I love a good spooky horror that keeps you up at night reading rather than making you scared to go to sleep. Rushed ending.

A very interesting horror novel with a curious depiction and exploration of grief. I really enjoyed the characters and the narrative of this story.

Mouse Trap by Caryn Larrinaga was spooky as hell!! I was truly thankful to have gotten to read this before most people! I would like to purchase this one for my physical library!

Mouse Trap is a chilling and addictive horror novel that will keep you on edge. Dakota is drawn back to her family's old Victorian home after her brother dies under eerie circumstances echoing another death years prior. As she settles his affairs, a sinister presence awakens targeting Dakota. With lots of twists and turns abound as the suspense ratchets up page by page towards a jaw dropping conclusion. A heart-pounding read proving that evil lurks in the most unlikely places.

I read this one in August, and I thought, "Oh, this looks fun!". My god, the dread and grief I felt while reading this was unreal, and I kept having to take breaks. This felt so real to me, and it was a tough but enjoyable read, I guess? I don't regret reading it, but it put me in a bit of a reading slump. 4.5 stars from me

This was requested when I first found out about NetGalley and I had requested so many ARCs that I could not get to all of them before they were archived. I really wanted to get to this one, as it seemed interesting. If I can find this somewhere for a reasonable price, I will try to get it! I am giving this book three stars, as I don't want to give it a good or bad rating, since I did not get to it and we have to leave a star rating.

TW: Language, death of sibling, grieving, death of child, language, drinking

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:Twenty years ago, Dakota Scott’s baby brother died falling down the back stairs. Twenty-four hours ago, her older brother, Lennox, wasted away into nothing in the same house. Two deaths, just floors apart, yet no one suspects a connection.Settling Lennox’s affairs lures Dakota back to the family’s old Victorian home overlooking Astoria. It has changed over the years—what was once a happy home is now filled with sadness, strange memories, and lights that won’t stay lit.
Release Date: January 3rd, 2023
Genre: Horror
Pages: 113
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

What I Liked:
1. I am in love with the writing
2. This book creeped me out so much

What I Didn't Like:
1. Ending felt rushed

Overall Thoughts:
I found it odd that Dakota and her family would have to identify the body. Usually the medical examiner does that. I mean Lennox did have his finger prints and his teeth so it seems unnecessary for them to have to do this.

I loved that the author wrote how Dakota is able to slowly go into this depressive state. When people try to get her out of the house she's telling herself to stay in order a pizza. When they want her to get up she wants to go back and take another nap. It was perfect of a monster sucking the life from you and draining your energy.

So I have to say I just could not read this book at night. For whatever reason it just made me creeped out. The night I was close to finishing it (5 pages) I had to stop reading it because I was sure someone was standing on the other end of my bedroom. Mad props to the author for that writing style that made me feel that way. I even had a nightmare that I was taking care of my aunts house and when I entered it something was overtaking me.

Final Thoughts:
I think the ending was just too quick and too rushed. This whole story is building up to something and boom one chapter it's over and she's moving on. It made it feel like the stakes in the book weren't that dire.

I would definitely love to read anything this author puts out.

Recommend For:
• Haunted houses
• Dealing with grief
• Loss of a family member
• Depression

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read Mouse Trap. This was a good lil book! It was succinctly written and fast paced.

I really enjoyed this story! The title was unique, and the cover was awesome! I love that writers are embracing the art of the novella. Sometimes, people look for something shorter as a palette-cleanser, or they want something fast for the weekend, or a trip. I liked that something innocent like the children's game Mouse Trap was the conduit for the "evil" experience in the house. There is tragedy here, which might be triggering for some (the death of children), but it was not done over-the-top. If you are looking for intense body horror, this is not the case. This is a ghost/possession story. I also really liked the Astoria, OR setting here; I don't think I've read any horror based in that city before (and it's a great city to visit!). Really liked this, and look forward to more from this author! Thanks NetGalley and Publisher for the ARC!

DNF for such a short book, I was hoping that it would be packed with horror, but it took a long time in the narrative to get to anything thrilling, and by that time I'd already lost interest.
Writng was good, I was just hoping for something more. I'd think of this book less as adult horror and maybe market it towards more of a YA audience.

A quick read and nice introduction to those interested in branching out into the horror genre. An atmosphere of creepiness permeates the story but no gore to be found.

A great intro to the horror genre for those looking to get more into it, this quick trip tackles grief and the aftermath of how it effects those around the passed. While I typically reach for something a little more frightening, this was definitely a fun read!

Thank you Netgalley, Timber Ghost Press and Caryn Larrinaga for the ARC of this book.

Wow what a thrilling, super quick and utterly addictive horror book.

This one will have you hooked from the first page and you will power through it in one sitting.

Great plot, well written and a spooky, creepy read.

Highly recommend this for anyone who loves a haunted house read!

Mouse trap was a really fun story. The plot was fast paced and fun. I loved how the author played with present and past events. The information was given to the reader in the perfect pace. The characters were interesting and fun. Tho they might have lacked a little dept. The relationships filled a little forced. Yet the story did make sense. I didn't feel the scares I usually like. But did liked how how it embodied the relationships and how they could change. The mixture between child play and adult life was an interesting concept. Overall a fun book to read.

Thanks so much netgalley for the chance to read this book early!
This was my first book by this author and I didn’t know what to expect at all going into it.
I had a feeling it would be a bit spooky but the whole book was just kind of blah to me.
Nothing in the book really shocked or scared me or made me want to keep reading it.
It could’ve been so creepy and good but it didn’t feel that way to me.

* Thank you for this ARC!*

I found this book to be creepy, but not gory. It will please horror readers without turning anyone's stomach.

This was a good story with a satisfying ending. It will leave you wondering about a few things, but overall, I enjoyed the story, and the storytelling. It has a ripping story line and good character development.

This novella is a quick read! Although it was an interesting concept and the fast pace made it easy to read, I didn’t really connect with the story and found it lacked depth. I also think the ending/solution was rushed and slightly unsatisfying. I didn’t dislike this book so I found it hard to determine whether I thought this was a 2 star or 3 star but I decided to round up.

Thank you to Netgalley, Timber Ghost Press and Caryn Larrinaga for this ARC ebook. I didn’t get to my advanced copy in time so Mouse Trap was already published in January 2023

Firstly, I love the cover of this book! What a great design!

Secondly, this was definitely a spooky “cozy” horror story. Nothing too gruesome or scary, and there is hope for the characters.

It’s definitely a plot centred around grief and loss, and how we work our way through the darkness.

Definitely give this book a read, it’s a nice palate cleanser after a splatterpunk book in my opinion!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Timber Ghost Press for a copy!

Enjoyable atmospheric evening read. Loved the tone and the pace though I wish the spooky had been pushed a little further.

Wow, it is unreal to me that this was only 113 pages long, Caryn could have written a 600 page novel (and I kind of wish she had because it was so good) and I would have sat there and read it all in one sitting like I did this one.
It’s don’t-turn-the-lights-off-because-the-monster-will-get-you scary while at the same time being an exploration into grief, how we process or repress our emotions and the sacrifices that you are willing to make for the people you love.
I highly enjoyed this novella and I hope to read more from this author in the future!