If you read Mary and love it, you are in for a treat! The growth of writing and imagination has grown so much with this novel. I will be hand selling this book like crazy this fall!

Rosemary’s Baby meets Salem’s Lot in this urban horror set in an exclusive New York City residential building. After the insanely traumatizing birth of their child, that left Ana paralyzed, Reid and Ana needed a lucky break. And they got one when they won a housing lottery and got to move into one of Manhattan’s most revered buildings, The Deptford. But there’s a price to pay for all “good” things…

I was very intrigued by the creepy cover and the synopsis, but sadly, I couldn’t finish this novel, I stopped reading at 51% in.

Firstly, from what I read, this novel is very low on horror. It is mainly about the very long, very sad inner monologues of our main characters. It definitely made me more sad than scared. I felt terrible for Ana and everything she was going through. Unexpected disability may just be a personal trigger, but being in Ana’s head during that time was rough. In general we were in both of the main characters heads too much, to the point where it got boring because nothing was happening in the story. Nothing will happen for chapters and then right when you’re ready to give up reading, the story gives you a TINY bit of something intriguing to make you think something is gonna happen soon, but still nothing happens. I would still kinda like to know what happened at the end, but not enough to read through 49% more of nothing progressing the story. I was highly excited for this, so I really wish I had liked it.

Thank you Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for this arc! All opinions are my own.

TW: death of a parent, Covid related death, racism, use of a homophobic slur, antisemitism, ableism, suicidal ideation, postpartum depression

Mary: An Awakening of Terror was one of my top reads last year. It was nuts, like nuts-nuts. It was an insane mix of genres, which made it stand out against other horror novels. Nestlings is another insane mix of different horror tropes/vibes. But, in terms of how nutty it is compared to Mary, it is a bit milder but still insane. It’s only nuts. It isn’t nuts-nuts. It falls more into the same narrative as other horror novels. I feel like this will give it a better reception than Mary. It won’t be as controversial and have such visceral (pun intended) reactions.

The description of this book labels it as a mix of Rosemary’s Baby and ‘Salem’s Lot. I would go further and add The Shining. Is there an evil group of people afoot? Check! Is there human on the menu for breakfast, lunch, AND dinner? Check! Is there an emotionally susceptible husband available who’s vulnerable to Gods know what because he knows what’s best for his family? Check! Jack Torrance has entered the chat.

Things I Liked about this book:
The New York setting
The Deptford (All I could picture was building in Ghostsbusters. I just knew Gozer the Gozerian was somewhere nearby.)
Tons of rep: disability, post-partum, new mothers, emotional abuse, mental health
Involved life during and post Covid

Things I Loved about this book:
The main characters
The writing
The themes

Ana and Reid are a complete mess. They are a complete mess individually and an ever bigger mess when put together. Once they had a great life even if they didn’t see that for themselves. Then multiple tragedies struck in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. And, taadaa!! Stress plus trauma equals lives are changed, and there is a new normal. To make matters worse for their marriage, they have fallen into the pitfall of not talking to each other because everyone is fragile. This makes them ripe for the picking to all the shenanigans in the plot of this book.

Let’s get into the themes and the writing in this book. I believe they go hand in hand because good writing makes good storytelling. Good storytelling produces good themes. The author's writing is creatively fluid but also contains moments of sheer panic and insanity. When reading, I can feel myself riding the waves of inflection. There are clear moments of slight upward momentum and slight downward slides. Imagine riding on a drifting sail boat (no motors involved). Then, imagine that boat taking a hard left after you’ve started reclining and closing your eyes to the gentle rocking. That’s how this author writes. It’s very balanced and helps to keep your attention throughout the entire novel. There were no dull moments, not even in the setup. This made it easy for the themes to stand out.

Things that were pure gold aka the themes:
We Don’t Belong Here
Bittersweet; bitter and sweet
Know Your Home; Know You’re Home
Motion is lotion
Stay loose
What does it mean to be a mother?

The icing on the cake of this book is all the little details thrown in like Ana’s wandering mind when thinking about how Frank and Cathy would get along. Made me laugh out loud.

5/5 “white-lady locs”

By the way, I can NEVER look at Goliath the same way AGAIN!

The story follows Ana and Reid, a young couple who are first-time parents and in the throes of unforeseen trauma and hardships — a horrific complication during labor left Ana paralyzed — but their luck appears to be changing when they’re offered residence at a historic luxury apartment complex in NYC.

This book is so good. The entire time I was reading it I kept wondering how he comes up with this stuff and was struck by how some people’s creativity seems to know no bounds. And then, in the afterword, he offers an explanation that was like a beautiful, emotional gut punch and that made the story even more profound.

Nat Cassidy’s ability to take personal experiences that are incredibly traumatic and channel it into a brilliant mashup of a “horror-fied” version of his life while also paying homage to classic horror stories and films is nothing short of brilliant.

I loved MARY: AN AWAKENING OF TERROR and NESTLINGS is an equally outstanding book. It’s layered, complicated, and is written in a way that effortlessly flows. It’s visceral at times, unique, and scary as hell! Where MARY had me scared to leave my shower curtain open for a few days, NESTLINGS will have me questioning why I chose a home with so many windows.

I love Nat Cassidy’s brand of horror and cannot wait to read more from him in the future.

Reviews

Nat fucking Cassidy did it again folks. Nestlings was nothing like I expected it to be but turns out it was everything I needed it to be. The way Nat can capture the core of characters like Ana (previously Mary too) is impressive. He really puts you in their heads and you see all the ugly pretty scary gross things that come with it.

As much as I love Ana and Reid (kinda), the Deptford is the star of the show. I don’t want to spoil it but iykyk.

Great job all around. Now I have to wait till October for my pre-ordered physical copy!

