Diving into this literary horror was an intriguing journey, set against the backdrop of a mysterious, run-down house in West Texas where the air is thick with an ashy haze and the sky takes on a surreal pink hue. At the heart of this tale is Case, a strong and compelling protagonist, who arrives in search of her missing friend, Drea, only to find herself ensnared in a web of secrecy and potential danger.

The story skillfully uses Drea’s scattered journal entries to lead us through a maze of suspense and unease, heightening the sense of isolation and the unknown. The unsettling behavior of the wildlife adds a chilling layer to the narrative, suggesting that the land itself harbors dark secrets.

However, the resolution of the mystery felt somewhat hurried, detracting from the buildup with a conclusion that seemed too convenient. While I admired the depth of the main character and how her past was woven into the narrative, I was left wishing for a fuller understanding of the roommates and their motivations. Their characters, pivotal to the story’s core, remained elusive, leaving a layer of depth unexplored.

In summary, I give this haunting exploration a 3.5/5. It’s a compelling read for those who appreciate a mix of suspense and psychological depth, though it may leave some readers desiring a more fleshed-out conclusion and character motivations. This story is a reminder of how the past can shadow the present, leading us down paths both enlightening and perilous.

Now this was terrifying. I am a huge fan of horror, and this was all the kinds of creepy that I love.

Overall, this book just fell flat for me. I love a book with good culture elements, but this just ended up being strange to read. Thankfully, the book was short, so it was not difficult to finish. I would have loved more character development to lend to such a short timeframe in-book. I feel like this will definitely appeal to a certain audience, but unfortunately that was not me.

In this YA Horror novel set over a 24 hour period the reader follows main character Case while she searches for her best friend who seems to have vanished into thin air. Case encounters Andrea’s (Drea’s) roommates who act quite complacent and unbothered that she isn’t around.

I was initially very intrigued by the premise of this one and the cover is STUNNING. Unfortunately, Clever Creatures of the Night was a DNF for me around 40% into the novel.

I struggled to continue reading because I didn’t feel invested in Case or her quest to find Drea. It didn’t feel very suspenseful or genuine and the interactions Case has with Drea’s roommates are clunky and bizarre. It’s as if I was dropped into a story already in progress. Although Case is meeting the roommates for the first time the dialogue used in almost every initial and subsequent interaction is strangely personal and hostile.

I like that we are given some flashbacks of times shared between Case and Drea and I was intrigued by the writing in Drea’s letters. However, it just wasn’t enough to feel connected to either of them and their journey.

If you’re looking to dip your toe into YA Horror/Thriller this may be a good starting point as the characteristics of each genre are more subtle. Overall, the themes of the novel and construction were promising and had a lot of potential but it fell a little short for me.

Thank you to @algonquinyr and @netgalley for the advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

2⭐️

Pub date: March 5th 2024

I was not a fan of this one. The characters are where the story really lost me, I think. They just fell really flat and felt a bit underdeveloped. Each character felt really muddied in terms of personality and motivation--I didn't really understand the reasoning behind their actions, and how they chose to navigate events. I did like the atmosphere of the story, though. I found the creepiness to be pretty well done and the quirky/weird occurrences were intriguing but ultimately very compelling. Overall, I didn't hate this but it wasn't for me. I just found myself wanting more from the characters and the falling action/ending, even though the overall atmosphere of the story was pretty good.
I can definitely see where people will enjoy this story, but it just wasn't for me.

The beginning was intriguing but fell flat for me as it went on. The characters in the book did not feel well developed and their motivations in the story were unclear. It felt like the author tried to bring in some horror or supernatural elements, but ultimately I feel it didn’t not make sense in the story. I felt that the ending was anticlimactic and slightly rushed. I enjoyed the main character, but felt even her character was underdeveloped.

Thank you to NetGalley and Algonquin Young Readers for am advanced reader copy

Thank you netgalley for the ARC!

Woah. What a wild and weird book! This was a very fast read and it was just strange, but in a good way.

