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Secure The Shadow
In 1824, a young man buttons up his redcoat and goes to war. Amidst the blood and devastation, he discovers a magical power which can save memory from the ravages of time.
1867 and a woman, living above a watch shop, meets two men who will change her life forever. As she ventures further into a world of séance and mysticism, she must decide whether to trust her own eyes.
In the present day, a rebellious artist finds herself photographing stillbirths for a living. At Little Angels, it’s not about what you can take from a picture, but what you can give.
The story of three lives, spanning the history of photography and our relationship with mortality.
Secure the shadow, ere the substance fades.
1867 and a woman, living above a watch shop, meets two men who will change her life forever. As she ventures further into a world of séance and mysticism, she must decide whether to trust her own eyes.
In the present day, a rebellious artist finds herself photographing stillbirths for a living. At Little Angels, it’s not about what you can take from a picture, but what you can give.
The story of three lives, spanning the history of photography and our relationship with mortality.
Secure the shadow, ere the substance fades.
373 pages, Paperback
Published June 23, 2020
4 people want to read
About the author
Marion Grace Woolley
16 books23 followersMarion works as an international development consultant and builds pianos in her spare time. She is currently trying to build the first ever piano in Rwanda through the Kigali Keys project.
She writes across different genres, but usually dark fiction. She is best known for Those Rosy Hours at Mazandaran, and her debut novel, Lucid, was shortlisted for the Luke Bitmead Bursary for New Writers in 2009.
She writes across different genres, but usually dark fiction. She is best known for Those Rosy Hours at Mazandaran, and her debut novel, Lucid, was shortlisted for the Luke Bitmead Bursary for New Writers in 2009.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 19, 2020
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What a terrific book Marion Grace Woolley’s Secure the Shadow is. I am still nursing a hangover after having finished devouring this book days ago. To understand why, let us dive into my review.
The book starts with a confusing but impactful opening. I was left wondering what was all that about? Naturally, to satisfy my curiosity, I had no choice but to continue reading, and I was rewarded with a gratifying experience.
Woolley has penned an engrossing tale, one which I always wanted to come back to every time I put down the book. I was dying with curiosity about what was going to happen to Arabella. What will happen to Cody? How does this character fit into the picture in the grand scheme of things?
Moreover, Woolley employs beautiful prose to describe the situations, the settings, her characters, their feelings, and their thoughts on mortality. This is the first time I have seen such eloquent descriptions of death with just the hint of grief accompanying it. Throughout the book, the characters discuss death. One of the central characters, Cody, a photographer, is fascinated with death. Hence, it is natural for such discussions about death and life to crop up throughout the book. However, this is done graciously and respectfully. It touched my heart and made me ponder about mortality.
I found this quote to be a beautiful summation of death, the only inevitable truth of life:
“This one big thing that’s coming for all of us, and yet none of us talk about it.”
Much of Secure the Shadow is also a reverent celebration of photography. Henry Fox Talbot, one of the pioneers of photography, makes a brief appearance here. All ye photographers out there, read this book. You will be delighted. However, other readers, fret not. I knew nothing about photography, and yet I did not feel alienated at all while reading the book.
Other than the three leading characters, Woolley also presents the point-of-view of some other characters which add depth to the narrative. This helped me understand almost every character’s feelings, dreams, and dilemmas. Further, as you have already read from the blurb, the book alternates between past and present timelines. However, Woolley seamlessly switches between different POVs as well as the timelines to craft a smoothly flowing story. Never for a second, I felt that the characters’ voices were not distinct. Besides, she smoothly transitions between modern and nineteenth-century prose to subtly emphasize the difference between the timelines. I have encountered such writing finesse in very few books.
Twice in the story, some unexpected twists add further momentum to this deeply captivating tale. The book’s strengths are further bolstered by a satisfying climax, where the story of three lives, spanning generations, comes full circle.
