4.5/5 stars!

Being that I love Ronald Malfi's work, when I saw this come up for request on NetGalley, I was all over it. Novellas are the perfect length for horror stories and this volume contains four of them. Color me happy!

Each novella is a tale about books and I enjoyed each and every one of them. I think my favorite though, has to be This Book Belongs to Olo. This is a serious creepfest about a boy that creates a house out of paper. It's almost like a pop up book, but this paper house is not a normal pop up book, that's for sure. It might have cool levers and handles that do things to the paper house, but what's even cooler is what those levers and handles do in real life.

The Skin of Her Teeth is a neat little tale of an author and his agent, another famous author, and a screenplay that just does not want to be written. What an imagination Malfi has!

The Dark Brothers' Last Ride was yet another compelling tale about, (you guessed it!), a book! Two brothers set out on what seems to be the easiest job of their lives. Deliver a book in a briefcase. Do not look in the briefcase. That's it! How Malfi came up with this tale, I have no idea, but it was wild, fun, and unpredictable. What's not to love?

The last story was called The Story. Grady discovers that his friend Taryn is dead and before you know it, we're hip deep in a choose-your-own-adventure type story. For whatever reason, this is the tale that did not fully connect with me.

Four novellas + all about books + Malfi's wonderful down to earth, relatable writing style=one hell of a collection that I can highly recommend!

*Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*

Four horror novellas centered around books. From the book description:

In "The Skin of Her Teeth", a cursed novel drives people to their deaths.
A delivery job turns deadly in "The Dark Brothers’ Last Ride."
In "This Book Belongs to Olo," a lonely child has dangerous control over an usual pop-up book.
A choose-your-own adventure game spirals into an uncanny reality in "The Story."

Full of creepiness with classic horror feel. I finished this book just after Halloween and it is perfect Halloween fare.

[I received an advanced copy of this via #Netgalley.]

I've been on a Malfi binge since... well since discovering this brilliant writer.

These 4 cleverly twisted horror novellas each focus on the same concept of NOT reading A specific book, if you'd like to remain alive.  Each of which carries little bits and pieces from the previous story into the next. I love me some good ghost stories.

Thank you to Netgalley and Titan books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received this first as a book from Netgalley, but by the time I was ready to read it, there was also an audiobook version available, so I received that from Negalley also. I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ronald Malfi is fast becoming one of my all time favorite horror authors. Ghost Written is the second book by Malfi I have read (the first being Blackmouth (you can find my review here)). I really liked the book in both mediums (book and audiobook format).

I'm a voracious reader (I have read about 85 books so far this year, which is pretty typical for me), so the theme of cursed books was intriguing to me. I was not disappointed!

In The Skin of Her Teeth, a cursed novel will stop at nothing to remain unedited and unchanged, even kill! I really liked this one alot -- it was actually probably my favorite of the bunch. The book in this story took on a monster quality and seemed to have a mind of its own. I really liked the ending (but I won't spoil it).

In The Dark Brothers’ Last Ride, two guys have to deliver a package, a book -- should be easy right? The problem: the delivery comes with certain instructions, ones that the brothers decide not to follow. This novella has elements of alternate realities / dimensions and I really liked it!

In This Book Belongs to Olo, Olo is the child of rich parents -- his only problem is that he has no friends. With his magical pop-up book at his side, he decides to get friends any way he can, even if that means trapping them forever. This was not my favorite story. I would have liked to know how Olo came to have this book and/or how he came to have the power to make this book magical.

Lastly, in The Story, a journalist is investigating the apparent suicide of his ex-girlfriend. What he finds is a strange dark web choose-your-own-adventure story. Could this be the reason for her death? Reading this story via audiobook was a little confusing because sometimes the POV would switch to the characters in the adventure story. I think this one might be better read than listened to.

I love this author, so I can't recommend his books enough!

All four stories are pretty spooky and I loved the fact that all of them are about books and/or stories.

