{"id":20119,"date":"2025-10-01T07:00:56","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T11:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/?p=20119"},"modified":"2025-10-04T17:24:40","modified_gmt":"2025-10-04T21:24:40","slug":"review-when-shadows-burn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/review-when-shadows-burn\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: When Shadows Burn by Todd Brown"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/p\/books\/when-shadows-burn\/a60d3d90790a588c?ean=9798888248751&amp;next=t\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>When Shadows Burn<\/i>\u00a0by Todd Brown<\/a><br \/>\nK\u00f6ehler Books (October 14, 2025)<br \/>\nReviewed by Rowan B. Minor<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Todd Brown is a neurodivergent computational sociologist whose work has appeared in <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The New York Times<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WIRED<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">National Geographic<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Forbes<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">USA Today<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and other publications. He currently lives in Virginia, and has spoken in seven countries and at dozens of venues, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, Harvard, and more. His debut novel, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When Shadows Burn<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, is a southern gothic haunted house story.<\/span><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When Shadows Burn <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is set in the small, fictional town of Raven\u2019s Cross, Virginia. True crime podcaster Timothy Michaels revisits his hometown of Raven\u2019s Cross in search of answers about the old Scott house on Martian Hill and its effect on this town. After the disappearance of a teen girl, Timothy volunteers to help search for her, but soon after, neighbors begin to aimlessly blame his arrival in Raven\u2019s Cross on the increase in supernatural activity. With rumors of the extraterrestrial and vampires, it is the unveiling of secrets deeply hidden within the town\u2019s history that help Timothy discover the shocking truth that maybe the evil lies within humanity instead of the house itself.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brown\u2019s expression of language is crisp, sharp, and vivid. His writing is both visceral and intellectual in a way that deeply stimulates the mind and engages the senses. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When Shadows Burn<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is incredibly contemporary, and with references to Chappell Roan, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Bachelorette<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, TikTok, and the film <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">M3GAN<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the author is sure to capture a younger generation. Additionally, Brown uses social conflict to develop and sustain empathy for marginalized characters. The exposition is tight and creates a great deal of mystery, tension, and suspense. Brown\u2019s plots, subplots, and plethora of characters not only feel fully-developed, but might even seem completely familiar to readers from small towns themselves.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The author has included a trigger warning for \u201cviolence, abuse, and systemic discrimination against marginalized communities.\u201d He also warns of \u201cstrong language.\u201d There is also mention of suicide, as well as Autistic and homophobic slurs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Overall, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When Shadows Burn<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a fresh and fantastic read that encompasses several challenges presented in LGBTQIA2+ and neurodivergent communities. For fans of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Amityville Horror<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Twin Peaks<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Lost Boys<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Brown introduces his audience to an exceedingly innovative take on a classic haunting. This book is a great introduction to suspenseful literature that is sure to entice a new generation of horror lovers. Brown has helped fill the gaps in queer horror, and his forthcoming book, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What the Ravens Saw<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, is highly anticipated. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When Shadows Burn\u00a0by Todd Brown K\u00f6ehler Books (October 14, 2025) Reviewed by Rowan B. Minor Todd Brown is a neurodivergent computational sociologist whose work has appeared in The New York Times, WIRED, National Geographic, Forbes, USA Today, and other publications. He currently lives in Virginia, and has spoken in seven countries and at dozens of &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/review-when-shadows-burn\/\" class=\"more-link button bg-gold white\">Continue Reading!<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Review: When Shadows Burn by Todd Brown&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[80],"tags":[79,3226,3491,3490],"class_list":["post-20119","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews","tag-reviews","tag-rowan-b-minor","tag-todd-brown","tag-when-shadows-burn"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Review: When Shadows Burn by Todd Brown - Cemetery Dance Online<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Rowan B. 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