I was lucky to receive an ARC of @sunnymoraine 's Your Shadow Half Remains through NetGalley. This is not Moraine's first rodeo, although her focus seems to like mainly in short fiction. That explains the expertly tight prose and the efficient pacing.

There was no fat on the sentences. You only get the strong bones and juicy meat, so to speak. The entire novella was a FEAST for any horror fan. (I could have said connoisseur, but I'll leave the metaphor rest now).

Moraine explores the psyche of Riley, a woman who lives alone after a violent epidemic. Once you look into a person's eyes, you go insane. The craze to kill the other person and then yourself will overtake you. As such, the most basic human interaction suddenly becomes impossible if you seek to survive. That alone allows for an interesting character portrayal and Moraine takes her time to set the stage.

Riley has been alone for a long time. Until suddenly, she has a neighbour. Ellis does not seem to be afraid of being near Riley. Having almost normal conversations, they get to know each other better, until all Riley wants is to get ONE look at Ellis. How bad can that be?

Besides the beautiful horror twist on sapphic pining that I will savour forever, Moraine provides a brilliant portrayal of intrusive thoughts haunting Riley, until she can no longer tell what is real and what is not.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this relatively short read. To savour Riley's descent into chaos and panic, I have split it over a few days, but you can read it within a well-spent afternoon, if you want to. The flow is perfect for it.

I like how smart this book was. Really. Within those almost 200 pages, the story made a whole circle. 360 degrees with no remorse toward a confused reader. I like its psychedelic vibe with the underlying tone of doubtful realism.
I like my good post-apo. This time around, there is a pandemic of certain behavior rather than a typical virus. Trigger seem to be reflection or looking at one's eyes. When infected and triggered, a person experiences a manic aggressive state, of murderous proportions. So we also have some gore. Our main character survives and separates herself, living happily alone until one day someone moves a couple miles down the road. The whole plot thickens and our protagonist has a hard time connecting what is real to what is imagination. I mean, we all get it. 2020 says hi. There are moments, that were overly descriptive, hence redundant and repetitive. So that would cut happy 50 pages without losing anything. Sitting in one's head might be tiresome, but after a couple of zoning out sessions, I am happy with the time I spent reading this novella.

The cover and title of this book immediately grabbed my attention and after reading the description, I knew I had to read this. The plot is similar to Josh Malerman’s <i>Bird Box</i>. Whereas that was a big apocalyptic thriller, <i>Your Shadow Half Remains</i> is a more intimate character study.

The lead character, Riley is completely cut off from the world save for the drones that deliver her groceries. Riley’s isolation and fear of contagion feels very relevant post 2020. Then a mysterious neighbor, Ellis, shows up. Riley’s reaction is a mix of fear and facination. I liked the ambiguity of not knowing whether these two were going to fall in love or kill each other or both.

Unfortunately, the conflict is underutilized. Ellis is redecorating their house while Riley is wondering if there is someone stalking her. She never questions whether the stalker is Ellis. Then she discovers that someone cut her computer cord and she assumes that she did this herself in her sleep. The tension is uneven. It starts off strong, then dissipates for the entire second act only to explode seemingly out of nowhere in the third.

I also struggled to connect with the writing style. The language used is very repetitive– particularly the word “normal.” Here are some examples:

<blockquote>“You make things normal by being normal in the midst of them. That’s a lesson everyone had to learn on a whole new level. You make things normal by sheer force of will. You make things normal and then you don’t have to be freaked out all the fucking time. And after a while, you could be amazed by how many things become normal, how many things you simply learn to accept and fold into what passes for your life.” (Chapter 14)

How easy it was to make it normal to herself. She’s gotten very good at making things normal to herself, and that was true before the world broke apart and changed. (Chapter 21 </blockquote>

The second quote is also an example of redundant descriptions. The novel is written in deep third-person POV so it can be argued that the redundancy is used to illustrate Riley’s personality and emotional state though for me, these were tiring to read. Here are a few examples:

<blockquote>”Riley noted the feeling and was disturbed by it and never mentioned it to anyone.
Increasingly, she wasn’t mentioning anything to anyone.”