My favourite of the four stories was definitely the first one. But I also enjoyed the others! Ronald Malfis writing style was also a big plus in this that made me like this anthology as much as I did! I will definitely read more by him as soon as I get the chance!

⭐️ 4/5 stars ⭐️

I don't usually care for novellas or anthologies with short stories but I was craving some dark tales during the spooky season and knew that Ronald Malfi wouldn't disappoint!

This is a collection of four chilling novellas in the same universe, all revolving around peculiar books. I enjoyed all the stories! I thought they were brilliantly constructed, the characters stand out and the visuals are memorable. I can see each one being an episode of The Twilight Zone through their uncanny explorations.

“The Skin of Her Teeth” - Screenwriter McElroy is adapting a book to the screen, but he encounters a terrifying hurdle. His agent Gloria tries to help, but the book seems to have a mind of its own. “The Dark Brothers’ Last Ride” - Two brothers are tasked by their mob boss to deliver a book with strict rules to follow. But one of them goes rogue, and their road trip turns into a surreal nightmare. “This Book Belongs to Olo” - Ten-year-old Olo is smart, creative, and a little weird. But when he invites the neighborhood kids to his birthday party at home, it’s clear he has other plans involving his very special book. “The Story” - Grady is shocked when his friend Taryn is found dead, even more so when he sees the confusing state of her house. He’s soon pulled into a dizzying choose-your-own-adventure story with terrible consequences.

Perfect for lovers of books and horror in the mood for a strange, spooky ride!

There are certain stories that stick with you. They create a home somewhere in the back of your mind and refuse to leave. For me, those were often fairy tales, Ray Bradbury short stories, episodes of The Twilight Zone, and dark legends whispered amongst children or discussed online. This collection somehow managed to capture the magic and dread of all of those combined. How fitting it is for a book about living stories to have burrowed its way inside of me.
A scriptwriter seemingly driven insane, two brothers making an unusual delivery, a lonely child's birthday party, and a grieving journalist searching for answers… The stories have a way of feeling fresh yet vaguely familiar; like getting deja vu from a hazy dream you once had. The characters are compelling, with the stories weaving together in ways that make them stronger as a collection.
It took me a bit to get into Ghostwritten, but by halfway through the first story, I couldn't put it down. If I could give this collection more than five stars, then I would. It's truly a masterpiece.

This book consists of four novella's and all the stories have an author/book theme. When I first heard this I assumed that they might feel a bit repetitive. That is the farthest thing from the truth. All four stories were very different from one another.
The first novella, The Skin of Her Teeth is about a book that seems to have a "soul" and drive people to their deaths.
The second story was The Dark Brother's Last Ride which was my favorite out of this collection. It's about two brothers who have a job to deliver a suitcase. The instructions are exact and precise. When the brothers start the job, things start to get weird and their sanity is tested.
The third story, This Book Belongs to Olo is about a young boy named Olo. He is a homeschooled boy without friends and a magical book. As his birthday approaches he goes to the playground and invites all the kids to his birthday party. The story was super unique and the ending was so unexpected but it worked. This ending creeps into my random thoughts often.
The last novella was called The Story. This was my least favorite of the collection. It's about a man who follows a Pick your own Adventure story. That's really all I can saw without giving too much away.

Overall this was a great collection and I enjoyed reading it. Thanks to NetGalley for giving me an advanced arc copy for my honest review.

‘Books Can Be Deadly’ - cover tag line.

My thanks to Titan Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Ghostwritten’ by Ronald Malfi.

This was my first experience of Malfi’s writing and I was very impressed. While I don’t usually draw comparisons between writers, ‘Ghostwritten’ reminded me of early Stephen King and the best of The Twilight Zone. The kind of stories where the uncanny enters the life of ordinary people.

Each of the four novellas features books in some form. In ‘The Skin of Her Teeth’, a cursed novel protects itself and racks up quite a body count. In ‘The Dark Brothers’ Last Ride’ delivering a rare book turns deadly. In ‘This Book Belongs to Olo’ a lonely child has possession of an unusual pop-up book. Finally in ‘The Story’ a choose-own-adventure book finds new life (and victims) on the dark web.
 
