"You’d be wise to read it with the light on!"

• ASIN: ‎ B07KD3QXCT
• Publisher: ‎ BookBaby; 1st edition (November 8, 2018)
• Publication date: ‎ November 8, 2018
• Language: ‎ English
• Print length: ‎ 459 pages
• Genre: Teen & Young Adult Ghost Fiction

The BookViral Review:

A hell of an adventure, a superb plot and a brilliant start to Lafferty’s Tales from Windward Cove series, Teen & Young Adult Ghost Stories don’t get any better than A Place Of Shadows, though you’d be wise to read it with the light on! 

The young adult mind is a splendid gate through which to enter a story. Sadly, the vast majority of supernatural fiction offerings prove wholly underwhelming so it’s always refreshing to come across an author who understands the genre’s lure. To this end, Lafferty cleverly culls bits and pieces from Hammer, Hitchcock and the old-dark-house genre of 19th-century literature and early 20th-century film and he wastes no time in getting going. All the major players are quickly introduced, the ghostly backstories of Windward Cove are laid out, a mystery is established, and the stakes are set forth. We don’t have to trawl through laborious opening chapters before getting a clear idea of what’s happening with young Ben Wolf and the powers he has.

With far too many releases in the genre, a lackadaisical inertia settles in with narrative formats that have become so predictable that we know exactly when every reveal will happen. That’s certainly not the case here. A terrible thing has led Ben and his mother to deceased Aunt Claire’s grand but dilapidated Windward Cove house. A marvellous place, full of danger, wonder, sorrow and joy.

With an edgy plot, it’s where the twists and turns of the story keep you on your toes until the very end, never giving anything away. We get the teasing out of Ben’s quirky powers mixed with the intrigue of how a spectral time loop plays out. Add in Lafferty’s authorial visual stamp and we have an exceedingly pleasing narrative formula which is rich in possibility and perfectly pitched for serialized storytelling.

As a plucky protagonist Ben is agreeably endearing, which is a valuable quality in any fictional character but whilst his star shines the brightest A Place Of Shadows wouldn’t be the read it is without Ab, Les and Ben’s devoted Black Russian Terrier Moe. Simply put, the three together have the right kind of chemistry. They’re fearless and determined and the loyalty they display for each other feels real and lived in and they’re a hard act to forget.

A superb start to Lafferty’s Tales from Windward Cove series A Place Of Shadows is an unreservedly recommended five-star read.