While the premise and novella length conveys that this might be packed with survival apocalypse horror, it actually turned out to be a slow churning of what isolation in the face of a pandemic can do to one's mind. Unfortunately, it lacked in the character department, so while Riley's descent into unreliable narrator was interesting in itself, I didn't care much of what happened to her. Her actions and reactions were repetitive and her pov could ramble at times, and I found myself wanting to put the book down over and over. The only reason I didn't was because I received the ALC and was able to put that on 2x speed.

Overall, this book was just okay.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

I was absolutely not the intended audience for this one. I was really excited for an apocalyptic read full of horrors and action. Instead I got a bleak, sort of boring story following a main characters decent into madness- which can be its own type of fun, but this one just didn't do it for me.

A true testament to a talented author is when they can tell an excellent story in a bite sized short story or novella. I got to say, Sunny Moraine was able to do that for me with Your Shadow Half Remains.

Readers get dropped into the middle of a pandemic and it felt VERY familiar to how I felt during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The isolation, the unknowns, the fear, and the longing to be with others. Unlike other post-apocalyptic types of stories, society has continued to function to an extent. Again this reminded me of the COVID pandemic, things still functioning, just differently, and less efficiently. All of this adds up to a tale that feels real and definitely resonated with the not too distant past.

The writing was dark and beautiful, simultaneously. What I mean is, Moraine crafts prose in a wonderful way, even when the subject is pretty dark and at times violent. Her descriptions are vivid and this book was definitely scary. I think this is a pretty realistic depiction of how isolation, fear and longing can drive a person to the edge of madness.

Very appreciative that I had the chance to listen to this advanced listener copy. The narration by the author was solid and the comps of Bird Box and the Last of Us feel reasonable. I'd also throw in that I got some Walking Dead vibes. But don't never put all your stock in the comps, this book is its own monster and I think people are going to enjoy it for all the things that make it unique.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing the audiobook. All opinions are my own.

What a fantastic novella! I absolutely loved Sunny Moraine's writing and narration! I think the real world pandemic brought an incredible range of different kind of pandemics books and this one definitely deserves one of the top stars among those. This is a quick read/listen, I was so compelled to learn how things worked in this set up! Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

This novella was tragically beautiful. Excellent for fans of Birdbox, Pushing Dasies, and Hannibal. In such a short space Moraine does an incredible job of taking you on a descent into islotation driven madness and will leave you questioning who you can trust until the very end. I was graciously allowed early access to an early audio copy on NetGalley via tor Nightfire and I couldn’t be more appreciative for that experience considering it was narrated by the author themself.

4.5

This was atmospheric and haunting and I had such a good time reading it. I don’t want to say much because it is a novella, but this follows Riley, who has moved to a remote location because of a “pandemic” that causes people to go crazy with one look when suddenly she gets a new neighbor.

The writing here was incredible. I wish I had a physical copy that I could have highlighted because wow there were sentences that gave me chills. This book is very reminiscent of the early days of Covid, when no one really knew what was happening and people were panicking, and I loved the way Sunny Moraine explored the impact true isolation can have in a person.

I will definitely be picking up a copy of this when it’s released to reread. I also appreciated the author’s narration.

"Try not to dwell uselessly on the self-evident truth that while civilization didn't collapse totally and immediately the way one might have expected, everything is slowly, inexorably falling apart."
- Your Shadow Half Remains

This book is an intriguing take on the dystopian concept of a global pandemic wiping out humanity as we know it. It's uncomfortably reminiscent of the beginning of the COVID pandemic, which gives readers an immersive experience from the very beginning by addressing the familiarity of loneliness, confusion, fear, and the unknown. It gives a glimpse into the chaos of a world where nothing is certain, including your ability to trust your own psyche. It brings you to the brink of insanity in an eerily intimate way and makes the building discomfort and fear palpable.

