This was very okay for me, unfortunately! We follow a young woman, Riley, who is living kind of out in the country after a pandemic has taken hold. Eye contact is causing people to become ultra violent, attacking and eating other people. A neighbor moves in, and Riley starts experiencing odd visions and changes in the house she doesn’t remember making.

There are some parallels to COVID, especially in the isolation and the need for a face covering device. I do think the concept of eye contact as dangerous is cool. I also thought some of the visions and aspects of the ending of this novella were strong. Can’t share anything since it would be spoiler-y!

But for much of this short book I was quite bored. I don’t think it explores the post apocalyptic genre in any new way. “Violence is in all of us” just isn’t that revelatory for me at this point.

I often felt quite frustrated with Riley’s POV. I think I’d have enjoyed this much more as a movie because I wouldn’t have had to be in her head. She’s kind of neurotic and avoidant in ways that make for a less interesting read. She often does stupid things. I can go along with that if I can buy it for the character because of their personality or past whatever, but I didn’t buy it here.

The writing style in general I often didn’t like. It was drowning in blah similes. Other times it was trying so hard to be poignant but failing (for me).

But I didn’t hate it, it was something I could finish. Toward the end I wanted to know what would happen, and overall I liked the conclusion. That was the strongest part!

While reading this I was reminded of the movie Vincent Must Die. I was also reminded of a novella, And Then I Woke Up, so I’d recommend those for folks who liked this or vice versa.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This was so good. I love stories that convey that creepy loneliness that feels like all that remains. The atmosphere wasn’t hopeful and built up. There was no plucky heroine. There was only a real woman struggling to survive and just live

This is a no for me. Please stop letting authors narrate their books. They may know the story front and back but they aren’t voice actors.

Rep: agender li who doesn’t use pronouns, sapphic relationship
Rating: 3.5 stars

This is a sapphic horror novella that reminds me of Bird Box mixed with a post apocalyptic world. It’s a pretty quick read that’s very creepy and uneasy.

In this world, for years there’s been a virus that causes people to lose their mind if they make eye contact with anymore. They turn into a kind of zombie and lose their sanity, also making them turn murderous. This leads society to become very secluded and lonely. Because of this intense seclusion, the story focuses on our main character, Riley, and there are very few other characters.

Moraine did a great job of really capturing how secluded and lonely Riley is. As the story goes on, Riley becomes more and more paranoid. She starts seeing weird things and questioning reality, her new friend Ellis, and herself. We see her slowly start to spiral. That was also done really well. I did not expect the dark turns it took near the end.

I of course love that it’s queer. I especially liked that we have a character who is non binary/agender who doesn't use pronouns. I read a lot and this is only the 2nd time I’ve seen it. I definitely want to read more.

There were a few parts when I wasn’t really sure what was going on. It also ends where some things were left unanswered.

The cover is very cool and works really well with the book. The author did the narration of this book and I enjoyed it.

Overall, a pretty uneasy queer novella perfect for horror fans.

There are some dark themes and things that could definitely be triggering for people, so please check the trigger warnings before reading.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an audio ARC of this book

Oh this is good! I love the narration. I love that we are getting the perspective of our protagonist while she navigates this isolated and horrible world.
It is so scary and sad. I was just blown away by all of it. I can't see well and wear sunglasses anyway so probably I'd still be coming to work with all my blind homies but imagine a world where no one can look at anyone else.
It is awful!

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this audio.

This was a crazy rollercoaster of a book but I enjoyed it. Wasn’t sure I would but I did.

I love a good short book that surprises me. Here’s this week’s surprise! There’s plenty of creepy body horror. There are points when you wonder ok why are you so INSANE?! Are you kidding me!

Riley thinks someone is messing with her, I mean you can’t look at someone in the eye, it will be your last look but she feels someone is stalking her and she’s no shrinking Violet! She will protect what’s hers! Riley makes a friend who is her match will that allow her to relax?

If you like horror you’ll probably see similarities to some heavy hitters but I loved those books so bring on a novella that turns those stories on their ears.

A book from NetGalley & Macmillan Audio read by the author. I’ll read this again. A good dystopian horror! Lovely ending! Definitely a cover buy! Beautiful. Just what I needed today.

