Thank you to Crooked Lane Books, #partner, for the finished copy of My Sister’s Shadow in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Published: March 18, 2025
Summary:
Envy and desire infiltrate the lives of twin sisters in this dark, Gothic suspense set in England and New York City, perfect for fans of Laura Joh Rowland and Hester Fox.
A mirror will never show you the truth.
England 1904. Mirror twins Adelaide and Victoria have spent their lives in orbit of each other– doomed to be in the other’s shadow, their lives are intertwined and inextricable as each other’s identical inverse. Adelaide is dutiful and reserved, happy to remain in her childhood home, Harewood Hall, forever. Victoria wishes for a thrilling life, exploring the world and finding a great romance–but the twins cannot live apart.
Visiting Lord Stanley bewitches Victoria with his talk of a life of luxury in New York, but it is obedient Adelaide whom he marries against her will and to Victoria’s fury. Together, they all move to New York and begin a new life.
Adelaide finds herself trapped in a gilded cage on Fifth Avenue with no one but her angry and tempestuous twin for company. Amid the glamor of the upper class, Adelaide is captivated by the independent and educated women of the elite social circle Mrs. Astor’s 400. As Adelaide’s star rises, tensions begin to surface between the sisters, and as Adelaide grows apart from her twin for the very first time, Victoria descends into a rage-fueled darkness that threatens everything and anyone standing in her way.
Darker and darker with every turn of the page, this Gothic suspense will enrapture readers of Daphne du Maurier and Laura Purcell.
My thoughts:
If there’s one thing I love it’s an atmospheric, gothic read and this one had both in spades! I was fortunate to meet January Gilchrist last year at Bouchercon in Nashville and as soon as she told me about this book, I knew I wanted to read it…it sounded right up my alley. And it was!
Books about sisters always hit the mark for me and this one, about mirror twins, was just so fascinating! I loved having the book narrated from just one sister’s point of view, Adelaide, in this case – it made it more tense and believe me – the tension is there! We are privy to her inner thoughts throughout, and it made for such a great read. This isn’t really a story filled with twists and turns, but rather we see how sisterhood can be tested and fractured by loyalties, envy and ambition.
With nods to Daphne du Maurier, this gothic suspense had me frantically flipping the pages to find out how it would work out for the sisters in the end.
Purchasing from the link below supports independent bookstores and my blog!
