MALICE HOUSE was a fun read that delivered some thrills and chills, along with a whole bunch of mystery.

Something sinister lurks within the walls of Malice House, though Haven doesn’t know if it was her father’s dementia making him think that or if it was truly something else. It’s not until she stumbles across an unpublished manuscript that she discovers things about the town itself that just aren’t right. Her father had something of a cult following, and she has people salivating over the thought of getting their hands on this book. She decides to hold off on publishing until she can add her own touches through her artwork and illustrations, and that’s when things truly take a dark turn.

This book is whimsy mixed with the macabre, and it was truly a delight. I love the idea of art becoming reality and it was definitely the highlight of this book. I also loved the eeriness of the town and the general feeling of something being off, it really transferred off the pages and made me feel just as unsettled as Haven. I recently learned that there’s a sequel coming, and I will certainly be picking that up once it’s released.

All told, a mysterious and compulsive read that will draw readers in with its touches of magic and dark whimsy. I can’t wait to get my hands on book two. 4 stars.

*eARC received via NetGalley and the publisher.

Well written, dark mystery that incorporated gothic-type creepy bedtime stories. I wish this was illustrated just to see Haven's sketches!

I enjoyed this book and cannot wait to recommend to others. Thank you Netgalley for a copy to read and review!

Did ya miss me?

I started to shake this morning from book withdrawals. I went 3 days without reading and I literally felt my anxiety hit an all time high. The only cure was to spend the day reading.

I picked up Malice House and dove right in.

This is a slow burn with a lot of build up, once you get a few chapters in the secrets begin to unravel and you will be addicted to flipping the page. I absolutely adored Haven and found myself cheering for her through and through.

Megan Shepherd, once again, knocked this one out of the park. I heard this one is book 1 in a soon to be mini series and I am so excited for what is to come.

Fun Fact: Malice House is free on kindle unlimited and you don’t want to miss this one !

Teaser:

“One step away from our world lies another: a land of violent fantasies, of sharp-toothed delights. . . ."

Of all the things aspiring artist Haven Marbury expected to find while clearing out her late father's remote seaside house, Bedtime Stories for Monsters was not on the list. This secret handwritten manuscript is disturbingly different from his Pulitzer-winning works: its interweaving short stories crawl with horrific monsters and enigmatic humans that exist somewhere between this world and the next. The stories unsettle but also entice Haven, practically compelling her to illustrate them while she stays in the house that her father warned her was haunted. Clearly just dementia whispering in his ear . . . right?

Reeling from a failed marriage, Haven hopes an illustrated Bedtime Stories can be the lucrative posthumous father-daughter collaboration she desperately needs to jump-start her art career. However, everyone in the nearby vacation town wants a piece of the manuscript: her father's obsessive literary salon members, the Ink Drinkers; her mysterious yet charming neighbor, who has a tendency toward three a.m. bonfires; a young barista with a literary forgery business; and of course, whoever keeps trying to break into her house. But when a monstrous creature appears under Haven's bed right as grisly deaths are reported in the nearby woods, she must race to uncover dark, otherworldly family secrets—completely rewriting everything she ever knew about herself in the process.

This was my first book by Megan Shepherd and I really enjoyed it!!! If you like secrets, monsters, and haunted houses then you will like this book!!! Read and enjoy!!!

Stars: 2 out of 5.

This book started so well. I was engaged and a little creeped out for the first 25% of the book. Then I was bored for the next 50% of so, because the book dragged its feet and bogged down in little insignificant things. Then it took a swan dive off the cliff and lost any goodwill I had left for the story. 

And now I'm sitting here, looking at raving 5 and 4 star reviews, and don't understand what other people found so great about it. The story is convoluted and full of plot holes, some of which I can't ignore no matter how much I suspend my disbelief.

First of all, I don't think the author ever had to try and survive with almost no money. I mean Haven gets paid maybe 300 dollars per movie summary she does. And as the story progresses, she does less and less of them. She mentions a couple times that her bank account is very close to the red. So how can she afford gas, electric, wi-fi when she install is, food, etc.? Why is her first impulse, when she gets 900 bucks for the typewriter, to go order expensive cameras from Amazon? She doesn't know what the meaning of frugal is to save her life.

Haven herself is an extremely unlikeable character who is so full of herself that assumes everything revolves around her. By the end of the book I seriously was rooting for the monsters. She is very judgmental and suspicious of other people for no particular reason. Her over the top reaction to the Ink Drinker's comment on her art was very telling in that regard. She also makes decisions that make no sense. Why the heck would you go digging in the woods behind your property in the middle of the night? When to do that you have to climb up a ladder and jump on the other side of the fence... with a hurt ankle? Why don't you take your cellphone with you?

