I really enjoyed The Night Guest! I ended up reading this one in one day! You fly through trying to figure out why this character cannot get a good night's sleep! I think this a great recommendation for people who enjoy pink horror!!

this was a four stars for me 💗

Thank you NetGalley for this arc!

(4.5/5 rounded to 5) While I definitely desired more, I was so invested in this story I was ultimately very satisfied. The narration was propulsive and I couldn’t put it down. I devoured this in one sitting. Will be a go-to recommendation for those who want accessible translated fiction or ‘sad hot girl’ horror book recommendations. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this for review!

Iðunn, wakes up exhausted every day. She wakes each morning with aching muscles and body pains. Everything hurts. Each doctor after doctor she goes to find nothing wrong with her. She suspect some frightening diseases, but when her blood work all comes back fine, it’s not a relief as she knows something is wrong… and no one can tell her what. Even friends and family make the suggestions that she should take better care of herself. She decides that perhaps they are right. She gets several things including a watch that counts steps. Then one night she forgets to take her watch off. When she wakes in the morning, she sees her watch has walked over 40,000 steps last night. How could that happened? What causes it? What is happening to her? Why does she have bruises and wounds? Why doesn’t she remember what happened?

The tension builds in the book that get more and more disturbing, and as the clues to Iðunn’s nightly experiences pile up, I find myself increasingly at a loss to explain it all. Is it psychosis, as one doctor believes? Is it something otherworldly acting upon her? I Socially, Iðunn is a little awkward, always feeling like an outsider. We learn much more about her background and why her family and social life are the way they are — but I appreciated the way the information unfolds and offers an unexpected twist, so I won’t reveal it here.

Eventually, Iðunn takes even more drastic measures to figure out what’s going on at night and to make it stop. Her efforts to stop it fail in more spectacular, dramatic ways and she progresses from waking up sore to waking up bloody and injured — still without knowing why. The tension builds in a way that gets to be more disturbing.. It is a disturbing, yet very effective horror novel.

I truly enjoyed reading The Night Guest, its fast pace and suspense kept me hooked. I think this book had such great potential and it was so strong but near the end it felt quite rushed to me. I was a bit disappointed in the ending, and felt like there were some questions that were left unanswered.

An enjoyable read that will have you hooked as you flip through the pages. I enjoyed this novel and it was the first novel I have read by this author. I look forward to more titles.

I really enjoyed this thrilling and mysterious story. The perfect length for the amount of tension it keeps you in. I absolutely loved the setting of Reykjavík Iceland. The ending fell a little flat for me, but I loved the story getting there. I’d absolutely read more from this author.

Thank you NetGalley, Hildur Knutsdottir and Tor Publishing group for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I’m not even sure what I just read. This book is a whopping 208 pages and it’s a super quick and easy read. This was a wild ride through those pages and I was left a little confused in the end.

A creepy novella, but ultimately unsatisfying. Strange things are going on in the protagonist's life - she's tired all the time, her muscles ache, there are unexplained injuries. Slowly, she discovers what's going on... and it's not good. The plot is engrossing, but things do not get explained in the end and it's pretty frustrating.

Haunting, visceral, and paranoid. I was glad I didn't know much about The Night Guest when I went into it. Having more information about the reveal would have likely turned me off and robbed me of a very enjoyable reading experience.

This spare horror novel is not going to spoon feed you all the details. And that's part of why it works so well- the novel haunts you like Iðunn is haunted as you try to figure out why the abuse and death s happening.

If you cannot read about animal death, this is not for you.

The premise for this book is so very creative and thought-provoking. I loved the blend of humor, terror, and incredibly literary exposition. This will be a top book of the year for me.

3.5/5 Stars

I read this book in one sitting and left with so many more questions than I started with. If you are not into ambiguous endings, this one is not for you. Check the trigger warnings because there are some pretty horrible things in this book.

I probably would have rated this higher if some of the questions I had were answered. There were a few things that happened and I just don't understand why they happened or how they tied into the plot.

That being said, I could not put this book down! I loved the formatting of the chapters. The one sentence chapters made this so much creepier and really made me feel the desperation our main character was feeling at the time.

