Haven Marbury is an aspiring illustrator, meaning she’s never made a dime off of her creative works. She’s forced to visit her estranged father’s home after his death in order to close his estate. Her father was a famous and prosperous author, but in his later years, he began to show signs of mental decline. He spoke of monsters, walls talking, feeding critters under the bed. He never had anything nice to say about Haven, so she spared him the horror of a visit before his death.
Malice House is a beautiful home. It’s a bit oversized, but it comes with a fascinating history. The original owner was named Alice. Over the years of the home’s numerous owners, Miss Alice became M’Alice then Malice. Immediately after arriving, Haven realizes maybe her father wasn’t so crazy after all. She feels like she’s being watched, she hears things in the walls, and the attic is a complete mystery to her with its boxes of dirt and strange odors. She’s not driven by the money, but she is driven to settle affairs and get out.
The next few days are filled with tense scenarios not for the weak of heart, and NOT filled with the usual sappy ending of jealous people sabotaging the inheritor’s sanity. Oh no, not this book. The events have a cause and effect. Something her father tried to warn others of prior to his (maybe not so) untimely death. If you enjoy a tense mystery with a splash of horror added in, this is definitely your book.
Thanks so much to Hyperion Avenue for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a great book to curl up with on a dark, rainy night this time of year. It is spooky and a great read. If you scare easily, this may not be a good pick, though.

The very first thing I need to tell you guys is that this book is a whole lotta fun. The second thing I need to tell you? I have a very screwed up scary-o-meter, so I can’t tell you if you’re going to be freaked out or scared when you read it, because I don’t get freaked or scared while reading books. I’m not one of those people who get the chills or goosebumps while reading scary books or can;t read them at night. I actually stayed up until after midnight to finish this book and then slept like a baby. The only time I get chills or goosebumps when reading a book is when reading a book with prose so beautiful it feels like I’m reading something bigger and beyond my understanding. This is my way of telling you, before you might even open this book, that you might get freaked out or need to sleep with the lights on afterwards, but I won’t be able to tell you that. I just know I had one heck of a fun time reading this occult horror cum dark fantasy cum philosophical treatise on monsters, despite the issues I ended up having with the book.

I’m not going to synopsize the book for you. The approved marketing blurb actually does a pretty decent job of it, for once. It hits the major plot points without spoiling anything major. This is one book you’ll be extremely grateful to approach with only the major and mostly non-occult plot points in your mind, because it’s so delightful to let the plot unfold page by page as page as you read. But…the book does start just a little slow. I know you need a little build-up in books like this, but about 10% of the first act of the book reads as simply morose, petty, and a bit pathetic on the part of our protagonist, and I tend to dislike that look on anyone.

Truthfully, I never really grew to truly like any of the characters in this book, except for the house. And make no mistake: Malice House is as much a main character in this book as Haven or Kylie or anyone else. Now, don’t get me wrong: I love myself a morally grey character, but I like them to have goals, motivations, and intentions. I’d write you a whole huge paragraph about Haven and her characterization, but there be spoilers, and I’m not one to violate that eternal law of pop culture.

Another issue I have with the book is a plot twist that happens late in the book that I felt was wholly unnecessary and I truly don’t know why the author threw in. For added drama? For sentimentality? For some kind of sense of redemption or purpose for Haven? To have some motivation for Haven? I have no clue. Whatever Shepherd’s intentions, I was really disappointed because that twist was totally out of tune with the entire rest of the book and it almost felt like an afterthought compared with the elegant darkness and gothic solitude the rest of the book had been composed of.

Megan Shepherd does have a lovely gift for prose, especially when the prose leans toward the fantastical, philosophical, metaphysical, and dark. Her descriptions of Malice House, the town of Lundie Bay, and the perpetual soggy atmosphere of the Pacific Northwest, are vivid enough they stick with you. I can’t stop thinking of one passage where she describes Malice House as being clear and distinct enough above the fog that everything and everyone else around it looks like “walking dreams”. That’s a vision I can understand from living in a valley with tule fog: when the fog gets thick like pea soup, everyone and everything more than ten feet from your face looks like they’re shrouded in some sort of soft focus mist or shroud; like they’re something from a dreamscape.