“No memory whatsoever of how she got there. No memory of anything whatsoever”

“She’s fascinated. It’s fascinating.”</blockquote>

I was also tripped up by the long sentences that were so wordy that I struggled to follow along:

<blockquote>She had time to come up with an explanation and she didn’t, and she suspects that only part of that is that the truth is impossible to really explain in any way that doesn’t make it sound at least a little bit insane. </blockquote>

Hopefully, the quotes from the book will help other readers to determine whether or not this style works for them. While this style did not work for me, I do appreciate the unique storytelling approach.

I also enjoyed the last few pages. Here the descriptions worked well. I like how humor was used to undercut the tension without taking away from the beauty of the scene.

Ultimately, this is a short book (less than 200 pages) so if the writing style works for you and you like the premise, check it out. Keep in mind that this is more of a psychological thriller than a post apocalyptic one. While the premise is similar to <i>Bird Box</i>, I would recommend this to fans of CJ Leed's fantastic 2023 novel <i>Maeve Fly</i>.

I loved the premise of this, and I read it pretty quickly since it was less than 200 pages. However, I didn't enjoy the story all that much in the character department. I didn't enjoy our main character, or reading from her, so that really dulled my experience of the story overall. I can see where people who are super extroverted and snappy/edgier will enjoy this, but I just had such a hard time with the main character. I am also realizing that I'm not a huge fan of pandemic horror. I think living through 2020 (as a 22-year old) means that the horror doesn't really...horror for me. Because I was literally there as the world fell apart, and I apparently don't really enjoy going back to that time. It's definitely a me thing.

I requested an ARC of this title because it sounded like everything I love. Isolation horror, dystopian, potentially an unreliable narrator and its short! Unfortunately I did not like it, but that doesn't mean you wont!

It did deliver on everything I wanted, unfortunately I didn't like the narrative voice. The main character had to have been her in mid 20s early 30s based on the timeline we were presented in the book. She was a full adult when this epidemic broke out and its now years later but she read like a edgy teenager. I was annoyed by page 1 and my annoyance never went away.

I also had a hard time relating to her responses because I'm good with isolation. I think this book would be better for someone who is an extrovert.

Don't let me talk you out of picking this up if it still sounds interesting but please know that this is a very short novella from the perspective of random woman. You're not going to get answers.

First and foremost, I want to say that I am often critical of “pandemic” horror—horror narratives written during or around the time of the lock-down that thematically centre around social and psychological mimesis of that time. This isn’t because I do not think they are valid, they are. However, I did find myself caught up in a state of oversaturation due to just how many authors were inspired to write about it. That being said, Your Shadow Half Remains, despite being very much what I would term “pandemic” horror, dealt with enough unique ideas and themes that I wasn’t turned off. In fact, I really liked the general concept and story.
Horror-wise, I liked how insular this was. Yes, there are terrible and grotesque things occurring. Yet, because Riley can’t actually look at anyone, most of her interpretation of events, both gorey and not, is dependent on what she hears and her emotional responses. Overall, this then translates to a book that is intensely psychological and builds tension slowly, but without the standard use of gaslighting and a heavier focus on Riley’s unreliable accounts and attempts to reconcile past trauma and fear with loneliness and isolation.
While I enjoyed Your Shadow Half Remains, I wish it had been written in a first-person perspective. I think with the amount of time the reader spends in Riley’s head, it would have made the writing seem less passive and lent itself better to getting the reader emotionally engaged sooner. As is, the novel is still good, but it does feel like a bit of a slow-burn into caring about Riley and Ellis.
Ultimately, I would still recommend this, especially if you are a fan of apocalypse or zombie-infection literature.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book going in, but I found it to be very atmospheric and creepy and I enjoyed it a lot. I don't find myself getting scared or grossed out by a lot of books, but messing with eyes is one way to really get to me quick. Between some of the great imagery (no pun intended) Moraine writes and some of the tense scenes with Riley in her home, I got pretty freaked out at times. I always love when that happens. I liked the doubt and unreliability that was injected into the characters and the narrative, and I was always eager to keep reading.

