-year-old spirit medium with the world riding on her shoulders. Essentially used by her half-sister to make them a chunk of cash for séances, she quickly finds herself tangled in Agnes’ mess when all she wanted to do was speak to her dead mum.

Yet there was just something lacking from this. And all I can think about are two things:
– I didn’t fall in love with any characters. Except maybe the dog.
– It took me a while to get sucked in which I’ve never had to deal with when it comes to the other books.

Throwing that aside though, this is a wonderful little book with a very clever story woven through it. Legit never seen the ending coming. Was 100% a pow, right in the kisser moment and I’m real glad my noggin didn’t work it out.

There is nothing I love more than a gothic ghost story. Laura Purcell is an author that I have always rushed out to buy on publication day but unfortunately this one has missed the mark for me.

I just didn't find anything to relate to Agnes, the main character, I like my female leads to have a bit of sass and stand up for themselves but I just found Agnes a bit boring to be honest.

I found the story started to drag as it got to the middle and I will confess, I never made it to the end.

While the scene setting was typical Purcell with its dark and gritty descriptions, the characters just let me down.

I have thoroughly enjoyed Purcell's previous novels and The Silent Companions remains one of the best ghost stories I have ever read. I will definitely still be following her work but sadly, I didn't enjoy this one.