I really enjoyed this gothic thriller/historic fiction ghost story!! Lots of twists and turns and trying to figure out what’s happening, with a gothic haunted house type setting based on the Yorkshire Moors with some sinister and also some helpful ghosts!

"Palace of Shadows" is a historical novel, with gothic and paranormal overtones, written by Ray Celestin.

The story takes place in 1899 and follows Samuel Etherstone, a penniless artist, adrift in London. His disturbing art is shunned by patrons and critics alike, his friend Oscar Wilde is now in exile living in Paris, and a personal tragedy is wearing him down. So when he is approached by a mysterious heiress, Mrs. Chesterfield, and asked to work on a commission for the house she is building on the desolate Smugglers' Coast of North Yorkshire, he accepts the offer. Staying overnight in the local village pub, Samuel is warned not to spend too much time there. He is told the fate of the house's original architect, Francisco Varano, chilling stories of folk driven mad by the house, of how it is built on a haunted land where young girls have vanished, their ghosts now intent on calling others to their deaths. It is only on his arrival at the Chesterfield house that he learns the sinister details of Varano's disappearance. And yet her owner keeps adding wing upon wing, and no one will tell him the reason behind her eerie obsession. But as Samuel delves deeper into the mysteries that sway around the mansion, the nature of the project becomes terrifyingly clear.
Wow, I was deeply fascinated by this story! I found it a wonderful gothic read, with pleasantly eerie and darkly bewitching tones, beautifully rendered by excellent lyrical prose.

The writing, in my opinion, is something incredibly sublime! Extremely evocative, suggestive and poetic, it totally won me over. I was impressed by the sophistication of the text, by the beauty of the words. I found it a truly enchanting prose, rich, but not overly dense or complex. The descriptions seemed vivid, meticulous and carefully curated, almost like an artist's painting, so much so that I was able to picture the various places with great accuracy. I loved the gothic tints in which this novel is immersed, the supernatural nuances, the touches more tending toward horror. Eeriness reigns supreme between the pages, swirling and enveloping everything like a thick fog, blurring the lines between reality and illusion, between dedication and obsession, between reason and madness. In my opinion, the author has done a fantastic job of handling the more sinister and mysterious aspects of the book, using them wisely and weaving them together deftly. The pace is deceptively placid and sleepy, made brisk by the uncertain atmosphere that permeates the narrative. Seriously, on this aspect I can express nothing but praise!

The setting is another element that won me over! The story takes place in 1899, initially in a gloomy London, choked with the dark and noxious fumes of factories, divided sharply between wealthy and wretched people. Later, the story shifts to North Yorkshire, in a landscape dominated by boundless moorland on one side and rocky coasts on the other. The lush depiction of these environments enchanted me. For me, the author manages to masterfully sketch these vast grassy spaces, dotted with shrubs, with sparse scattered farmsteads and even fewer villages, set under a pristine sky. A powerfully suggestive place, in which I was able to perceive intense poignant and lonely tones. A picturesque, wild place, almost suspended in time, in which are hidden infamous marshes capable of sucking in the unwary and mysterious as well as ancient worship stones. An element flanked by majestic sheer cliffs, overlooking restless waters swept by wind and waves. An intense and turbulent landscape, in the midst of which Chesterfield House stands out. Now, I basically have a soft spot for books set in old mansions, especially if they feature a sinister undertone. In this case then, personally, I sensed references to the famous Winchester House in California. As a fan of its history and its legend, I could not help but find myself captivated by Chesterfield House. A structure under constant construction, wing upon wing, that defies any architectural rule: stairs that lead to nowhere, ceilings instead of floors, windows that open onto walls or other windows, walled-off rooms and doors, blind and sometimes seemingly endless hallways, and much more. A twisted and complex mansion, at once elegant and anguished, which casts a strong shadow over everything and everyone. For some malevolent. For others reassuring. For still others haunting. A house that, according to one of the many rumors about it, has its own will and does not want to be contradicted. But will it be a truth or a rumor? I think I ended up in a swoon at this beautifully described setting! Or perhaps better yet, at this protagonist. Because yes, Chesterfield House is one of the protagonists of the story, the center around which everything revolves.

The plot, with its fascinating interweaving of reality and illusion, truth and lies, reason and madness, flows in a captivating and persuasive manner. The narration takes its time to analyze everything, without moments of haste, leaving nothing to chance. At least that is not a deliberate choice.

I liked all the characters, main and secondary, very much. Some for the good, some for the bad, they convinced me a lot. These are gray, flawed, lost, tormented characters marked by painful experiences and peculiar fixations. I could say more, but I fear making unintentional spoilers, so I prefer to avoid. I can only add that I was involved and impressed by all of them; I found them extremely expressive.

All in all, I found it a wonderful story with gothic tints, highly atmospheric and characterized by lyrical writing, which I absolutely recommend.

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review.

Very much drawn in by the cover, but stayed for content.
I don't think my imagination did justice to the amazing building central to this whole story... its something I'd love to see on screen.
My imagination did however keep up with all the twists, and dark turns, and people tricking others...
There's a lot going on.
But the house is the star, it's creepy yet magnificent. A character in its own right.
The story has a fair amount of creep to it too, builds nicely to the finale.
Excellent read.