What can I say about this book? I honestly have mixed feelings.

The positive: it is an amazing spin off of a dystopian way of writing “zombies” where people get infected and attack one another. It was a refreshing read in that aspect. It was chilling and it had me on the edge of my seat to know what was going to happen between the two main characters.

Negative: I wish some things were more fleshed out and explained.l but that could be me just being picky. Why did this happen? When/where did it start? I would love to hear more about the actual dystopian and things happening around in Riley’s world. I understand that this is a shortened version of what the author had previously written, but I would love to have read the full length version.

One of the categories for the book was LGBTQIAP+ but I did not see any of this theme on the book unless I missed it.

Thank you to NetGalley and
Macmillan Audio for this ARC. I was drawn to request this audiobook after seeing it being compared to Bird Box and The Last Of Us.

I can say that I enjoyed the length of this book, most dystopian stories seem to drag on forever. I also liked that the author did the narration, always a fan of that.

Your Shadow Half Remains is a creepy apocalyptic fever dream. We get an unreliable narrator and a vague glimpse into her world.

Conceptually, I was and am very into this - but in terms of execution and payoff it hit some beats that didn't quite click with me as a reader. A solid 3-star experience for me, but I can see how this could be someone else’s 5! Particularly thanks to the high intrigue and vivid atmosphere ⭐️🐦‍⬛

TW: Language, murder, suicide, death of family, gory scenes, death of child, sexual assault, depression, anxiety, toxic relationships

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:ONE LOOK CAN KILL.
Riley has not seen a single human face in longer than she can reckon. No faces, no eyes. Not if you want to survive.But when a new neighbor moves in down the road, Riley’s overwhelming need for human contact makes her throw caution to the wind. Somehow, in this world where other people can mean a gruesome, bloody death, Ellis makes her feel safe. As they grow closer, Riley’s grip on reality begins to slip and she can no longer fight her deepest desires.All Riley wants to do is look.
Release Date: February 6th, 2024
Genre: Horror
Pages: 176
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

What I Liked:
1. Writing style
2. Story sucked me in
3. Very atmospheric
4. Quick and fast chapters

What I Didn't Like:
1. Some parts rambled
2. Confusing things happened
3. Introduced to sleepwalking only after something has gone wrong & not before

Overall Thoughts:
I loved Bird Box so when this book had an arc I begged for it. I love books that deal with end of times and scary things that stop humans from functioning. Unfortunately, I felt like reading this book was like spinning in circles and then trying to do a puzzle. There were so many times I was lost and confused on what the author was trying to tell us what was even happening. There were a lot of great quotes and feelings that gave me the feels. Then there were a lot more times where things were said that left me scratching my head.

Character talks about how she hasn't seen her reflection in years but how does she avoid it in the computer monitor or when she had her phone?

Riley is dealing with a lot. Her mother died. She's witnessed a lot of murders and suicides. She's decided to live in the middle of no where. Things start happening. We find out she cut the eyes out of her mother and maybe even killed her (unsure). She then has killed a man that shows up at her house because he was in an accident with his daughter. I don't understand when he shows up he makes no mention of this but gives her random words. Perhaps she wasn't paying attention and only hearing what she wanted to hear.

I didn't get that with all the deaths and suicides that the world was still able to function enough to have food and even online orders going out. Having lived through a pandemic we suffered it feels worse then this fictional world. The world is built up but it just feels like a minor inconvenience to our character.

It's very ominous if Ellis is killed at the end but it's mentioned that he has a bloody mouth after she kisses him.

Final Thoughts:
So much felt as though it was missing from the story. The beginning made sense but after Ellis showed up it stopped making sense. Perhaps that was the intention of the author but it left me wanting more.

It didn't live up to my love of Bird Box. That book is perfect. That book scared me and gave me the creeps

I am not sure how I feel about this book. It was very well written...but it was also so strange that I feel like it left me unsatisfied. I wanted at least SOME answers, but there were none. I am always here for an unreliable narrator, which we have here, and I don't mind a little ambiguity. That being said, I felt like this was nothing BUT ambiguity. If you want a creepy, atmospheric read in which you are uncomfortable from page 1 until the end, then this is a great choice. If you want more answers, then pass on this one.