Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group/Tor Nightfire for an advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

I rarely finish a book in one sitting, but I devoured The Night Guest in an afternoon. The premise alone was deeply intriguing and once I started reading I could not put it down. The pacing of this book was excellent and I found myself deeply entrenched in what would happen next with Iðunn as she tries desperately to figure out what’s happening after she falls asleep at night. The horror elements are excellent and I enjoyed the Icelandic setting.

Overall, I can’t recommend this novella enough! It's an excellent creepy read that will leave you wanting to start the story again once finished.

This was a creepy and bizarre novella about Iðunn, a woman who feels constantly tired. She seeks medical attention and is told to get more rest, to eat better, to exercise, and she will be fine. The tests the doctors order show no health issues. She tries to follow the advice she is given but to no avail. Then one night she goes to sleep and wakes up with strange injuries and finds that she has walked 40,000 steps. That's sleepwalking overload!

This book is bizarre with a creepy vibe to it. There is an uneasiness and atmospheric vibe to this book as well. This is a fast unrelentingly odd book that is also quite enjoyable until the ending. Umm what? Seriously I'm lost. The book just ended and left me wanting more--- more of an explanation, more answers, more I don't even know what. The author leaves it up to the reader to surmise what happened at the end and I have a theory but don't know if I am right.

I've used the word bizarre a lot in this review but can't think of another word that is more fitting. I also think this word works well to describe the main character. She has her quirks and an interesting way of looking things.

This is hard to rate because it is creepy, enjoyable, different, and unsettling. The Night Guest left me wanting more. The author did succeed at setting the atmospheric stage for this novella. The author has an interesting way of writing and some of the chapters are mere paragraphs. I thought the author did a tremendous job with creating the mood and feel in The Night Guest.


TW: death of cats

Unsettling, atmospheric, and creepy.

3.5 stars

This should be a movie!
Very creepy novella that will definitely stick with you. Iðunn keeps waking up not rested and as the days go on, bruised, cut and injured. She sees a doctor, but is seemingly healthy. She decides to eat better and start exercising more. She purchases a watch with a pedometer. One morning she wakes to find she has walked over 45,000 steps. WHAT. THENNNNNN…..the neighborhood cats start to disappear…

I read this very quickly, couldn’t put it down. The ending was definitely STRANGE and a bit confusing. I think I went back and re-read the last few chapters three or four times to make sure that I wasn’t missing anything. Despite the weird ending, the book was still very enthralling and I didn’t want it to end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for the digital copy for me to review. I cannot wait to read more from this author.

I haven't read a story like this in a while. It was the kind that made me happy to sit back and enjoy as it slowly built up. Really great story telling.

4.5 Stars rounded to 5:)
*slight spoilers ahead, TW for animal death and off-page cruelty*

Wow. I haven't read a good horror in quite some time... I'm quite impressed that a novella has pushed me to want to read more of them!

Knútsdóttir (and the translator, Kowal, without whom there would be no English version of this story) is incredibly talented; there are so many aspects of this novella that I really enjoyed. The narrative is blunt and to the point, fast-paced, and at times the commentary is incredibly relatable. Somehow, in the short amount of time I got to spend with the story, Knútsdóttir had me on the edge of my seat and my heart racing. They're definitely able to create a creepy setting in very little time.

Now to my one (and a half) slight critique. The ending😩 While I understand the use of a quick and confusing ending, I wish there were just a little bit more. I found myself going back a couple pages to try and work out what happened. Had it been fleshed out (humorous pun for a horror story) just the slightest bit more, it absolutely would've been a 5/5 for me.

As for the half "issue," this story involves the murdering of cats... while there is nothing on page that describes any abuse, you do get a peek at the aftermath. As a cat-lover myself, it wasn't a huge issue being that the abuse was not explicitly written out, but it was still not an enjoyable part of the story.

Overall, it was a super quick read that had me hooked immediately and definitely had me scared about what was going to happen next.

What’s with these Scandinavian authors and a preternatural ability to craft a story? Popular thriller writer Hildur Knútsdóttir produces an astonishingly gripping plot in her latest offering The Night Guest. Conjuring up the most horrid of stories, and yet treading the path of alluring sophistication and simplicity, Knútsdóttir comes up triumphant in more ways than one.

Iðunn, a resident of Reykjavík is plagued with constant fatigue and lassitude. Every morning, she is a ton of bricks as she wakes up. Non localized pains hammer her joints to add to inexplicable scars and bruises. Iðunn manifests herself at the doorstep of doctors and psychiatrists seeking a remedy to her mysterious ailment. Exasperated and overcome by a feeling of understandable hopelessness, Iðunn decides to take matters into her own hands, by strapping a GPS enabled watch to her wrist.

