This book feels like a zombie movie but suddenly and bracingly switches gears with a twist that practically changes its subgenre.

Starts strong, but takes an abstract turn about a third through. It was not for me, so giving it a star rating is difficult.

A fun, energetic and apocalyptic horror novel that has likeable characters and some great scenes of horror. I didn't enjoy it quite as much as I expected to, but it's still a fun ride

I had an eARC of this book from NetGalley, but I never got around to reading it last year because life got crazy. I ended up listening to this on audiobook the other day. I thought this was a wild, creepy, and strange horror story. It definitely had Stranger Things vibes that I loved. There were some odd characters and the ending confused me a little. Overall, it was an entertaining read.

I’ve been wanting to read a book by Hailey Piper for a while. I liked her writing and I hope to read more from her soon.

3.5 stars

2.5

Hailey Piper has been an author on my radar for ages and I read and enjoyed her dark fantasy No Gods for Drowning in 2022, so I was excited to check out this offering from her. Unfortunately, it never fully came together for me.

For one, the first half of this book didn't really feel like it was going anywhere. There's a teen working at her small town drive in when all of a sudden monsters appear and then I sort of lost the plot until the 50% mark which then shifts the book into a completely different story. I like the concept and what Piper is trying to do here by creating a story about identity and creation, but the execution fell flat for me.

Check out my video review. https://youtu.be/PIj4eAg9SSM
4.5 star

This book is only my second read by Piper, and it was just as awesomely written as the first (No Gods for Drowning). Piper is a winnerr of the Bram stoker award and is known for her Lovecraftian style, characterized by vivid and raw imagery. Her writing doesn't just captivate; it uses this imagery to delve into real-world societal issues, a trait of horror that I deeply admire. It as much the themes as her writing style that draws you in—beautiful and uniquely descriptive. It's a blend of unnerving and beautiful prose that solidifies Piper as one of my favorite horror authors.

The novel introduces us to Olivia, an 18-year-old living in a small town with adopted parents, after fleeing her biological parents when she was outed as gay 3 years prior. We meet her working at a drive-in theater, a setting that lays the groundwork for the story's tone and introduces other key characters, including Christmas, a non-binary teenager with a dark, almost gangster-like aura. The character's introduction sets a tone of dread and curiosity about them and where the inevitable threat is going to be found.

As the plot unfolds, we're thrown into a whirlwind of events starting with a bullying incident at the theater, escalating quickly into a chaotic, almost apocalyptic scenario. This setup allows us to delve deeper into the characters, including Olivia's best friend Sunflower and the sinister Christmas.

The narrative explores themes of trauma, love, hate, and imagination, intertwining them in a way that looks at how each can feed into the other, for better and worse. Piper's exploration of these themes through her characters' journeys adds layers of emotional depth, making the story not just a horror tale but a reflection on human nature and the consequences of unresolved trauma.

A standout aspect of "A Light So Hateful" is its queer representation. Piper handles this with purpose, adding to the narrative's richness. The characters, while introduced almost deceptively as caricatures, are fleshed out, each adding to the exploration of identity, selfhood, and the forces that shape our choices.

Piper's narrative style, combined with her skillful handling of heavy themes, makes this book a compelling read. It's a story that doesn't shy away from consequences, lending it a sense of weight. Its comparison to the novel "Bunny" highlights the similarities in how they explore themes about young women and their dynamics, but I don't think this one is quite as surreal as Bunny.

In conclusion, "A Light So Hateful" is a testament to Piper's skill as a horror writer. Whether you read this or another by her, I hope you consider giving her a try!

Unfortunately this one didn't work for me and I had to DNF. I definitely feel like this book has an audience but I just couldn't bring myself to care about anyone in this book. I will say that the atmosphere was great from the very first page. I really enjoyed the creepy, small town aspect of this book but unfortunately it wasn't enough to keep me reading.

Alright, folks, buckle up for "A Light Most Hateful," a wild ride into Olivia's world, who ditched her past for a gig at a Chapel Hill drive-in, a town seemingly stranded in the middle of nowhere. Her mundane life takes a nosedive one night—cue a bizarre encounter, a monster extravaganza, and the town turning into a crazed zombie horde.

This? Insanity. Seriously, I've never stumbled upon anything like it. Descriptions that defy comparison. Trying to match it to Helpmeet by Naben Ruthnam is like attempting to wrangle a tornado—it just doesn't do justice to the sheer madness and unique imagery.

No spoilers, but what in the world did I just read?! 😂 How does someone craft such a mind-bending tale? I found myself stuck in a loop, rereading passages, grappling with the challenge of wrapping my head around the unimaginable. "How on earth do I visualize this? What's even going on? HOW is this happening?!"

Approach this book expecting one of the weirdest literary adventures ever. It's unabashedly weird horror, plunging deep into the fantastical with a sprinkle of sci-fi. Get ready for a barrage of distinctive body horror—those insane descriptions are the cherry on top.