Like I said, the book is a lot of fun, even if it is uneven in some places. For the outstanding prose you have some dialogue issues. For the outstanding themes you have some characterization issues. You can see where I’m going with this. Overall, I still count it as a fun and worthy read for the fall or for whenever you’re craving a story about who are the monsters and who creates them.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for granting me access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book just came out and is a new unique horror story! There's a great plot, diverse characters, and some pretty scary new monsters. The two things I like the most about this book are: the multi dimensions of the plot; it's not just one mystery, and the plot twists totally caught me off guard in the best way! They never even came up as possibilities in my head as the story was progressing! I love it!
Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy of this book! All opinions are mine.

A truly haunted house becomes a character in the story of the events that happen inside and around it. Malice House, written by Megan Shepherd, is one such character.
When Haven returns to her father's house after his death, she is seeking a safe place to come to terms with the recent events in her life. She is out of work, out of money and still healing from her failed marriage. She has inherited Malice House and it's contents. Her father and the local town's residents all believe Malice House to be haunted, but what choice does she have? Haven begins a half hearted search through the house, hoping to find a treasure or two. This is the back story to this intriguing look at how an excellent writer can take the readers on a journey, then in a couple of pages, you see a whole new story. she gives a WOW moment. A different kind of story that I throughly enjoyed.

You might not want to read a Bedtime story at night, especially if it is a Bedtime Story for Monsters. With a title like that you know you are in for a nightmare!

Haven Marbury is cleaning out her father's home when she comes across a manuscript titled "Bedtime Stories for Monsters” This is nothing like her father's other Pulitzer-winning work. This one is dark, creepy, and unsettling. Haven, an artist, decides to illustrate the manuscript. Why not make some money in the process? But there are others who want a piece of this literary pie as well.

While not illustrating, Haven is hearing things that go bump in the night, strange things are happening, someone is trying to get into the house. But why? Many children look under their beds before going to bed at some point, making sure they are tucked in safe and sound and that here isn't anything scary under the bed to get them. But Haven does have something scary under her bed!

The dead count is rising, Haven has an interesting neighbor and well, those bumps in the night make for an interesting read.

I found this to be an enjoyable book and a nice read for the Fall/Halloween season. There are twists and turns, unease, and tension.

This was my first book by Megan Shepherd, and I look forward to reading more of her books in the future.

While this book was not my cup of tea, it was well written & intriguing. My only critique is that the staging of the book took entirely too long. Shepherd could have easily cut out numerous chapters & still built the foundation of the plot. Perfect for fans of fantasy or science fiction, the story takes us into the life of Haven, a struggling artist who has just lost her father. Upon returning to his home in Lundie Bay to settle his estate, Haven finds herself in the middle of a supernatural mess. As she embarks on a journey to uncover information about her father’s secretive life, Haven discovers that everything & everyone in the small coastal town aren’t as they seem…

◇You might enjoy this if you like
-Books within books
-Scary stories to tell in the dark
-Family curses

3.5 stars (rounded up to 4)

Synopsis: Daughter of a world renowned horror writer, Haven is tasked with cleaning out the house of her recently deceased father. The home, nicknamed Malice House by the locals, holds more secrets than Haven initially realized. Most shockingly, she discovers an unpublished manuscript from her father, which she knows would be a posthumous bestseller. But weird things begin happening in the town, almost as if her father’s nightmarish stories are coming to life.

A fun, twisty, dark read perfect for the fall season. Overall, the story was very enjoyable and moved at a good pace. Once the book picked up, it was full of twisty action that made it hard to put down. What I didn’t enjoy was how easily the characters were able to jump to obscure conclusions to advance the plot, and it honestly made me roll my eyes at times. But I enjoyed the story so much that I was able to move past that.

Overall, the author created a creepy story that I very much enjoyed! Thank you Hyperion and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! This book was released on October 4th so go check it out.

I love looking over the 4 & 5 star reviews for this book. If this sounds like it's a story you'll love, give it a chance.

This story just didn't work for me. I didn't like Haven. To start, she just wasn't likable. I found her 2 dimensional and unrealistic. She was inconsistent and didn't make sense. The first half to three quarters of the story just felt like a set up for the last 25%.

But I loved the last 25%. Haven was finally on her 2 feet, consistent and with a backbone. The other aspects of the story were finally flushed out, giving depth where previously there had been barely wisps.

The other fun part of the story I loved were chapter headings - little tidbit paragraphs out of a fairytale type story her father wrote but didn't publish. Those helped round out the story and really give meaning to what her father had written and what Haven was working on.

