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Shadow of the Yew Tree
“You must heed our warning!”
“We have always rewarded surrender over sacrifice, Ronan.”
“You must remember this for what is to come—”
“And the promise of who you will meet in what comes after.”
It seemed a lifetime ago that Dr. Ronan Gallagher had succumbed to his obsessive need to uncover the deepest secrets of the Codex Druidicus, a grimoire of the very darkest magic. Though he’d tried to protect his closest friends from a threat that had followed them through multiple lifetimes, the choices made by the Druid doctor had been a betrayal of not only his friends but his own sacred oaths—a betrayal he would pay for with his life.
Through the intervention of the Otherworld, he was given a second chance on this earthly realm to set things right. Yet, while the curse of the evil Sorcerer Cassius, ancient Child of Rome, might have been vanquished together with the Codex, the torturous tendrils born of Ronan’s pride and obsessive weakness still thrive in the shadows, their reach extending further every day.
When his fellow Druids learn of a massive explosion that has reduced a secret experimental Wraith facility to ruins, none can understand how Phoebe Ashburn, the sole survivor of the tortured experiments, has survived the blast’s devastation … and evaded their capture. With dark and volatile Wraith magic now trapped inside her—threatening her control and sanity—Phoebe is determined to discover how to rid herself of this inner darkness … even if it means accepting the assistance of the very Druid doctor whose actions had led to her torture in the first place.
“We have always rewarded surrender over sacrifice, Ronan.”
“You must remember this for what is to come—”
“And the promise of who you will meet in what comes after.”
It seemed a lifetime ago that Dr. Ronan Gallagher had succumbed to his obsessive need to uncover the deepest secrets of the Codex Druidicus, a grimoire of the very darkest magic. Though he’d tried to protect his closest friends from a threat that had followed them through multiple lifetimes, the choices made by the Druid doctor had been a betrayal of not only his friends but his own sacred oaths—a betrayal he would pay for with his life.
Through the intervention of the Otherworld, he was given a second chance on this earthly realm to set things right. Yet, while the curse of the evil Sorcerer Cassius, ancient Child of Rome, might have been vanquished together with the Codex, the torturous tendrils born of Ronan’s pride and obsessive weakness still thrive in the shadows, their reach extending further every day.
When his fellow Druids learn of a massive explosion that has reduced a secret experimental Wraith facility to ruins, none can understand how Phoebe Ashburn, the sole survivor of the tortured experiments, has survived the blast’s devastation … and evaded their capture. With dark and volatile Wraith magic now trapped inside her—threatening her control and sanity—Phoebe is determined to discover how to rid herself of this inner darkness … even if it means accepting the assistance of the very Druid doctor whose actions had led to her torture in the first place.
482 pages, Paperback
Published May 27, 2025
3 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 13, 2025
4.5 ⭐️
This is Kate's best book to date.
Dr. Ronan Gallagher, our fit, intelligent, silver fox from The Lost Wells trilogy gets his time to shine in The Shadow of the Yew Tree. He's going to therapy, he's wearing glasses (as if he needed anything else to make him more attractive), he's trying to write his wrongs, and then Phoebe Ashburn crash lands into his life. She's a twin to his dark soul and is beautiful, blonde, sassy, smart and chock full of dark wraith magic. Will they be able to cure her of this darn magic so that she can survive? Can they even survive themselves?
This is such a wonderfully written book, taking place on the west coast of Canada and a bit of Ireland. There's action, heart break, mystery and a scene that very much had James Bond vibes. Also one bed. Also, Ronan wearing glasses (did I mention that already?). The only thing I'm upset about is that I now have to wait for the sequel and I am very impatient to find out what happens next!
This is Kate's best book to date.
Dr. Ronan Gallagher, our fit, intelligent, silver fox from The Lost Wells trilogy gets his time to shine in The Shadow of the Yew Tree. He's going to therapy, he's wearing glasses (as if he needed anything else to make him more attractive), he's trying to write his wrongs, and then Phoebe Ashburn crash lands into his life. She's a twin to his dark soul and is beautiful, blonde, sassy, smart and chock full of dark wraith magic. Will they be able to cure her of this darn magic so that she can survive? Can they even survive themselves?
