perfect short horror to read in one sitting. Knutsdottir does a do a great job of creating a spooky and uncomfortable atmosphere, and Mary Robinette Kowal's translation is on par with the work. For such a short book, I found the writing was sometimes bogged down by the repetitious interruptions by our narrator. While I wish I knew more about what happened in the past, I quite liked the slightly ambiguous ending.

Wow, what did I just read?

The Night Guest is an Icelandic horror novella by Hildur Knútsdóttir.

Iðunn, a woman living in Reykjavik, is exhausted, waking up every morning with new bruises on her body. She just wants to get to the bottom of what is causing her medical problems.

Told in first person present tense, this is a very propulsive story with short sentences, short chapters, and a unique main character with a sarcastic sense of humor. The increasing sense of horror and creepy dread kept me turning pages at a fast pace. However, those seeking likeable characters and tidy endings will have to look elsewhere.

I’m assuming the translation was excellent, because I would never have guessed it was translated from Icelandic.

This would be a great pick for a book club. (Check out content warnings!)

TW: Cat murders

This was a quick read for me; I finished it in a few hours. The chapters were short, the pacing almost breathlessly relentless. The first half of the book had me hooked with the creepy, atmospheric prose and the protagonist Iðunn's neurodivergent eccentricity.

Iðunn isn't sleeping well, waking up with strange marks on her body and a bone-deep weariness. She first seeks medical help, then buys a smart watch that tells her she's walked thousands of steps in a night. Her sister has died under unexplained, tragic circumstances, but it is implied that Iðunn had something to do with it. She suspects her night terrors are posession, or a psychotic break. She descends into despair and disassociation. She courts an ex-boyfriend of her dead sister, and is pursued by the married man she had an affair with.

Then this novella just... ends, in a very unsatisfying, overly ambiguous way. There are lots of implications of what's causing Iðunn's sleeping disorder, in a way that's intended to be mysterious but is instead just is frustrating. This had a strong first half, but I would have liked a stronger narrative arc, and more character development and interiority for Iðunn. I felt as if I never understood her motivations or relationships. This premise had so much potential and just crumbled at the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was fantastic. Short & sweet, but right to the point - all killer, no filler. It has this uneasy sense of dread that builds throughout and it was super effective.

This literary work is uniquely unconventional in its nature. It captivates the reader with an intense sense of curiosity, leaving them to ponder the unfolding events and ultimately concluding with an exclamation of bewilderment. It is evident that this book will evoke strong reactions, either positive or vehemently negative, from its readers. Its plot is a harrowing portrayal of a nightmarish reality, culminating in an unpredictable finale that is sure to leave a lasting impression. Personally, I found great satisfaction in immersing myself in its pages, and I sincerely hope that you will as well.

What the heck did I just read? This was a strange and spooky novella, and despite the confusing ending, I still really enjoyed it. I absolutely loved the creepy factor (especially what the main character finds when she tries to record herself at night!) and I enjoyed how the author wrote. I would definitely recommend this to horror fans!

I enjoyed the The Night Guest. The frivolous pink cover seems almost like a joke when you read the book. The layout with extremely short chapters, including one with one sentence, seemed like a space filler. I didn't like that. And the story itself ends at 90% which I don't like either. Although the ending is odd and the main character could have made better decisions to help herself, the story was somewhat predictable and I was entertained. It was eerie, kinda creepy, raunchy at times, and fun. Definitely unique. I especially liked the commentary about how female concerns are never taken seriously and females are expected to make others comfortable. I can relate.

That was the quickest 200 page book I've ever read! I inhaled it in one sitting, the words literally flying off the page. For a horror novel, it wasn't nearly as dark as I had expected, but that didn't hurt the book in any way. I actually kind of liked the nonchalant approach Knútsdóttir took with it.

Our narrator Idunn is bone tired. She sleeps every night but isn't feeling rested, her arms and legs aching as though she worked out at a gym, which she wouldn't be caught dead doing. She's a bit of a self-diagnoser, and decides to go see a doctor to ensure she's not dying of some highly incurable disease. When everything comes back good, she convinces them to give her some sleeping pills, and in an effort to uphold her promise to be more active, purchases a smart watch to track her steps.

One morning, she realizes she forgot to take the watch off before going to bed and sees she's walked tens of thousands of miles when she thought she'd been sleeping. After continuing to wake with sore muscles and mysterious injuries, sometimes covered in blood that she knows is not hers night after night, her watch shows that she's been walking to the same spot, and she's not sure she wants to discover what it is that's out there...

