I was really intrigued by this book - the story line sounded interesting, and I don’t mind a book that keeps me a bit on edge. However, after finishing, I didn’t love it.

It definitely captures and intrigues you. There is something not right - Iounn wakes up super tired every day? But can’t explain why??

I didn’t love the dead cats though, and I didn’t love the ending.

Wtf was this? It was such a quick read and I have not a clue what it was supposed to be about lol the chapters were short and choppy like one sentence chapters. The MC was sleep walking and killing cats and kidnapping people which she wasn’t aware of then it gets to a point where she notices her behavior is odd. The ending left me wondering was she possessed by something or if it was her sister that passed away. I need somebody to make this make sense!!! It was an interesting book I didn’t like it but I didn’t hate it either I’m really lost for words because I don’t know what I just read lol.

Rating: 2.5/5⭐️

I wanted this to make a bigger impression on me, if I’m being honest. I read it fairly quickly, but even now as I’m writing this review.. I’m not sure I remember details of the plot. The initial concept is brilliant, I’m just not sure about the execution.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher and author for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

eerie and atmospheric, i appreciate how this one tackles the concept of medical anxieties and the way doctors can cast off symptoms of women. however, for a thriller, this one didn’t resolve much at its end and was a bit ambiguous for my taste.

Knútsdóttir writes a psychological thriller that keeps you rushing to turn the next page until you finish the short novel in one sitting.

The story is told by our main character, Iðunn, who goes to the doctor to try and find out why she wakes up completely exhausted, her limbs sore as though she just ran a marathon, but with absolutely no reasoning behind it. At the doctors now, Iðunn worries she'll get the same diagnosis she received by a male doctor and that in fact there is nothing wrong with her:

"I seriously wanted to lecture him about all the diseases women have had that have been misdiagnosed over the years--and how medication (not to mention everything else in the world) is designed for the male body."

The first half of the story is thrilling and interesting in showing how easily society, including our friends and family, can also easily dismiss a women's worry for her health. All the while Iðunn battles with confronting her own self that maybe they are right everything is fine. However, as more bizarre events transpire she finds that there has been something unsettling happening while she's sleeping.

I for one do enjoy the occasional open ended stories, however this ending was a bit too abrupt for me. There were just so many questions I had that I really wish we would have looked more into. Overall though, I enjoyed this read. The author uses short chapters sometimes just a sentence or word to create more tension. And the critiques of patriarchy in the medical field in contract with how society can judge a woman's health with hysteria or madness within a horror story was appreciated.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC!

3.5 stars. This probably would have been a 4 or 5 star if it wasn’t for that ending. When I finished reading it, I literally said wtf. I don’t know if I’m a bit dense or just not thinking enough but that ending was very confusing and a big let down. I’m all for open ended interpretations but i wanted to know what was going on so bad.

I will say this author knows how to keep you wanting more. From the sense of dread to the fast pacing. It was so good up until the ending. It kept me on the edge of my seat. The animal killing did not bother me as much as others, maybe because I already knew it would happen from the other reviews.

This was sooo unsettling and a perfect horror novella! So many potential theories and themes…this would make a fantastic book club book for great discussion. I can’t wait to check out more by this author!

A realistic horror that kept me questioning what would happen next. This book reminded me a lot of Come Closer by Sara Gram. The possession at the center of the story slowly takes over the whole character and leaves you wondering how did we get here and will they be okay. Highly recommend for anyone who likes their horror to be grounded in reality.

Thank you Netgalley, Hildur Knutsdottir and Tor Publishing Group | Tor Nightfire for the eArc of The night Guest.

This is my first read from Hildur and I really enjoyed this fast paced Horror/ Mystery. Hildur is convinced there is something wrong with her, even though she sleeps fitfully, she always wakes up tired. After a suggestion of wearing a fitness watch, she alarmingly discovers that she is waling at night, to the same place. Further more, strange things start to happen.

The Night Guest is a fast paced engaging read which keeps you on you toes. Even though this is a novella, you get a very good sense of dread in the situation that Iðunn finds herself in. The descriptive gore, the terror is very well placed and you can't help turning pages to find out what is going on.