Why would you basically commit breaking and entering when you go check on Kylie? AND steal her laptop? AND steal a weapon from the neighbors? Why won't you report the disappearance to the police??? Why do you decide that going into an isolated house to confront a possible murderer alone is a good idea? Yes, you have a stolen hunting riffle. Do you even know how to use it? The author told us several times how Haven never was an outdoorsy type. That she never went camping, yet alone hunting. How can she be sure she'll be able to load and fire that riffle? I an assure you it's not as easy as they show it in the movies. 

Also, who gives a total stranger her spare key just because she is attracted to him and he smells nice? Girl, you don't know anything about him or his past. You saw him burn something big in his backyard in the middle of the night, but sure, give him access to your home.

The only reason I gave this 2 stars instead of 1 is because the little snippets from Bedtime Stories for Monsters before each chapter are amazing. I would have gladly read a whole book just about that. They were weird and mesmerizing, and much better written than the rest of the book. 

PS: I received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This isn’t my normal read. I usually like my thrillers and the “bad guys” to be a real people. This book was different but so good. It was a little slow to start but I’m so glad I kept with it! Haven is a great main character sync you root for her the entire book. Definitely an original book. I enjoyed it.

3 stars

<i>Malice House</i> is an ambitious horror novel, one that veers more toward dark fantasy (in a good way) than the traditional slasher it initially appears to be. That said, it’s a lengthy and surly text (for the genre), coconut-like in its fierce defense of the goodness inside. If you want to taste the fruits <i>Malice House</i> has to offer, you’re going to have to hack through a lot of dry husk.

In my reading, I found that the first 60% of the book was a grudging 2 stars, and the last 40% a solid 4 stars—leading to my overall rating hitting at an averaged 3. Ultimately, thanks to the payoff, I’m glad I stuck with the book, but I have no interest in continuing with Megan Shepherd’s <i>The Malice Compendium</i> series—I am content to let the story end with this novel.

So what bugged me so much about the first half of this book? Primarily, characters and pacing. The book was too long, and very slow in the first few chapters. I love a slow burn in horror, as anticipation creeps up and up, but this didn’t have that effect for me; I just got progressively more bored and frustrated with our main character’s drinking and waffling. Our main character was also a significant problem for me. Haven, the daughter of a celebrated literary fiction novelist, is a penniless aspiring illustrator running from a failed marriage. She’s also, in the first half of the novel, a nonfunctional alcoholic. The narrative never uses that term, but oh boy, does Haven drink to excess in every single scene. I understand it’s a trope in horror for a reason, casting doubt on any potentially sinister events the tipsy character may or may not have experienced, but it didn’t feel done well. Haven just seemed like a mess, and not in a compelling way.

There’s a father/daughter reconciliation story that tries to peep out every once in a while, and makes a noble go of it in the last chapters of the novel. Unfortunately, the setup doesn’t deserve such a good payoff. Haven scoffs at her father’s fans, insisting they didn’t know ‘the real him,’ but it’s patently obvious (even without her never telling us anything about her life with him) that she didn’t know the ‘real him’ either. Both Haven and the author also seem to have a strange disdain for Seattleites, literary fiction fans, and anyone who makes money; the result is that the hipsterish town of Lundie Bay seems peopled with cardboard cutout stock characters instead of actual people, whose lives and fates—threatened by the events of the novel—consequently don’t carry a lot of weight with the reader, when I think the threat would be more powerful if they did. There are also some small continuity errors (the Eddie Chase timeline, Kylie’s knowledge of the manuscript), but my real problem was with Haven.

There’s a great perspective shift in the latter half of the book, some satisfying twists and villains and antiheroes, and a plotline around family that makes a pretty punching impact. The action-y climax is a little silly (breaking and crawling out of a tight squeeze window with only a few cuts as consequence? Sure.), but the narrative picks up in a really satisfying way and draws you into the story. Things finally feel like they <i>matter.</i>

I’d recommend <i>Malice House</i> to horror fantasy fans who are a little artsy, who like monsters and menace and don’t mind a longer wait to get to the good stuff. You might like this book if you really enjoyed <i>The Babadook.</i> I just wish that the first half was about half as long.

[An advanced copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. However, I failed to read that copy prior to publication and instead read a published copy from my local library.]

This isn’t my normal read. I usually like my thrillers and the “bad guys” to be a real people.

This book was different but so good. It was a little slow to start but I’m so glad I kept with it! Haven is a great main character sync you root for her the entire book.