Told from the point of view of an unreliable narrator, who you don't immediately recognize as such, this story follows her life alone, a chance encounter with the first person she's interacted with in years, and her descent into madness as she becomes increasingly paranoid. There is a considerable amount of internal monologue as the main character, Riley, argues with herself throughout the book, especially in regards to Ellis. We never learn the gender of Ellis, but there is an apparent chemistry between the two, despite Riley's unwillingness to trust a new person. At the point of this story, Riley has been left to her own devices, completely isolated on her own, for years. It leaves her a bit unhinged, which plays out in interesting ways, especially at the end. I don't want to give anything away, so I'll just say the end of this book leaves room for speculation and ends with a twist you felt coming, but didn't dare to entertain. I was at a loss for words, and I'm still trying to wrap my head around it.

I was completely enraptured with this story from the very beginning and it certainly held my attention throughout. I found myself rooting for Riley right up until the end, despite all the things she'd done. I felt pity for Ellis and was shocked at every turn. It was truly a thrilling read and it made me think. My concern for the characters, enjoyment of the plot, and the jaw-dropping ending all contribute to my 5 star rating. I will be checking out other works by this author. I received both the e-book and the audiobook, and I found the narrator, which in this case is the author, to be very easy to listen to. I actually fell asleep listening the last couple of nights. I would listen to something else narrated by them.

Be warned: this is a pretty dark book. There are detailed accounts of violence/gore, animal death, murder, death of a parent, mental illness and suicidal thoughts, sexual content, and mention of child death. If any of these things bother you, it would be wise to steer clear of this book. You'll just have to miss out on a brilliant piece of speculative horror fiction.

Initial Thoughts
This was good! I am always a little worried when an audiobook is narrated by the narrator but Sunny Moraine did such a great job with this book. When I saw comparisons to The Bird Box, I was a bit worried since I was not a big fan of that book but this one worked well for me. The story is set in a world were everyone is islotated because if you look another person in the eye, you will go mad with a murderous rage. Riley has been along for a while but when Ellis moved close by she wonders if getting to know her new neighbor might be worth the risk.

Review copy provided by the publisher. Full review to be posted soon.

Yessss I love an unreliable narrator. Your Shadow Half Remains is such an interesting concept, definitely feels like the lovechild of Bird Box and The Last of Us. The author kept me guessing the whole time. I also loved that the author narrated the book!

Thank you Net Galley and Nightfire Books for the ARC.

Your Shadow Half Remains is dark and grim, which I love in fiction. It's a zombie-pandemic exploration of intrusive thoughts and impulses and I am glad I read it.

I received this DRC (audiobook) from NetGalley.

Somewhere in the 3.5 star to 4 star range. I liked the narrator; she didn't speak super slowly. I think getting infected by looking at someone is a weird way to do it, but the story was interesting. Unreliable narrators are a trope that I like, so it worked for me, especially since it was such a short story.

An unsettling story with a completely unreliable narrator. I loved not knowing what was real and imagined, it kept me invested throughout the story. I was bummed that it ended because I want to know more!

A special thank you to @ & @netgalley for the ALC of this very intriguing book.

One word. WOW! I can’t decide if it’s a good or bad wow though, lol. Not bad in the sense that the book was terrible, because it really wasn’t. It was a very quick listen/read and I was deeply invested the entire time. I think the only reason I didn’t love it is it was just too short. I was left with too many questions and wanted to know more.

This novella had all the elements necessary to make for an amazing story. I just needed more. There was a world-building or dystopian theme - then utter chaos, with touches of romance between some themes of madness. All jumbled together to form one beautiful but questionable story. I read a few reviews comparing this to the Birdbox and while - sure the similarities of not looking at people are the same (having a blinder in place), but that is where the similarities end imo.

I’d still recommend this atmospheric tale to all and would be interested to hear what others think about it.

The book was very interesting. It gave me Bird Box vibes but darker. My biggest complaint is that when each chapter started, there was a 3-5 second pause then the narrator spoke chapter # and then another 3-5 second pause. With each pause, I thought that I lost signal and checked my phone to make sure it was still playing.

Riley has been isolated from humanity for a long time now. She's been good at avoiding people since the beginning... Back when looking at people's eyes first started destroying minds.

She still has access to what remains of the world (and food/goods deliveries) from her computer and until recently, her phone, which she recently threw into the river. Things are... Ok. Safe. Until she runs into her new neighbor.