Thanks Net Galley and Tor Nightfire for the Arc!

Loved it! This felt like old school horror. I see a lot of comparisons to The Shining, American horror story and Rosemary’s Baby and I do see that but what kept popping into my head was Society.

It’s just this great mix of 70’s horror tropes with a fresh twist, disturbing imagery and mounting tension. It also explores grief, trauma and feelings of helplessness in a very raw and relatable way.

An unflinching portrait of loss and some truly horrific circumstances, this book will get under your skin.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

This story follows a young couple who, after a period of bad luck, finally get a break and a chance at a fresh start in a beautiful new apartment. They soon find out that if it seems to good to be true, it probably is. Their new apartment building isn't all it appears to be, and it wants their baby.

This book hooked me right away and I loved it! Cassidy knocks another one out of the park!

As someone who very recently read Rosemary’s Baby for the first time, I can say without a doubt that this is the perfect spin on that story. It’s unique and holds its own while also holding on to exactly what made RB terrifying- being completely helpless in your family’s ultimate demise.
Unfortunately, I’ll never be able to look at a gargoyle again, but such is life.

Nestlings was a gripping and terrifying read with a heartbreaking and unsettling story. It's a slow-burn horror but then it gets more fast-paced with lots of action and has a darkly atmospheric tone from the beginning. The characters are so well-drawn and relatable, which makes their struggle against the forces of darkness even more engaging.

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

I tried to enjoy this one, I really did. I suppose it just wasn’t for me- I couldn’t get hooked or invested in the characters whatsoever.

Author Nat Cassidy was a very requested author in my small library when “Mary” was published. This follow up novel will have a cult following as well. Very well written horror story emanating Rosemary’s Baby, this will entrance readers into a new awakening for the horror genre. Five of five strong stars. Will be purchasing this for my library.

Thank you for the ARC Netgalley!

First, I have to get it out of the way...

JUST GET TO HOME DEPOT.

Alright, I very much enjoyed this! I got into easily since I recognized the similarities to Rosemary's baby, but the ending surprised me! A great mix of atmospheric, haunting, and of course, just straight up gross. Fun!

(I received this book from the editor and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)
That. Was. Brilliant. Oh my God, how do I write a review that does justice to what I just experienced?

Nat Cassidy’s latest novel is described as Rosemary’s Baby meets Salem’s Lot, but I would like to add American Horror Story: Hotel or 1408 by Stephen King to the mix if that is alright. Not because of anything in particular, but because of the atmosphere. Think of the Overlook, as well, places that are characters themselves, an intrinsic part of the story.
And then think about complex, wounded characters, full of flaws and fears inside a mouse trap. With a baby.
And one of these characters, Ana, has her own internal and external fight, dealing with a traumatized, depressed mind and a wheelchair in a world that does not always think of people that need help. But that does not mean she is helpless, either.
Reid, on the other hand, always wanted to belong, to be part of a family. And now that everything is changing around him, will he be able to meet the expectations or will he drown in his own obsessions?
I could go on and on talking about different characters and the magnificent interludes, but I need to say something about the creepiness, because it impregnates every single page of this story. You, as the reader, know something is lurking around. You kind of feel it behind the words, hiding somewhere between the paragraphs. And when it comes to light… it just does not let go.
It is going to be extremely difficult, if not simply impossible, to find another haunted place related piece at the same level in 2023.

Although this novel was inspired by the very terrible year of 2021 for the author, this is a straight up horror novel that starts out creepy, gets even creepier as it goes on, and ends with a balls to the wall conclusion that is both terrifying and heart wrenching.

Our main protagonist is not only in a wheelchair (due to complications from childbirth) but suffers from a deep postpartum depression. She blames her one year old girl for her condition and isn't really sure if she loves her or not. The husband loves both of them and tries to go above and beyond even with a full time job.

When they get chosen for an apartment lottery at an historical well to do building in Manhattan, it looks like a turning point for the better.

Yeah... not so much! The horrors that await and the secrets of the building are just waiting with open maws for this family.

I'm not going to spoil anything, of course, but this is a fantastic, well written, incredibly frightening book that you won't want to put down. From the relationship dynamics to the other residents and even an unsettling concierge, this novel wants to do for apartment dwelling what Jaws did for swimming! It's definitely a top ten horror book of the year for me, and that's saying something considering it's only April! But that's how impactful this book is.

Five big stars, highly recommend, you don't want to miss it and all that other good stuff!

4 stars
God where to start?
Another reviewer compared this to American Horror Story Hotel, and I agree, it feels more like that than a Rosemary’s Baby.

Ok now, this is an intense & claustrophobia read. The characters felt very real. I appreciate the representation of the disabled mother. I both wanted this book to end, while at the same time wanted to savor every page. If this is typical of Nat Cassidy’s writing style, count me in!

I have really mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, it reminded me of American Horror Story: Hotel, which is definitely some points in its favor. I liked the sense of paranoia that slowly mounted as the story progressed, and I think the claustrophobic feelings that Ana felt being in the wheelchair while strange things were happening was great. On the other hand, the ending bothered me, Specifically, I felt that Reid's actions and personality kind of changed purely for plot progression. Reid definitely had some issues, but he switched up so quickly that it just didn't feel realistic. The ending itself, that is, the outcome for Ana and Charlie, was very unusual and I'm not sure if I liked it or not. I also don't know how Ana managed to convince everyone that Charlie had gone to live with Ana's mother. It just didn't seem believable given that Ana's friends probably know how Ana's mother was.

Thank you Netgalley for this advanced copy in exchange for a review.
I requested this book because of the cover but I stayed for the creepiness! I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait to read more by this author! I love a good horror/thriller!

Another spine-tingling, heart-racing, claustrophobia-inducing horror from Nat Cassidy. Couldn't put this one down!