Twenty years ago, Lisa Kallman witnessed her father's brutal murder. Now, she's successful, and on the verge of having her dream life. She's got the job, the wonderful partner, and they've just purchased their new home together. However, when she starts hearing strange voices, and people have seemingly disappeared without a trace, she begins to wonder whether there's something more to that night twenty years ago than what she remembers, or maybe, she's losing her mind...

I was keen to read this one. The cover caught my eye on Netgalley and horror is my jam, as those who follow my reviews know by now. I will admit though, this one did fall a little flat for me. It did go in a totally different direction than what I was expecting, and that's not necessarily a bad thing, I feel like the general idea of the plot was great and not something I would have picked. I can't quite put my finger on what it was, I feel like the narration itself seemed to be a little bit clumsy at times, though it did drag me into the story.

The story started out strong and I loved the opening. The scared 7-year-old girl in the new house, while possibly cliche, worked incredibly well for the story. I did find that the pacing dropped for a while there, and it felt a little hard to get the momentum back up, but once it did, I had to know what happened next. I definitely stayed up past my bedtime in order to finish this one, and after having my tablet go flying off my bedside table twice, I stayed up even later because I was over tired, had this horror story rolling around my head, and was worried that something in my closet was going to eat me. So, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that Forbis is definitely able to set the scene and inject a fantastic dose of creepiness and atmosphere into his story. I don't get kept up by books or movies, so the fact that I ended up staying awake until after 130am because it had given me a healthy dose of the creeps, speaks volumes in my opinion.

The characters were interesting, I did enjoy the character of Lisa, and I loved getting to see how she became her own saviour. I could tell from the get-go that she wasn't a push over, but I could also see that she was quite introverted and subdued, happy to let her partner, David, take the lead. I will admit, I had a moment of struggle when a certain plot driver was dropped, having recognised parts of my former relationship in the interactions between Lisa and David, when a certain thing happened, it rang a little too close to home and caught me a bit off guard. I did push through though as I knew it was a plot driver, and I'm glad that I did. I couldn't hold any sympathy for two of the characters after that point, however. I greatly sympathised with Lisa, and I'm not sure whether it was because I had experienced a similar relationship to hers, or whether it was just her character. I feel like it was probably a little bit of both. The character of her mother was a very interesting one, and I'm sad that she didn't get much page time. I feel like she was an untapped well that could have definitely been explored a bit more, giving us more of a dimension to the story. I was interested in seeing what would happen after Lisa's visit and whether it would impact her mother's condition or not, however, that wasn't explored any further, and I feel like it was a lost opportunity. I was expecting the reunion between Lisa and one of the other characters to pack more of a punch, but that fell a little bit flat as well. It was sort of sped through, almost like a "Oh wow, you." NEXT! There was a lot of avenues that could have done with a deeper dive, and I feel like they would have only added more dimension to the story, but then, maybe it would have dragged it out too long.

All in all, this was a decent read, with good, solid creep factor and a unique story that you slowly uncover as it progresses. I feel like some things could have been given a bit more exploration and time, but alas, it wasn't meant to be. I did like the insinuation surrounding another character that we meet, it was one of "did he mean it that way" moments for me, and I did enjoy it. This was a story that promised to give me the creeps, and it did. Not the best thing I've ever read, but I've certainly read far, far worse. Keen to check out more from this author for sure.

A dark entity returns to claim its child twenty years later.

Lisa Kallman survives a nightmare when she witnesses an evil entity kill her father as a child. As a young woman, she expects to be free of this monster as she prepares for a happier life. Lisa accepts her boyfriends marriage proposal as they move in together. Things begin to change, making Lisa question if she is really free of the dark entity that continues to haunt her.

Darkness and possession make this a haunting read for fans of horror. Lisa survives a childhood trauma in hopes of a happier life free of the monster that haunted her. I enjoyed this book as it makes readers wonder if she is truly free.

This book was really good! It pulls you in and doesn’t let you go. I wanted to know what was happening and going on. I’m definitely going to keep my eye out for anything else this author writes. 4.5 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟✨

Wow, I absolutely loved this book! I’ve been looking for another horror book to read and this did not disappoint! There were no loose ends. Everything “made sense”, so to speak. This book brought monsters from the closet to life and I am here for it!

Thank you to Netgalley and BookGoSocial for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a fast read and can be read within a day. Please check for any trigger warnings before picking this one up. To me, this story fell a little flat. Although the premise was compelling, the ending felt rushed to me and had some small plot holes. This story was told in multiple POVs; however, there wasn’t anything signifying the narration difference on the chapter page as I typically see, and instead readers need to decipher the narrator from the context of the chapter. The main tropes in this are crime, angels/demons, and monsters.

slimy green is so last season, even for shadow monsters

nothing stood out to me in this book, the monster is weirdly childish, the characters are either awful or disregarded (meaning the MC and her mom) and then there's the whole holistic spiritual thing??? angels and demons are so underwhelming in the horror genre


[review posted on goodreads]

This is, presumably, the author's first book, so I'll try to be lenient and not judge it harshly. That said, I did expect more from it, and the synopsis did give the impression of something more original and unusual going on than what's found in the book. Nevertheless, the basic premise (Lisa as a child witnesses a monster killing her dad, which makes her mother spend the rest of her life in a psychiatric facility; Lisa as an adult returns home and faces the truth of what's happened) was intriguing and I admit I enjoyed reading the book. The ending needed much better handling but it kept my curiosity levels high throughout. This is why I give this 3.5 stars rounded to 4, and will keep an eye for the author's future work.