Will be looking forward to reading more of Hildur's books in the future.

4 stars

This was a short, enjoyable read and was shocking! The main character has chronic fatigue and difficulty sleeping despite all her blood work coming back normal. Slowly as each chapter progresses more and more of the situation is revealed and what you are left with is shocking.

The Night Guest is a spine-tingling novella about a woman living in Reykjavík with a puzzling health problem. The protagonist, Iðunn, is suffering from a strange ailment. She wakes up every morning extremely exhausted. Oddly, she awakens with bruises and scratches all over her body and sometimes blood all over her bed. She is not sure why this is happening to her and the doctors are equally as confused. Then, Iðunn decides to purchase a smartwatch and accidentally leaves it on overnight. When she wakes up, she has logged over 40,000 steps. The story then follows Iðunn's attempts to discover what is happening to her. This novella starts with an extremely interesting premise. As a reader, I am compelled to read further to solve this mystery. The story is well written with interesting commentary about grief, trauma, and chronic illness. However, the ending of the story seemed abrupt with little resolution. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this and would recommend it to others. I just wish that is was a little bit longer to help wrap up the ending.

The Night Guest was creepy!! I appreciate the slow tension and the twist was great. Loved the short chapters too.

Chilling and surprisingly funny in parts. I loved this eerie tale. Clever and unique, it was hard to read at night because I’d get so spooked. Ideal fall reading.

Holy butts this was so freaking good.

I requested this because I wanted to read a sleeping horror and this is 100000% it. As someone who doesn't sleep well, this rattled me.

3.5 rounded up. Took me approx 3 hrs to read this book. Even though the story did hook me in at the start, it then proceeded to unreel and leave me motionless throughout the rest of the story. It wasn't what others described; haunting, thrilling, terrifying, dark, heart-pounding, and unsettling. I was unmoved. And nothing was explained at the end.

‘Have you tried exercising, vitamins or a better diet?’: a familiar refrain often heard by women seeking medical attention for exhaustion. In her first book translated into English, Hildur Knútsdóttir draws on female experience to create a chilling feminist horror that cuts dangerously close to the bone.

Full review: https://westwordsreviews.wordpress.com/2024/09/30/the-night-guest-knutsdottir/

A dark, psychological horror.

The Night Guest starts like every other horror that has sleepwalking. We have our main character worried about strange bruises and muscle aches. And from there, you slip steadily into something dark and quietly horrifying.

While I really enjoyed the horror, I loved the conversation this book had about women's pain being brushed away by doctors.

This novella was a fantastic introduction to this author and you can bet I'll read more from them.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this Earc. All opinions are my own.

I have super mixed feelings about this one.

This is a read (or listen like I did) in one sitting book - it has VERY short chapters (sometimes just one sentence) and moves very quickly. The basic premise is super interesting - our main character finds herself tired ALL the time but has no reason why. She has no medical issues but finds herself waking up physically exhausted, sometimes with bruises or even blood on her with no clue how it got there.

She starts tracking her steps and goes to sleep with one number of steps - and wakes up with significantly higher steps. Is she sleepwalking? And if she is, where is she going and what is she doing?

This was so interesting and I kept listening because I had to know what was happening and where this novel would go. It was fast paced and gave me a sense of thrill and dread....so I highly enjoyed these aspects of the novel.

What I did not enjoy and what took this book down a few stars were two things:
1) The animal death - not to spoil but you must go in knowing you are going to experience (in a little graphic detail) some animal death. This reader has a big problem with that, especially when I don't see how it really made an impact in the story.
2) The ending....what? I really was waiting for the OH MY GOSH moment at the end when everything would be revealed and explained and I found myself scratching my head and being let down.

This is just me. I have seen some great reviews - it's such a fast read that if you are interested, it's worth the couple hours it will take you to get through this. But then you have to DM me and talk to me about that ending.

So overall, I was very interested and intrigued but ultimately let down in the end.

Super creepy. Very atmospheric. A great horror read that pulled me in and kept me guessing. I loved the wording and the pacing. Will definitely recommend this one!

This book spooked me in the BEST way! I felt like I was the one living this nightmare. Read this book ASSP!!!! It will stick with you forever.