BOOK REVIEW | GRACE | A.M. SHINE

 

BOOK REVIEW | GRACE | A.M. SHINE

ABOUT THE BOOK

A haunting, atmospheric modern Gothic horror tale based on traditional Irish mythology, from the author of smash hit The Watchers. Ancient evil is awakened on a lonely isle off the coast of Ireland.

 TO LEARN THE TRUTH
 WOULD YOU DESCEND INTO HELL?

 Off the west coast of Ireland lies a lonely island, isolated and wilfully forgotten. Some say there hasn't been a child born on the island for thirty years. Others speak of strange deaths there, decades ago. But no one really knows what happened. Locals believe that the dark times are behind them.

 They are mistaken.

 Grace, adopted at four years old, has never known where she came from. A mysterious phone call leads her back to the island where she was born - and where a terrible evil has been disturbed.

 As the evil starts to spread, Grace finds herself dragged back into a living nightmare that threatens to engulf anyone who steps into its path.

REVIEW

Set on a bleak remote island somewhere off the coast of Ireland, Grace tells the story of a young woman dragged back to the home that she does not remember after being adopted by English parents and making her way in life as a seller of books.

One night whilst having a little tipple with her best buddy, Grace receives a phone call from Father Richad O’Malley, the priest of the isolated island community of Croaghnakeela, informing her that her birth mother has passed away and that she has left the remains of her earthly possessions to Grace, the daughter that she put up for adoption many years ago.

Shortly after receiving the news, Grace returns to the strange isolated community and to the home that she left as a young girl.

As she starts to unravel the secrets of her life, she soon discovers that the islanders and the island have secrets of its own. Secrets that should remain buried.

Whilst waiting for the third book in The Watchers Trilogy, A. M. Shine treats readers to a new story set off the mainland of Ireland.

Revolving around the customary stories of mystical Ireland, Shine cleverly uses the folktales of the Emerald Isle and melds them into a horror filled tale that would have any bairn up at night screaming their mummy (and I did – on several occasions).

As usual, Shine creates an atmosphere of tangible dread and flawed characters. In fact, there’s enough fog in this book to make a Sisters of Mercy concert look like a breath of fresh air. Using the tropes of traditional gothic horror, Shine’s tale of things that go bump in the night (and then promptly tear your face off), Grace is a descent into hell of mythic proportions. However, not only is it a tale of monsters of nightmare made flesh, it also examines what people would do if all hope has been lost and the lengths they will go to so that they can  protect their secrets.

Starting off at a slower pace, Grace snowballs to a frantic leap as the stakes become higher and then plays into a supernatural ‘what done it’ as the change in character points of view slowly reveal the background of the story and how each member of the island got to the place where we are now. As each character tells their tale, the revelations of the full extent of the horror become apparent.

Unfortunately, this is where some readers may struggle. There are multiple points of view to the story with key members of the tale being used to give the background whilst there is the main arc of the story being played out on the sidelines. This may prove difficult for some as at times as the story does feel a little choppy at times. However, get past these idiosyncrasies of the story and you’ll soon find yourself carried along by Grace’s story.

Shine does not hide away from the dark side of Irish Mythology and there are buckets of blood in this story as Shine revels in the pitch black aspects of traditional tales crafting something that is at times genuinely scary.

Now, all I need is the conclusion to The Watchers and I will be a happy man.

 

Grace is out 16 February 2026 and is published by Head of Zeus Books.