But it's not just about the weirdness; it's also deeply moving. The story dives into messy, dysfunctional relationships, queer longing, the quest to find your spot in the world, and the journey of recovering from trauma. Amidst the chaos, you'll find moments of sweetness, sporadic humor bursts, but overall, it's an emotionally charged and nuanced ride.

I loved it. A newfound favorite without a doubt. Hailey has hit a whole new level with this one.

The second half, I felt, was better executed than the first. It felt like it needed some tightening. An edit that would streamline and up the stakes until we are solidly placed in what the twist reveals they are.

A Light Most Hateful tells the story of Olivia, a teenage runaway who left home three years ago when she came out to her father and it didn't go well. Having settled in the small town of Chapel Hill, she found a new life for herself, along with her best friend Sunflower. All is good for Olivia, except for one thing, she is harbouring a secret crush on her best friend.

Whilst working the concession stand at the local drive-in cinema one evening, knowing that Sunflower is off up at the local teen parking spot with her latest boyfriend, her night goes from bad to worse. First a mysterious figure called Christmas arrives on the scene, acting all enigmatic and odd, then one of the local boys tries hitting on her for the dozenth time, and a gang of youths start harassing a homeless woman. Enraged by the teen boys glee at harming a poor woman down on her luck, Olivia steps in. But when the woman turns into a horrible monster who quite literally eats one of the gang alive, all hell breaks loose.

As Olivia tries to flee the drive-in a strange storm rolls across the town, and begins to affect people in strange ways. Most of the townspeople have been left as mindless zombies, wandering the streets and standing around doing nothing. Whilst seemingly peaceful, disturbing those affected by the storm turns them into horrific killers who attack and murder anyone they can. With the homeless woman chasing her, a horde of infected townspeople ahead of her, and more strange events happening as the storm continues on, Olivia sets out to find Sunflower. If it is indeed the end of the world, who better to spend it with than the girl she loves.

A Light Most Hateful is a book that runs at maximum speed. The book is barely more than twenty pages in, having only just introduced the readers to Olivia, Sunflower, and their complex relationship, when a homeless woman transforms into some kind of horrible lizard-like monster and swallows someone. It happens so quickly, and so unexpectedly that at first I assumed it was some kind of fake-out, that Olivia was imagining something shocking and impossible that would then be revealed to be fake. But no, just two chapters in and chaos breaks loose and never really stops.

If you like a book that doesn't spend a whole lot of time establishing things, that jumps into the action and makes the reader have to keep up then this is the kind of book that will entertain. It's something of a roller coaster ride, though one with a very short climb before the cart drops off the edge and throws you around wildly. Because things happen so quickly a lot of the background and important information to help flesh out the town and the cast of characters happens during the quiet moments. As Olivia runs from street to street in the overrun town, trying to find Sunflower, her mind casts back to their time together, and we learn about their relationship that way.

This structure means that you're never quite sure if the next page will be taking you down memory lane, giving you more context for things, or if you're going to be coming across some kind of cosmic horror there in the present. This does mean that the narrative feels a little manic, a little disjointed at times, and you find yourself having to wade through important memories that Olivia is thinking about when your logical side is yelling that it's really not the time to be worrying about such things. But this feels like it fits Olivia as a character, someone who is slightly manic, being dragged from one extreme to the other and just trying to keep her head above water.

A Light Most Hateful isn't a long read, at around two hundred and fifty pages it's shorter than the average novel, and the pace it travels at helps it to feel even shorter too. It's the kind of book that you can pick up and suddenly realise you've gone and read half of without realising because it grabs you and just doesn't let go.

Crazy but amazing horror story! This is my second Piper book, and she is killing it! Definitely will be going back and digging into her catalog.

I can always count on a book by Hailey Piper to give me the most unique reading experiences. A LIGHT MOST HATEFUL does not disappoint on this! Scenes of terror, identity, body horror, and more illuminate the story. There's a little twist (for lack of a better term) around halfway or so, and the story takes a different path than what was laid out. I enjoyed the first half a lot more, but the 2nd half had my mind totally exploding with racing thoughts. Piper absolutely knows how to play with our minds! Can't wait for what comes next!

This one really fell short for me. The concept was good, I liked the twist, I liked the characters, but the further I got in, the less impressed I was with it and nearly DNFed it. I think maybe it was just too sci-fi and not enough horror for me? 🤷🏻‍♀️ if you like horror and sci-fi, you’ll probably enjoy this. Hailey Piper is a very talented writer, and I can’t wait to read more of her work. Thanks to Titan for my eARC. A Light Most Hateful is available now!

Not really a fan of body horror so I'm not sure why I picked this one up. The writing was good once the book hit its stride. It's a very unique book but "unique" doesn't always mean "good". I really struggled getting through this one, though I think I'd like to read this author again in the future.

