This book is CREEPY. Not just in a “ooh, spooky” way, but in a “this is going to haunt my brain at 2 AM” kind of way. Graveyard of Lost Children is a slow-burn psychological horror that digs deep into motherhood, generational trauma, and the terrifying idea of losing yourself—literally and figuratively.

The story follows Olivia, a new mom struggling with postpartum fears that start feeling... unnatural. Is she just overwhelmed, or is something more sinister happening? Add in eerie visions, an unsettling family history, and an overwhelming sense of dread, and you’ve got a book that will make your skin crawl.

The writing is atmospheric and unsettling in the best way. I loved the way the story blurred the lines between reality and nightmare, making me question everything alongside Olivia. The themes of inherited trauma and the fear of becoming your mother hit hard. My only small gripe is that the pacing dragged a bit in the middle, but the eerie tension kept me hooked.

Overall, this book gave me chills and made me want to hug a warm blanket (and maybe never have kids). If you love unsettling, slow-burn horror that messes with your head, this one’s for you. Solid 4 stars!

This one was creepy and had me feeling a weird feeling days after I finished it; but this isn't a bad thing. it means that this horror did its job on gripping me and taking me into the story. Reading between two POVS, between different timelines really adds to the thrill. It is a must read for anyone who wants to keep guessing until they turn that last page; you wont see it coming!

The Graveyard of Lost Children by katria Monroe was a fast paced thriller that kept me up late into the night. This was a great thriller that I read in a day.

Katrina Monroe’s Graveyard of Lost Children delivers a chilling and emotional tale of generational trauma, mental health, and the darker side of motherhood. The story alternates between Olivia, a new mother plagued by postpartum depression, and Shannon, Olivia’s mother, whose own struggles and actions have deeply shaped Olivia’s fears. This dual perspective added complexity, showing how trauma can ripple through generations and raising questions about whether Olivia is doomed to repeat her mother’s mistakes.

Monroe’s portrayal of postpartum depression and the raw, often brutal realities of motherhood was outstanding. She doesn’t shy away from the emotional and physical tolls, creating a deeply unsettling narrative that feels all too real. The book’s creeping dread and eerie atmosphere kept me hooked, and I enjoyed how it made me question who or what could be trusted.

However, there were moments when the story became difficult to follow, with transitions and events that felt a bit disjointed. This occasionally took me out of the experience and left me struggling to piece everything together. Additionally, while the title is intriguing, I didn’t feel it fully connected to the story’s themes or events, which was a bit disappointing.

Overall, Graveyard of Lost Children is a thought-provoking and creepy read that excels in its depiction of motherhood and trauma. While it has its flaws, it’s a compelling choice for fans of psychological horror with a maternal focus.

This is a good fast paced thriller that will get you hooked from the beginning.

I do recommend this book

Katrina Monroe delivers an intense read about motherhood, to the point of creating anxiety in the reader over what the main character might do next. The suspense and build-up in this book was great. Motherhood can be tough, but Olivia's mother takes drastic measures when she thinks her baby isn't really her baby. Fast forward some years and Olivia is now a new mother herself with haunting thoughts about her own baby.

The dual perspective worked well in this story, showing both Olivia's story and her mother's story. It can be a bit of a slow build, but it is worth it in the end when everything comes together.

A bit too slow for me, especially for a thriller. It felt a bit sluggish to get through. Too bad because it sounded really cool.

An engaging read that I thoroughly enjoyed! Highly recommend and will purchase several physical and digital copies for library collections. Thank you!!

This book was not for me. It felt stagnant and slow.. could not finish it .Did attempt to read it a couple of time but failed. I hope the finds the right audience.

Graveyard of Lost Children was so completely visceral and haunting, I can still picture some scenes long after reading it. I enjoyed the tense atmosphere combined with the interesting characters that really got me invested in to the plot. Definitely a book I regret letting sit on my shelf for so long! Huge thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for my review copy.