After reading the prologue it seemed like the entirety of this book was going to be dark and creepy, which is why I picked it up in the first place, but that's not really what happened. By the time I had got to 60% it felt like barely anything had happened and I was close to DNFing it. There were a few scenes before then that I think were supposed to come across as scary but just made me laugh instead. I did like the multiple POVs and how creepy the monster was towards the end but too many aspects were rushed or just not explained thoroughly. Saying that, I believe this is the author's first book and I would potentially read anything else they put out in the future.

When her father is murdered by something in her closet, Lisa's life as she knows it stops. Her mother, another witness goes into a shocked existence unable to care for Lisa or herself, and the child begins the jump through foster homes.
Twenty years later, her life is somewhat on track. She had her degrees, and a fabulous boyfriend. Their new home seems like a dream come true, but the nightmares are fixing to return -and they will be worse than before. Sometimes what lurks in the shadows really can harm you.

I absolutely LOVED this one! I could not put it down! It was a one sitting read for me. Book perfection!

A solid 4.5 stars

What Waits in the Shadows is a story about Lisa. Lisa was only seven years old when her father was murdered twenty years prior. As a parole hearing nears for her father’s murderer, Lisa begins to realize things aren’t as her memory tells her. The author uses multiple POV’s through the book which enhances the need to know what happens next. I would have liked to know more about Lisa’s original account of what happened to her father as she told it when she was seven. Although I believe there were a few holes in the story, overall, this was a good read.

Thank you, Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for the eARC.

I read this book so quickly, i couldn't put ti down. The atmosphere of the book is creepy with a haunted house vibe and I loved the characters

At first I found the look a it offputting, is “I haven’t a doubt. My boys are raring to go, and your obstacle course of a uterus can’t stop them.” supposed to be sexy? Because IT definitely isn't. I fond IT rally wierd. But that kind of talk dies not kast long and it soon changes into a bit more of a horror story. The Changing of Pov was easy to follow and gave insight to multiple minds. But I found the explanation for how the guardian angel turned into a monster really confusing.

Fun little horror and I loved the vibes. The monster hiding in the shadows and killing people was such a good visual. Thanks for the arc

Wow! I had never heard of this author before but I will keep an eye out from now on. The book kept me engaged the entire time. I usually hate the main character of horror novels but this one was likable and smart. Thank you NetGalley for the arc!!!

This one was just alright for me! I enjoyed the majority of the book but then it just fell kind of flat for me towards the ending. This was my first book by this author and I appreciate NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

This was way darker and horrid than I'd been expecting. And I assume that wad the point lol. Definitely we'll written and plotted out. A few plot holes but meh, can't all be perfect. It definitely makes you stop and think though. Not a lot of character development but there doesn't need to be, it was just creepy fiction at its best with some really clever elements Brought in

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC!

I really enjoyed this horror book!! It was so dark and creepy and just all around GREAT! Such a good story like. Is she going crazy? So good!!

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book. When Lisa was a child, a monster kills her dad in front of her and her mother. Her mother spends the rest of her days in a psychiatric facility while Lisa bounces from foster home to orphanage. As an adult it looks like she finally gets a shot at a normal life while the killer is in jail. I don't want to give anything away, so I won't get further into it, but things are not what they seem. This book made me curious about the monster. I have to say though, when the story reaches the ending and the monster is explained, I just let out a sigh of disappointment. Not to say how the monster is handled is bad, I just wasn't a fan. I also had a problem with the overuse of the word "Baby" every time Lisa and her fiancé spoke. The other thing that bothered me was that at the end there is a thunderstorm, lots of spiderwebbing lightning, but somehow there is also a lot of moon light shining...how is this? Then a short time later it is said that there is a clear moonlit sky. Anyway, this book was just ok in my opinion.

Alex wants to reach his dead uncle to make things right. The little town his uncle lived is hiding something else. Alex better be careful. Something else might answer him and it is hungry. Do things really leave or do they linger. Great characters tension filled read.

This is not the first time I've read a story like this, and I enjoyed the twist the author put on it. There is a monster in the closet, but her parents don't believe her until the monster kills her father.
What happens after you grow up while your monster continues to live? Nothing good, for anyone around you.
You can't trust anyone, or even that people are who they say they are.
This book is creepy and gross, just as I hoped.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this