I got 20% through and had to DNF this one, it’s not for me and I found it really hard to get into. There’s a lot of scientific language and discussion of birds so far. The horror scene I did make it to was beautifully written and easy to picture so I have no doubt that readers more interested in the nature and science facts will find this more appealing than I did.

Thank you NetGalley and Erewhon/Kensington Books for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I wouldn’t recommend eating any seafood while reading this!

An alien pandemic causes widespread environmental horror, leaving two brothers to face the ugliness of humanity in times of distress.

This book freaked me out. It made my skin crawl. The graphic descriptions of body horror and frequent triggers of our deep primal fear of rotting disease ridden creatures come together to paint a nightmare straight from our human psyche. Death is far from the end, and our list of trusted companions are few and far between. I lost sleep over this.

Leaving Belardes’ brilliant atmospheric horror aside, this story holds up a mirror to our society, forcing us to reflect on our own worldwide tragedies. Themes like activism, bullying, and cult-like communities bring light to the realities we face, adding dark complexity to our tribulations. Simply put, I straddle between hope and fear in our humanity. I fear our reactions, more than a pandemic itself, yet I have hope in community and selfless acts of kindness. History holds examples of both. Let’s hope we learn our lessons soon.

Brilliant story. A bit too heavy on the science at times, but it adds a layer of realism Sci-Fi fans will enjoy. I expect this book to be very popular upon release.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Books for this ARC.

I just couldn't get into this story. The characters grated on my nerves. This felt like it was written for a younger audience so it may have ended up being better, but I just wasn't in the mood for it.

“It’s like they’re deading.” in other words: Uh-oh. 😫

Can you imagine bodies going still, mouths foaming, eyes rolling back, people dropping dead (or so it seems) and then they come back like nothing happened? Yeah, they are just "deading".

Nicholas Belardes's debut novel "The Deading" is a twisted, strange, fascinating story. From the get-go, I liked the atmospheric tension of the story, how it alternated between a few characters' POVs and how their fear was so desperate, crippling and paralysing to read, while they still try to understand what's going on and how this new disease "the deading" came around.

The plot was dark, but undeniably thought-provoking. We get to experience different stories, happening at the same time, and how these characters come across their worst nightmares 1) trying to not get infected by this contagious disease that's terrifying, irreversible and gruesome, 2) staying alive and not be condemned by the new town leadership - the Risers or Deaders, who lost their minds and turned against each other 😅 and 3) trying to make their way out of Baywood, their hostile town, also quarantined by artificial intelligence.

For me, it definitely kept me on my toes and it almost felt like watching an all-out horror pandemic movie in my mind.

If you are into frightening tales, check this one out in July 2024! 🖤 #TheDeading

Huge thanks to Kensington/Erewhon Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Reading this had me holding my breath. I caught myself worried about life in Baywood!
Isolating Baywood from the rest of the world reminded me of life during covid but it was much much worse. People started turning against each other and the road to survival is unknown.
Its my first time reading horror and it didn’t disappoint.
Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for this ARC.

I have to say that I tried something new with the horror genre and the blurb sounded interesting enough for me to pick it up. Unfortunately this won't be my preferred genre in the future but rating this from an objective point, it was a good book! The horror aspects were there and sometimes you felt uncomfortable reading the book in the best way possible. It felt a bit out of time and space even though it was mentioned and actually limited. Overall a good read for anyone who's into this genre!

Thanks to Kensington/Erewhon and NetGalley for this ARC of The Deading by Nicholas Belardes.

I see the blurb likens 'The Deading' to Stephen King's 'Under the Dome' and 'The Last of Us.' I'd add Jeff VanderMeer's novels and William Golding's 'The Lord of the Flies' in there as well.

A bizarre influx of aquatic snails heralds the disintegration of society in a small coastal town and what was previously a social-media driven craze of pretending to be dead becomes a real thing. Fearful of it spreading, the town is locked down with deadly force being used to monitor and maintain the 'border..'

The immune few are ostracized and then targeted by new town leadership - the Risers - previously the Goth girls in the high school. All this told through a constant theme of birdwatching and bird behavior. We get to experience this through several key characters - the owner of the oyster farm who becomes host to the million year-old alien intelligence who, we assume, triggered all of this; Blas, a young Latino birdwatcher, his brother Chango and his mother, Maria; three older birdwatchers including a Japanese-American woman who's grieving her dead husband.

It's a mad book, although it's set in a very specific place it feels very unsettled in place an time and although it could be set in the very present day, given the surveillance equipment available to the 'Faceless' authorities, it's likely in the near future.

I have to admit to skimming much of the birdwatching parts but it's an intriguing and, as I said, unsettling book.

“Under The Dome” meets “Gone” vibes in this terrifying tale!

Any scene that has the entity in it freaks me right out. This is true horror. This is snails gone wild, along with everything else in Baywood, CA. Don’t read this if you get the creepy-crawlies—you’ll be triggered to the Nth degree.

It was fascinating to see the breakdown of society, the urge to eradicate anything “other”, no matter what side of the “deading” you find yourself on. (I’ve always wondered why people feel the need to eliminate anyone different…why can’t everyone just let everyone else alone??) I definitely would not want to be stuck in this town!

This is the author’s debut novel, and I received an advance copy in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to both NetGalley and Erewhon Books!

The book description and blurb really had me excited for this one, and it did not disappoint. I found myself on the edge of my seat with the slow burning dread that was inflicted. There is such a beautiful writing style being shown here for a horror book, and it feels unique because of that. I would recommend to anyone in the horror space.