Malice House by Megan Shepherd follows our main character, Haven, who is an aspiring illustrator that is down on her luck. While going through her late father’s house, she stumbles upon something impossible, a draft of a never released book that is very different from the other books he had written that made him famous. But the longer Haven stays in the house, the more odd things start to happen. Is the house actually haunted like her father warned her about? Or is she just imagining it all?

This was a fine book. I think the first half went by much faster than the second half. I think if this book trimmed about fifty pages out, it would have been much better. As someone who reads a lot of horror and thrillers, I wasn’t particularly blown away by this book. But I can see it really appealing to readers who are new to the genre.

I finally finished Malice House. It started off strong and had me hooked but I really had to force myself to finish it. In the end it ended up being just ok for me.

Haven Maybury had no clue what she was walking into when she arrived at her recently deceased father’s house dubbed Malice House. Amongst the belongings she discovered an unpublished work by her famous author father.

This one entitled Bedtime Stories for Monsters is far from anything that her father previously wrote. It’s a collection of disturbing, terrifying stories about monsters and bizarre people that live between this world and the next. Haven thinks she can cash in on this book.
However, when a number of people are found murdered and a disgusting creature that lives under her begins to terrify her, Haven can’t help but wonder if the monsters from her father’s novel are more than just a work of fiction.

Malice House is available October 4,2022.

Will you enter Malice House this spooky season?


Thank you @netgalley and @hyperionavebooks for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

An immersive, atmospheric, dark and creepy novel that will make you think. Haven is the daughter of a prestigious writer who just died after succumbing to dementia. She comes back to his house and finds a manuscript with fairy tales for adults that she feels compelled to illustrate. As an artist herself, she finds inspiration in the titular Malice House, but maybe also, being her father’s daughter, she’s starting to lose her mind. This is not a pleasant book, it’s actually the stuff of nightmares, but it is so well written and addictive, that I couldn’t put it down. I would definitely read Bedtime Stories for Monsters, Haven’s dad’s lost manuscript. And the way the tales start infecting either reality of Haven’s mind, is perfectly described. All the supporting characters are well portrayed, the ones that are definitely real and the ones that may not be. Rafe, Haven’s rich and attractive neighbor is so appealing that (mild spoiler, but this is a mystery so it’s not unexpected) when he seems to be hiding something I still wanted him to be legit. Same with Riley, who seems too interested in becoming Haven’s friend. The author is very talented and this book is excellent. Ten stars (five for Malice House, another five for Bedtime Stories for Monsters)!
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Hyperion Avenue!

Thanks to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for this arc in exchange for my review. I will definitely read more from this author.
Content warning for gore, violence, & death.
Haven is an illustrator who has just made a recent move into her deceased dad’s house which is named Malice. Her father was well known for his writing, even winning a few awards.
When Haven finds an unpublished manuscript of his &spends time illustrating the multitude of characters from this collection of scary short stories; she quickly realizes there are things happening around her &in this town that she can’t control.
This book has many great creepy aspects & Bone chilling horror characters.
I liked the first half more than the second but I think it ran a bit long also.
I recommend this to fans of horror!
Publishes October 4, 2022!.

Thank you thank you thank you for this ARC!
This book was addicting. I was spellbound. I could not put it down. It could have been 600 more pages of the protagonist dong laundry, going on bad dates, and dealing with their insurance company and I still would have read it nonstop.
First off- The setting was amazing. I felt like I could smell the house and the sea. I was nervous about the manuscript and the hot neighbor. Oh and that description of bookstores was spot on! Oh I loved this fictional house.
The characters were completely relatable. They were flawed and interesting. There was just enough detail to keep me guessing. They were magic.
The story was better than any dark fairy tale I have ever read. Imagine trying to have a quiet mundane life and it turns out you're somehow in a labyrinth of scary things and monsters.
This was one of my top three favorite books this year!

I went it blind to Malice House, having never read anything by Megan Shepherd, and I was pleasantly surprised. This book was the perfect blend of horror and fantasy. Shepherd did an excellent job of keeping the reader interested and guessing. The premise of Malice House is deceptively simple. A young woman moves into her father's home after his passing. Her father was a famous writer and she's struggling to become an artist. After she discovers her father's unpublished manuscript of eerie bedtime stories, she decides to illustrate them and pitch the complete book for publication. Without warning, strange things start happening around the house and the village. There were at least two twists in this book that I did not see coming. I was excited at every turn, despite the slow middle portion of the book, and the ending felt satisfying. I will definitely be reading Shepherd's books in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hyperion for providing me with a digital galley in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the time I spent reading, Megan Shepherd has written some of my absolute favourite young adult novels. I love the concept of a book inside a book and the revival of gothic horror.

The protagonist, Haven, is tasked with cleaning out her late father’s creaky old house in a creaky, cliffside town. Her father was a famous author, but she didn’t expect to see a cent from anything he had written until she finds a hidden manuscript. Her father suffered with dementia in the last years of his life, and thus, this manuscript is full of his created delusions. Haven is a talented illustrator and markets his manuscript as a picture book to jump start her career. Cue: suspicious break ins, house rumblings, bear attacks, an angry literary society, a hot neighbour up in your business, and those very delusions potentially coming to life.

My first thought was “gas leak” but the creatures being real works too.

There are many compelling twists throughout the book, but I’m not completely without complaint.

The main character doesn’t ask the right questions. The wrong things get emphasized and suspicious things get swept under the rug. Like, someone runs out of the house after an attack, claims “he was looking for the attacker” but meanwhile, his friend has time to go to the hospital and back without him even bothering to check on her. Is it a plot hole? Or is it suspicious?

On another note, there is a suspicious comment made about the only black character on page 164. The protagonist Haven is thinking about how much of an outcast she feels in Lundie Bay, and compares herself to Kylie, a barista and bookstore employee, noting that she is also “an outlier” like her. But Haven is an outlier because she isn’t from there, while it’s implied that the only reason Kylie could be is because she’s black. This is a case of failed diversity. First, I didn’t realize Kylie was supposed to be black until this moment, and she is given some traits that, coming from a white author, don’t make Kylie look the best. Including setting her up as a very on-the-nose red herring, and accusing her of breaking and entering. As a white reader, I can only say this raised my eyebrows and I started immediately reading through a different lens. My enjoyment was diminished significantly because I was now scouring the text for racist undertones.

Overall, I enjoyed the read. There are areas I felt needed more editing and hole filling, and I’d like to see page 164 revamped for future editions. If anything, I felt the horror started wrapping up too soon and the final 100 pages were a bit of a slog.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this Arc!

I absolutely loved this horror novel for a multitude of reasons, but essentially, because it relates how through writing and art characters and stories can be brought to life... literally, in this case.

Haven is an illustrator and has just made a recent move into her deceased father's house named Malice. Her father was very well known for his writing, even winning some amazing awards. So, when Haven finds an unpublished manuscript of his and spends time illustrating the multitude of characters from this collection of short scary stories, she soon realizes there are things happening around her and in this town that she cannot control.

This book has so many great aspects. Bone chilling horror characters from a witch that eerily distorts reality to a hellhound among all varieties of other types of creepiness.

I definitely recommend this to fans of horror!

Out October 4, 2022!

Content warning for gore, violence, death.

Malice House by Meghan Shepherd is one CREEPY story! Our main character, Haven Marbury, who just lost her Pulitzer-Prize winning father, is a struggling illustrator, and to add insult to injury, is in the midst of pulling herself together from her failed marriage. Not great.

Despite Haven's father being an incredibly successful author, very little of his fortune remains due to rampant mismanagement and Haven is doing her best to rectify this mishap and find a way to stay afloat.

While in the attic, Haven finds an incredibly odd manuscript of short tales that compels her to begin illustrating them. Haven begins to think that an illustrated companion book may be just what she needs to start over again. However....nothing is going to be simple in this story. There is something VERY VERY wrong in the Marbury Mansion and everyone in town seem to be fully aware of this fact.

What the heck is going on? Was Haven's father suffering from a debilitating case dementia:? Is there something much more sinister at play? Is Haven just going crazy and/or letting her grief take over her rationality?

This story is creepy and grotesque, while also addressing relatable issues like loss, grief, and confusion and this tale will certainly keep you up all night wanting to solve this. Don't say I didn't warn you!

I recommend Megan Shepherd's Malice House to anyone who is a lover of horror, is looking for a UNIQUE take on the genre and wants a book that will grab you and won't let go..

5/5 stars. Looking forward to Meghan's next book!

Thank you to Hyperion Ave and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Malice House by Megan Shepherd is a book that combines Gothic literature with Stephen King. The story revolves around Haven, an aspiring artist who finds a manuscript while cleaning out her recently-departed father's house. Her father is a famous horror novelist, and Haven realizes that she can make a ton of money if she decides to sell the manuscript with her illustrations. But what will she do when monsters from her father's stories start appearing in real life?

Here is a creepy excerpt from Chapter 1:

"I never meant to find the manuscript, but maybe it meant to find me.
I'd arrived in Lundie Bay five hours later than planned, after a delayed flight and a stop at the Seattle-Tacoma airport bar, much to the chagrin of Dahlia Whitney, who stood beside me in the overgrown gravel drive, frowning up at the peeling paint of Malice House.
...
How long had it been since I'd last seen Malice House? Three spindly stories that rose from the sea cliff unsteadily as though even after a hundred years they might not withstand one more. The smell of the nearby ocean mixed with overstuffed memories of a house bursting at the joints with books: books lining the shelves, stacked in the hallways, boxed up in the attic."

Overall, Malice House is an adult horror novel that will appeal to fans of The Haunting of Hill House or Hidden Pictures. One highlight of this book is the spooky atmosphere, which the author completely nails. I was both terrified and enchanted by the world that the author created. Another highlight of this book is how unputdownable this book was. I couldn't stop reading. I had to keep going to see what would happen next. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of horror in general, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in October!

While Haven is cleaning out her father’s house, she finds a hidden manuscript that she doesn’t think look like something he wrote. She stays in his house and strange things start to happen. Is it haunted like others say? This book kept me on the edge of my seat. Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for this early release. To be published October 2022.

Malice House looks like a horror book on the outside but underneath its sinister-fonted cover is a fantasy book. There are monsters ranging from a witch that can rearrange reality, a childsize crustacean with super sharp pinchers, and a creepy "uncle" with a persuasive voice. All of these monsters are fantastic creations. Yet, when they come into play, they don't really instill the fear that a monster in a horror movie would. They become characters rather than monsters, belonging to a bigger world where they have their own motivations. The book's epilogue even makes it clear that there's likely a sequel or sequels to follow because this world of monsters is vast. KIND OF LIKE THIS BOOK.

At times, I enjoyed Malice House. It reads in the style of a YA book, but I don't think it's intended to be. There's a Darcy Coates vibe in its beginning -- inherited "haunted" house with a character struggling to make ends meet -- but it never gets too cozy. And then it seemingly grinds in momentum with too many characters and "side-quests" that feel like busy work for our protagonist. It gets TOO LONG. It's a shame because it had potential, but eventually I knew it just wasn't going to be what I wanted. Fantasy lovers will happily eat this up though (if they discover it).

⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of 5. Fear Nerd says, "Check it out, fantasy lovers!"

Thank you to Net Galley for the advance copy in exchange for this review.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

This is another one of my favorite books of the year. It’s like an Adult Grimm’s fairy tale and I am here for that 100%. For those who enjoyed the Hazel Wood books but want something even darker and more mature, this one’s for you!