What transpires next bewilders Iðunn no end. The GPS on her watch reveals that she has walked a mindboggling 40,000 steps. Has she been sleepwalking? If yes where? Why? Night after night the active GPS faithfully tracks Nadia’s footfalls. Every single time the destination is the same – Grandi harbour. A perplexed and lost Iðunn decides to abdicate sleep. Taking recourse to long and aimless walks and binge television watching, she always strives to remain awake. But how long can a human being resist the lures of Hypnos? When she finally succumbs to the forces of exhaustion, the dreaded GPS becomes hyperactive and yet again the harbour at Grandi beckons.

When the cats prowling the area where Iðunn resides start to vanish in thin air (yes you read that right), things begin to take a nasty turn from being merely mysterious to downright macabre. Grandi holds more secrets than what is either desirable or digestible. Things climax to a crescendo when Iðunn decides to face her fears for the last time by making her way to Grandi, but in a perfectly sane and alert state.

The Night Guest is a stirring testimony to the limitless and boundaryless capabilities of the human imagination. Ingenious in its sweep and spontaneous in its wake, it is a work which would make people sit up and take notice of this splendid author. Juxtaposing despair with psychological debilitation, the book is also an indirect exhortation for addressing the pernicious evil of depression. No amount of appreciation would do justice to Mary Robinette Kowal for her spectacular work with the translation. She succeeds superbly in keeping her readers riveted and glued to every page, paragraph, and phrase.

A virtually ‘unputdownable’ read, The Night Guest, is a book that would linger in the minds of its readers long after the covers have been closed.

The Night Guest is published by the Tor Publishing Group and will be available on sale beginning 10th September 2024.

Thank you, Net Galley for the Advance Reviewer Copy!

Thanks NetGalley. This was a crazy spooky thriller. I liked the setting of Iceland and trying to piece together what was going on. The dead cars I could have done without…disturbing and not sure what it added to the story. The ending is a choose your own adventure but overall was a quick read and makes you think, what goes on in the darkeness…

This was a quick, engrossing read. I liked how weird and creepy this was while still being sparse and pretty short. I felt like I knew nothing about Iðunn but still really liked her and was drawn to her. I can 100% related to going to the doctor and having some old man dismiss my symptoms as being ‘related to being a woman’ and/or giving me 0 help or advice. I also struggle with sleep and so it was easy to be freaked out by the idea of something weird happening at night while you think you’re sleeping. I love the scenes of Iðunn watching her self-recordings. I wanted a little bit more explanation from the ending, and if I had gotten that I think it would have been a 5 star read. The Night Guest is a wonderfully creepy and bizarre read.

Thank you to Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Receiving an advanced copy was a delightful surprise. I believe both existing fans and newcomers will find it equally enjoyable.

This was a very odd little novella. It had a really unnerving atmosphere and it was definitely creepy to read. The pace was fast and the chapters were short which means it can easily be read in one sitting - I think it has more impact if you read it all at once.

The plot was interesting and I loved the sense of paranoia that the main character had. It was actually really scary to imagine not having control over your body when you’re asleep.

I could pretty much predict where the plot was going to go because the author laid the ‘clues’ out right from the start. Personally, I don’t like anything that involves animal torture and it made me really sad to read but I understand that this is a dark book.

I actually liked the ending and the ambiguity of it - it worked well for this short story type of book. Overall, it was tense and had really great weird, unsettling moments.

I received a Netgalley ARC of this title. My thoughts are my own.

I'm calling this a 4 star read if you're okay with an ambiguous ending, 3 stars if you're not. The overall message, before we get into the nitty gritty, is that I liked a lot of this story and what Hildur Knútsdóttir had to offer. I would love to read more from this author!

The Night Guest is a translated work from an Icelandic author. The translation is by Mary Robinette Kowal, who is a celebrated author in her own right. Mary Robinette also does book narration, including for the October Daye series by Seanan McGuire, a favorite series for me. Even when I'm reading a print copy, I hear her voice. I can't possibly officially know how well she translated it, but it read really smoothly.

Our main character is sore and tired all the time. Even if she goes to bed early, she wakes up feeling like she was active all night, often with bruises and abrasions. Her first doctor isn't helpful or particularly compassionate, so she asks for a younger doctor and ends up seeing a young woman who gives her empathy and listens. I think it's debatable ultimately how much more helpful she is than the first doctor.

