Review: Circle Of Shadows by Marisa Linton

Synopsis:

Sherlock Holmes didn’t deal with the supernatural. But Evie Winstanley does.

A gripping historical fantasy horror steeped in mystery, romance and the macabre.

It’s 1904, and occult detection is no profession for a woman. That won’t stop Evie Winstanley.

When her father, a collector of occult books, dies in strange circumstances, Evie is determined to investigate. Her only lead: a cryptic mention of the ‘Circle of Shadows.’ From a chilling séance on the lonely Yorkshire moors to the sinister, hedonistic halls of Oxford’s elite, Evie hunts for answers, stalked by whispers of an ancient monster and an ever-shifting, ominous symbol.

But when a young woman’s body surfaces in the Cherwell, bearing that same mark, Evie uncovers a truth far more terrifying than a single murder. Now, Evie isn’t just seeking justice; she’s fighting to save her sister who she fears might be the next victim, in a dark and twisted adventure where gilded boys unleash hell and defiant women must pick up the pieces. Nothing will stop her investigation, not outraging Edwardian notions of female propriety, and certainly not offers of romance.

Blending historical fantasy with Golden Age classic crime, Circle of Shadows is a dark and twisty adventure through an occult Edwardian England where wealthy boys toy with powers they don’t understand, and a lone woman takes a stand against them.

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Reading this book was like stepping into a dark and mysterious world where dark magic was not only real, but potentially seeping into people’s lives by way of a secret cult.

If everyone around you insisted you stay quiet and stop asking questions, would you back down, or dig even deeper?

The Story

It’s 1904, and occult detection is no profession for a woman, but that won’t stop Evie Winstanley. When her father, a collector of occult books, dies in strange circumstances, Evie is determined to investigate, with only a cryptic mention of the “Circle of Shadows” to go on. From a chilling séance on the Yorkshire moors to the sinister halls of Oxford’s elite, Evie hunts for answers, stalked by whispers of an ancient monster and an ever shifting, ominous symbol. When a young woman’s body surfaces bearing that same mark, Evie uncovers a truth far more terrifying than a single murder, and realizes she isn’t just seeking justice, she’s fighting to save her sister, who she fears might be the next victim.

Reading Experience

It felt like being swept away into a dangerous, dark, and shadowy storyline, following Evie’s investigation into mysterious occult symbols and whispers of a cult that could be ruining lives with dark magic.

This one blends historical fantasy with Golden Age classic crime, and that combination gives it such a distinct atmosphere, equal parts gothic mystery and occult horror, with the danger always simmering just under the surface.

Characters

Evie captured my heart. Even though her father is no longer with us, I grew to love him through her love for him and her grief over his passing. She was determined to follow in his footsteps and continue researching what he had left behind. It was her compassion and tenacity that drew me in so quickly, that and the fact she was not afraid to speak up when it was deemed inappropriate for women to do so during that time.

Heartbeat

At its core, this book is about standing up for yourself and staying true to who you are, even when everyone around you is trying to silence you.

Final Thoughts

If you love paranormal historical fantasy, this one belongs on your list.

Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this virtual book tour Rachel’s Random Resources .

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Marisa Linton is both a professor of history, and a prize-winning author of supernatural fiction.

In 2023 Marisa won the Times/Chicken House competition with her eerie young adult fantasy, The Binding Spell. Published by Chicken House, May 2025. She describes it as a mash-up of The Wicker Man and This Country. It’s set in a remote village, where witches and druids still abide in secret. 

Marisa’s first adult novel, Circle of Shadows, is a gothic historical fantasy and dark mystery about a determined young woman in Edwardian Britain who becomes an occult detective and fights demons, both fantastical and human. Published by Hodderscape, October 2025, the paperback will be published 24 September 2026. The sequel, Domain of Darkness, will be published in December 2026. It’s been described as ‘Enola Holmes meets Dennis Wheatley’ (Greg Mosse).

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