I enjoyed these creepy atmospheric tales and now plan on seeking out Ronald Malfi’s other works.

Ronald Malfi has quickly become one of my favorite authors! This book of novellas is exceptional! All of the stories are tied in together. Do not miss this one!

As a fan of Ronald Malfi for going on a decade I have many favorites. The Night Parade, Bone White, and December Park, and a short titled, Mr. Cables. In my opinion Ghostwritten may very well be his best. It is on the top of my list for best reads this year. For fans of Ronald Malfi, this is must read material. Ghostwritten has everything horror fans want and thrill seekers need.

When an author’s main character is a writer and is writing a book the story has a magical quality to me, and it takes on a life of its own. In The Skin of Her Teeth we travel down the rabbit hole with Gloria as she tries to figure out the real story of a screenplay. The further down this rabbit hole we go, the stranger The Skin of Her Teeth becomes. Ronald Malfi has outdone himself with this novella. The tension and suspense are enough to make your heart race. This story gets Ghostwritten of to a bang. And, Ghostwritten only gets better from here as Ronald Malfi seamlessly slips in many connections to past works.

In The Dark Brothers Last Ride Ronald and Tommy are hired to transport what should be an innocuous item, a book. Transporting items is their business, but to their surprise, all is not what it seems with this job. The Dark brothers find out the hard way that not following directions can have dire consequences. This novella had me on overload with many tense and uncertain moments. I really didn’t know how it would all shake out, but it was fantastic.

This book belongs to Olo, started off a little slow for me but there was a lot of background to build. Olo’s parents are writers, so Olo’s decides to create a book of his own. His book is a work of art and a piece of magic. A pop-up book that is an intricate replica of his home, and can do the impossible. This book belongs to Olo was a thrill ride, it was horrific and the tension was on full blast. Ronald Malfi blurs what is real and make believe with the best of them. This was a great story, with a concept that had my head spinning.

Ronald Malfi may have saved the best for last, and that’s saying something considering the three previous stories. The Story, is a hard novella to summarize without giving it away. I’ll do my best, and apologize in advance if this wrecks it for anyone. I’ll start by saying that if I thought This book belongs to Olo made my head spin, The Story had me questioning everything. My head was fuzzy and disoriented, similar feeling as when I watched Inception. This novella took the blurring of really to the next level.

In The Story, Grady is looking for answers into his ex girlfriend Taryn’s suicide. What he finds is more then he can wrap his mind around, and nearly dives him crazy. Taryn was investigating an online dark web story, titled, The Story. The deeper Grady looks at the strange events leading to her suicide, the stranger the truth becomes. Ronald Malfi, again, loosely ties this final novella to the first, bringing Ghostwritten full circle.

Overall I just think books about haunted objects and paranormal are not for me. This one contains 4 novellas all surrounding the topic of books. I do like Ronald Malfi’s writing and his previous books however this one was just dragging for me but that’s probably because I’m just not into the subject matter. I will continue to read his work though and thank you NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Ghostwritten.

I've recently become a fan of the author's since I began reading his ARCs on NetGalley.

Naturally, when I saw Ghostwritten, I had to request it.

Ghostwritten is a collection of four novellas set in the same universe; bound by the theme of haunted books, the power of the written word and the people who are haunted.

The author has a comfortable, easy to read writing style, and the narrative flowed easily in all four novellas.

There's an inherent creepiness in each novella, that something isn't quite right (and will only get worse).

I wasn't scared but I was creeped out and the need to know more propelled me to keep reading.

I liked how each novella focused on a haunted book and how it affected the characters in that particular story; for good and for bad.

I enjoyed all four novellas, especially certain aspects of it though my favorite was 'The Dark Brothers' Last Ride.'