Definitely an original book. I enjoyed it.

Have you read Malice House by Megan Shepard? If not, you're missing out on a thrilling psychological horror novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end! In this detailed book review, we dive into the plot, characters, and overall writing style that makes Malice House a must-read for fans of the genre. Don't miss out on this spine-chilling read!

Malice House by Megan Shepherd - I really was not sure about this book at first. Malice House could fit into so many different genres - thriller, horror, fantasy, mystery and so many more. The book was slow for me for about the first 20% but once the book got going, it does not let us. This is not my typical type of book but I like to switch it up once in awhile. This book was unique and kept me reading - I really enjoyed this. Thanks NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the ARC.

Malice House was everything a budding artist could want. When Haven comes back to Malice House after her father's passing, it becomes the backdrop for many things. Recovering from her failing marriage, sorting her father's estate, working on her illustrations, and trying to find a sustainable way to make an income on her own. Rambling through the old house, she's surprised to find an unpublished manuscript that's definitely not her father's usual style. Immediately Haven sees there's a chance to combine her talents, and her fathers, and maybe make enough to live on while she steps into this new life. Immediately starting to draw the characters from this terrifying set of fantasy stories that weave through one another, she gets lost in the process.

Her drawings don't stay confined to the page, and a whole cast of characters from the insidious Ink Drinkers to a dashing neighbor named Rafe, all play a part in the whirlwind of violence and destruction that follow. Haven reaches a point where it becomes family and safety, or money, and maybe neither are achievable.

I was pretty surprised by some of the turns this book took, and it was much darker than I'd anticipated. I'd be interested in seeing the follow up book once it comes out, and how Haven's story continues.

I love books about books, and this one didn’t disappoint. The characters are creepy and well drawn, and I’m excited for the sequel this fall.

This is a great thriller/suspense novel with a touch of dark to it!

In this novel, Haven Marbury returns to her fathers estate after his passing— with the sole intent of selling what she can, and quickly leaving. While cleaning out the attic, she finds an unpublished horror novel her father wrote, titled “Bedtime Stories for Monsters”— a book about sinister creatures that live somewhere in between their world, and ours. Though unsettling, the short stories are also captivating, and Haven soon finds herself compelled to draw these creatures.

Haven decides to publish it, as a way to get an income from a posthumously published novel, and hopes to add her illustrations to the novel as well. Soon, Haven finds herself questioning if her father had dementia or not, and begins to wonder if these creatures exist in reality— not just in her mind.

Without spoiling anything, Haven must decipher who is friend, and who is foe. Who is being sincere, and who has ulterior motives? First impressions are questioned, and the storyline is just twisted enough to keep you guessing as you read!

📚📚📚📚/5

I went into this book absolutely loving the premise. For the most part, I felt like it delivered. Sometimes, the things Haven would say or do were just bizarre though. Like you know that won't work, but there had been this huge emphasis on the horror movies and her being a pro. So there were things I loved and didn't.

Having never read any of Megan Sheperd’s books before I went in completely blind to her writing style and even to the premise of this book. So upset it took me so long to get to this book. A dark and gothic horror story that kind of has a story within a story that ended up to be truly captivating. Haven moved into her late fathers house, hoping to sell some stuff to pull together some cash. She discovers one of his old manuscripts and hopes to add her illustrations to it to kickstart her career. As soon as she thinks things are looking up in her life, bodies start showing up on the property. Things get interesting after that! Highly recommend

This was the horror story of my dreams! It had everything: spooky gothic haunted house, illustrator main character, weird but hot neighbor, beautiful interludes of the main character's father's Bedtime Stories for Young Monsters, which I ABSOLUTELY need in an illustrated book on its own now (my favorite was Pinchy's story.) Highly recommend to horror lovers and fans of the supernatural.

Malice House by Megan Shepard is dark fantasy/horror novel. Once it gets going it doesn't let up. I love the premise of the main character, Haven's, illustrations coming to life. She really created some nasty creatures that were vividly written by Shepard. I enjoyed this book from start to finish and am intrigued by the open ended ending that lends itself to a sequel.

A truly spooky book that got under my skin. It's very rare for a book inside a book to be as good as the novel needs it to be but the stories inside of MALICE HOUSE are believably written by a Pulitzer-prize winner. A great twist at the end, too! Looking forward to the next one.

This was a really good spooky read. Lots of great description, and scary monsters. I did see this is a going to be a series. I don't know if I will continue, but I enjoyed my time with this story.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced reader's copy and the opportunity to read this early. Review has been posted on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.