This is such a wonderfully written book, taking place on the west coast of Canada and a bit of Ireland. There's action, heart break, mystery and a scene that very much had James Bond vibes. Also one bed. Also, Ronan wearing glasses (did I mention that already?). The only thing I'm upset about is that I now have to wait for the sequel and I am very impatient to find out what happens next!
May 17, 2025
Thank you so much to the author for an early copy of this book!!
I really enjoyed this one, and though it’s connected to her previous trilogy, you can definitely go in blind and not feel at a loss within the story.
If you’re looking for a contemporary setting (Canada + Ireland) with magic and adventure with 30+ main characters, this is the book for you!
Main characters over the age of 30? Fuck yes. I love that we have characters who are a little more well established in who they are but also still complicated characters who are continuously evolving and working on themselves because that’s accurate to real life and the real world. I love that Ronan is in therapy (👑) and realizes his own shortcomings but is also evolved and mature enough to recognize when he needs that support and leans on his friends and a therapist. We love an emotionally mature man. Also the space he gives Phoebe at the end of the book for what she needs to do for herself and not getting offended. It also doesn’t hurt that he’s hot and self aware about that.
Phoebe is also great, I love her strength and her maturity while also being a little bit of a mess because aren’t we all? I love that even while discovering new things about herself and the newly discovered world around her of wraiths and druids she didn’t lose who she was in it. I think similarly to Ronan, she shows how even when you’re more established in yourself you can still be messy and complicated at times, making decisions that maybe aren’t the best but we’re all still learning.
The adventure aspects of this are fun and I love that we get more insights into each of our main characters through each of their missions while expanding the side character crew in a meaningful way. I like that though we don’t delve as deeply into the characters they felt three dimensional and not just there to allow the story to move forward.
I am so looking forward to learning more in book 2, because that epilogue 👀 I can’t wait to see where our characters go from here and in the meantime I’ll just have to get caught up on the Lost Wells trilogy.
My only critique and this is a stylistic one that I recognize is probably more of a me thing is the use of parentheses. I think for most it would have felt more natural to have it as part of the sentence. But, it was such a small thing. The writing overall is great and very immersive.
I really enjoyed this one, and though it’s connected to her previous trilogy, you can definitely go in blind and not feel at a loss within the story.
If you’re looking for a contemporary setting (Canada + Ireland) with magic and adventure with 30+ main characters, this is the book for you!
Main characters over the age of 30? Fuck yes. I love that we have characters who are a little more well established in who they are but also still complicated characters who are continuously evolving and working on themselves because that’s accurate to real life and the real world. I love that Ronan is in therapy (👑) and realizes his own shortcomings but is also evolved and mature enough to recognize when he needs that support and leans on his friends and a therapist. We love an emotionally mature man. Also the space he gives Phoebe at the end of the book for what she needs to do for herself and not getting offended. It also doesn’t hurt that he’s hot and self aware about that.
Phoebe is also great, I love her strength and her maturity while also being a little bit of a mess because aren’t we all? I love that even while discovering new things about herself and the newly discovered world around her of wraiths and druids she didn’t lose who she was in it. I think similarly to Ronan, she shows how even when you’re more established in yourself you can still be messy and complicated at times, making decisions that maybe aren’t the best but we’re all still learning.
The adventure aspects of this are fun and I love that we get more insights into each of our main characters through each of their missions while expanding the side character crew in a meaningful way. I like that though we don’t delve as deeply into the characters they felt three dimensional and not just there to allow the story to move forward.
I am so looking forward to learning more in book 2, because that epilogue 👀 I can’t wait to see where our characters go from here and in the meantime I’ll just have to get caught up on the Lost Wells trilogy.
My only critique and this is a stylistic one that I recognize is probably more of a me thing is the use of parentheses. I think for most it would have felt more natural to have it as part of the sentence. But, it was such a small thing. The writing overall is great and very immersive.
May 28, 2025
Thank you to the author for an ARC copy of this book!
This is absolutely my favourite book of Kate's.
This book picks up a few years after the trilogy ended. I think that it was fairly well balanced between providing a recap or explaining those events to readers who didn't read the trilogy. There were times where it did feel a bit repetitive when discussing the trilogy, but having just read those books it could also be that it was just too fresh in my mind to appreciate the reminders.
