I’ll admit, when I first finished this book, I was convinced I was disappointed. Despite being glued to the pages and finishing the book in just a little over an hour, the ending was not what I expected. I felt like I had been sucker punched in the gut by the author, who then ended the book while I was still gasping for air. That was a few hours ago. Now I feel differently. Now, I’m pretty sure I loved it.

What drew me in initially was the premise of a chronically tired woman having trouble being believed, especially by male doctors, that anything is truly wrong with her. Anything that ties horror and feminist issues / rage together is usually my perfect cup of tea.

Where I believe the originality lies with this novel is in the ambiguity of what the main character, Iðunn, is experiencing. The reader is given more questions than answers and you often wonder if the narrator is reliable - but then, isn’t that how Iðunn’s doctors dismissed her too? The reader is put in the position of either believing her and accepting what she says happened or questioning everything because Iðunn leaves many details unrevealed. It was an interesting perspective to find myself contemplating.

I was already aware of the amount of gaslighting and dismissal that women experience in medical practices, and this book really brings to life that desperate horror of not being believed… but also the horror that you may be the one who is actually doing the disbelieving.

More specifically, The Night Guest is about a women who keeps waking up feeling like she just ran a marathon. Sometimes she also wakes up with inexplicable bruises and cuts as well. When she gets no help from doctors beyond a short sleeping pill prescription, she takes a friend’s advice and decides she needs more exercise. So she buys a fitness tracking bracelet and sets a goal of 10,000 steps a day. She barely hits 8,000… but then she falls asleep with the pedometer still on, and wakes up to double that number of steps. At first she assumes the pedometer is broken, then maybe that she is sleepwalking. Then she sets up a camera and realizes the truth is something much darker and closer to home.

The pervasive desperation of the story’s main character seeps into you as you read. The mood is dark and there is always a lingering feeling that things will not end well for Iðunn. Or for the reader.

There is an honesty and bluntness to the style of writing that reflects the nature of the main character, but beneath that is a curdling cloud of mystery that drags you onward. The author also uses formatting choices (such as one-sentence chapters) to pace the book and they do so to great effect. The only other author I’ve seen accomplish so much with this technique is Daniel Kraus.

Overall, I loved the premise and I loved the story. I had to let the ending really sit with me for a while and think about it before I decided I liked it too. I didn’t like that there were so many things left unrevealed, but if you consider the author did this intentionally, then the unrevealed actually reveals something about the story after all.

I wouldn’t read this book if you’re looking for a depth of world building or even character building. You definitely get a look into Iðunn’s psyche, but beyond that, this book relies a lot on vibes and mystery to propel it forward. That being said, the book is also short and fast-paced, so there isn’t much room to go into that level of depth and pacing. The author does an excellent job of striking balance between these elements, however, so the story feels just right.

Without revealing too much about the story or giving away any spoilers, I think the author was drawing attention to issues about women’s healthcare and how women are not listened to and often not believed by their doctors - especially their male doctors. For me, in the end, the main character also had me wondering whether or not to believe her in a way.

I highly recommend this book, but expect to walk away with more questions than answers - and remember to ask yourself what that might say about Iðunn’s story.

2.5 stars

The premise of this one was interesting, but…trigger warning…,



I couldn’t get passed the animal cruelty. Sadly, this one was not for me and I was a bit underwhelmed.

I picked this up on a whim because the premise sounded interesting and I've been wanting to read more books in translation. It's a quick story, that made me feel uncomfortable the entire time and also kept me reading to see where it was going. And to be honest, I'm still not sure where the ending took the reader or what the author was trying to do. I think I enjoyed the ride? I don't regret reading it, I just am not sure I fully understood what it was doing.

By: Hildir Knutsdottir
Translator: Mary Robinette Kowal
197 pages
Kindle/epub
TorNightFire
Sept.3, 2024
I loved this visceral take on the terrors that can happen when we sleep. Sometimes the things that lurk in the dark are not what should be feared. An absolutely twisty thriller that couldn’t have kept me guessing more. I was absolutely enthralled and on the edge of my seat! If animal cruelty bothers you then kindly skip this book,but is done in a way that adds to the story and experience and not just gore for the sake of gore. ( I am an avid animal lover and got through it). This book is not at all what I expected but I really enjoyed this book!