Clever Creatures of Night follows Case, who arrives at the strange house her friend has been living at since a volcano erupted in Texas. She quickly discovers her friend is missing and only her weird roommates remain, unable to tell Case where she went. Case has 24 hours to find her friend and figure out what happened.

This story was creepy. Not in a scary way, but in a “this is all too weird and messed up” kind of way. The strange occurrences, the claustrophobic feeling of the story, and the characters that just don’t add up all make you feel like you’ve been dropped in another, upside down world. I was honestly guessing and on my toes the entire time. The main character was strong and she was a good narrator to follow through the story.

My only complaint was the ending felt a little rushed, even for such a short book. I’m left with some unsatisfied answers and I wished it just gave a little more. I was a little disappointed there wasn’t a bit of a supernatural or cult twist.

But overall, it was a quick and creepy read. I’d recommend for fans of YA horror and readers looking for something with WTH vibes or thriller who done it vibes.

Huh. What a weird little book. It's getting three stars because it kept me engaged, but the ending was extremely anti-climactic. Overall the book was too short for the many things it was trying to do. The atmosphere was solid which helped it a lot. Not a standout by any means.

Review posted to StoryGraph and Goodreads on 3/1/24. Review will be posted to amazon on release date.

When Case’s friend writes her a letter asking her to come visit her at a house on the outskirts of their remote hometown, she decides to show up. Only when Case gets to the home her friend is gone and her friend’s roommates aren’t forthcoming in where she is.

This book tried to do big things which I admire but I ultimately think it fell a bit short. In attempt to be mysterious the author waits to reveal information about backstory regarding how the characters got to the house until like 67% in. Case is a morally grey character and I didn’t really like her or feel like I could trust her but I did know she would do anything to find her friend. The pacing felt a bit off for me and I found myself bored in some parts and then it was rushed to a not so satisfying ending. I really wanted to like this book more because the premise is so cool and mysterious but it didn’t fully deliver.

Clever Creatures of the Night was a departure from my usual reading choice, but I'm glad I made the leap of faith. Samantha Mabry's writing drew me in and kept me captivated from the beginning. The story was a quick read, but I still felt like there was enough time devoted to character development and action so it felt well-rounded and fully developed.

I'll admit that Case is perhaps a morally gray character that perhaps doesn't fall into the "but is still lovable" category. I couldn't really find myself rooting for her, but I think in the end, that's ok. It's a nice departure to have a heroine that I don't necessarily root for, who is complicated in sometimes troubling ways, and who makes choices that I don't always understand. She is human, and part of what we should do when we read is try to put ourselves into the shoes of characters unlike ourselves so that we can we can be better humans.

I debated on whether I wanted to give this a 3.75 or 4-star rating, but in the end, the intrigue of the plot and the complexities that Case brought to the story really made the decision for me. If you're looking for a quick, fascinating, suspenseful read, then I would definitely recommend this story. I'm looking forward to seeing more from Samantha Mabry in the future.

I really wanted to love this book. I love a good mystery, and I also happen to love West Texas. However, this book just wasn't for me, I'm sorry to say. The story felt very disjointed, and I kept losing interest and had to force myself to keep reading. I didn't find any of the characters compelling - it's not that I didn't like the characters, I just wasn't emotionally invested in any of them. Also, I had my hopes up for a paranormal mystery, but that wasn't the case. This might be a good fit for those who like mysteries with an environmental bent, but I wasn't the right reader for this book unfortunately.

I'm not sure what I just read...

The storyline seemed more like 3 different storylines (post-apocalyptic, survival in nature, missing friend) with none of them quite fitting together or fully drawn out. It was, however, compelling enough that I would have honestly loved to read any one of the storylines to a cohesive finish, so I'm not ready to give up on Samantha Mabry yet!

I have mixed feelings about this book. I found the story interesting and I kept reading to find out what happened to Drea, but at the same time I had no idea what was going on. This was clearly a novel about things that happen after a natural disaster, but I had such a hard time putting the pieces together. It just felt like the plot devices in this book were slapped together haphazardly. I think more information on the volcano eruption and how it effected the environment and civilization would have helped to set the story up better.