There's a relatability to these passages for anyone who has ever had chronic symptoms that aren't easily diagnosable, particularly if you're a woman. Often doctors shrug. Even more often, they resort to treating it as psychosomatic.

The best and worst thing I ever did was confess to my healthcare provider my depression and anxiety. She was empathetic and told me I didn't have to suffer, and that was a relief. On the other hand, since then every time I've had an ache or pain without an immediate and obvious explanation, I've had to hear a speech on how psychological pain can manifest physically. I spent a year being told this over debilitating back pains and spasms before a specialist pointed out the arthritis that he feels should have easily been seen on MRIs and X-rays. I got into a physical therapy program that helped so much, but it was so rough trying to get anyone to believe it was real.

Iðunn irritated me in the first pages until I realized it was one of those things where I was irritated over traits I share with the character. I also think some of that tone was her desperation, her eagerness to be diagnosed, her fear that she had a serious disease, and even repression of the truth.

Before we further delve in, I want to talk about one of the triggers. I've never given an exhaustive list of them, although I have a goal to pay better attention. However, yeah, this book had the one thing I personally least like to encounter. I'll read it, but I like to know it's coming ahead of time. No one did anything wrong here, just telling you where I'm coming from. So, the first spoiler tag will be what it is, and the second will be an elaboration while still not being entirely specific, so you can choose your level.

Basic trigger: <spoiler>Lots of animal death, specifically cats.</spoiler>

Elaboration on trigger: <spoiler>I used to work at a shelter. I got my fill of animals in pain and death. It kinda messed me up in ways I wasn't aware of at the time because I was repressing pain. I got my fill of it. It hits me hard. I don't have the ability to be entertained by it. Whenever an animal is introduced in horror, I brace myself. The very worst iteration of it is when the animal trusts the person who hurts them, the betrayal. No author is "wrong" in doing this, but I also wish it was less common. So, it's the trope that triggers me the most, the variation on the trope that triggers me the most, and we get a recitation of the cats' names.</spoiler>

So, yeah.

I ended up liking Iðunn a lot. I related to her. I found her a little morbidly funny. While she is trying to get to the bottom of waking up to ever increasingly bizarre things, injuries, is she REALLY trying to get to the bottom of it? Or is she simply being an unreliable narrator in what she chooses to reveal?

I also enjoyed the setting, and I don't think I've read too much from the Nordic region. I did about 10 minutes researching to get a basic, very basic, idea of the geography and culture. The funny thing is that a story about the translator, Mary Robinette Kowal, and her experience with the health care system popped up. I'm actually enthused to delve in deeper.

The ending was perhaps confusing, but I'd guess that was intentional, that it was meant to be up for interpretation. I think this works sometimes, but I really would have preferred less ambiguity either in the ending or in a few clues earlier on.

Part of the reaction to a book is timing. I read another horror novel, I believe in January, with an ending that was also hard to decipher. I also read Tananarive Due's anthology The Wishing Pool, which I loved, with a couple stories that had ambiguous endings. So there was a bit of "not again."

But like I said, it's timing, which is unforeseeable.

How well you will enjoy the ending involves your preferences ... and timing.

This was, overall, a very positive read for me. The story flowed well, I liked the themes around the medical profession, the patriarchy, depression and anxiety. I liked the mystery and finding out what was happening. I also like that some things were left a mystery so you can imagine just what happened. I want more from this author and want to get my hands on whatever is next!

Iðunn wakes every morning E x H a U s T e D. She’s sure this chronic fatigue means she has a horrible disease or illness, but her doctor isn’t taking her seriously since all tests come back normal. Everyone she knows offer suggestions—supplements, Zumba, walking more, getting into a sleep routine etc.; she tries them all. Nothing helps, and now she’s waking up with injuries on her body, bruises and scratches and what’s under her nails, is that. . . is that blood? She accidentally leaves her pedometer on overnight; the next morning her watch says she walked over 40,000 steps! WHAT is going on at night?

The sheer helplessness and panic of fighting fatigue and having symptoms but not knowing why, is something anyone who has had sleep issues or a chronic illness can relate to! Iðunn is SO tired she’s struggling at work, while also avoiding her ex who is a co-worker. Her family isn’t all that supportive so she feels alone in her fear. Hildur Knútsdóttir brings such life to Iðunn’s distinct voice. Her inner monologue made me laugh at times because of how REAL and relatable she is. She thinks exactly what most of us would but with no apologies; it was refreshingly honest!