The ending wasn't my favorite thing ever, sometimes the narrative got a little repetitive, and there were a couple confusing moments. The plot and crux of the story reminded me a lot of Bird Box, but that book was so good it's hard to meet those expectations. Overall, this was a fun, creepy little tale that brought me out of a reading slump, but it wasn't anything overly memorable.

Your Shadow Half Remains is a tense and claustrophobic post-apocalyptic novella about trauma, fear and isolation, and how it all subtly affects your mind and perception over time. It's about the loneliness and intense need for a human connection even if that connection might be the end of you and others. It's also about not knowing whether the madness has consumed you whole, if it's been with you this whole time, waiting, or if this is how it was always meant to be.

It's a lot of things. It's also an extremely intense, sitting at the edge of your seat and can't put it down, kind of read that's impossible to not read in one sitting. I love the portrayal of this intense need to be known to others, to be seen and to see, but not being able to because it could mean the end of you. That despite of that, small risks are taken, bringing the madness closer.

The way this was written was claustrophobic and terrifying, and it feels like a post-apocalyptic zombie film without the zombies. It's giving 28 days later with its vibe with London being replaced with a house in the middle of nowhere and Cillian Murphy was a queer woman intrigued by an unknown new neighbour. I loved the zombie-not-zombie vibes, the fact this was AFTER the virus and it shows a world semi working in a way, and that it's a potentially unreliable narrator and a queer relationship - it's also so much more than a romantic relationship as well with so much depth (and again, did I say it was queer! I think Ellis is genderqueer or at least their gender isn't known? That's really cool).

The ending of this was absolutely amazing. I'm not sure how I feel about it, but it did make me feel some kind of intense emotions. It's definitely a highlight of 2024!!

// ARC courtesy of Tor Nightfire and NetGalley.

When reading a novella I usually assume that limited number of pages means it's going to be action and content packed. Not necessarily as it seems. This one was extremely slow for me and while it corresponds with the theme of unreliable narrator and developing paranoia, I contemplated DNF-ing it a couple times.
I liked the general concept of horrendous virus that makes people go on murderous rampage once they look someone in the eyes. It's uncomfortable and terrifying, especially when living in this new society, with people isolated from each other for their own safety, definitely brings back memories of COVID pandemic. The virus idea itself gave me chills as it immediately makes me think of what it meant for families and children - it's not mentioned in the book (thank god, although it doesn't shun gory scenes and various triggers), but sheer thought was awful.
The whole plot resolves around a character who's not sure if she's going mad in an already mad world. Since people in this story cannot be sure how exactly the virus works and whether it mutates, we also don't know if main characters is seeing things because of mental breakdown or developing infection. The growing paranoia is interesting, but it seemed repetitive and because of that the execution fell somehow flat.
All in all it was just ok, but there were no surprises and the pace was disappointing.

3.75 stars

Release date: Feb 6, 2024
**Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.**

Pros
+ post-apocalyptic Isolated house in the woods setting
+ undefined "happening"/mutation/virus where meeting eyes can drive you to extreme violence
+ massively unreliable fMC (time slips away from her, which is one of my fav "unreliable MC" tropes)
+ slow descent into chaos
+ sapphic vibes
+ bloodthirsty corvids
+ The last third was unputdownable. The pace was slow, halting, picked up speed, then just went straight off the rails like a vertical roller-coaster. Totally a "oh sh*t, she's really doing this" type of moment.

Neutral
/ Check triggers because this does have many, especially intense questioning of personal sanity.