We only know what Idunn knows, which isn't much. After her recent experiences with the health system, she's no longer in a rush to discover what's happening to her so we're left in the dark for most of the novel. And once the author finally shows her hand, we're still left scratching our heads a little. But I'm ok with that. A little "wait, wtf just happened" is totally good with me! I don't necessarily need books to be wrapped up in a nice little bow at the end. However, if you are a reader who does, beware... because you won't find that here.

Set in modern day Reykjavík, the capital city of Iceland, The Night Guest is the vaguely unsettling debut of Hildur Knútsdóttir, concerning a woman whose life is plagued by a host of undiagnosed personal (mainly medical) problems. This is one of those books that gives little away, is frustrating in parts but never becomes boring, and your final opinion may well hang on how you rate the ending, which will undoubtedly be loved and hated in equal measures.

The story has a fascinating opening hook, after a visit to the doctor and purchasing a pedometer, Iðunn falls asleep with the step count still active and wakes up to find she’s walked over 40,000 steps during the night. This storyline caught my attention and coupled with Iðunn’s poor health, suffering from constant fatigue, repeated visits to the doctor do not throw up any significant results. The story semi-implies that doctors have a habit of blowing off women’s health problems as ‘being in their head’ which might even be the case with Iðunn until events spiral. It is hard to tell with Iðunn, she is a classic unreliable narrator and is also loose with the truth, even if she if not completely aware of it.

Frustrated with her inability to get help she attempts to eat healthier, take vitamins and exercise regularly, but nothing changes and she feels a sense of guilt that it is her own fault. She gets little sympathy from work when she takes time off sick and is hounded by the HR department. As the entire story is seen from Iðunn’s point of view, it can be jarring and it seems there is something off-kilter about her right from the start, but it is hard to pinpoint exactly what this is. As it was a short book, with chapters often only a few paragraphs long, it was easy to speed through in a few sittings in the quest for resolution. As the episodes intensified the reader is sucked deeper into the mystery, with the narrative occasionally bleeding into an incoherent stream-of-consciousness.

I do not want to say too much about the plot except that Iðunn starts to wake up with disturbing injuries and tries to combat this by putting bolts on her door and other extreme measures. And in the background there is the nagging feeling that nobody takes her seriously and she experiments with increasingly desperate, ways of self-medicating herself whilst trying to put on a brave face.

Like with all classic unreliable narrators there is a lot to like in Iðunn, she is clearly not well, maybe even a little unhinged, but her quirkiness and individuality shines through. Is she going insane or is the tragedy (which is kept heavily shrouded) regarding her late sister the underlying problem? This was a solid example of a psychological horror story where madness was most definitely knocking at the door, with reading between the lines essential. Hildur Knútsdóttir does a fine job ramping up the tension for the fragile Iðunn in what is a restrained, quiet, little book.

The ending did have me flipping back and forth to see whether there was something I missed, as it did feel slightly rushed with little payoff and even less resolution. Considering The Night Guest was full of hints and clues (what happened to all the neighbourhood cats for example?) I felt the reader deserved more from the ending, unless you are happy to take the book as one big metaphor for chronic illness.

The Night Guest is a solid two-hour and distracting read which was diverting company. Spending time in the head of Iðunn was an unnerving experience and this novella is well worth checking out should you want a story with more questions than answers.

3.5/5

This is a fast paced book that hooks you right from the beginning. I like the setting and the writing builds a good atmosphere and sense of dread. The short, sometimes just one sentence, chapters add to the anxiety. But I wanted more from the ending. I don’t mind it being vague and open but just a little bit more. Even just a little bit more into the headspace of the main character would have helped.

I feel like the writing was very smooth so kudos to the translator. I hope more of this author’s work gets translated into English as I am very interested in seeing what else they’ve got.

Thank you @tornightfire #partner for the free book!

Looking for an eerie novella that will make sure you prioritize a full 8 hours of sleep each night? 👀 Look no further. I devoured this creepy story in one sitting because I needed to know what was happening! In this Icelandic story we follow Iðunn who is a young woman dealing with odd side effects and circumstances when she wakes up each day feeling utterly exhausted. Convinced maybe she has a health condition she heads to the doctor but uncovers nothing in her bloodwork. With the advice from others to get more exercise and eat better she does just that…even purchasing a watch that will track her steps. When she wakes up one morning she is convinced her watch has malfunctioned because it’s showing 40,000 steps. It must be wrong….it has to be. But what is that under her fingernails too?

I am very picky about the horror that I read but this one was a winner for me! It left me questioning my own sanity and chills up and down mine spine! I love the sense of dread this author created as we try and understand just what is happening to Iðunn. I was 💯 invested in her night time jaunts because I just needed to know what she was doing! The ending left a lot up for interpretation which always makes for a good discussion at the end! Thank you again @tornightfire for this copy! It comes out this fall and is PERFECT for spooky season!

Reminiscent of Sara Gran’s Come Closer, this adult horror is lean, hungry, and oh so creepy. A masterpiece that horror fans will not want to miss. CW: animal death

A different story and quick read. Makes you wonder what is happening. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

An absolute masterpiece of feminine rage 🤌🏼 ! Or maybe feminine frustration is a better description.

I read this in about two hours. I could not put it down.

What do you do when you can't even trust yourself? Self-medicate, exercise, be impulsive, work harder... 🤷🏻‍♀️

There is so much story packed into this little novella; many of the chapters are only one sentence, but the impact is strong. I enjoyed the writing style and how the narration barely starts to bleed with stream-of-consciousness in parts. You feel like you are spiraling with the MC for a few pages and then settling again. It's a real rollercoaster.

Side note: I was so invested in the neighborhood cats.

A bit scary for my usual reads but thrilling all the same! If you’re a braver reader than I, highly recommend

This was a great read for me. I really enjoyed how fast paced it was (I read it in two sittings!). One of my favorite things is the unreliable narrator trope, and this book encapsulated that perfectly. I was truly on my toes the entire time I was reading! I will definitely be keeping an eye out for future releases from this author. To explain my rating, I gave this a 3 due to the fact that I wish it was longer so there would be more time to develop the characters. Other than that I thought it was a great and creepy read!

The buildup was great but the ending felt rushed with little payoff. I had been intrigued and interested to follow, but it felt like there was an abrupt lack of resolution.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

Huh. That was incredibly gripping until the very end. I might need to read it a couple of times to really understand that ending. As some other reviewers have pointed out, the ending is a bit abrupt. I wish there was another chapter to explain it a bit more. From my perspective though, the ending was unsatisfying and I have so many questions. Perhaps that is the point of the book, but it is a little bit of a bummer. Fortunately, this is a one sitting read, so I didn't spend too long getting to the end.

If you enjoy fast-paced, creepy novellas with unreliable characters, I would go ahead and pick this up.

The Night Guest is one of those books that you sit down to read and swallow whole. I read it one sitting, shocking myself when I realized it had gotten dark out. Iounn is tired - tired of her ex glaring at her, tired of her boring job, tired of feeling tired. She's desperate for rest after waking up sore and bruised for weeks. She's tried everything everyone suggests, and everyone is eager to suggest. When she starts tracking her movement and leaves her watch on overnight, she's convinced that the 40,000 step count must be a mistake... or is it? A creepy little novella for the weird girlies! It's strange and ominous from the first few pages, and though I felt for Iounn right away, I knew she couldn't be trusted. Beware if you have a queasy stomach, but if you don't mind some dark imagery this has it too. This novella is sparsely decorated in setting and plot but provides you just enough to be hooked until the end! Highly recommend to get out of a reading slump or to read all in one go.

⭐️⭐⭐3.5 Unhinged Stars

What the heck did I just read??

One minute I was sitting down with my cup of coffee and the next thing I knew the book was over . It's like I was transported in to the future and here I am left wondering what happened it unearthed so quickly .

This little novella takes off right away instantly you are immersed and inside someone's head , and you can tell she is not well, maybe a little unhinged and quirky. You like her , but you're unsure what's going on but you want to know more .

Iounn is not well, everything in her body is achy , heavy and she is constantly tired all the time . She has been through many doctors and no one has a diagnosis , all her blood work comes back fine .

She gets a young residence doctor who Iounn convinces to prescribe sleeping pills as Iounn has discovered she is sleep walking and maybe that is why she feels like crap all the time.

Then really strange sh*t starts happening , she is waking up dirty , bloody fingers nails, blood on the sheets and covered in bruises and is happening every night , ...but she can't remember a thing .

I had so many thoughts going through my head specifically vampire thoughts and got a little over excited because that definitely was not the case.

This was very fast paced engrossing crazy read that literally left me with a bit of a cliff hanger saying to myself , what just happened ?

Read this if you like:
* Short Chapters
* Unhinged Characters
* Short Novella's
* Mystery with an edge

Thank you Netgalley , Tor Publishing Group and Hildur Knutsdottir for this gripping little digital ARC.

Respectfully Another Read by Angie