Good morning Lil’ Shadows! As many of you may already have experienced, yesterday March 8th was daylight savings, meaning that a lot of us lost an hour of sleep. That means our internal clocks are struggling to readjust themselves. Usually, I end up suffering a few days struggling to wake up at a reasonable time. Meaning I’m trying to not throw my phone across the room when the alarm blares at what I consider an ungodly hour, even though it is one I set for myself to get ready for work.
Yet, today I cursed my body for waking up in the wee hours of the morning and unable to go back to sleep. So, like any normal individual would do, I picked up my tablet and opened up my lovely collection of ebooks to select one to read in hopes I would fall asleep mid-sentence. Big mistake since instead of falling asleep, I ended up engrossed in a mixed genre story from start to finish.
So, Lil’ Shadows, come and judge; Portrait of a Witch Undone by K.S. Shay.
Similar to a previous book I reviewed, I was given early access to a copy of this interesting story for me to enjoy and review. And let me tell you, Lil’ Shadows, this is taking me a bit to digest. First, this book is 4.5 stars from me. I was struggling to decide between 4 stars or 5 so I decided to settle in the middle and I’ll explain.
Portrait of a Witch Undone is a Fantasy Thriller book. (Well, to be precise, it’s categorized as an Adult Fiction, Mystery/Thriller, and Sci-fi/Fantasy book. I know, it’s a mouthful but I consider it as a Fantasy Thriller but I’ll get more into that later.) According to the description, this book is targeted to the fans of Starling House, A Discovery of Witches, and Thomas Crown Affair; offering “a contemporary New England coven hides the mysteries that lurk in the marshes north of Boston – and how they are connected to the largest unsolved art heist in modern history”.
Honestly, this description confused me a bit. Out of the three books mentioned, I have heard of them but never got the chance to read them, though Starling House is on my TBR. So, I can’t specifically say if Portrait of a Witch Undone relates with the three.
Lil’ Shadows, if you have read any of the books mentioned, do you think this proclamation is accurate?
Second, I’m afraid to admit that before picking up this book, I never heard of the Isabella Stewart Gerdner Museum Theft but I am thankful for K.S. Shay quickly summarized the theft and (for the ebook, unsure about the physical copy) provides links for readers to learn more information if curious.
For those unaware, on March 18, 1990 in the wee hours of the morning, two men dressed in police uniforms tricked their way into the museum under false premises and locked the two security guards in a secure location. Once done, the two men carefully stole 13 art pieces, leaving only the frames behind. These art works were carefully chosen and valued over $500 million. According to sources, a reward is being offered for any information of the art works that would lead to their recovery.
Additionally, an extra $100,000 is offered for any information leading to the specific recovery of the Napoleonic eagle finial. No one knows why these 13 pieces were chosen nor why they were carefully removed from their frames. To this day, the Isabella Stewart Gerdner Museum still displays those empty frames, a reminder of what was stolen and hoping for the day they will be found and returned home.
Want to learn more about this case? Visit https://www.gardnermuseum.org/about/theft for more information.
Now, the book follows the supposed strongest witch of her generation, Maeve Ryan. Due to a misfortune during an important spell casting, both Maeve and her best friend Ash were injured as a result. While Ash was injured physically, Maeve was tainted, her magic becoming overwhelmed with the unbound. The unbound, wild magic that consumes a witch until nothing remains but a husk, driven insane as Revenants. That is her fate unless she does the unimaginable, remove her magic.
The reason for all this mess? A spell to contact the Lady of the Fens, a Revenant who roams the marshes of North Shore. While Maeve searches for that one last spell, Ash researches why their spell failed and all the leads point to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and its famous theft. I’m honestly trying to make sense with this connection but, hey, it works for the story.
From this point, you can probably guess where this is going. In hopes for answers, Ash pushes a bit too far and disappears into a space hidden behind the empty frames and Maeve has to follow. Except, she ends up with an unwanted companion. One who has his own troubles she doesn’t want nor care to acknowledge.
Similar to Alice Through the Looking Glass, behind the frames and into the hidden space lies the Other Marsh. A deadly realm where the Lady of the Fens rules. It is here where hidden truths and lies mix together, revealing more about North Shore’s history and their connection to the Lady.
If that wasn’t bad enough, remember Maeve’s unwanted companion? A fellow witch named Gabriel whose troubles decided to interfer with North Shore’s issues. Amazing. Now, Maeve must decide, continue on her original goal or risk everything to save her friends, coven and the marshlands that refuses to forget.
So, final thoughts; Portrait of a Witch Undone is a good book. A bit overwhelming with all the details that we are given. There are chapters where I wish for the pace to slow just a bit and iron out some of the events that are occurring. Near the end when the final confrontation is about to occur, the pacing appears to speed up to the point I had to pause and reread sections to completely understand what just happened.
The best way to describe it, imagine one of those movies when the ending is near and all that is left is that last fight, where the main characters finally connected the dots and noticed all the little signs that were always there.
Though, I absolutely loved the twist at the end. To me, it was beautifully written since I did not see it coming but it made perfect sense.
So, wrapping up, Portrait of a Witch Undone is an interesting read. If you like magic, a mystery behind a coven’s dark history and a character who’s basically a moody teenager that eventually grows up, give this book a chance. Though, warning! This book does contain depictions of violence, moderate gore, murder, death, death of a child (offscreen), moderate body horror, and mentions of anxiety and panic. So make sure to avoid any triggers you may have.
Want to know more about K.S. Shay? Go here! https://www.ksshaywrites.com/
Also! Fun fact, this book was originally titled Maeve and the Other Marsh. Which title do you prefer?
This book comes out August 25, 2026 so, thank you NetGallery and the publisher for the eARC. It was an enjoyable read.
Until then Lil’ Shadows. Safe Travels.
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