Cons
- The beginning was slow and monotonous (I see the repetition being true to Riley's everyday life, but was bored)
- A bit too much tell instead of show to set up the world Riley is in now. Would have much preferred to see her still at her mom's house, witness everything that goes down, then a time jump to where she is now. The "tell" method really distanced me from that action, which is a shame because the beginning could've really hooked me better that way.

Here is my feedback for your shadow half remains .. I really enjoyed it! 4.25 stars ,. So honored to get an arc

Your Shadow Half Remains is an interesting short novel showcasing an unreliable narrator in the midst of a global pandemic. The prose is gorgeous and the story, while a bit slow paced for a short book, builds to an interesting climax. This book is great for fans of Eric LaRocca.
Thanks to Tor NIghtfire and the author for the ARC!

"Try not to dwell uselessly on the self-evident truth that while civilization didn't collapse totally and immediately the way one might have expected, everything is slowly, inexorably falling apart."
- Your Shadow Half Remains

This book is an intriguing take on the dystopian concept of a global pandemic wiping out humanity as we know it. It's uncomfortably reminiscent of the beginning of the COVID pandemic, which gives readers an immersive experience from the very beginning by addressing the familiarity of loneliness, confusion, fear, and the unknown. It gives a glimpse into the chaos of a world where nothing is certain, including your ability to trust your own psyche. It brings you to the brink of insanity in an eerily intimate way and makes the building discomfort and fear palpable.

Told from the point of view of an unreliable narrator, who you don't immediately recognize as such, this story follows her life alone, a chance encounter with the first person she's interacted with in years, and her descent into madness as she becomes increasingly paranoid. There is a considerable amount of internal monologue as the main character, Riley, argues with herself throughout the book, especially in regards to Ellis. We never learn the gender of Ellis, but there is an apparent chemistry between the two, despite Riley's unwillingness to trust a new person. At the point of this story, Riley has been left to her own devices, completely isolated on her own, for years. It leaves her a bit unhinged, which plays out in interesting ways, especially at the end. I don't want to give anything away, so I'll just say the end of this book leaves room for speculation and ends with a twist you felt coming, but didn't dare to entertain. I was at a loss for words, and I'm still trying to wrap my head around it.

I was completely enraptured with this story from the very beginning and it certainly held my attention throughout. I found myself rooting for Riley right up until the end, despite all the things she'd done. I felt pity for Ellis and was shocked at every turn. It was truly a thrilling read and it made me think. My concern for the characters, enjoyment of the plot, and the jaw-dropping ending all contribute to my 5 star rating. I will be checking out other works by this author. I received both the e-book and the audiobook, and I found the narrator, which in this case is the author, to be very easy to listen to. I actually fell asleep listening the last couple of nights. I would listen to something else narrated by them.

Be warned: this is a pretty dark book. There are detailed accounts of violence/gore, animal death, murder, death of a parent, mental illness and suicidal thoughts, sexual content, and mention of child death. If any of these things bother you, it would be wise to steer clear of this book. You'll just have to miss out on a brilliant piece of speculative horror fiction.

This was a post-apocalyptic suspense horror where the world is thrown into utter chaos when a disease from having eye contact with another human incites violent rage within people. There's plenty of violence and body horror but what was more terrifying to me was how closely the isolation and desperation portrayed in this book closely mimicked the world during the COVID pandemic. The importance of love and connection and larger questions surrounding what it means to be human are at the forefront of this novella.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for this e-arc.*

Your Shadow Half Remains has been on my Kobo Wishlist for MONTHS and I couldn’t wait any longer to read it. I decided to shoot my shot and request it on @netgalley

This novella from @sunnymoraine is compared to The Last of Us and Bird Box in the synopsis. These comparisons give the reader a good starting point in understanding what to expect but it’s important to note that this novella is so much more and easily stands on its own. I know that over the coming years there will inevitability be novels that are compared to Your Shadow Half Remains. This in itself speaks to how well crafted and executed every aspect of this novella is.

