Dark, chilling, and steeped in Irish folklore, Grace is a haunting modern Gothic horror that lingers long after the final page.

Grace was adopted at four years old and has never known the truth about her origins. When a mysterious phone call draws her back to the remote island where she was born, she finds a community bound together by decades of secrets, guilt, and whispered tales of strange deaths and vanished children. But something ancient and malevolent has been disturbed – and it is beginning to spread.

A.M. Shine delivers an atmospheric, oppressive setting that almost becomes a character in itself, with the island’s isolation amplifying the creeping sense of dread. This is folk horror at its core, exploring how far people will go for survival and the moral compromises made in the face of fear. While I would have liked more detail around certain elements, such as the orphanage, the tension and mythology woven through the story kept me gripped.

An unsettling, evocative tale of buried sins and the darkness that refuses to stay hidden.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

Firstly, thank you @netgalley and @headofzeus for kindly gifting me an early copy for an honest review. Horror isn't usually a genre I read much of but I don't know what it is about A.M. Shine books but I love them. I love how he weaves folklore, rural settings and horror into one in a remote setting where the uneasiness is high. The storytelling is excellent with such a chilling atmosphere throughout! I couldn't put this audiobook down!

Grace is a Gothic horror based on Irish mythology and folklore. The story unfolds on an isolated island full of mystery. Strangely there are no children on the island and stories of strange deaths and secrets. Grace, one of our main characters was adopted at 4 from this island and has never been back. However, a mysterious phone call leads her back to the island. Evil is on this island and threatens to destroy Grace's and the Islanders lives.

The suspense is excellent in this and left me on the edge of my seat throughout, I wanted to learn more about the island, the people and their secrets. I loved the multiple pov and that everyone had a secret to hide on the island. The slow suspense of the revealing of secrets was excellent and really gripping. The atmosphere Shine presents really creates the sense of unease as to what's going to happen to the characters. He completely transports you to the island. I loved the book so much, I even ordered myself a fancy special edition from the broken binding company. Overall, a fantastic book that I would definitely recommend if you enjoy suspenseful eerie stories in a remote setting.

Favorite quote: "Surrounded by more stories than she could ever read in a single lifetime."

How to describe this book without giving it away?

Well, first of all it is very atmospheric. The island itself and the weather really enhance the story. The descriptions are done so well that it felt like I was watching this as a movie in my mind, but without being overly descriptive and bogging down the story.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did an amazing job of further enhancing the vibes of the book. For people who are having difficulties with the Irish names: an audiobook absolutely helps.

As for the story itself: it definitely felt like it was written bij A.M. Knight Shamalan Shine. There were different Shamalan movies that this book reminded of, but not in a bad / cliche way (to me at least). There was also a sprinkling of The Haunting (the movie that is, book title is The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson).

Then as for the characters themselves: I do feel like the multiple POVs get a bit messy and convoluted in the latter part of the story. An omniscient narrator would've helped with this.

That and how do they get money??? It kept bothering me the whole time. They are isolated, nobody visits, they cannot leave the island themselves, have bad cell service, but yet are able to afford the exorbitant prices the ferryman charges for food and supplies? HOW? I fear that this is the thing that's going to keep me up at night.

All in all I really enjoyed myself with this book. Despite having major issues with concentrating lately the story was pulled me in. I can definitely recommend this book to people who enjoy creeping dread in their horror.

Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for providing me with this ARC. All opinions are my own.

🎧Audio Book Review🎧

Grace
AM Shine

🌟🌟🌟🌟

This is my first read by this author, despite having a few books already on my shelves - so I was really excited to get the chance to listen to this one.

I have to admit that it took me a little while to really get into this but I think being on audio, I struggled to initially grasp the different pov's through the chapters - however, once I picked this up, I found it much easier to settle into the real narrative.

Having not read this author before, I wasn't entirely sure what genre I was going into - hoping it was a horror, I was really pleased to find this was the case and also that we were delving into some good old dark Irish folklore too.

I can't say too much about the content as this was packed with twists along the way - many of which shocked.
Even after the big reveals throughout and the final "boss battle", there was yet more shocks to come.

I absolutely loved the setting and the atmosphere created right from the start.
An isolated, ancient island off the coast or Ireland - nobody comes and nobody leaves.
There was a history to the place which set me on edge, especially as it involved children and it wasn't clear what had really happened to the residents for quite some time.

I really enjoyed Father O'Malley's character - his backstory and development really made the story for me.
But it was quite difficult to really get a handle on any of the other characters.

A really interesting and compelling read - I'm not sure I totally followed every word - but I couldn't stop reading and had to find out what would happen in the end.

I loved the premise and can't wait to get round to my other reads by this author in the near future.



💕Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my ARC copy - this is my honest review 💕

A perfectly enjoyable horror audiobook to get stuck into. The narration felt almost lyrical and even though the story was slow to start it soon ramped up and was worth the short wait. I love anything based around an isolated island community, a pub with a complex landlord, a whole host of hostile characters within the community. My first AM Shine book but certainly not my last.

A good horror novel that harks back to the days when led you along till you too scared to anything but carry on. Loved the multiple viewpoints and the creature from Irish folklore and the isolated setting. This is one of the best horror novels I've read and I will be looking out for this author in the future. Dierdrie O.Connell's narration was very good adding more atmosphere to this excellent novel and the production was very good. Thanks to Head of Zeus audio and Netgalley for this review copy.

I had high hopes for this book and I really enjoyed it. I felt it was atmospheric straight away and it sucked me in.
I have to admit that I felt quite creeped out several times, which I can only see as a positive.
The title is Grace, who is a character but she isnt really the main character, however she starts the downfall of the island.
It's based on a remote Irish island, and Irish mythology. It's a bit religious and a bit supernatural.
I listened to the audiobook version of this story and I thought the narrator was perfect.
Definitely a recommended read, I really liked it.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I found Grace to be a gripping and atmospheric psychological horror. The author establishes a strong sense of unease from the outset, using the isolated island setting to great effect. The tension builds steadily, and I appreciated that the story ultimately answers the questions it raises rather than relying on ambiguity alone.

The audiobook narration by Deirdre O’Connell is excellent and genuinely enhances the sense of dread, making this a compulsive listen. Overall, a highly effective and immersive experience.

Thank you to Head of Zeus Audiobooks for the review copy.