This was so close to being a favorite of mine. If you think it sounds good, give it a shot, it just might be yours!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Haven Mayberry is an aspiring artist. She has inherited her famous late father’s haunted, remote seaside house. Haven has also just had a divorce that was difficult. While she was clearing out the house, she came across a book titled “Bedtime stories for monsters.” She was surprised and at the same time intrigued. She starts to read the stories which compel her to draw the monster in each story and hopes to sell it to the publishers. However, it appears that the community doesn’t want her to sell the stories. They want a piece of the book, that is the story. Suddenly a monster from under her bed appears at the same times as grisly deaths in the nearby forest are reported. she must race to uncover dark, otherworldly family secrets --- completely rewriting everything she thought she knew about herself.

It’s a complex horror novel of dark magic, family secrets and monsters the don’t necessarily stay on the pages.
Haunting and beautifully written . . . an exploration of the mysterious power of twisted stories.” s.”

I'm a little "meh" about this book. It took me a while to get into it and I didn't feel like I was ever fully invested in the characters or the story, but I did start to get more into the story around halfway through. It was definitely spooky, but wasn't scary which I appreciated. I also really enjoyed how much supernatural elements it had. Definitely had way more of that than I was expecting and I liked the ending in regards to the supernatural elements ( [SPOILER] the supernatural things didn't get explained away at the end and remained supernatural and I really appreciated that! I'm tired of books giving rational explanations for supernatural elements [SPOILER].

The storybook characters were interesting and I liked the little snippets of the chapters that we got at the beginning of each chapter. But I wish we had gotten more info about the storybook characters and they're backgrounds. It felt like they were a little one dimensional and we didn't get a lot of background information on them and were supposed to just kinda know what they did...but more background would have been great. I also wanted more information about the curse...there was no build up to it, just all of a sudden it was there and I felt like I was supposed to have known about it the whole time and felt like I missed something. That just didn't seem explained enough.

Overall, this is a good, atmospheric, spooky read but I was a little let down and felt like it could have been better developed.

*4.5*

OOOH YEAHHHHH!

Okay so first I will say that I think this is going to be one of those that people either love it or they hate it. I'm on the loving side for sure. It was more supernatural than I was expecting it to be based on the little of the synopsis I read and knowing it was a thriller. But I'm way okay with the supernatural route it took. It was eerie, certainly had some really creepy parts and kept me guessing. I thought the book about a book within a book kind of story was well done. I loved the little chapter headers we got of Bedtime Stories for Monsters, it def helped bring the story and characters to life. Literally. :)

My only wish at this point is that I think I need a follow up or sequel or prequel or something of just an expansion of the stories from Bedtime Stories for Monsters along with the illustrations. Can we have that please?!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thoughts: The creepy character depictions and descriptive scenes help this story jump off the page (no pun intended), and the surprise plot twists were quite interesting. I struggled to get into the story at the beginning but the middle and most of the end had me hooked. I did feel like the ending dragged on with explanations a bit too long and relatively anti-climatic, especially following the big action climax scenes leading up to the conclusion. Overall, this was a good Halloween read that should have ended a chapter or two sooner but the descriptions and plot twists will keep readers interested.

Malice House was a perfect spooky season read. It was atmospheric, gothic and spellbinding. I am a SUCKER for books with old haunted houses and just love the idea behind this book. I was really intrigued and invested through the first 1/2 of the book but the pacing on the second half seemed a little off. Overall, I really did enjoy this book and the some of the twists were shocking, in the best way!

I just finished Malice House By Megan Shepherd and here is my review.

When Haven’s father died 6 months ago, she didn’t feel much but now she can no longer avoid cleaning his house out and deciding what to do with it. She needed somewhere to go after things ended badly with her ex so putting it off wasn’t an option.
Her father, famed writer and epic hoarder, was a complicated man and nothing surprises Haven more than when she finds an unpublished manuscript. A manuscript called Bedtime stories for monsters.

Being an artist, Haven decides to illustrate her fathers book and try to sell the book with the illustrations. She automatically goes to her father’s book club, the ink drinkers. The group seem obsessed with the idea of the manuscript and push Haven to give it to them.

Feeling it was a bad idea to try and include them, Haven attempted to sell it herself…. Then the unthinkable happens, some creature grabs her foot from under her bed. Upon investigating, Haven finds out that grizley murders have happened in the woods by the house and now Haven is questioning coming home and questioning what she thought she knew about herself.

THIS BOOK BLEW ME AWAY! I didn’t know what to expect from this book but it had me gripped from start to finish. A horror whipped up in with some fantasy and just a dash of thriller! Genius!

The plot was fantastic, there were some amazing plot twists that had me turning the pages so fast! I loved how well it was all pieced together and kept me entertained the whole way through.

I love a really good horror book and this one delivered the shiverfest I was hoping for. Great characters with interesting plot lines and a real creative edge to the writing, made me need more books from this author. If you are looking for a supernatural fantasy with a little horror on every page, get this book today!

5 stars!

Thank you #HyperionAvenue and #netgalley for my review copy!

This is a creepy, dark, gothic story. Haven is an aspiring book illustrator and daughter of the popular writer Amory Marburg. When Amory passes Haven inherits his house, Malice house, that Amory swore was haunted. Within the house she starts to find things and has weird feelings. Is it really the house or something else.

This takes a creepy house and throw in horror writing to a whole new level. There’s something sinister going on in the house and it makes a good read for wanting something spooky. The storyline also makes the book more intriguing.

All in all, it’s what I need for something different I was craving.

Had a bit of a gothic horror feel to it. Really enjoyable. The writing was great and full of twists and turns I didn't see coming!

<i>”Nights in Malice lasted sixty long hours, but the night that Malice House burned felt interminable.”</i>


No. sh*t. 😅 I can see why someone would/could like this book, but the few interesting bits did not save this from being mostly a slog for me. Shallow characterization over all and the stronger plot elements being placed too far apart with what sometimes felt like filler in between had me feeling bored often and made finishing the book a chore by the time I got that far.

The characters and stories from “The Bedtime Book of Stories for Monsters” outshone the real world by far and I wish they would have been supported by the main story more. This was definitely where the dark and spooky themes were most successful, but I wouldn’t say they were actually scary.

<i>Thank you to Hyperion Avenue and NetGalley for an eARC of this book.</i>

Brief summary: Haven Marbury, an illustrator, inherits her Pulitzer-winner father's house, which may or may not be haunted. She finds a secret, handwritten and unpublished manuscript called "Bedtime Stories for Monsters." As Haven looks to publish it, and hopefully cash in, strange things start happening around the house. Are these monsters real?

Malice house is a haunting combination of horror, dark fantasy, thriller, and mystery. It captures the chilling, noir feel of Marisha Pessl's Night Film, which is something I've been looking for since reading it. But Malic House is wholly original, and the plot kept me guessing the entire time. I didn't see the twists coming at all, and, I'm excited to say, it really freaked me out.

Megan Shepherd's writing is beautiful and literary, but approachable. This story has one of my favorite qualities - the pace of the writing varies to match the action in the plot. And, no spoilers, the ending culminates in a way that reminds me of Stephen King's good endings. It's a bang that ties everything together and leaves you breathless.

I can't recommend Malice House enough for spooky season, or those who like things a little dark and disturbing all year round.

Malice House has the perfect setup for a good gothic tale, beginning with Haven clearing out her recently deceased author father’s creepy house in the equally creepy small coastal town. While going through his things, Haven discovers a manuscript for an unpublished collection of storied called Bedtime Stories for Monsters. Dark and morbid in manners unlike anything her father published, Haven is disturbed yet intrigued by the collection.

Inspired by them, she sets to illustrate the eerie tales in the hopes of publishing a posthumous collaboration with her father. However, strange events begin to occur once Haven starts drawing the malevolent characters from Bedtime Stories for Monsters and she begins to wonder if there is a connection between these happenings, the story collection, and her father.

What begins as a gothic mystery spirals into a dark fantasy in a way I wasn’t expecting. If like me and readers go into Malice House wanting a more straight-forward entry into the gothic genre, they’ll be disappointed. I couldn’t help myself from seeing this as an adult Hazel Wood, although I do think Malice House may have worked better as a YA novel. The fantastical tone paired with characterization and dialogue better suited to YA further caused me to feel like this is a mis-marketed novel.

Malice House would have made an interesting twist on the gothic fiction genre had it felt more original, contained fewer cheap twists, and more compelling characters. However, the novel fell flat for me and it’s probably one to skip if you’re a more seasoned gothic fiction reader.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hyperion Avenue for providing me with a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.