We follow Riley who is navigating life in the “After” of this dystopian world where looking into the eyes of an infected person results in extreme violence and death. I thoroughly enjoyed the dynamic between Riley and Ellis (the tempting new neighbour who moves in) and I was really intrigued by the time Riley spent alone. In a world where being around others can kill you, our main character spends much of her time alone and I was here for the spiral. There were several audible gasps while I was reading in the wee hours of the morning, trying not to wake up my family.

Your Shadow Half Remains comes out on February 6th so get your preorder in and come back here so we can discuss!

Massive thanks to @tornightfire @sunnymoraine and @netgalley for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

4⭐️

This book definitely has a slow start. I almost DNFed a few times, but in the end I'm happy I stuck with it because the last third really picked up. The writing felt very casual, which can absolutely work for some readers but really took me out of the story. Also, it took me a long time to care about the characters, and in a book this short, time isn't something the author has a lot of. I did enjoy the descent into madness aspect of the story, but overall I don't think it was for me.

While this book didn't work for me personally, I think it could be a good choice for people more interested in an introspective story where a lot of the plot comes from the main character's internal monologue/thoughts about the things happening around her. There is a bit of blood and gore, so be warned if that's something you'd prefer to avoid.

I feel so torn with this book, the writing was well done but the unreliable narrator theme left me feeling confused and uncertain which I feel is definitely purposeful but it just didn’t hit quite right.

Riley hasn’t seen another person for a long time and she most definitely hasn’t looked one in the eyes for even longer. The world is chaos and people are dying, a look in the eye is all it takes to set off a person into a murderous chaotic being that will take itself and anyone else down with it. Locked away in cabin, phone thrown in a lake, Riley meets another person, but people are weird now, and this new connection sets off forgotten about feelings and worries.

This is a chilling novella about a slow descent into madness. The idea that “something” causes a type of madness that makes people violently crazy is not necessarily new but the situation of the protagonist who perhaps goes slowly mad due to the violence she has seen and isolation which she has imposed on herself feels fresh. It’s a take on the eternal question of which came first. Am I crazy because of the “illness” and/or aftermath of what occurred or was I always crazy and it was brought out, intensified or excused by the apocalypse? Did this pandemic cause my madness or was it a result of having to survive after the pandemic with the constant fear and paranoia? Am I crazy at all…?

First of all, I love the concept of this story. It follows one woman living in a dystopian,
zombieqse-riddled world BUT society somehow hasn't completely broken down.

In spite of humans no longer being able to look into each other’s eyes without becoming completely overtaken with a murderous rage- food and supplies can still be delivered. People are pressing forward like it’s COVID days, just replace face masks with “blinders.”

Unfortunately, I had a really hard time with the syntax. I was unsure if it was just me, so I passed a few pages around to a friend and my husband, and they both agreed that it was unusual to the point of not being easy to digest.

Because I was cognitively fatiqued from attempting to parse the text I think I missed out on the power of the storytelling.

I would recommend this book with the caveat of obtaining and reading a sample first to unsure you enjoy the unique prose.

I also believe an audio version may be helpful as the narrator will likely use inflection, pauses, etc that clarify structural intent.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a book. A dark fever dream with a pandemic backdrop and chilling prose, this book is going to remain in my head for quite some time.

Along the same ton of Ian Reid’s ‘I’m Thinking of Ending Things’ and the style of Josh Malerman, Sunny Moraine created a fresh and terrifying novella.

There’s a virus out there and Riley has holed herself up in her house for longer than she can even remember. She hasn’t even seen her family.

Then, a neighbor appears and she’s trying to figure out if she can handle being alone anymore.

There are so many questions still spinning in my head, but the author really nailed the dread and panic of what it was like going through the 2020 COVID pandemic. In a way, this is more gruesomely terrifying because I lived through isolation.

Truly, a gem of a novella. One I won’t soon forget. Thanks to the publishers who gave me this e-copy in exchange for my honest review. All the opinions are my own.