This one did flirt a bit too much with the miscommunication trope, but it was more that the characters were too reluctant to share parts of themselves with each other. I did find it comforting that Phoebe knew about Ronan's involvement with the experiments before she even met him.
I can also see how some of Phoebe's methods could be seen as unethical, but I think that Phoebe preys on an unethical, misogynistic group so it shouldn't be all that surprising that her tactics work.
I loved the banter and I liked that we got to see other characters from the trilogy, especially Lennie and Thomas. Even though this one can technically be read without reading the trilogy, I highly recommend reading the trilogy first. It really does provide a good introduction to Ronan and explains or at least softens a lot of his behaviour.
This is absolutely my favourite book of Kate's.
This book picks up a few years after the trilogy ended. I think that it was fairly well balanced between providing a recap or explaining those events to readers who didn't read the trilogy. There were times where it did feel a bit repetitive when discussing the trilogy, but having just read those books it could also be that it was just too fresh in my mind to appreciate the reminders.
This one did flirt a bit too much with the miscommunication trope, but it was more that the characters were too reluctant to share parts of themselves with each other. I did find it comforting that Phoebe knew about Ronan's involvement with the experiments before she even met him.
I can also see how some of Phoebe's methods could be seen as unethical, but I think that Phoebe preys on an unethical, misogynistic group so it shouldn't be all that surprising that her tactics work.
I loved the banter and I liked that we got to see other characters from the trilogy, especially Lennie and Thomas. Even though this one can technically be read without reading the trilogy, I highly recommend reading the trilogy first. It really does provide a good introduction to Ronan and explains or at least softens a lot of his behaviour.
May 31, 2025
Summary:
Ronan has been through a lot in his adult life, and has finally come out the other side to work on healing and righting his wrongs. He’s happy to try to eliminate a threat to the magical world he loves as part of that path. When he encounters sassy journalist Phoebe and they are forced to team up, things quickly get complicated. The angsty doctor is immediately enthralled with the beautiful journalist, and their connection may be the key to everything.
Title: Shadow of the Yew Tree
Author: Kate Gateley
@kategateleyauthor
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️ 2/5
Tropes:
Dual POV
Grumpy/Sunshine
Hidden Magical World
Slow Burn
Triggers:
Past trauma/abuse/SA
Violence/Death
Discussion of violence against women
Whitney’s Thoughts:
I have loved Ronan since reading The Lost Well’s Trilogy, and seeing more of his POV and the growing relationship with Phoebe was so fun. Phoebe is a great FMC with strength and attitude and carries on Kate’s commitment to celebrating feminine power. I love reading Kate’s books and I cannot WAIT for book 2!
Ronan has been through a lot in his adult life, and has finally come out the other side to work on healing and righting his wrongs. He’s happy to try to eliminate a threat to the magical world he loves as part of that path. When he encounters sassy journalist Phoebe and they are forced to team up, things quickly get complicated. The angsty doctor is immediately enthralled with the beautiful journalist, and their connection may be the key to everything.
Title: Shadow of the Yew Tree
Author: Kate Gateley
@kategateleyauthor
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️ 2/5
Tropes:
Dual POV
Grumpy/Sunshine
Hidden Magical World
Slow Burn
Triggers:
Past trauma/abuse/SA
Violence/Death
Discussion of violence against women
Whitney’s Thoughts:
I have loved Ronan since reading The Lost Well’s Trilogy, and seeing more of his POV and the growing relationship with Phoebe was so fun. Phoebe is a great FMC with strength and attitude and carries on Kate’s commitment to celebrating feminine power. I love reading Kate’s books and I cannot WAIT for book 2!
September 1, 2025
I thoroughly enjoyed this one compared to her first trilogy.
June 3, 2025
Gateley returns with a dark, emotionally layered fantasy that examines what it means to survive magic that was never meant to be yours. Years after betraying his oaths in pursuit of forbidden magic, Druid physician Dr. Ronan Gallagher is granted a second chance to set things right. But redemption is complicated when a Wraith facility is destroyed in a mysterious explosion, and Phoebe Ashburn, its only survivor, vanishes into the shadows with unstable, stolen magic inside her. Burdened by trauma and pursued by friend and foe alike, Phoebe will stop at nothing to purge the volatile magic within her—even if it means confronting the Druid whose mistakes led to her captivity.