The craving for human contact versus the fear of turning into a bloodthirsty ticking time bomb affects Riley strongly. The "rules" that she's followed to stay safe get harder to follow... For all she knows these rules have changed. For all she knows Ellis is the new danger...

This book is an exciting horror story that feels a lot like the early days of the pandemic felt. When Riley was running around all crazy I was like oh yeah... This feels horribly similar.


The author does a good job with building the audience's doubt in our unreliable narrator, Riley. I think at one point while Ellis was talking I realized I wasn't even sure if what Riley had told us about the plague was true. So that's when you know the author did well

The descriptors in the book are also well done. I saw the author read for the audiobook and that they are a Podcaster so I went the audiobook route with this one and it was really well done.

Overall a fun, somewhat gory horror story for all those that know what it's like to be alone for too long

I loved Your Shadow Half Remains! Both the ebook and audiobook were excellent. I was shocked that the author, Sunny Moraine, narrated this work - they are a stellar narrator. I sincerely hope they narrate more audiobooks in the future - their voice is clear with an engaging lilt. Moraine's writing style is almost lyrical, and they have such a mastery of mood and ambiance. I thoroughly enjoyed Riley as an unreliable narrator. The ambiguity was so well done that from the mid-point on, I started to question if I was misremembering what I had read/heard (yes, this book will gaslight you). I wish there was a bit more clarity at the end, and we knew what version of Riley's reality was real. Despite being set in the aftermath of a pandemic, it didn't feel preachy or like a Covid-fic. This is one of those books that will have you staring at your wall after finishing it, and certain scenes stayed with me in the ensuing days. Overall, I highly recommend this audiobook.

Fin. Loved.
What would you do if you if you couldn't look anymore. It's a scary notion that has a lot of writing potential, and author Sunny Moraine did not disappoint. Part Birdbox with a feel of The Cabin at the End of the World. The story floats along, giving you just enough weirdness to have you seeking for distant answers. I slurped this audio into my brain like the last bit of boba and I still have a devilish grin on my face. I hope this author writes more horror, as I will be the first in line to read it.
4.5/5 stars - I had a hard time deciding on this one.
Thank you Net Galley and Nightfire Books for the ARC audio.

Your Shadow Half Remains was a creepy, quick read about a pandemic that causes people to commit brutal murders simply by making eye contact. Funny enough, that kind of pandemic probably wouldn't be as detrimental today as the book shared, because people barely make eye contact with you in public these days! Anyway, the story itself feels crazy and chaotic and there's this weird distortion of time; where I'm not sure how long the plague has been going on. It feels like a very long time, and yet in other sections it felt relatively recent.
I really enjoyed the narration, I loved that the author got to share the story. The creepy factor was on point and I really enjoyed the "don't look them in the eyes" which even extended to looking at yourself in the mirror.

My only qualm with the story was the sleepwalking - it felt random and unsettling, as if I missed a plot point. And some parts of the story were jarring in a way that left me rewinding and listening again, rather than jarring in a purposeful way to show insanity.

Overall, what a great look at the power of eye contact, the dangers of mental health and social isolation. A quick, horror story with a little psychological twist for anyone who needs something to keep them up at night after a long drive!

This book was very reminiscent of our time spent in quarantine. Though our real-world pandemic was nowhere near as dangerous as the one in this novella, I was able to easily identify with Riley's feelings of dread and uncertainty. The looming dread is what really enraptured me.

What I really like about this particular apocalypse was that it was described as happening slowly (over the course of months, service like food delivery become to become less reliable, people become more and more scarce, etc.) instead of all at once. I feel like that is far more realistic that a total societal collapse within 24 hours.

Moraine's writing was smooth and easy to read. Dialogue was natural and the relationships between characters was believable in the context of their world. I'll be looking to read more of their work.

I do wish that this were a full-length novel rather than a novella because I'd like to know more about this world and the pandemic afflicting it.

Overall, this was a 3.5 (rounded up).

Personal favorite when the author is the narrator. This book is beautifully written and I stopped a few times to go back over a section because of the way something was described or conveyed. Definitely one of the more beautiful apocalypse stories around. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy.