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Sacrificial Animals by Kailee Pedersen
Sacrificial Animals
by Kailee Pedersen (Goodreads Author)
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Review of the book: 2.75
There are many things I loved about this book but more things I didn't. Some parts of the plot didn't make a lot of sense, some parts were simply too long and repetitive, I wish it had been 50 pages left.
I was also very excited for the ending to come as it felt like the author put in place obvious hints but then there was no build up to the one big scene, and it was just "this happens, this happens, end", it fell flat and was quite disappointing.


Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.

"Inspired by Kailee Pedersen's own journey being adopted from Nanning, China in 1996 and growing up on a farm in Nebraska, this rich and atmospheric supernatural horror debut explores an ancient Chinese mythology.

The last thing Nick Morrow expected to receive was an invitation from his father to return home. When he left rural Nebraska behind, he believed he was leaving everything there, including his abusive father, Carlyle, and the farm that loomed so large in memory, forever.

But neither Nick nor his brother Joshua, disowned for marrying Emilia, a woman of Asian descent, can ignore such summons from their father, who hopes for a deathbed reconciliation. Predictably, Joshua and Carlyle quickly warm to each other while Nick and Emilia are left to their own devices. Nick puts the time to good use and his flirtation with Emilia quickly blooms into romance. Though not long after the affair turns intimate, Nick begins to suspect that Emilia's interest in him may have sinister, and possibly even ancient, motivations.

Punctuated by scenes from Nick's adolescent years, when memories of a queer awakening and a shadowy presence stalking the farm altered the trajectory of his life forever, Sacrificial Animals explores the violent legacy of inherited trauma and the total collapse of a family in its wake."

Yep, here for the total family collapse.

I spent a decent amount of time deciding what to say about this book. Though it is not my lowest ranked of this year, it will be memorable because of how much work it took me to get through it.

I don't believe in writing bad reviews, as I know authors work tirelessly in many ways the public will never see. So let me start by listing what I did enjoy about this book:

• Something about this book is deeply evocative. You can feel the tendrils of it from the very beginning, and throughout the book, you can feel it building in the background. The mystery of what leaves you hooked enough to stay in the story.

• I’m always a fan of books that use animals as major plot lines. As this is a mythological, supernatural horror, it calls back to mythology and folk tales of ancient days.

• When we finally got to the big reveal of THE supernatural horror, I was beyond ready. It was cleverly done, and I really could read another book by this author, that goes more in-depth into this character’s backstory.

But for the sake of transparency, as this arc was kindly gifted to me, here was what I struggled with:

• The vocabulary was unnecessarily large. I’m fairly well-read, but I spent the first 25% of the book looking up at least one or two words per every page or so. Finally, I was able to turn off something in my brain that allowed me to just read without thinking.

• I would label this as literary with a horror aspect. The horror is an undercurrent that doesn’t show itself until the last 15% of the book. So if you’re looking for horror, that might cause someone to DNF. I almost did.

• I did feel as though much of the first 30% could have been condensed. I understood Carlyle’s violent disposition, the sibling unbalance, and life on Stag’s Crossing fairly quickly. Some of the actual story is necessary for the final pay-off, in a way that I didn’t expect (and did appreciate.) Overall, I struggled to read through the bits that felt repetitive.

• Lastly, the writing itself was difficult for me to find pace with. I finally realized that we were in the head of the main character - an emotional man (who is hiding it.) He’s a writer, who is viewing his childhood with a measure of brutality and romanticism.

I’m writing all of this out in detail because I do truly believe this book has a certain audience that will love it, the way that it deserves. I’m not in that particular audience, but over a section, just watching them have a good time. Go you! Enjoy your party!

*Thank you to Netgalley for sending me a copy of this novel*

Sacrificial Animals follows the main character Nick in two timelines: one in the past, when as an adolescent he lived in the farm with his father and brother and the second in the present, as he returns to the farm with his brother to take care of their dying father.

This novel promises to be horror mixed with mythology but for the most part of the novel the mythological elements are so subtle you can almost miss them. I did not like that the synopsis spoiled most of the novel; some of the things, such as Nick's affair with his brother's wife, do not even happen until around 60-70% of the novel.

