The Shadow Palace (The House of Closed Doors) - Gothic Mystery Novel | Historical Fiction Book for Adults | Perfect for Book Clubs & Dark Academia Lovers

The Shadow Palace, by Jane Steen, is the third book of The House of Closed Doors series, and in it we get a beautiful resolution to Nell and her family’s story. As always, Jane Steen delivers a great book, with colorful and interesting characters that seamlessly grew and came alive throughout the series.Nell has learned a lot during her last years and hard experiences, and we can see she matured. Some of her main traits – like her stubbornness – continue, of course, and that lead us to a more mysterious plot than the others before, in my opinion. She got herself in situations we wouldn’t expect, but it worked really well with the main plot. That is to say, this book had more twists and turns I didn’t see coming, and it only made the mystery more interesting. It also made sense for a character that looked for her autonomy since her early teens to act more, to do more, and really show her independency. Nell is a great female character, I feel I can relate to her, and she didn’t disappoint me, struggling, looking for her dreams and keeping her principles. We get to see a little more of Martin in this book, and the very human way he deals with the death of an unwanted wife. Again, Jane Steen portraits relatable and truthful characters, and the way the problems and other relationships affect them are very real. (Same with Tess and how she deals with her family).The book is beautifully detailed in terms of a historical description, and we get to feel the beginning of the great department stores and the reconstruction of Chicago, and this is curious in its own right. I marveled with how easy Jane Steen brings us to different places in this period, which only shows how good a storyteller she is. I was pleasantly surprised with her first book, because I expected something different from the description, but now, knowing her work, I am a complete fan.