The Night Guest is deliciously creepy and moves at an increasingly frightened pace. Some chapters are only one sentence or paragraph and this unique format adds to the intense despair of nights slipping away from Iðunn’s control. One of the most chilling things I’ve ever read, is Iðunn watching a recording of herself at night. *shivers* I got literal goosebumps! The ending was a little abrupt (I wanted more!) and ambiguous, but the ambiguity allows you to make up your own mind about what was happening. I’m still pondering this sinister little horror novella and I can see myself reading it again!

Thank you Hildur Knútsdóttir, Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for the gifted copy and to Mary Robinette Kowal for translating it to English. All opinion are my own.

Scroll down for potential spoiler trigger warnings.




































⚠️Trigger warnings: sexual situations, gore, death, mention of infidelity and dead cats (after the fact)

Well, that was weird. This story had a few really creepy parts, but overall, it won't keep you up at night. The ending was too abrupt after a nice buildup. I'm still not sure what exactly happened in the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group, Tor Nightfire for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5
hmmmm
I was really loving this one for the first 80%. It was suspenseful and super fast and the writing was sassy (it felt like the author's voice was super well-translated). But as I find is often the case with horror, especially short horror, the ending was just a little too open-ended for me. I felt like I was able to draw some conclusions and form some theories, but I still didn't feel remotely satisfied.
I was genuinely so sad when I got to the last page because I was really enjoying this one and just needed a little bit more.

As an adult sleepwalker who loves a good horror book, I was SO excited for this. I’ve also had the goal of reading more translated works so this was right up my alley. However, I have mixed thoughts about this one.

As I mentioned, I have a history of sleepwalking. I’m also a psychology professor. So…I’ve always been quite interested in crimes during somnambulism (for legal reasons this is NOT because I’m looking to get away with any crimes, ok?). This novella was super fast paced and definitely creepy.

Iðunn, sarcastic and full of existential dread, has been suffering from a staggering case of chronic fatigue. When she seeks medical attention, nothing seems to be the matter. But why, then, is do her limbs ache like she has been running marathons in her sleep?

Overall, yes, this novella was creepy and yes I enjoyed it. I don’t think it is earth-shatteringly unique or absolutely terrifying…it won’t keep me up tonight. BUT…the end kind of ruined the high for me. It ended so abruptly (on my kindle I had 10% left…I was expecting atleast another chapter) and confusingly. I still can’t quite figure out what happened and I can’t even really talk about it without giving too much away. If you want a quick creepy read, this may be for you…just know the ending is quite disappointing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!!

This was a deeply unsettling little horror novel that I simply flew through. I'm currently re-reading Ottessa Moshfegh's "My Year of Rest and Relaxation" and it's funny because I kept thinking her character was going to do something horrific but was just mixing the two storylines. My only complaint is the murdering of cats - not a fan. I actually really hate animal murder in horror books and don't understand that aspect some horror writers feel like they need to include. As the cat stuff came up just for a few pages, I flipped past them. It didn't add anything to the book except yuck.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
This is an easy, fast paced read with a relatable MC. I also enjoyed the formatting.
Check trigger warnings, but there is no "on screen" violence.
The ending did confuse me. I'm thinking she should've listened to the doctor who tried to call her a taxi.

This was not my usual genre but WOW. This novella packed a punch. Reading it was like watching a horror movie but better. I wish the ending had offered a little more clarity but I’m able to piece together an idea of what I *think* the conclusion is. Really excellent.

Thanks to Netgalley and Tor Nightfire for an eARC of The Night Guest by Hildur Knutsdottir. I enjoyed this small novel that dealt with a very intriguing plot involving a woman trying to figure out what's happening while she's sleeping. The novel is a slowburner, as Iðunn's life slowly gets upended as she gets closer to discovering or trying to control the cause of her fatigue. Iðunn is a wonderful narrator, and you come to love her quirky observations about the life she is trying to keep in check.

First- know your triggers, there’s pet deaths in this one and it definitely made me sad to read about.
But.. Whoa, I’m still processing but I think I understand that ending. This was a really great novella read, from start to finish I was trying to figure out what was happening. I actually thought the short chapters were a good addition building up the story. At first I thought I was missing some pages but then I realized it was meant to be like that & it grew on me. Gave that suspense vibe for sure. I enjoyed this story, I could have used maybe another chapter to fully understand that ending but all in all this was a page turner.

Thank you, NetGalley & Tor Publishing Group for this fun little horror Arc.