2.5

A Light Most Hateful is a very imaginative horror story set in a small town called Chapel Hill. The story follows Olivia, who ran away from her home years ago and her best friend (who she might be in love with), Sunflower. As Olivia is working at the drive-in theatre, the city is hit by an intense, terrifying storm and also a monster. Olivia now needs to save herself and try to escape the town, all while finding Sunflower. The story poses an unexpectedly scary question of how far is too far when it comes to protecting the ones you love?

I will say this is one of the most creative, imaginative stories I've read in a while. The first half of this book had me absolutely hooked, I could not look away. The premise, the atmosphere, the monsters? Everything was absolutely stellar! The book was promising so much in terms of the plot, so much mystery, so much scariness, if you will. However, unfortunately, as the book progresses, it sort of fizzles out. I didn't find myself interested, I had guessed all of the reveals in advance, and the characters were not holding my attention on them.

However, the things that are done well, are done very well. As I said, I've really enjoyed the first half of the book, and that is probably why I was disappointed later on. The beginning really builds up in a way that is new and interesting and absolutely terrifying. With Olivia going about her regular daily life, just everything being mundane, to the sharp switch to the monster and the storm? Masterfully done, honestly. It was just the perfect level of gross body horror, scary and interesting in equal measures. And the snippets that show us what actually is underfoot really build the atmosphere and keep the reader glued to the book.

However, in the second half of the book I found myself less impressed with the storyline, as it became slightly predictable to me. Of course, that is not a bad thing necessarily, but I felt like that was the right time to built up the characters a bit more, and I felt like the novel barely scratched the surface with them. Sunflower is probably the most fleshed out character, even if she is not the one we actually follow, as the entire book deals with her motivations and her grief in a way. Olivia and Christmas (who accompanies Olivia for the most of the book) form a relationship that seemed very undeveloped to me, and that probably stems from the fact that the whole story is actually set over the course of just one night.

I feel like I am definitely in the minority with this one, and I am glad, as I feel like this story has so much potential! I just ended up feeling like the scariness and excitement died down and began dragging around the halfway point of the novel. I would still recommend you checking it out if it seems interested, I think this just didn't work for me personally :))

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review!

I loved this book. Beuatifully paced, unique and compelling. Deeply wierd in places, but in the best possible way.

“a faint, risen blemish formed a crescent moon—Sunflower’s birthmark. Olivia had always found the mark funny. Sunflower—partly named for one celestial body, skin bearing the resemblance of another.”

My thanks to Titan Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘A Light Most Hateful’ by Hailey Piper. It is a queer coming-of-age story, that has been compared to ‘Stranger Things’. Well, it was undoubtedly strange.

It’s Saturday night in Chapel Hill, Pennsylvania and eighteen-year-old Olivia Abrams is working the concession stand at the local drive-in movie theatre. Three years ago she had run away from home and found refuge in this small town. She often thinks about reaching out to her parents and reconciling but keeps putting it off. Olivia might be bored in Chapel Hill but there is her best friend, Sunflower Mason, on whom she has an unrequited crush.

Then a violent summer storm hits the town bringing with it an otherworldly monster that enslaves many of the town’s residents. Fearful for Sunflower’s safety, Olivia joins up with a stranger, who calls themselves Christmas, and sets out to find her best friend. As reality increasingly fragments, Olivia seeks to understand what’s going on. What she discovers is beyond anything she could have possibly imagined.

While I found the first part of this novel quite compelling, as the plot became weirder and weirder, I found myself losing focus and experienced less of a sense of connection with it.

Still, there was plenty to enjoy including Olivia as a character. Her determination to save those she cares about and to uncover what is behind the events was inspiring. I also appreciated her banter with Christmas, which brought a touch of lightness to the weirdness, cosmic horror, and existential dread.

Overall, while ‘A Light Most Hateful’ didn’t quite work for me I felt that it was a powerful coming-of-age story that took some interesting directions.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Since this was pitched as Bunny meets Stranger Things, so how could I resist?

Really enjoyed Olivia's characterisation, especially her relationship with Sunflower! Piper has a way of weaving together a complex horror story but still managing to keep it accessible for readers. There was a lot going on here, and at times, I definitely wasn't completely sure what was going on, but I remained charmed by it all. The cosmic horror was drawn beautifully, and the way the story evolved to make you question the reliability of not only the characters but also reality itself, was remarkable!

Definitely a great Halloween read!

Ahhh I wanted to like this more than I did. I loved your mind is a terrible thing, but I struggled to get into this and when I finally did there were about 50 pages before it lost me again. The writing is gorgeous and lyrical but ultimately it was too weird for me

This was a wonderful surprise! I didn’t think I’d enjoy it as much as I did, but it was so good! Personally, I think it’s hard to write about zombies now as there are so many books that are just repetitive and boring. However, A Light Most Hateful turned the trope on its head and made it unique. The writing was stunning, the characters fun and relatable, and the plot was full of so many twists and turns. Brilliant’! Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for a chance to read and review this book.