I also think (as many of the comments that I have already read around here) that this novel would have benefited from a shorter format. It seems like not much happens in general, in the past nor in the present. The novel feels repetitive because the scenes of the past are so similar to the scenes of the present, to the point that you can only know where they are because the character of Emilia is there.

I didn't really connect with the characters and they were pretty unlikable. Although this alone is not a reason for me to dislike a novel, as sometimes I enjoy reading about unlikable characters. If I had to choose one character it would be Nick, as I enjoyed reading about his past the most. Alas, I didn't like him in the present. I was rooting for his evolution and for his growth to be reflected in the relationship with his father, but he acted the same as a 17 year old and as a 37 year old. Plus, his relation with his brother's wife felt so creepy.

I liked the writing overall but the animal cruelty was too much for me. I will be checking out further releases from this author tho!

3.5
Not sure how to define this one. Interesting story and good use of past snd present. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Sacrificial Animals
Kailee Pedersen
8/20/24

Rating: 4.5 / 5

Ok, so ...

This gothic/supernatural horror novel of generational trauma, toxic masculinity, and revenge is absolutely dripping with darkness, atmosphere, and a constant sense of uneasiness prevailing over all.

Kailee Pedersen's writing is elegant and descriptive, with prose that's almost lyrical, even while she's describing some pretty terrifying scenes.

I really, really enjoyed this horror novel. It's told in flashbacks and present day, and I was really invested in both timelines, which made it a page turner for me...
(Although some of the flashback scenes did became a bit redundant... and maybe the book could have shaved off 30 pages or so.)

But other than these tiny "issues" that have more to do with my personal preferences than anything else, I'd be hard-pressed to think of any other critiques. I truly loved everything else about this novel.
And that last quarter ... Wow. *chef's kiss*!
I love a horror novel that sticks the landing... and this one nailed it!

I highly recommend this one.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Kailee Pedersen for this ARC eBook and audiobook in exchange for my honest feedback.

*Full review on publication date

I am obsessed with chinese folklore. I did three years of Chinese History classes in college for no reason other than folklore.
However, I didn't realize that this was based on one of my favorite stories until I got closer to the end and I was blown away! At first this story seems like an unrelatable story of a boy with a cruel father and then his issues coping as a man. I loved child Nick and his softness. I was so heartbroken over the way he was treated and the things his dad made him do, BUT I had to talk to myself about it all because I am a city girl and even though I have chickens, I have never had to do anything to defend them. Cities are nice that way. We only worry about neighbor dogs.


This is one of the deepest and most profound stories I have ever read. Also that ending! I will be raving about this one for months. It blew me away.

Kailee Pederson's first novel, Sacrificial Animals, is a beautifully written story reflecting ancient tales from Chinese mythology in a very slow burn sort of fashion. While there are notes of everyday horrors throughout the story (toxic masculinity, racism, death of loved ones, etc.), the tension the horror genre is typically known for doesn't hit until a good 3/4 of the way into the book. If a slow build-up is something you love, then this book is for you.

I predominantly listened to this book in audiobook format, but did occasionally follow along with the digital copy. The narration of this book on audio was very well done. The narrator switched between the characters well, making it easy to tell the characters apart from one another when there was dialogue. I chose to speed up the audio to 2x speed as I felt the original recording was too slow, and the narrator spoke clearly enough for this not to interfere with my comprehension of the story.

For a first novel, I felt this was very well done. However, I did feel it was a bit bland for my liking. I struggled with whether or not the flat tone was something done purposeful by the author as a means of who Nick was, or whether it was a sort of flaw within the writing itself. I'm personally leaning towards it being a sort character flaw with Nick as the overall vibes I was getting from his character put me on the edge of discomfort that felt somewhat intentional. I found myself often wondering when the story was going to pick up, and when it finally did it felt slightly predictable. I did appreciate the role Chinese mythology played in the story as I feel that is an area of void in my reading.