However, Woolley leaves one character unexplored, and I so wished she had explored it. But this also acts as a blessing in disguise – you are left guessing about that person’s motives. I also found Arabella's story more compelling than Cody's, but this is a matter of personal choice.
Secure the Shadow by Marion Grace Woolley is a commentary on life, death, grief, and of course, photography with an element of mystery throughout. It exquisitely captures the feelings of all its characters. It was as if I was watching the story of generations of people unfold on a screen while reading the book.
Read it, you will love it.
One last thing, before picking up this excellent book, please note there are mentions of miscarriage, stillbirth, and death. Kindly heed these trigger warnings. Many thanks to the publisher for a free copy of the book. This does not affect my opinion on the book at all.
What a terrific book Marion Grace Woolley’s Secure the Shadow is. I am still nursing a hangover after having finished devouring this book days ago. To understand why, let us dive into my review.
The book starts with a confusing but impactful opening. I was left wondering what was all that about? Naturally, to satisfy my curiosity, I had no choice but to continue reading, and I was rewarded with a gratifying experience.
Woolley has penned an engrossing tale, one which I always wanted to come back to every time I put down the book. I was dying with curiosity about what was going to happen to Arabella. What will happen to Cody? How does this character fit into the picture in the grand scheme of things?
Moreover, Woolley employs beautiful prose to describe the situations, the settings, her characters, their feelings, and their thoughts on mortality. This is the first time I have seen such eloquent descriptions of death with just the hint of grief accompanying it. Throughout the book, the characters discuss death. One of the central characters, Cody, a photographer, is fascinated with death. Hence, it is natural for such discussions about death and life to crop up throughout the book. However, this is done graciously and respectfully. It touched my heart and made me ponder about mortality.
I found this quote to be a beautiful summation of death, the only inevitable truth of life:
“This one big thing that’s coming for all of us, and yet none of us talk about it.”
Much of Secure the Shadow is also a reverent celebration of photography. Henry Fox Talbot, one of the pioneers of photography, makes a brief appearance here. All ye photographers out there, read this book. You will be delighted. However, other readers, fret not. I knew nothing about photography, and yet I did not feel alienated at all while reading the book.
Other than the three leading characters, Woolley also presents the point-of-view of some other characters which add depth to the narrative. This helped me understand almost every character’s feelings, dreams, and dilemmas. Further, as you have already read from the blurb, the book alternates between past and present timelines. However, Woolley seamlessly switches between different POVs as well as the timelines to craft a smoothly flowing story. Never for a second, I felt that the characters’ voices were not distinct. Besides, she smoothly transitions between modern and nineteenth-century prose to subtly emphasize the difference between the timelines. I have encountered such writing finesse in very few books.
Twice in the story, some unexpected twists add further momentum to this deeply captivating tale. The book’s strengths are further bolstered by a satisfying climax, where the story of three lives, spanning generations, comes full circle.
However, Woolley leaves one character unexplored, and I so wished she had explored it. But this also acts as a blessing in disguise – you are left guessing about that person’s motives. I also found Arabella's story more compelling than Cody's, but this is a matter of personal choice.
Secure the Shadow by Marion Grace Woolley is a commentary on life, death, grief, and of course, photography with an element of mystery throughout. It exquisitely captures the feelings of all its characters. It was as if I was watching the story of generations of people unfold on a screen while reading the book.
Read it, you will love it.
One last thing, before picking up this excellent book, please note there are mentions of miscarriage, stillbirth, and death. Kindly heed these trigger warnings. Many thanks to the publisher for a free copy of the book. This does not affect my opinion on the book at all.
August 14, 2020
As many people that read my reviews may know, I love historical novels. I have always been fascinated by history, and book that take us through time and space are a great opportunity to make me curious. I always end up looking up facts and that time period.