Gateley shifts between Ronan and Phoebe’s third-person perspectives with an ease that amplifies the novel’s emotional complexity. The pacing alternates between moments of pure propulsion and breath-catching interludes that allow the characters room to reflect and unravel. Phoebe is a standout protagonist; abrasive, traumatized, and unwilling to be softened for comfort. Gateley never reduces her to a victim; instead, she explores the mess of survival: the rage, the mistrust, the grim sense of autonomy. Ronan, in contrast, is a man of control and calculation, shaken by how much of himself he sees in her. Their connection, fraught, slow-burning, and deeply human, is where the novel finds its emotional core. From the Druidic twins Amos and Amelia, who straddle the line between rule-following operatives and dark-arts practitioners, to Lennie, the dry, unflappable tactician monitoring operations from afar, the ensemble lends texture and credibility to the novel’s world. The antagonists, especially Nyx, the charismatic and sadistic Wraith crime lord, are grotesque without being cartoonish. Gateley makes it clear that evil in this world isn’t simply magical. It’s systemic, calculated, and dressed in charisma.
The magic system is layered and thematically rich. At the heart of the novel is a magical ecosystem fractured by belief: Druids preach balance, Wraiths seize power, Bearers embody creation, and Wielders mediate the flow. Together, they form a deeply political magic landscape. At its heart, this is a story about aftermath, what comes after survival, and whether healing is even possible. Fans of The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake and The Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo will be drawn to the novel’s unflinching emotional depth, morally entangled leads, and its world where magic is as dangerous as the institutions built to contain it. Grim, grounded, and emotionally resonant, it’s a contemporary fantasy that dares to be both mythic and deeply personal.
Gateley shifts between Ronan and Phoebe’s third-person perspectives with an ease that amplifies the novel’s emotional complexity. The pacing alternates between moments of pure propulsion and breath-catching interludes that allow the characters room to reflect and unravel. Phoebe is a standout protagonist; abrasive, traumatized, and unwilling to be softened for comfort. Gateley never reduces her to a victim; instead, she explores the mess of survival: the rage, the mistrust, the grim sense of autonomy. Ronan, in contrast, is a man of control and calculation, shaken by how much of himself he sees in her. Their connection, fraught, slow-burning, and deeply human, is where the novel finds its emotional core. From the Druidic twins Amos and Amelia, who straddle the line between rule-following operatives and dark-arts practitioners, to Lennie, the dry, unflappable tactician monitoring operations from afar, the ensemble lends texture and credibility to the novel’s world. The antagonists, especially Nyx, the charismatic and sadistic Wraith crime lord, are grotesque without being cartoonish. Gateley makes it clear that evil in this world isn’t simply magical. It’s systemic, calculated, and dressed in charisma.
The magic system is layered and thematically rich. At the heart of the novel is a magical ecosystem fractured by belief: Druids preach balance, Wraiths seize power, Bearers embody creation, and Wielders mediate the flow. Together, they form a deeply political magic landscape. At its heart, this is a story about aftermath, what comes after survival, and whether healing is even possible. Fans of The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake and The Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo will be drawn to the novel’s unflinching emotional depth, morally entangled leads, and its world where magic is as dangerous as the institutions built to contain it. Grim, grounded, and emotionally resonant, it’s a contemporary fantasy that dares to be both mythic and deeply personal.
June 3, 2025
Gateley’s latest is a sprawling, emotionally charged, and fiercely intelligent contemporary fantasy that draws readers into a world where magic is both weapon and wound. After escaping a Wraith facility that left her altered and haunted, Phoebe Ashburn wants only to tear the dark magic out of her before it destroys what’s left. But the only one who might help her is Dr. Ronan Gallagher, the disgraced Druid whom she wants to avoid at any cost. With Wraiths closing in and ancient forces waking, Phoebe must risk an uneasy alliance with the man . What holds them together isn’t trust—it’s desperation, and the faint hope that what’s broken might still be remade.