I'm not going to go into any of the details since this is such a short read. But I would recommend this book if you're looking for a quick and spooky read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Tor Nightfire, for the advanced copy. All thought and opinions are wholly my own.

A one-sitting read.
Suspenseful, chilling.
Better start than end.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️




I write Haiku reviews but am happy to provide more feedback!

Sooooo this book definitely threw me for a freaking loop and I honestly don’t know what to do with myself after reading...

I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS.... Is this b*tch crazy or is the twist at the end real?

I mean sleep as a horror play... this writer cuts to the jugular... I mean I can’t even imagine the scenario where you woke up and you don’t know what the hell you did the night before... I mean it can happen occasionally, but not in this capacity.

I’m still shook from this and I need answers man... I’m dying.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for an ARC of this book! The Night Guest was a quick fun read that is perfect as a palate cleanser. I would strongly suggest looking up trigger warnings before reading. While this was an enjoyable read for me, there are some dark themes that may not sit well with others.

Iðunn can’t explain why she’s so tired. This story jumps right in at the doctor’s office as she’s trying yet again to get answers. Eventually, Iðunn realizes that her issue might not be health related, and may actually be something quite sinister. Typically, I’d be really frustrated with a character like Iðunn, who at times seems kind of naive or clueless. However, she didn’t come across as helpless or dumb, she eventually starts putting the pieces together. I did feel as though the ending was abrupt and I definitely wish the story went on a little longer. But for those that like an open ended ending, this may be the right read for you.

The story revolves around a woman who begins to experience unsettling events in her home, leading her to question her own mind and the intentions of those around her. Knutsdottir masterfully builds tension and atmosphere, creating a sense of unease that keeps readers on edge. The narrative explores themes of isolation and vulnerability, making it a compelling read for fans of suspenseful fiction. With its twists and turns, "The Night Guest" offers a thought-provoking look at the fragility of perception and reality.

Spoiler….First, if animal or pet (in this case cat) violence and/or death is a deal breaker, this book will not be for you. While it is not extremely graphic or gory, it is a central theme to the book. As a cat owner, this part was extremely disturbing for me – so wanted to put that trigger warning up front.

Trigger warning aside, I felt like the Night Guest had an interesting premise but overall was lacking in execution. The main character, Iounn, knows something is not right, waking up extremely fatigued and bruised, among other weird symptoms and occurrences. The story follows her as she tries to figure out what is happening, and what she is doing while she should be sleeping.

The Night Guest was a brief book and I feel like it could have really benefited from another 50-100 pages to dive into the family dynamics (and sister), along with the “why” and “what” behind the nighttime behavior. Also, the ending felt very rushed and disjointed. I can appreciate ending that leaves you thinking and forces you to come to your own conclusions, but this one had too many holes for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the copy of this book!

Actual Rating 3.5

This is a horror novella that was well paced and had me hooked from the beginning. I enjoyed getting to know the protagonist and felt that she was written quite well. She was interesting and had some unique ways of thinking about things, which added to the odd qualities of the work. I also enjoyed how quickly the tension began to increase and how things got spooky fast. The atmosphere was strong as well.

The ending was…something. At first, I felt like I missed something, and then I mostly just felt like it was a bit of letdown after I’d thought about it some more. Despite this, I really enjoyed this novella overall and would recommend it to folks who like unsettling horror. My thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I enjoyed this book about a woman who is constantly tired and doesn't know why. Her doctor and friends think she's fine, so she tries vitamins and sleeping pills, but nothing helps. So she decides to buy a fitness watch in order to count her steps. She wakes the next morning to find that she's walked over 40,000 steps overnight, but she can't remember even getting out of bed.

This was a short book at 208 pages, and many of the chapters had one or two lines, so it was a very fast read. I was invested in knowing what this character was doing during the night, but then the ending was a bit of a letdown for me. There is also mention of dead amimals, and that is my one trigger when reading books.

Definitely give this one a try if you are a fan of horror books and if you are not too triggered by animal abuse.

Thank you, @netgalley and @tornightfire, for the #gifted e-arc and physical copy of this book!

Absolutely brilliant. This is what a horror novella should be--creepy, fast paced, and dread inching up with every page.

I hope more of this writer's books are translated soon :)