I liked the ending of The Skin of Her Teeth and wished there was some sort of explanation for why Olo is able to create the mysterious and dangerous pop-up book in "This Book Belongs to Olo."

I really liked the concept in "The Story" and how Grady's demise is linked to his treatment of Taryn.

I look forward to the author's next book.

After absolutely loving Black Mouth by Ronald Malfi earlier this year, I was so excited when @titanbooks sent over this new collection of short stories!

This collection contains 4 horror stories all about books, erm yes please?

In The Skin of Her Teeth, a cursed novel drives people to their deaths.

A delivery job turns deadly in The Dark Brothers’ Last Ride.

In This Book Belongs to Olo, a lonely child has dangerous control over an usual pop-up book.

A choose-your-own adventure game spirals into an uncanny reality in The Story.

I found all 4 of these stories to be incredibly creepy and so dark! I love Ronald Malfi’s writing, and it’s so gripping that you won’t be able to put it down!

I think my favourite story was This Book Belongs to Olo - that was so bloody creepy and I loved the tension throughout the whole book!

The concepts behind all 4 of these stories were so intriguing, and not like anything I’ve read before! I’d definitely recommend this as a short story collection if you’re wanting to try out some horror, because not only are they excellently written, but they’re all about books? It’s a win-win.

GHOSTWRITTEN by @ronaldmalfi is a compilation of four short horror stories that all involve spooky books so I would say this is the perfect #spookyseason #bookstagram book! Thank you to @netgalley and @tantoraudio for the Audio-ARC.

The four stories in this book were THE SKIN OF HER TEETH, THE DARK BROTHER'S LAST RIDE, THIS BOOK BELONGS TO OLO, and THE STORY. I found all four of them to be unsettling but THE SKIN OF HER TEETH (evil book curses those who gain possession of it) and THIS BOOK BELONGS TO OLO (a creepy kid wields uncanny control using a pop-up book) were definitely my favorites!

Books have always contained mystery and magic to me so it is no far stretch for me to believe that especially older books may have sordid pasts! The idea that a book could affect your life in such a negatively powerful way is very juxtaposed to the overwhelming love and joy I have gotten from books over the years too which is an interesting twist.

I really enjoy Ronald Malfi's work and he is one of the reasons I got into the horror genre (fun fact!). WE SHOULD HAVE LEFT WELL ENOUGH ALONE was my first Malfi title which I would still highly recommend along with BONE WHITE, THE NIGHT PARADE, and BLACK MOUTH (which also came out this year and I have yet to review on here). He has plenty more that I have never read as well so let me know if you have a favorite outside the ones I have mentioned.

Four linked novellas about the haunting power of words. Even though the novellas can work as standalones, they all exist in the same universe:

The Skin of Her Teeth, a cursed novel drives people to their deaths.

The Dark Brothers’ Last Ride, a delivery job turns deadly.

This Book Belongs to Olo, a lonely child has dangerous control over an usual pop-up book.

The Story features a choose-your-own-adventure that is anything but ordinary.

Highly recommended! This collection is out now.

This is perfect for a spooky read and I can definitely see this being made into a series. This book consist of four novellas and I realised they all have a common underlying theme - BOOKS! What a treat!

I really enjoyed reading all four stories. They give off creepy vibes and were dark and fast-paced. I love the creativity of each story and how different they were despite having the same theme.

I highly recommend this to fans of horror and you will not be disappointed. Thank you Netgalley and Titan Books for the arc.

A book about the power of words and the books created with them. Sounds some,even dull, but Ronald Malfi has written a book of 4 novellas that are anything BUT dull.
A manuscript that refuses to be edited or changed, a story that changes itself and you as you pick a path for it to go. Pure genius,all of them and I am now officially a fan of Ronald Malfi!
Highly recommend!
Thanks to @netgalley for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Words, books in particular, have a way of getting under our skin and haunting us. Malfi not only managed to write four novellas that are haunting but that are about books that are haunted in their own way.