Ugh...this review is difficult to write. I wanted to like Malice House. I liked the premise and the opening chapters. Now this is where I need to say that I read a lot of arcs, OK. I am aware that they are not finished products and they should not be treated as such. However it is not fun to try to read a book without a table of contents or chapter breaks and with really weird formatting. With that being said please note that my review is for the unfinished book that I read. Malice house could easily be a very good book. There's an aroma of Richard Bachman and Stephen King and Peter Straub. A whiff of The Gunslinger and The Library Policeman and Black House. However it needs some polishing, editing, and refinement to be more than a fake perfume that is merely reminiscent of the real deal. Great characterization and some really fun lines. I'm not sure if this is thinking of being a series or if I would read more in the series or by this author. Also the cover is BORING.

This started off interesting but devolved about 60% in -- the suspension of disbelief and plot points left unexplained just didn't work for me. It was still interesting and I liked the MC but I think it could have gone so many other places. Definitely a bit of a mix of thriller and horror -- hope you have better luck!

Malice House comes out next week on October 4, 2022 and you can purchase HERE.

The bell on the door to Lundie Bay Books chimed as I pushed it open. Entering a bookstore always reminded me of stepping into another world. It didn't matter where you started--you could be on cobblestone streets of a Greek island or the blustery sidewalk of Chicago's East Side, but the moment you stepped across the threshold, you might as well have been stepping into every bookstore They all held the same feel, the same smells. Ink, paper--like dry tea leaves.

I thoroughly enjoyed Malice House. It was very atmospheric, I felt like I was there. The story was well paced right up to the end. Perfect for horror fans.

*Thank you to @netgalley & Hyperion Avenue for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review*

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

Woo boy! This was a RIDE. I have really started to enjoy reading the horror genre and when I saw this book I had to have it. Monsters are created in this book that obviously don't exist in the real world, but it didn't stop me from texting my husband from our bed in the middle of the night telling him I'm scared while he was at work. 🤣

What I liked:
💀 I loved mixing horror with fantasy. (New for me!)
💀 Very very well written. Everyone jumps off the page and is fully formed in my mind.
💀 The action gets your heart pumping.
💀 Females learning to be strong during their journey.

What I didn't like:
👎 That it ended. Lol I want more of this world!

Very highly recommend if you love the fantasy horror genre!

This book wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. There is definitely horror but also a lot of gore, difficult situations deserving of a trigger warning, and a dive into the paranormal fantasy. Take that as you wish. I was hoping for more of a twisty horror of a haunted house and got a lot more fantasy. Haven isn’t exactly terrible, but just not that inspiring of a main character. I understand she has reasons for not wanting to involve police and such, but she was just overall not likable to me. I would recommend this for fans of paranormal horror fantasy. I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.

Reminiscent of Stephen King (who I think they used as inspiration for the protagonist’s father) this will please anyone looking for a haunted house story where nothing is as it seems. Readers should be aware that there is some intense body horror and gore and that this appears to be the first of a series.

Malice House is a good creepy read to start October with. I found the plot intriguing. The book centers around Haven, an aspiring book illustrator who has returned to her father’s house after his death to sort through what is left. Her father was a Pulitzer Prize winning author, and prior to his death was diagnosed with dementia and wrote to her about demons living within the walls of Malice House. When she happens upon an unpublished manuscript in the attic entitled Bedtime Stories for Monsters, thinking she can cash in on it, things start getting weird. Maybe Malice House really is haunted??

The plot was intriguing, and the first half of the book had me really interested. It started to fall short for me a bit after that. The pacing seemed really slow, and by the last 20% I felt like it was dragging…even though there was a lot happening. Haven had a lot of internal monologues I maybe could have done without, and there were quite a few twists.

I do love a good creepy story, and the atmosphere was set well. I liked the themes and the concept, and the snippets of her father’s book in each chapter.

Malice House was a super interesting concept. I definitely enjoyed this book but found to climax a bit over the top.

The story follows Haven, a young artist who heads to her father's home after his death following a slow decline in his mental health. As she is looking through his things, she finds a series of stories he wrote called "Bedtime Stories for Monsters". Haven, hard up for money, thinks this is the perfect way to bolster her dream of becoming a children's book illustrator. However, as she is creating the artwork, she finds herself entering a kind of trance. Afterwards, Haven begins to notice strange things happening, almost as if the characters she created have come to life. With the help of a local barista and handsome neighbor, Haven discovers the truth about her abilities and her family's secrets.

The whole story behind Malice House is an interesting concept. The idea that a story an author creates is being pulled from another dimension is one I've not really heard of before but was very intriguing. It was great to read snippets from "Bedtime Stories for Monsters" and slowly see those characters slipping into Haven's life. I also loved the descriptions of the house and the small, sleepy town. It is the perfect setting for a spooky story.

The climax of the book, however, was a bit too much. I know we need to suspend reality in a book where creatures from another dimension are coming to life, but the constant drama at the end of the book took away some of the novelty. It didn't make me enjoy the book any less, but I did find myself thinking "Ok, this can end now."

I do love that the monsters had an open ending and am interested to see if a sequel will happen or if we'll be left to our imaginations and thinking up different ways of how they wreak havoc on their new world.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4!

This was a fantastic spooky mystery read, perfect for the fall season. It reminded me of favorites like The Distant Hours by Kate Morton, The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield, and The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert. A book about a book with spooky consequences. Haven didn’t make the best choices, which made it hard to relate to her, but you root for her the whole time. A satisfying read. Highly recommend.

Haven Marbury is running away from a failed marriage in New York to her late father’s estate, known as Malice House, in Lundie Bay, Washington. Her father was Amory Marbury, a Pulitzer Prize winning best selling author who lost most of his fortune in his later years courtesy of failed investments. While looking through her father’s things, she discovers an unpublished manuscript written by her father titled Bedtime Stories for Monsters. Haven immediately realizes this is the opportunity to launch her own career by illustrating the stories; however; things go awry when she thinks Malice House may be haunted and she begins seeing things that are not of this world. Is Haven succumbing to the same delusions that her father suffered from in his later years or is something sinister looking in the halls at Malice House?
I really enjoyed this book. Each chapter began with an excerpt from Bedtime Stories for Monsters and I found myself wishing that I could read the stories myself with Haven’s illustrations of course. I don’t want to inadvertently spoil this book, but if you like supernatural horror filled with monsters, this is the book for you. I would love to read more from this world.

Malice House by Megan Shepherd

My rating:
3.5/4

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Haven, a talented artist and illustrater must go to her fathers home, who recently passed away from dementia. Her father was a extremely popular author loved by many in the area. During the final days of his life, he believed his home was haunted.

When Haven starts to sort the home, she finds an unpublished manuscript called Bedtime Stories for Monsters. As the book goes on, Haven learns more about those monsters and starts to wonder if maybe her father wasn’t crazy and there was something strange happening.

I really enjoyed this one even though it is not my typical genre. I typically go for thrillers versus horror novels but I was pleasantly surprised with the pace of this book and the mystery that played out throughout the book. I will say towards the end I was a bit bored, feeling like most of the action happened in the middle of the book so that is why I gave it a 3.5/4.

I would recommend this if you enjoy horror and monsters 📚

Thank you @netgalley and Hyperion Avenue for the copy of this ARC! You can read this when it’s released on October 4, 2022!

“
#netgalley #meganshepherd

Haven moves into her famous author father's home after his death. She finds an unpublished manuscript and decides to try to sell it along with her own illustrations but starts to realize that the things from his writing might not all be made up. I enjoyed this. I'm not usually into horror. At first this kind of seemed like the same old stuff, someone moves into house with creepy stuff, but it ended up being somewhat different. 3.5 stars rounded to 4.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of the book drew me in but once I started reading it, I just couldn’t get into it at all.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

If there is a book that could actually induce nightmares, it would be this one. It is bad enough that Haven had a distant relationship with her father. Then after his death she returns to his mansion. While there she discovers weird things are happening in the house. She is seriously cash strapped so she begins looking for things of her fathers to sell. She comes across a book of strange tales. She almost become compelled to draw the subjects from the stories. What begins to happen causes serious chaos for Haven. If you like haunted houses, mystery and some crazy things happening, then read this book. A good 5 star read.

I picked this book because I thought it would be a good spooky read heading into October. Did it deliver on that front? Yes…but…it crossed into some genres that I am not a fan of, specifically supernormal. I just am not one for magical supernatural beings and this had all that. However, it was a great gothic horror if you can get past the absurdity of the supernatural. I just don’t have the imagination needed for it I guess.

Haven has just filled for divorce from a less than ideal husband and she ends up at her dead fathers house in a small town on the coast of Washington State. Once she arrives in town strange things start happening, but she discovers a unpublished book that her award winning author of a dad was working on. Being an illustrator, Haven takes the book and her art to the literary salon members – the Ink Drinkers. Haven slowly starts to make a connection between her fathers work, her work, and the strange things that are happening in town. Will she be able to figure out how to stop it all before more people, including herself, get hurt?

This book had some pacing issues for me that I also couldn’t get over. The first 75% of the book felt like it lasted an eternity, with the last 25% flying by, but then I was reading and going so fast that I got whiplash. It wasn’t even that it was a slow burn, it was just really slow and boring, but yet the book sounded so good that I wanted to finish. I can’t really say I’m glad I finished, but I’m not upset. This was a solid middle of the road book for me, not fantastic but not horrible. I give it a strong 3 out of 5 and want to extend special thanks to @netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy. If you’re into supernatural horror books then I urge you to check this out – it will be published October 4th so just in time for spooky season.

Malice House focuses on Haven's return home after she inherits her father's home appropriately called Malice House. Her father, a Pulitzer Prize winning author, and Haven had a strained relationship due to his declining mental health and his firm belief that demons existed inside Malice House. Haven, an artist who's writing horror movie critiques to make desperately needed cash, finds a secret manuscript of her father's, a manuscript unlike anything he's ever published. These chilling stories take root inside of Haven and inspire her to illustrate characters and instances from the stories, only for her to then be haunted by her own creations. Is Haven truly being haunted or is she suffering from the same mental health problems as her father?

There's a lot to love with Malice House. The writing is perfect for the tone of the novel. I'm a big fan of authors using verbs in creative ways that convey mood. For example, "paintbrushes bleeding out of her canvas bag" (quoted from memory, may not be exact wording). The characters are fascinating. Haven has a strong voice, and she's a great protagonist for this kind of story. The other characters are equal parts intriguing and unnerving. I did feel like certain parts of the plot dragged a bit and scenes were overly long. The ending is satisfying and leaves room for a potential sequel.

The only reason I'm giving this four stars instead of five is that I I really believe inclusion of Haven's illustrations within the text would have served the book and really brought everything to life for me.

If you enjoy supernatural thrillers and scary stories, then Malice House is a solid pick. If scares and horror aren't your thing, skip it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of Malice House in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks so much to Hyperion Avenue for the widget to read and review! I quite liked this story.
Pubs Oct 4th

Haven has gone back to the small WA coast town where her father lived and died; in an old home called Malice House. She is escaping her life but also curious to know more about her father's claims of Malice House being haunted. She finds a manuscript her famous author father never published that is drastically different than the literary fiction he was known for. This story (actually a collection of stories) called "Bedtime Stories for Monsters" is written within the pages of Malice House and I loved the story-within-a-story theme here. Being an illustrator, Haven begins to bring the malevolent characters from her father's hidden manuscript to life on paper.... only, the paper's not the end for the characters. This had quite the cast of creepy characters. Haven wasn't particularly likable or unlikable but she is so central to the story I found myself rooting for her success. The storyline moved along well and was paced really well for me. I found myself reading far past I told myself "just one more chapter."

Also pretty central to the storyline was the author's ability to describe with written words the characters, their characteristics, mannerisms, even how they smell. It was awesome to feel they could come to life also in my mind as they did for Haven.

This was a perfect read leading into autumn/ spooky season. Horror with magical realism; this was actually an enjoyable read for me.

**TW: there are some graphic scenes/ descriptions so if that's not for you, be on the lookout.

This book took me by surprise. Thriller with mystery elements, monsters living in the wall of the house, and slight horror of their actions. While the idea of a haunted house is not new, I loved the author's direction. It's unusual and refreshing, something I have not seen before.
Most twists were unexpected so the book kept me guessing and wondering what is coming next. It was just a little gory at times, but if you are sensitive it's easy to skip those paragraphs, it won't affect the story.
The writing was awesome, very literal and beautiful, not something I would expect out of a thriller/horror and it made it more enjoyable. The only thing that did not work for me was a slower-paced ending. I felt like it gave too much detail and made me lose interest in some parts.
Overall, this is an amazing spooky read you would want to add to your October TBR.

What an interesting read! I have never read a book quite like this. The twist shook me to my core! I will say, that I did roll my eyes over one of the monsters, but other than that this story was so unique it had me hooked! This is the perfect spooky season read, I mean it’s literally a book about monsters, how much more Halloween can you get?! Give this a read when it’s released on October 4th.

This is a mystery/thriller for people who love books and stories. The collection of dark fairytales that introduce each chapter are delightful little tidbits that build suspense and keep attention moving forward. I don't want to ruin any of the mystery, but everything unfolded in the darkest, creepiest way and at the same time examined how art shapes our lives with its creation. I highly recommend this creepy read for everyone!