Overall, this was an interesting read that I would recommend to a certain number of readers. Not one I would be begging others to read in order to have someone to discuss it with, but I would be interested in trying out other works this author creates in the future.

Thank you St Martin’s Press for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Trigger Warnings: animal abuse, birth trauma and infant death, child abuse, generalized violence.

Sacrificial animals is a highly atmospheric, dread-inducing story of a family wracked by paranoia and ruled by a cruel patriarch. Summoned home as the father of the family is dying, the two sons of the family grapple with expectations, a difficult childhood, and the arrival of a fourth player; Emilia. Emilia is the wife of the elder son, but the attraction between her and the younger son is palpable and destructive.

The prose of this book has an interesting staccato, a brief, arresting rhythm. It’s notable as well that the author has made the choice not to use quotation marks when writing dialogue. This gives the book a somewhat stylistic feeling, which does give it a highly distinctive voice.

I thought that the last 30 or so pages of the book were by far the most vivid and interesting. However, the build up to the payoff is very slow. For a reader that doesn’t have a lot of patience, this could be a great turn off. The first 220 or so pages of the book have Dickensian levels of misery without any of the requisite charm. This is explained in the quick and violent ending scenes, but I could see this being too daunting and exhausting for many readers. I somewhat anticipated that this was a slow build of dread to a larger crescendo, but I’ll admit that this took me a long time to get through and I found myself losing motivation. I think that’s the greatest issue of this book. While suspense building is critical to good horror, it takes far too long to get there, without many small indications of where the story is going.

My final thought was that the use of very unusual vocabulary words stuck out to me throughout the book. Often times the author seemed to stick unnecessarily sophisticated words. I’ve never seen the word “anodyne” appear so many times in a single mass market novel.

It took over halfway through the book for the plot to start picking up and the slow-burn aspect to disappear. I do wish there was more of a focus on Emilia since she was the ‘problem maker.’

The story was interesting; I did find the use of extremely uncommon words unusual. The pace was incredibly slow, which made it hard to pay attention.

Sacrificial Animals is a slow-burn literary horror that blends Chinese mythology with midwestern white America and cycles of familial abuse. It took me a bit to get into but ultimately gripped me up through the pitch perfect ending. The author drew on her experiences being adopted from China and growing up on a farm in Nebraska in the late 90's.

Alternating between past and present timelines, we follow Nick Morrow, the younger son of a racist, paranoid, and violent man who has only become worse since the death of his wife. He tries to raise his sons in his own image, pushing them into fishing and hunting. Nick is secretly queer and deeply traumatized by the violence he experiences as a child. As an adult, his father says he is dying. So he asks his children to come home. Including Nicks older brother who was disowned for marrying an Asian woman. Past and present wind together, as dread and horror slowly build. Again, it may be slow to start and it definitely leans literary, but I thought it was brilliant. The audio narration isn't my favorite but it's okay. I received a copy of this book for review via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This was just a great read. I was just drawn in to this story so thoroughly. I just had so much fun reading this story.

Sacrificial Animals follows two sons of a cruel father, Nick and Joshua. Decades after leaving their Nebraska farm home, their father has asked the boys to return as a deathbed request. Upon arriving, Joshua grows closer to his father while Nick and Joshua’s wife warm to each other. But does Emilia have alternative motives for their affair?
This book goes between two timelines - then and now - with the youngest brother as the main character. We see Nick as a child growing up in his father’s household and now as a 40 year old. I definitely prefer the now chapters. Though the then chapters provide some good backstory for the readers to understand the family dynamic, it was a lot about hunting and felt a bit repetitive.
The book is a bit of a slow burn, but picks up in the last quarter. Then it becomes terrifying and intriguing. If you know anything about Chinese mythology, the direction this story was taking was a bit obvious right off the bat, but it was still a fun ending.
I typically like horror, but I found that this book used such a sophisticated language, especially in the beginning, that I had to work harder to understand what the author was trying to say.

I appreciate the invitation to read this book, but although it sounded good in the synopsis I just can not connect with this writing style and am choosing not to finish reading it.

An abused son, Nick, visits his ill abusive father after years away. I enjoyed this gothic horror novel although it moved a bit slow for me. I did like the past and present storyline and the folklore part of the story. It was a good read for those who like a slow burn.

I went into this one blind, and when I tell you the twist smacked me square in the face, I mean it. Sacrificial Animals was incredibly atmospheric, our main character was so freaking complicated and I loved that about it. It was a slow burn, but I flew through it and enjoyed the constant dread and the supernatural twist to it. If you like generational trauma stories and supernatural horror, this is the one.

I listened to this one on audio and thought that the narration was done well. Many thanks to Macmillan Audio and St. Martin's Press for my advanced copies. Sacrificial Animals will be published 8/20, just in time for spooky season.

2.5 rounded down to 2.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book.

Sacrificial Animals is about this complex family in the Midwest - Nick, Joshua, and their dad, Carlyle. When their mother dies during childbirth, along with their brother, Carlyle is left to raise them in his harsh, hateful ways. When Joshua marries an Asian woman, Emilia, Carlyle disowns him. Nick eventually leaves as well, but both brothers are lured back when Carlyle tells them he is dying of cancer. When the family is reunited under the roof once again, Nick has an affair with Emilia and learns she isn't what she seems.

The premise behind this book was so intriguing. Marketed as a blend of horror and Chinese mythology, it sounded creepy and unique. I also like stories involving family dynamics and race, because they tend to have an important message and can connect a lot with the audience.

However, this fell very flat for me, and it was difficult for me to get through. The writing was more literary prose, but then was kind of choppy and disjointed at parts, particularly when it came to the dialogue. The creepy atmosphere was almost non-existent for me, other than a few brutal parts involving animal death. The Chinese mythology also only came in at the very end, which I definitely would have wanted to learn more of that aspect. Instead, a lot of the plot followed the harsh life of the men, which got repetitive after a while. The past and present/back and forth of the chapters also took me out of some of the more riveting scenes, that happened to be cliffhangers.

I liked the revenge aspect, and wish Emilia and her POV was more involved in the story. She was starting to develop more towards the end, but then the story ended, and I didn't really get the message the author was trying to get across. I can see how this book may appeal to others, but at the end of the day, I went in with different expectations that just weren't met.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: Aug. 20 ,2024
“Sacrificial Animals” is the debut novel by Kailee Pedersen. With components of the Chinese myth of the nine-tailed fox, “Animals” is a book that ended far differently than it began.
After promising himself he would never return to his abusive father and their Nebraska farmstead, that is exactly what happens when Nick receives a phone call from his father, who claims to be dying. Nick’s estranged brother, Joshua, returns reluctantly as well, after being disowned by his father years ago for marrying a woman, Emilia, outside his race. Despite the complicated family dynamics, Nick finds himself rekindled with old feelings toward the woman who is now his brother’s wife and they are reciprocated- until Nick finds out Emilia’s true intentions.
The novel itself used verbose language and, as is the most annoying (to me) trend, no quotation marks. I also had no idea what the book was supposed to be about, as nothing happened until the novel was nearly over (around the 80% remaining mark). When those final chapters hit, there was terrifying, gory and sensational, in the best way, but I wanted that from the first page, and I did not get it.
The story is told by Nick, in two timelines; his childhood and later when he returns to the farm as an adult. Both storylines focus on farming and hunting, and the verbal and physical abuse suffered by Nick and Joshua at the hands of their father. Although the hunting segment showed its importance in the final pages, I found it really difficult to endure the rest of the story, as nothing of particular interest happened.
The Chinese myth was fascinating, but I wasn’t given enough of it in “Animals”. Instead of a “supernatural horror” as it is depicted, I was left with an atmospheric novel that choked me with its prose and structure.
Pedersen is talented, and she definitely has the vocabulary, so I’m sure this novel will be a hit with some readers, but it definitely isn’t for everyone. I was intrigued enough to finish the story, but it left me wanting.

Sacrificial Animals by Kailee Pedersen is a gripping horror tale that immediately captivated me and kept me on edge throughout. The slow build of tension had me second-guessing every mysterious noise in the night.