Y'all know with a title like this one, it is going to be a wild ride! Definitely a creepy novel that is going to keep you guessing the whole way through, I love those kind of books! The main character is a force to be reckoned with! Must read.

Haven, a young artist moves into her recently deceased father’s seaside home, Malice House with plans to clean it out. Her father was a famous writer who suffered from dementia in the last years of his life. Haven believes that all his writings have been donated to a library by his close literary group, the Ink Drinkers but she unexpectedly finds an unpublished manuscript entitled Bedtime Stories for Monsters. As an artist, Haven envisions and sketches the monsters that her father has described and presents her idea for a published father/daughter collaboration to the Ink Drinkers. When they reject her idea and attempt to get her to agree to let them have her father’s manuscript, strange things begin to happen at Malice House as well as within the community including murders, disappearances and even attacks by monsters under Haven’s bed. The more Haven’s nightmare unravels, the more she finds out about herself and the family “curse”.
I’m not sure what I expected from this book but it seemed like a mish mash in some ways. The beginning seemed to move slowly although the intriguing thriller aspect was definitely there and I questioned who Haven could trust right along with her. The strange occurrences seemed inconsistent but I guess no one can really predict monsters, real or imagined. Haven was annoying at times with her recklessness and impulsiveness. I know the book is a fantasy but the unrealistic manner that the locals had about murder just didn’t fit for me. I did like the aspect of the way a certain creature could create mazes to confuse people - a creative touch! Overall, I would rate this book a 3.5 - I didn’t love it but it did hold my interest and I liked the plot twists.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue Publishers for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the ARC.
I loved the spooky and gothic element this book had.
I enjoyed most of it except when it took on a fantasy element. Fantasy books just aren’t really my thing.
It was well written but I wish the author would have stayed away from the fantasy element towards the end.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC!

~ ~ ~

Haven Marbury is a struggling artist with a complicated past. Having just escaped an abusive marriage, she has fled to Malice House, the solitary home she inherited from her recently deceased father. While sifting through his belongings, she discovers a manuscript for a collection of fairy tales that practically begs her to illustrate them. Believing that this could be her big break, she begins work on the unprecedented collaboration. However, as strange occurrences quickly become the norm, she begins questioning the circumstances surrounding her father's death and whether or not she really knew him at all.

~ ~ ~

Let me start by saying that I had such a great time with this read! Loved the overall concept and enjoyed watching the whole thing play out. Admittedly, it runs kinds of long and could have stood a little trimming at some parts, but I was having enough fun that it ended up not really bothering me all that much. There were a lot of fun twists and turns, including some that I did not see coming. Overall, just a really fun read! If you enjoy mystery and horror vibes and, at the risk of some light spoilers, dark fantasy, I would definitely recommend this read.

In Megan Sheperd's book Malice House, the atmosphere feels gothic and spooky. This book's genre is horror, mystery and thriller. It falls into that category, but it also has strong elements of delicious fantasy woven in.

Synopsis:
Haven Marbury's father, a renowned Pulitzer Prize-winning author, has passed away. Haven unexpectedly comes across an old manuscript written by her father that was never published, titled Bedtime Stories for Monsters. The short stories are set in an unknown world with very scary monsters. A treasure like this from her famous father seems like something to publish and share with the world. However, monsters begin to appear under Haven's bed and dead bodies are found in the woods next to the house. What dark secrets was her father hiding?

Malice House surprises readers with unexpected twists and turns. There is a brilliant premise to the storyline. To enjoy the book, you must suspend belief and let it unfold. While I loved many aspects of the plot, at times I found it a bit difficult to stay connected to the characters. While this was not my personal favorite of Megan Shepherd's work, it definitely has a strong audience for those who enjoy spooky gothic fantasy. It is a mind-bending tale with shocking plot twists.

Malice House by Megan Sheperd is available on October 4th.
(3.75 ⭐⭐⭐💫)

Thank you NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue, for sharing this nail-biting, check under the bed scary story with me! Your kindness is appreciated!