In this novel, it's even more exciting because we have a dual time line. In the synopsis there is this quote: "The story of three lives, spanning the history of photography and our relationship with mortality." And although I was quite curious about the story and how it would unfold, I had no idea that I would be mind blown by the various elements in Marion Grace Woolley's storytelling.
As we follow the each character, learning more about them as we turn page after page, I felt connected with them, understanding their motivations, struggles and emotions. They were well developed and I felt like they could be real, as if they were part of my family and I was listening to my grandparents tell me about them. That's how much I enjoyed the characters, I loved that they weren't perfect or black and white, just human.
I didn't know, and still don't know, much about photography and it's history, but after reading this book I'm quite intrigued. It was an amazing aspect to have in the story, giving us a pillar for the characters to lean in. Giving us a link connecting he characters and our present with the past.
The book also talks about loss and memory, how society was back then, about everything the characters are going through during that time period. The connection to our past and future through photography.
Overall it was a surprising and interesting book, that made me enjoy the historical aspects of it, from the social to the cultural aspects, as well as the photography world. The setting and the descriptions were amazing and made the storytelling so beautiful.
[I want to thank Rachel, at Rachel’s Random Resources, and Marion Grace Woolley for the eCopy of this book and for allowing me to join in the fun and being a part of the blog tour with my honest review of the book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.]
In this novel, it's even more exciting because we have a dual time line. In the synopsis there is this quote: "The story of three lives, spanning the history of photography and our relationship with mortality." And although I was quite curious about the story and how it would unfold, I had no idea that I would be mind blown by the various elements in Marion Grace Woolley's storytelling.
As we follow the each character, learning more about them as we turn page after page, I felt connected with them, understanding their motivations, struggles and emotions. They were well developed and I felt like they could be real, as if they were part of my family and I was listening to my grandparents tell me about them. That's how much I enjoyed the characters, I loved that they weren't perfect or black and white, just human.
I didn't know, and still don't know, much about photography and it's history, but after reading this book I'm quite intrigued. It was an amazing aspect to have in the story, giving us a pillar for the characters to lean in. Giving us a link connecting he characters and our present with the past.
The book also talks about loss and memory, how society was back then, about everything the characters are going through during that time period. The connection to our past and future through photography.
Overall it was a surprising and interesting book, that made me enjoy the historical aspects of it, from the social to the cultural aspects, as well as the photography world. The setting and the descriptions were amazing and made the storytelling so beautiful.
[I want to thank Rachel, at Rachel’s Random Resources, and Marion Grace Woolley for the eCopy of this book and for allowing me to join in the fun and being a part of the blog tour with my honest review of the book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.]
August 24, 2020
I have grown rather fond of dual timeliness. Marion Grace Woolley nails it in Secure the Shadow. The cover art and the title are what drew me to reading this, and the plotline and wonderful writing is what had me reading this in one sitting.
I love the themes of memory and loss. I am a photography nerd (went to college for it), and reading a book that spans the history of photography was very compelling for me. I think this author has a wonderful talent for creating this atmosphere that brings you into the novel as a reader.
I absolutely think the characters were super well-developed. I could feel their emotions and it felt as if I knew them personally. This drove the story forward and I loved it.
I really loved Secure the Shadow. I highly recommend giving this beautiful novel a chance!
Rating:
5/5☆
*I received a free copy of this book from Rachel’s Random Resources in exchange for an honest review on the blog tour. All opinions are my own and unbiased.*
I love the themes of memory and loss. I am a photography nerd (went to college for it), and reading a book that spans the history of photography was very compelling for me. I think this author has a wonderful talent for creating this atmosphere that brings you into the novel as a reader.
I absolutely think the characters were super well-developed. I could feel their emotions and it felt as if I knew them personally. This drove the story forward and I loved it.
I really loved Secure the Shadow. I highly recommend giving this beautiful novel a chance!
Rating:
5/5☆
*I received a free copy of this book from Rachel’s Random Resources in exchange for an honest review on the blog tour. All opinions are my own and unbiased.*
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews