Delicious Monsters is the story of two Black girls and a messed up house that's hiding all kinds of secrets. Daisy can see ghosts. Brittney, though a skeptic, co-hosts a YouTube series called Haunted with her best friend, Jayden. And in the latest season, the two will go to the house where Daisy once made national news. The house has special significance for Brittney, as well. It's the house where her mother had the supposed epiphany that sparked her self-help empire, giving it a new layer of notoriety. In the past, we follow Daisy as her mom inherits the house, and the two move there to turn it into an Airbnb. In the present, we follow Brittney and Jayden's investigation into the violence that took place within those very four walls.

The house is in rural Ontario, an hour from the nearest town. Lakeside, the only way to access the property is by boat or by offroading through the bush. It's a house that no one should enter, one that Daisy's mother forbids her to set foot in even though it's about to be teeming with guests if all goes to plan. The psychics next door are equally adamant that the house is bad news, offering to cleanse the place multiple times. And Daisy observes that ghosts, who are drawn to misery, seem helpless to deny the house's call.

As Daisy's story emerges, it comes with discrepancies between what we see her experience and what others have said about her, particularly her mother. Luckily, Brittney's wise to controlling, lying moms, and she keeps up an active level of suspicion about all accounts that Daisy was crazy or especially difficult. The story deals with difficult conversations around intergenerational trauma, abuse in different forms, and seeking freedom from the cycle. It also calls out the way that Black girls aren't heard or believed when they try to speak up for themselves, burying the horrors and preventing them from finding safety. As Daisy and Brittney's stories emerge, it's easy to get caught up in the mirroring between them, but I think one of the triumphs of the book is that it's not that simple. The more you know, the more you see a broad tapestry of experiences despite the strong threads that tie them together. The author is also careful and clever about when and how she reveals information about the mysteries at hand, so the reader's curiosity about what happened and how will be stoked until the bitter end.

It always feels weird to write this as a dedicated romance reader, but I'm glad this book doesn't have a clear romance subplot. I think it comes down to the fact that a half-assed romance storyline is immensely distracting to me. I'm better off in cases like these where the author focuses on the relationships and plots that are most deeply rooted and doesn't assume a romance is necessary. Family relationships are huge here, but also friendship and found family. Not all of these relationships are positive, and none of them are exactly easy, but the complexity and evolution of each are riveting.

So let's talk about the horror elements. I spent so much time talking about the human aspects of the book because, in some ways, they carry the most weight. However, that is not to suggest the otherworldly components aren't deeply alarming and woven through everything. Let me just say that body horror ALWAYS gets me. Like I have to stop eating or take a break or let myself have the creepy crawlies for a minute. And Daisy seeing a maggot coming out of the top of her head is a new low for me. So yes, I knew I was signing up for a horror book, but I was still freaked the fuck out. More even than the ghosts (who are still scarier than most I've read), that's what got me. Like going to a haunted house or riding a roller coaster, I was scared and I loved it.

As a card-carrying scaredy-cat (see above) and therefore only intermittent horror reader, I find it especially gratifying at the end of a long, bone-chilling book to find closure. This book rises to that challenge, even given the two POVs and several important side characters. Mysteries are solved and futures are plotted. The whiff of open-endedness in the air for some topics feels organic rather than unconsidered or rushed. It was a satisfying book all around, whether we're talking characters, setting, scare factor, complicated plot, or social commentary. This easily ranks as one of my favorite horror reads period. Thanks to Margaret K. McElderry for my copy to read and review!

I forgot to leave a review for this, but I really enjoyed it! It's been out for ages, so I won't say much more than I need to for my star rating. <3

I love Liselle Sambury. The way she manages to create elaborate and yet modern fantasy worlds, especially with darker elements and deeper real life problems is amazing. She’s definitely going to be an author I always look for.

DELICIOUS MONSTERS was my most-heavily annotated book of 2023. Every other page has a quote or a passage or something interesting that I wanted to remember and, before I knew it, the entire book was doubled in size from all of my notes, tabs, and sticky flags.

Immersive and engaging from the very first page, I loved how well the spooky bits were woven within the overall themes of the book. I also love how much of the horror was metaphorical in nature, giving nods to things like toxic relationships, abuse, generational trauma, severe injustice when it comes to missing Black girls, and so much more. There is so much food for thought within these pages, and it’s balanced so well with the mystery/thriller aspect.

There were plenty of twists and turns throughout, making it almost impossible to figure out where exactly this story was headed. Told through multiple timelines and POVs, everything eventually leads up to an incredible conclusion that I didn’t see coming. The characters were all dimensional and fully-fleshed out, the setting was eerie and atmospheric, perfectly mirroring the story, and the pacing was quick enough to keep me turning the pages, but slow enough to let things simmer. One of my favorite books for the year, and certainly one I’ll revisit and reread in the future. 5 stars.

*Many thanks to the publisher, the author, and Turn the Page Tours for the gifted copy.

The book has multiple interesting themes – a girl who can see the dead, a haunted mansion, child abuse, and toxic parents. It is not for someone weak at heart. The book’s objective is to issue a message, and a strong message is delivered.

The story is creepy and fits perfectly in its genre of YA horror. I enjoyed the journey of discovery with the characters. Both the protagonists – Daisy and Brittney, are strong characters in the book.

If you love horror and books with a strong social message, this is the one for you!!

Firstly, the Delicious Monsters cover is absolutely gorgeous, drawing you in from first glance. Great job to the artists and creative minds involved!

Liselle Sambury's writing is immaculate. Descriptions are written so beautifully that you feel as if you are a part of, scratch that, in the story. The plot is very well paced and draws you in wanting more. The characters are introduced perfectly and at important moments throughout. This is the perfect "scary" or "ghostly" movie, but in book form. I cannot wait to read more from Sambury!

Lastly, I didn't realize this was a #ReadCaribbean author and this made it an extra special and proud moment for me.

🌱 Book Review🌿

Delicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury is an incredible novel. It’s hard to know how to describe this story because I’ve never read anything like it. It’s a little bit murder mystery, a little bit horror, a smidge of fantasy, all rolled into powerful, page-turning prose. It’s hard to discuss too much in-depth without giving too much away…

The story is told in dual timeline, dual perspective, but you don’t realize the implications of that until much later on in the story after many, many artfully woven breadcrumbs have been dropped.

There are some hard-hitting, crucial themes in this book and I would ABSOLUTELY look up trigger warnings because there are MANY. Overall, I recommend this read to everyone, even those not fans of horror because the story is so much more than that.

I also recommend going in blind because that’s what I did and I felt that was so impactful in my reading experience.

Please let me know if you pick this up!!

Read this book if you like:

🌱paranormal horror elements
🌱vengeful spirits
🌱”I see dead people”
🌱uncovering the truth
🌱TWISTS AND TURNS!!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

I liked this book however wasn't for me nothing to do with the writing or author may try again later on

Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. Delicious Monsters is the dual time period story of Daisy and Brittney. Daisy is in the past and she sees dead people. Her mother inherits her uncle's house and wants to convert it to an AirBnB, until the deaths start. Brittney's tale is about a podcast about the forgotten dead black girls in true crime, or she would like it to be but the tech company who bought their podcast doesn't want to sell it that way. Daisy and her mother have a contentious relationship that is explored and fleshed out, Brittney and her mother do as well. A surprise connection pay off is hinted at, but is never revealed and is a huge let down;. The creep factor gets lost in the mixed bag of everything that the book throws at you in the 500 pages of text.

As a lover of horror I loved this book. This is a unforgettable story about forgotten and ignored black girls and the black female experience was hauntingly beautiful.

I don't know why I was expecting a fantasy book, because this book is VERY horror. I was confused for a lot of it, especially with how many times child abuse could be alluded to without people PICKING UP ON IT. Adding in these narcisistic and absent parental figures was extra infuriating. The TV show angle a la Buzzfeed Unsolved was fun, but I didn't understand why people kept going to a house where people were literally dying. Basically people suck and seeing dead people makes everything more traumatizing. Egads.

*Thank you to Margaret K McElderry Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Unfortunately I never got to read this book. I don’t know how but it somehow disappeared from my kindle. It does sound absolutely amazing so I’ll be picking up a copy soon.

3.5 stars

I really should have written this review while the book was still fresh in my head. Alas, life had other plans. Nevertheless this book was GOOD. Haunted house, BIPOC characters, queer rep? Yes please!

Told in dual POV, ten years apart, I found the book to be very atmosperic. I feel like some would say it's slow..but I didn't think so. The pacing felt appropriate to the vibes. The book was also deeper than I expected as there aretrigger warnings ( generational trauma, childhood physical abuse, fatphobia, grooming to name a few) so it hit me harder than I was expecting really (Yes I knew of the triggers before hand).

I've been coming across more YA horror and I'm here for it.

Described as The Haunting of Hill House meets Sadie, I was so excited for this book. Unfortunately I just couldn't connect with this story or the characters. I tried to push through it, thinking it would connect with me eventually, but ended up DNF'ing at the 50% mark.
I'm so grateful for the opportunity to read this book, unfortunately it just wasn't for me.

So many layers to unpack here in this YA Horror. I have to say this was my first in this genre and it did not disappoint. While there some areas that were a bit far fetched I did enjoy the haunted house with all the dark secrets and unraveling of the story!! The dual timelines and the way the author merged it all together so seamlessly was so good. Would definitely recommend to fans of YA Horror or Dark Fiction

TW: recounted s*xual assault, death, abusive parents, abusive posters, recounted m*rder of a goat, related topics.


I have never read a book so visceral and vivid and vibrant and unapologetic about its subject. This book is about the pain that one human can inflict on another, and how by staying silent, that pain can never been seen and healed, and will continue in perpetuity to future generations.

The house is it’s own character, and might actually be the most important one.



Thank you to S&S, Netgalley, and Turn the Page Tours for the ARC of this book.

I decided to give this book a try because it was listed as a “Read Now” and it was outside of my normal genre. Unfortunately, this book was something that I was unable to finish in the allotted amount of time on the NetGalley app. I just felt disconnected from the storyline and felt that it kept dragging on with no end in sight. I only read to about halfway. I noticed that the book received many positive reviews, so perhaps maybe the problem is me.

TW/CW: sexual assault, animal death (off-page)

Delicious Monsters is a YA horror novel with dual timelines: one set 10 years ago and centered around Daisy, and the other in present day centered on Brittney. In the past, Daisy is a teenager who can see dead people and struggles with her ability - particularly with the dangerous ones that can interact with her back. When a distant relative dies, her mom is left the mansion and they move looking for a fresh start, but nothing goes the way it’s supposed to. Today, Brittney is a YouTube Blogger with a popular show - and now she’s investigating exactly what happened at the mansion all those years ago.

Okay so first things first, this book is long. Be prepared for that: I definitely feel the length could’ve been trimmed down, but now that I’m done I absolutely loved it. The long length didn’t take away from the book at all.

The atmosphere was my absolute favorite part of the book - it was definitely its own character. The whole vibe was creepy but mostly unsettling - a spooky mansion in the remote Canadian bush with the only neighbors a local psychic family.

On the surface, Daisy seems snotty and angsty, but once you look deeper, she’s such a layered and complex character. The book does a great job of discussing her struggles and how and why and all the nuances. It’s easy to get frustrated with her throughout the book, but more so I think it all felt justified to me as I read. There were several points I was angry for her and I loved rooting for a character unambiguously. The rest of the characters were very interesting and I love the role they brought to it as well - what may have seemed like a flaw or annoying trait made so much sense later and it all came together.

I really loved this book and thought the ending was great - I highly recommend for anyone who likes horrors and thrillers. It’s marketed as a YA but the teen angst didn’t feel overpowering.

ARC was provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I unfortunately did not have a chance to finish this title before it was published despite having an interest in it. Rated 5stars, did not finish.

This book was really good, but also hard to get through. Prior to chapter 1, the author gives the following trigger warnings: childhood sexual assault (off page, some details discussed), childhood physical abuse (corporal punishment, off page, described), childhood physical abuse (confinement punishment), childhood neglect, gaslighting, grooming, suicide (off page, mention), killing of a goat (off page, described), discussions of fatphobia, body horror/gore, violence, death.

So yeah, this book has a lot going on, but if you can get past those warnings, then I highly recommend this book. I loved the spooky vibes throughout the book. Plus, the cover is just amazing.