Trigger warning: Rape is discussed, but not shown.

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The only reason why I am giving this two stars is that the stories within the big plot, “Bedtime Stories for Monsters” were fantastic. Frankly if this book had just been the stories from that unpublished manuscript I would have been happy. Because when you jump from those stories to the “plot” my whole head started to hurt. I wanted to publish my review before I take my trip and I am begging the book gods to give me a good book or maybe even two while I am on vacation. I have been hitting the worst streak that I have had in some time with regards to books. “Malice House” had poor characters, a nonsensical plot after a while, plot holes galore, terrible flow, and the ending was set up as I don’t even know? A sequel? I am going to stay far away from it anyway.

“Malice House” follows “artist” Haven Marbury. She returns to her dead father’s home in Washington state, called Malice House. Her father was a famous author, who eventually passed away from dementia and apparently had way too many debts and not much to leave Haven outside of the house. We quickly find out that Haven is running from something back in New York and an event that involved her ex (well not really) husband. When Haven starts to explore Malice House, she finds an unpublished manuscript that her father wrote called “Bedtime Stories for Monsters”. Haven cannot put it down and starts to draw/sketch the monsters her father has described within which include: The Harbinger, the Witch of Went, the Hellhound, Pinchy, the Decaylings, Uncle Arnold, the Kestrel, and the Robber Saints. When she asks her father’s old contacts/literary group called the Ink Drinkers for help in selling the manuscript along with her drawings, she is hurt when they pronounce her drawings terrible, but want their hands on the manuscript. And when Haven says no, things start to go bump in Malice House. Soon people are found dead and they appear to be killed in similar ways to her father’s works and in the unpublished manuscript.

So Haven is not a great character. Something comes out later that describes why she acts the way she does, but it felt like a neat little cheat. I think at one point I was wondering how she was conscious since she barely ate, but was just consuming a half bottle of Scotch it seemed like every five seconds. Not to mention coffee she suckered out of Kylie. She keeps doing so many dumb things that I stopped counting after a while. It just seemed that she had a lot of hatred for her father and then you find out why and it seems like it was more benign neglect than anything. He was obsessed with his writing, and she was angry he didn’t seem to make a bigger deal of her drawings. I just thought the book jumped around too much for you to get a handle on their relationship.

The other characters are really shallow outside of the little peeks we get into the stories within the book. It’s sad the monsters were written better than Haven and other characters like Kylie, Catherine, Ronan, and others. The whole Kylie thing still makes zero sense to me and I just don’t even want to dwell on it anymore.

The writing just seemed to double back and forth after a while. I just got tired of Haven for just obsessing about Rafe Kahn and then about the manuscript, Kylie, Catherine, etc. Then she was back to Rafe again and in between all of the mess would think about her ex-husband and the mysterious incident that happened in New York.

The setting of Lundie Bay seems weird to me. Malice House definitely has its secrets, but Lundie Bay just has dead bodies popping up and everyone seems like oh sure let’s ignore that. It felt a little too much like the families on Nightmare on Elm Street who just ignored what was going on on in Springwood, Ohio. The only reason why that worked and made sense for that movie was back then in a small town you could hide that kind of thing. Also you didn’t have the 24 hours news going on. In this day and age though, so many people popping up dead would have resulted in a media frenzy. It just felt a little too ridiculous to me after a while. Especially since there’s a mention of the rich who have second homes there. I guess there was a slight out with an aside being made that most have left for their homes back in California since the weather had gotten colder.

On another note, I don’t know if adding illustrations of what Haven was seeing when reading through the manuscript and what she drew as a result could have made the book stronger, but since there’s a whole thing later about the written word and art, it seems like a missed opportunity.

The ending leaves things up in the air. I just sighed about it. The book could have ended in a darker way and I would have given it more stars. But it seems that Shepherd wanted to just leave things open ended.