Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of Eye of a Little God! Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. I really tried to push through and keep reading, but there wasn’t enough to engage me past the first quarter of the novel. It felt like the writing was trying too hard to be gritty and dark, more to the point of shocking the reader than actually establishing a plot. I think this is particularly true when it comes to how the women in this novel were written as well. We also don’t get much in the way of character-building at the start, making it difficult to sympathize with the protagonist and join him on his journey. Additionally, while the surreal or horror-adjacent elements seemed intriguing at the start, the lack of cohesion between these elements caused the novel to fall flat early on. I was looking forward to this read, but I’m sorry to say that I struggled getting into it and ultimately decided not to finish the novel.

Creepy endearing read! Eye of a little god follows MMC Eddie a lonely cast off veteran who has given up on life - until he stumbles upon a strange girls diary containing disturbing entries, creepy sketches and notes that seem to link to him but he’s not sure how. Eddie goes down a rabbit hole of twists/turns and unexplainable situations which lead him to question what is real and what is in his head whilst distracting him from his earlier path of despair. For fans of Stephen king/joe hill who want something a bit more rough around the edges.. this is a good read - I think the story does feel a little repetitive but the final few chapters do pick up. I would say the fantasy elements could be built out a bit more but overall it was a decent read

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

Eddie’s visits to see Carrie were my favourite parts if I’m completely honest. The first 40% of the book I wasn’t sure if there was misdirection or what was going on. And then towards the end I was almost positive that we had been double bluffed so it was quite exciting.

I wasn’t expecting the twist at the end but it made the most sense retrospectively.


But we also need to talk about how stalking was a major plotline in this book but none of the characters had any comeuppance from it. I know this is set in the 70’s (American politics isn’t my finest, I think that’s the Reagan era) but what a trip that was.

Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this in exchange for an honest review.

I found it a little difficult to get into this book but once I found a rhythm it was easier to read. I don’t think the blurb quite suits the book. All that happens is accurate yes but not quite in the way that would be expected, there isn’t another world so to speak just another side to the world, like flipping a coin. It’s a slow tale of a man finding out that magic is real, can be used and how far he’s willing to go to save someone he’s never met. It doesn’t really kick off properly until the last half of the book but I enjoyed the ride. Eddie is both deeply troubled and incredibly sympathetic, I almost wish I had more time to get to know him.

It’s an odd read but one I’ll be thinking about for a while.

This was a story of grief and how to find ones self again. I enjoyed it very much. A little short....but still enjoyed. Look forward to more by this author.

Eye of a Little God by A.J. Steiger missed the mark for me, unfortunately. I found it dull to read, which is surprising given its surrealist vibes. A book about a man searching for a missing woman, whose notebook he's found, piecing together clues that lead him into stranger and stranger circumstances, seems like it would be interesting.... but it wasn't. At least not for me. I found it dull and repetitive, with little to catch my attention. The book was tagged LGBTQ and I was curious to find out why -- that's the only reason I finished the book in the first place. And not to give too much of a spoiler, but the LGBTQ part shows up.... in the very last chapters. So the majority of the book has nothing to do with it. Disappointing all around.

Interesting is the word I would use to describe this book. I really had no idea what I was going into when I started reading, and the story I read was heartwarming. I will say, I did find the depictions of both Lou and Eddie’s behavior concerning when it comes to women; but this is also a story of moving on and becoming who you’re supposed to be. Overall, I’ll keep an eye out for other A.J. Steiger books!

Intriguing twist on modern horror tropes with plenty of suspense and a meditation on grief and loss. I loved the 'message in a bottle' style device which drives the story. This was utterly compelling, Great if you want something a bit different.

I’m not sure this ended up being what I was expecting. The writing is dark and delicious. I really enjoyed that. The main character E is great… I liked the exploration of his life and what had happened to him… the way he would have to move forward.

I’m not sure overall I really struggled to connect with it, Maybe my expectations were too far off

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

A lonely man stumbles upon a diary in the woods and knows the woman who wrote it is in trouble. Searching for her leads to some nightmarish discoveries. I enjoyed the creepiness but couldn’t really get myself to root for the protagonist so the whole thing fell a little flat for me.

3.75

This book is good, yes, but it is *not* what the description makes it out to be. The blurb makes it seem as though it's some kind of magical tale in which a man, Eddie, is saved from his own thoughts by a mystical entity, and is transported into something akin to an alternate version of reality where things are wonky. The description doesn't lie in its descriptions, only it makes it seem like more than it is. Or rather, it undersells itself.

This book, to me, falls into the realm of being more in the genre of literary-fantasy rather than fantasy-horror. There are gruesome aspects that place it within the realm of horror, but overall? This is a book about grief, loss, and learning to find the value in the life you are given.

This is not a story about an alternate world of magic per se, even though there are magical elements to it. It's magical realism, and shies away from going a full fantasy route.
The entire story banks off of a mysterious notebook that was left in the woods on the night that our main character Eddie intended to kill himself. Eddie, who at this point has nothing to keep him going since he's become estranged from his family and has no friends to speak of, uses the notebook as a clutch; he uses the notebook as something of being a chance for him to do a good deed in life, a means to leave this world as a saviour instead of a murderer, and fulfill what he thinks is his purpose - being a protector.

Eddie is such an interesting character to me because he manages to come off as not having much social experience, but still self-assured in his actions. He's determined to find out what he wants to know, but he doesn't come off as pushy or demanding, but just having a strong presence. He's not good at understanding other people, but he feels an inexplicable need to protect others; he feels his best when he can be useful.
When he decides to try his best to find the owner of the notebook, it's like he's no longer fumbling around in the dark one day to the next trying to find a reason to live, its like he finally knows how to steer his life in a direction he wants to go in rather than just whatever he thinks he must do.

And at the crux of it all, this story is one about Fate. How no matter how much he may try to push away, or to prod into other peoples lives, trying to figure out what exactly is being hidden from him, he can't change the outcome. He can only delay it.

Now, when it comes to the story itself, I think that in the magical element of the story is a little lacking. I personally am not particularly interested in fantasy, but I do enjoy magical realism, but this story seems like one that desperately wanted to out-and-out be a full blown fantasy but decided to hold back because it *knows* that it would hinder the story and turn it into something it's not meant to be. But even still.... there are a few moments in the story where it tried to take a darker turn but ended up feeling more fake-danger, Twilight-esque in the way that magical elements were revealed or talked about. And there's a few unexplained things that happen that I guess I could turn a blind eye to but ultimately have me scratching my head as to what exactly those scenes were meant to add to the story over all, and don't really fit in all that well. They kind of felt like scapegoats, a way to grab your attention again after things start to get slow.

But even so, I find myself wanting to round up with this story instead of down, because I feel like the heart was there at least. The author wanted to explore an idea that was outside of her usual territory, and I can respect that.

It's weird, it's interesting, it's a little rough around the edges, but at the end of the day, its a decent read to pass the time with. Take that as you will.

i loved this book so much. the world building was crazy good and i loved all the little clues about noelle. the magical element was so incredibly well done and i have nothing but amazing things to say. eddie and lou forever 🥳