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. As with a lot of the reviews, animal abuse just really turns me away from a book. Also, I just felt really bored and underwhelmed. It was really short but it felt much longer to me.

I hope others love this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy of this title in exchange for honest feedback

Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for providing me with an eARC of The Night Guest in exchange for my honest review!

The understatedly eerie atmosphere grips me over the course of Iðunn's journey as I'm left increasingly uncertain about her state. There's usually something that I find enthrallingly disorienting in regard to the Unreliable Narrator trope, and this remains true here. The Icelandic setting adds to the unsettling mood, too. But I'll admit that the conclusion leaves me wanting. We'd built up a good amount of slow-burn strength before that point, but then the ending just feels empty.

Overall, I'm officially rating The Night Guest 3.75 out of 5 stars, which I'm rounding up to 4 stars. I'll be looking out for more writing from Hildur Knútsdóttir.

What a creepy, unsettling exploration of one woman's nighttime adventures—it will make you second guess your own ailments and sleep with the light on! (Or maybe not sleep at all!)

The Night Guest is eerie, creepy and delicious! A can't put down nightmare of a story where nothing makes sense until everything makes sense. The intensity of the book makes for a heart-palpitating quick read which will continue to give you goosebumps for hours after.

Iounn lives in Iceland. She has a great job, good friends (sort of), but unfortunately many horrible health problems which no doctor seems to be able to resolve.

She is tired all the time, her body achy and she has constant unexplained bruising sometimes almost every day. Finally, she sees a female doctor and Iounn feels more comfortable with the results of her blood tests which all come back fine, she feels as if she is now able to relax. Until the next time she wakes up tired, bruised and with what looks like rust under her fingernails.

Her friends believe it is her diet. They tell her to eat more. They tell her to exercise more. They tell her to take sleeping pills to help her sleep. Reluctantly, her doctor does prescribe the sleeping pills and at first they are a miracle! Until one night when she goes to take them and there are none left in the bottle. What happened to the pills?

Her weekly dinner with her parents is another added stress in her life. She's vegetarian and her mother refuses to change the dinner menu for her. The table talk is always tense and irritating which adds to her anxiety.

Then someone suggests she buy a watch which tracks your daily steps to make sure she's getting enough exercise to tire herself out. But one morning she discovers she forgot to take the watch off before going to bed and is horrified to see an added 40,000 steps! This can't be right.

What is happening to her? Now she must try and figure out what is going on at night. She refuses to tell anybody her secret. What could she be doing at night and why?

Well reader, that's all you are going to get from me. But read The Night Guest you must! It's a spine-chilling story and the ending? Well, see for yourself!

Thank you #NetGalley #TorNightlife #HildurKnutsdottir #TheNightGuest for the advanced copy.

If you’re looking for a book that’s going to spoon feed you - this is not it! What a ride though.

The Night Guest gets wild from page one. We’re following a relatable protagonist named Iðunn, who is waking up every morning completely exhausted. Is it an illness? Is it all in her head? Is she sleepwalking?

As I said, this isn’t going to spoon feed you. And I was left with some questions! But with the character work (excellent, especially for such a short story), the eeriness, and the anxiety I felt while reading it (can Iðunn even be held accountable for actions she commits while sleeping?!) - this was a winner for me. Best sleep book of 2024.

This book started well, but veered off course a third into it. I felt the one word/sentence chapters were formatted to make the novella appear longer. At 41% I DNF'd and felt it was too predictable to continue. It's possible there's something lost in translation or I am not the proper audience.

Please note: Cats die horribly in this book. It happens off-page, but it’s still mentioned.

I liked the short, choppy bursts of story that were delivered by this book. And really, what would any of us do if we fell asleep, woke up bruised and exhausted, and discovered we’d walked 30,000 steps in our sleep?

This felt a little experimental at times, which I liked. The MC makes choices that aren’t made often in fiction, which was another nice touch. I really didn’t like the cats’ dying, though.

Spooky, suspenseful, and compulsively readable, The Night Guest is the ideal horror book to read in one sitting. It's the perfect length to keep the story taut and focused, and to sweep the reader along its rapid descent into psychosis (or the supernatural? Its ambiguity is part of what makes it so creepy). Knutsdottir manages to weave in themes of isolation, gender violence, and familial trauma without being bloated or weighty in any way. Highly recommended, especially for those looking for a quick horror read!

This quick read was not what I was expected.

SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER

I was absolutely convinced the MC was a werewolf. But like a Shakira-esque shewolf only going after men, especially predatory men. I thought this was some big feminist sci-fi story, and maybe it is a bit, but what was unexpected to me was the end - like, was she turning into her sister? Was her sister a ghostly apparition possessing her body since she was doing the walking around at night? Were they two separate entities in the end walking to a shared death? There was talk about her and the sister not getting along, but that was never explained further. Was her sister killing her because of hate or love?

It was all left too ambiguous, as if the story wasn’t quite finished. So, I was really into it, but the ending kind of ruined it for me. I would’ve preferred she was turning into a monster each night.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Night Guest by Hildur Knútsdóttir is a dark, atmospheric thriller that kept me captivated from start to finish. Set in the eerie, quiet backdrop of Reykjavík, the novel delves into psychological horror, blending mystery with unsettling suspense.

What I Loved:

Creepy and Enigmatic Plot: The central mystery surrounding Iðunn’s strange nocturnal activities — walking thousands of steps while asleep and waking up with injuries — is incredibly intriguing and unsettling. You’ll find yourself questioning what’s real and what’s imagined, keeping you guessing until the very end.
Unreliable Narrator: Iðunn’s experience of not being believed and her descent into confusion adds layers of tension. Her constant fatigue, coupled with the dismissiveness of medical professionals and those around her, creates a sense of isolation and paranoia that permeates the entire narrative.
Atmosphere and Setting: The cold, isolated landscape of Reykjavík feels almost like a character in itself. The sense of entrapment and growing unease is expertly built up through the setting and Knútsdóttir's writing, ensuring a creepy, immersive experience.
Psychological Depth: The author does a brilliant job of exploring themes like the struggle for control, the fear of losing one’s own mind, and the tension between what’s real and what isn’t. The slow unraveling of Iðunn's story creates a chilling psychological depth that keeps you hooked.

Final Thoughts:
The Night Guest is the perfect read for fans of psychological thrillers and horror that stays with you long after the last page. With its dark, atmospheric writing and eerie sense of foreboding, this book is sure to keep you up at night — in the best possible way. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys a spine-tingling mystery with psychological twists.

I read this book as a scathing review of the healthcare systems that are quick to dismiss (especially women) when they can't figure out what's wrong.

Iðunn knows something is wrong. She wakes up sore and exhausted. She has bruises and rust under her nails. She takes up exercising based on a suggestion and buys a fitness watch. And that's when she finds out she's been going somewhere. And she repeatedly asks:

"Where did I go?"

I wish I could have liked the answer to that better, because it was good up until then, but the answer was just a little too ambiguous for me - I felt like I missed something. It was an easy, fast read though, and I liked Iðunn's little asides.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for an advance reader's copy.

I wanted to love this one but it didn’t give what my expectations thought. Please check the trigger warnings before picking up.

Thank you NetGalley and Hildur Knútsdóttir for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Pub Date: 09/03/24

What a weird little story. Can’t lie, definitely had me hooked. I read it in one sitting, but it was unsettling and I was so intrigued to learn what was going on. Where was she going at night? Who’s the alter ego? It all was compelling… until the dead cats. Didn’t like that. Didn’t really feel like a resolution in the end. Sure, we have an idea but what was the motive? The reasoning? Felt a bit anticlimactic.

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing an advanced copy through Netgalley.

This was a good sized horror novella with no lack of suspense but no answers.

I enjoyed this book for the most part. The idea of sleepwalking paired with not knowing what happens when you sleep is a super underrated horror theme. I loved the internal musings and how the days passed were presented in the chapters. Overall I thought the writing was smooth and the plot kept me interested. There was definite points of suspense that got my heart racing’s

I had such high hopes while reading both the overview and story but I was left feeling completely blindsided and confused at the end. There’s one thing to leave some semblance of mystery and there’s another to completely disregard giving any answers at the end. This unfortunately was the latter.

I really enjoyed this novella. It has some fantastic metaphors and the female voice is interesting. The cycle of doubt and resignation was powerful and the female characterization really helped to send the emotions to the reader. It had just the right amount of gore and creep factor. I don't know how I feel about the ending, but I also don't love it when things are tied up in a neat and tidy bow, so I'm fine with it. The short chapters were clipped and left an impression. This would have a lot to offer a book club even though it's a novella.