I spent so much time while reading trying to figure out what the plot actually was. The story that Case kept mentioning about the witch on the hill made me think it was going to be paranormal or fae related, but the rest of the storyline pointed to just regular mystery. And the end was really anti-climatic. Everything was just so oddly put together that it really effected the flow of the story and made it hard to follow a logic line of thinking.

All in all, the story itself was interesting, but I was left feeling underwhelmed.

A girl gets a letter from her best friend asking her to visit... only when she arrives at the house it's filled with hostile classmates that she's never met and her best friend is nowhere to be seen. Case is best friends with Drea, they write letters to each other all the time. Case receives a letter from Drea asking her to come visit and two weeks later Case is at the run down house that Drea lives in... but Drea is nowhere to be found and Drea's classmates who live there aren't saying a thing about where she is. Case is stuck in a place with zero cell reception and with people who refuse to tell her what has happened to Drea. Case has to figure out what happened to her best friend and why everyone is so secretive. This was advertised as a "gripping literary horror" and it felt more like a very very boring mystery. There was no horror in this, the only real horror was how bored I was trying to get to the end of this book (and its a short read so that definitely says a lot that I was struggling to stay present in the book). It really boils down to a simple mystery with characters who don't really have any personality and a mystery that is lacking any depth or interest. Unfortunately this one was a big miss for me and despite it's beautiful cover, I would say if you like super short simple mystery reads then give this one a go, it might be more to your liking than it was for me.

*Thanks Netgalley and Algonquin Young Readers for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I was expecting so much more from this? When Case just kept randomly wandering around instead of grilling the sketchy roommates or systematically searching the house and grounds, she lost me. She never had so much as a conversation with Kendall, and Troy always seemed to talk AT everyone instead of to them. It felt like it was trying to sort of be like The Likeness but without getting one-on-one time with the potential suspects. And also Andrea was totally irrelevant to everything? To the point where her being missing didn’t even seem to matter to anyone but Case - and not even in a suspicious way.

At least it was short? I was able to read the whole thing in two sittings.

I loved Tigers, Not Daughters so I was very excited to read this horror novel.

Case gets a letter from her friend Drea inviting her to her house for a short visit. But when Case gets there Drea is no where to be seen and Drea’s roommates are creepy and evasive. Case needs to find Drea and quickly!

Honestly I expected to like this more than I did… it was just kinda meh. I liked Case and her drive to find her friend but the plot moved slow and the creepy factor was lacking vibes. Maybe an audiobook would have been the way to go??

Thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin Press for an eARC.

Case is on a quest to find out what happened to her missing friend. It sounds straightforward, but the story is a twisty maze blurring the lines of what is actually happening. If you go into this expecting a horror novel you’ll be disappointed; I do feel the genre of the book is mislabeled in the description. This is more a psychological thriller/suspense. It’s a fast read and I found it entertaining, trying to figure out exactly what was happening. Thank you for the opportunity to read in advance!

This is such a strange little book. I dunno if it'll be the strangest I'll read this year, but it'll definitely be up there.

I'm normally all for strange books, but, in this book's case, the strangeness works against the story. Firstly, it's barely over 200 pages, the plot taking place in just one day. The pace is very agonizing for the first two-thirds because the writing was focused on describing the environment/setting, specifically the numerous smells Case constantly picks up on. Character depth was tossed out the window, and the mystery/supposed spookiness weren't really relevant, making the final reveal all the more lackluster.

Overall, this wasn't for me. I wish I had more to say, but I just don't.

DNF - I had high hopes for this book, but after 25% it didn't give me reason to care about Drea's disappearance or Case's search for her, much less any of the inhabitants of the house.

eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.

This is a young adult novel that I do not think will appeal to too many young people. The story takes place over 24 hours and is set in Texas after a volcanic eruption causes weather problems and animal behavior issues. Case arrives at an isolated house to visit her friend who seems to have disappeared. The other young people at the house are vague about where her friend is and what happened to her. The plot is lacking, the characters are unlikeable, and the writing is just OK. Thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin Young Readers for providing an ARC.