Told on multiple timelines from the points-of-view of both Olivia and Shannon this book was very thought-provoking. I don't read many psychological horror books, but this one stood out. We dive into Olivia's world, a first time mother. However her experience is not at all what you would think. Olivias mother had tried to murder her when she was a baby and growing up that leaves her with a lot of emotional damage, she is struggling with motherhood herself now, not caring or connecting with her new baby. We watch Olivia spiral further down every chapter, it's captivating but also horrifying.

Graveyard of Lost Children is such a great read. Katrina Monroe writes some of the creepiest scenes and the most emotionally devastating as well. I would recommend this to anyone who likes something a little creepy. Perfect for anyone getting into horror or those who are well versed. It is just a great book.

This book was so good! I loved the eerie cover, and was hooked from page one. I feel like in this over saturated genre, it's hard to stand out, but this book definitely did!

A dark, unique take on postpartum and the struggle of being a "good mother". Frustrating that Olivia just doesn't communicate, but that's depression!

This was definitely an intriguing read. You have to love horror to enjoy this one. I think it did a great job of show casing ppd and mental illness but can be triggering for some. Very atmospheric as well.

Not a huge horror reader so this was a reach for me but I could most certainly appreciate the reflections on motherhood and post partum and the toll that takes on women.

This was such a fun thriller to read, and it didn’t read like a YA novel. The main character was unlikable, but I have a hard time truly liking characters in books due to decisions being made, and the way the story progresses.

Unfortunetly, it wasn't interesting enough for me to continue reading this. I tried for aproximately 50 pages, and then i realised i wasn't as hookes as i would have liked. Maybe i will give another chance to it, althouth i've read some reviews about it and they weren't as positive as i thought.

This book was one of my most anticipated reads and it didn’t disappoint. The dark premise reminded me of the Curse of Llorna that I’ve seen in movies. I read this one pretty quickly and I felt it was more than your average horror story. It was thought provoking for me and also well-written. I would recommend this to anyone who loves the thriller/psychological thriller genre.

It has been a long time since I have had to DNF an ARC but unfortunately that is exactly what I ended-up doing with this book. I made it approximately 30% of the way through this book but also jumped ahead to read the last couple of chapters and the back matter.

My reasons for DNFing this book are largely because the body horror was too much for me and isn't truly a reflection on this book. Pregnancy and childbirth are not something that I would ever want to experience and this book truly reinforced this as it opens with a very visceral scene of one of our protags giving birth and we later find out that her epidural was only effective on half of her body which frankly sounds like nightmare fuel. The following chapters that we are following this protag, we see her generally struggling with the transition to new motherhood. The body horror is dialled-up to an 11 as she struggles with new motherhood including repeatedly and constant descriptions of her nipples bleeding whenever she breastfeeds and her nails literally ripping away whilst showering. I wouldn't say that I usually struggle with body horror but it was just way too intense for me.

The fact that the body horror was what was impeding enjoyment was highlighted when I was reading the final chapters as there is virtually no body horror in these scenes and I found myself engaging a lot more with the story and any other criticisms that I had been feeling about this book, particularly the fact that whether it was supernatural or not, seemed to evaporate and I was gripped.

Beyond the struggle that I had with the body horror, I find that I connected a lot more with the other protag's story and was significantly more interested in hearing how she got into the position that she was in and seeing her struggles around her pregnancy, childbirth, and early motherhood. I think the fact that I preferred this POV only heightened the difficulty that I had with the body horror POV.

I think that this book does a brilliant job of showing how scary and isolating pregnancy and new parenthood can be as well as touching on the way that feminine health concerns may be undermined. There is clearly an over-arching theme of post-natal depression and psychosis, particularly when the birthing parent does not have a supportive system around them. I think being able to see more of who the characters were prior to the events of the book would have helped reinforce the messaging and created the necessary contrast to heighten the horror of the changes that are experienced.

I do not regret picking up this book and would definitely read from this author again.