Gateley drops readers straight into a brutal magical world, one where power systems are deeply political and memory is inseparable from magic. Rather than offering easy redemption or romance as refuge, the novel charts a quiet, uneasy connection between two people shaped by damage and driven by necessity. Phoebe is all edges: volatile, damaged, and defiantly uncompromised. Her trauma is not plot decoration; it shapes every breath she takes. Ronan, on the other hand, is all control and penance, his stability increasingly shaken by the force that is Phoebe.
Rooted in philosophy, ecology, and ethics, the magic system adds texture and thematic weight. Brutal, nuanced, and profoundly moving, this is a fantasy that doesn’t flinch. It offers no easy answers, but it offers something rarer: truth, agency, and the long, hard road to healing. An emotionally searing and fiercely intelligent novel.
Gateley drops readers straight into a brutal magical world, one where power systems are deeply political and memory is inseparable from magic. Rather than offering easy redemption or romance as refuge, the novel charts a quiet, uneasy connection between two people shaped by damage and driven by necessity. Phoebe is all edges: volatile, damaged, and defiantly uncompromised. Her trauma is not plot decoration; it shapes every breath she takes. Ronan, on the other hand, is all control and penance, his stability increasingly shaken by the force that is Phoebe.
Rooted in philosophy, ecology, and ethics, the magic system adds texture and thematic weight. Brutal, nuanced, and profoundly moving, this is a fantasy that doesn’t flinch. It offers no easy answers, but it offers something rarer: truth, agency, and the long, hard road to healing. An emotionally searing and fiercely intelligent novel.
May 26, 2025
This one!! After reading this I immediately knew Kate's books are all going to be an instant read for me! As soon as I read that the sexy Dr. MMC is in therapy and over the age of 30 who takes accountability and doesn't hold the badass FMC back from her potential and all the things she needs to accomplish I was like daaaaamn SWOON! Phoebe is a force to be reckoned with (literally) and I loved how relatable she was as an older FMC without all the melodrama that sometimes comes with younger characters. She's a hot mess express but relatable and I loved how she is utterly complex and multifaceted. Just goes to say Kate's characters are not boring. They grab your attention from the get out.
The entire plot and events that happens in the books entirety are fun, and crazy, and absolutely keep you enthralled. From the prologue I needed to know what happened and how and why and where everything was going and I absolutely couldn't put this down. The ending had me like whaaaaat?! and I need more asap.
I didn't realize until after that this is interconnected with (but definitely a standalone) from her other series and I absolutely want to just right into that to get more information and background and read all about everything this world and the Otherworld have to offer.
Thank you so much to Kate and RandR Book Tours for the gifted eARC, I couldn't put this down!
The entire plot and events that happens in the books entirety are fun, and crazy, and absolutely keep you enthralled. From the prologue I needed to know what happened and how and why and where everything was going and I absolutely couldn't put this down. The ending had me like whaaaaat?! and I need more asap.
I didn't realize until after that this is interconnected with (but definitely a standalone) from her other series and I absolutely want to just right into that to get more information and background and read all about everything this world and the Otherworld have to offer.
Thank you so much to Kate and RandR Book Tours for the gifted eARC, I couldn't put this down!
May 29, 2025
Once you read the opening chapter, you’ll be hooked - and it’s just one wild ride from there. Gateley has mastered the art of vivid and gripping storytelling, with complex and flawed characters, who stay true to themselves throughout. The story itself starts off with a (literal) bang, and doesn’t lose momentum from there. I was really hoping Phoebe would find some way to rid herself of the darkness, and find some peace (just hopefully not of the eternal, six feet under kind). You get so wrapped up in the story, the heart-racing action, the tension, that you’ll easily lose track of time. The descriptions are so vivid (and at times you might wish they were a little less so), that you’ll feel like you’re right there in the midst of the story. I cannot wait to see what happens next!!!
did-not-finish
June 1, 2025DNF at 58%—This one just wasn't for me. The worldbuilding and science-magic fusion were genuinely SO interesting, but both of the main characters felt completely immature. I was into the premise, but then I really did not like the characters, and that is necessary for me to enjoy a book. Just not for me.
I appreciate the opportunity to read and review. Thanks to R&R Booktours for the complimentary copy.
I appreciate the opportunity to read and review. Thanks to R&R Booktours for the complimentary copy.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews