Court of Shadows by Madeleine Roux Review

Title: Court of Shadows

Author: Madeleine Roux

Age Group: Teen/Young Adult

Genre: Horror

Series: House of Furies, book two

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

I borrowed this book from my local library and reviewed it.

House of Furies, the first book in this series, was one of my favorite books of last year, so when I found that there was a sequel coming, I was totally stoked. I picked it up from my library, and it’s been sitting in my stack for a while, the gorgeous, dark cover beckoning me even while I read other books. When I was finished with Mirage, I pushed it up to the top of my stack. I don’t know about you guys, but fall always gets me in the mood for horror! School starting, leaving turning, apple cider and cinnamon doughnuts, sweater weather, I could go on. But my absolute favorite thing is to read spooky, creepy books; I love being scared when Halloween is just around the corner. Now, on to the actual review, and I don’t want to give away too much detail about the plot for those who haven’t yet read it.

Court of Shadows begins where House of Furies left off, with Louisa Ditton still trying to adjust to her still new position as a maid in Coldthistle House, which is populated by all manner of ghoulish, dark creatures, and dealing with the consequences of the ending of the last book. Cautiously trying to understand her own origins and master her mysterious, unpredictable powers, things get even more complicated when the devilish Mr. Morningside offers to help her, for a price. But once she begins to dig, she starts to realize that no one is exactly who they seem, not even the people who claim to love her, and the favor that Mr. Morningside asks begins to draw to light a darkness older and more dangerous than anything she’s ever known…

This book was wonderful! Honestly, I almost liked it better than House of Furies. The pacing was breakneck, and I really enjoyed the format of journal entries and drawings throughout; it provided a nice counterpoint to Louisa’s voice, and a lot of background on several characters I knew and a few that I didn’t. And it also helped that there were old, vintage photos before each chapter, giving little hints as to what was going on. I was absolutely spellbound, and I really liked the continuity from the first book to the next. Sequels give me such anxiety; more often than not, they just don’t live up to the original book. But my worries were completely unfounded with this book! It had been a while since I’d read House of Furies, but the writing and pacing were so good that my memory caught up to what was happening after the first few chapters. I really enjoyed the gothic, gory horror bits of this novel too; it was one of the perfect books for me to officially begin my autumn with! And that ending! Oh, my goodness, I need the next book, right now! How am I supposed to wait until next year for the next one? I’m dying here! Madeleine, you’ve got me addicted to your work now, and I can’t wait to read the Asylum series! The bottom line: A dark, gory, meaty sequel to House of Furies, I loved Court of Shadows! Full of familiar characters and several new ones, I can’t wait for the next novel! An amazing sequel to one of my favorite books of last year! Next on deck: Dreadful Young Ladies and Other Stories by Kelly Barnhill!