Elliott Gish’s Grey Dog is a chilling feminist horror novel set in 1901, following Ada Byrd, a schoolteacher fleeing her past who encounters strange, unsettling forces in a remote town. Told through diary entries, the story blends gothic horror with themes of trauma, repression, and identity. With sharp prose and creeping atmosphere, Gish crafts a haunting tale about the blurred line between reality and madness.

I really enjoyed this book! I found the voice actor very well suited for the role and the story was very engaging!

I borrowed this from the library because Natalie Naudus recommended it. I went into it blind and SPOILER ALERT did not expect the main character to be sexually assaulted, nor did I expect her to turn violent and physically harm one of her students.

The mystery was good; atmospheric, but the book left me wanting.

Grey Dog is a beautifully written historical horror that had me hooked from the beginning. I loved Ada, and I enjoyed how the reader can't really tell if she is losing it or if all these things she's describing are actually happening. I also really enjoyed the exploration of womanhood and what society expects of a "good woman" (even today). The writing was so descriptive and beautiful. I listened to the audio version and the narrator was perfect.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audio ARC of Grey Dog.

This book turned out to be so much more than what I thought. It took me two tries to get into this book; the first time was just kinda slow and I wasn't really getting pulled in like I expected. The second time had me!

This story turns out to be a wild one. As I was reading and listening to it I'm not sure that I fully grasped what was happening and it wasn't until I finished it and thought about it did I realize what exactly I had read. The storytelling here is great! It is sinister and foreboding and just plain eerie at times and I loved it! It feels like there are a lot of larger ideas and metaphors going on this one that you can spend so much time teasing out and that is something that I love when I read a book. I loved the setting and how the characters were written and the entire plot was just spooky and fun.

Not to give anything away, you open with Ada Byrd in 1901 who has just accepted a teaching post in an isolated village. Things seem to be going well until weird things start happening to Ada and she begins to see and hear things. What comes after is Ada's slow decline into what? and stories of the Grey Dog. Honestly, this book was so good and weird and freaky all at the same time. It's a fun read for spooky season or maybe even on a cold winter's night when the wind sounds like it is saying your name...

I was very intrigued by this story, folksy horror always piques my interest. I really loved certain elements of this one, especially figuring out the mystery of what happened that led the MC to be somewhat exiled. I am also all for women not following patriarchal expectations. While the horror elements were less prominent than I thought they would be, I still really enjoyed this. I think Natalie Naudus did a great job with the narration.

vibes.... CHECK
characters.... CHECK
historical time setting .... CHECK
unhinged ending... CHECK

this was a 3.5 overall for me.

Well written and very intriguing, but I found the journal entry storytelling added an extra layer of distance that made the story feel a little off. And the horror elements, well ... there's slow burn horror and then there's "Is the horror in the room with us?" for over half the book until it breaks down the door and comes crashing in without knocking even once. Being the latter, I found that it made the ending not work for me.

The book is extremely well-written and has an interesting plot. However, I just don’t think historical fiction books are for me. While I appreciate the underlying tropes, I found the book to be dull, but this is only due to my personal preference.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this ALC!

I really enjoyed this creepy story and I believe the narrator added to that enjoyment. Grey Dog is written in journal entries and the narration really drew me into the world of Ada’s. This is definitely a slow burn, but worth it in the end.

I’d recommend this book to fans of gothic horror and women vs the void trope.

3.5/5!

What a strange little book!

I’m a big fan of weird books and Gish certainly delivers on that front in the form of visions that our main character, Ada, experiences.

The slow unraveling of Ada Byrd is quintessential psychological horror. Grey Dog is filled with unease and dread as readers wonder what will happen next for Ada. The path that Gish ultimately takes wasn’t what I was expecting! I was glued to the tense ending for this book and ate up the female rage vibes. The pacing of Grey Dog may be on the slower side, but I think that lends itself to the build up for the reveal of what is happening.

🎧: The audiobook was very well done for this book and the narrator fully brought Ada Byrd to life for me!

This was not my favorite book. I enjoy a journal style to story telling, but this lady could have just not kept a journal, since nothing happens in her life.

Historical horror is slowly becoming my new favorite thing, and it’s because of books like GREY DOG by Elliott Gish. A slow-burn horror set in 1901, this eerie and atmospheric horror delivers subtle chills and thrills from start to finish.

The slow pace of this story really gives the book a great amount of tension. Like a jump scare that you can just feel waiting around the corner…but the jump scare never comes, and then you encounter yet another corner… There’s an overall ominous tone to this book, like there’s something waiting in the woods to grab you. And just maybe there is.

Not for the faint of heart, there’s a surprising amount of gore in this story, which I always appreciate. I love the unexpected and I definitely wasn’t expecting it from this tale. I don’t want to give too much away in terms of plot or the creepies waiting between the pages, but suffice it to say that this is one you’ll want to pick up. A fantastic debut from Gish, and I’ll certainly be picking anything up anything else with this author’s name on it.

The "Grey Dog" follows protagonist Ada as she is forced to leave home to work as a schoolteacher in Lowry Bridge by her father. Ada is hoping to escape her past and start anew without judgement. However, something ominous lurks in the shadows of this small town. The narrative unravels as Ada settles into her new life, revealing dark secrets and mysterious occurrences. Ada has a keen interest in natural history often wandering into the woods, she finds herself surrounded by strange happenings in Lowry Bridge, which no one else seems to experience.

An interesting and suspenseful gothic thriller, with some great sapphic and horror elements, the detailing of Ada’s slow unravelling was excellent, however I found it a bit slow going overall for my personal taste. The narrator was good and worked well with the style of the book.

I love books involving diary entries, especially if the protagonist struggles to hold on to reality, but this one unfortunately fell short for me. At the beginning there was a bit of a lag between scenes. It took about half of the book for me to get attached, after which I was all for it, but the ending wasn't quite satisfying. I recommend this book if you like a slow-burn historical fiction with a bit of horror and an increasingly insane character!

Grey Dog is an historical fiction set in 1901 about Ada Byrd who begins a new teaching job in an isolated community. I enjoyed the setting and the language used to bring us to the past. This novel touches on horror elements as Ada explores the woods and what lies within. I liked the chronological timeline and how this narrative is like journal entries. The madwoman aspect to Ada’s character was intriguing and I liked the feminist and queer lens. There is that aspect of what is real and what is madness. Maybe a touch too long and slow paced for my preference. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator Natalie Naudus was good.

I looooved this feminist horror book. I was rooting for Ada the whole dang time. If you want a book that will keep you on your toes, has an eerie sense of dread throughout and will make you want to burn down the patriarchy, check this one out

This was a very slow burn for me but the ending was such a good pay off! And worth the slow burn! I think this is great book for beginners to the horror genre!

Thank you NetGalley! For this arc!

Format: audiobook ~ Narrator: Natalie Naudus
Content: 2 stars ~ Narration: 4 stars

The year is 1901. Ada Byrd moves to Lowry Bridge, where she will teach at a local elementary school. We get to know the town and the inhabitants through her diary entries. Besides that, we also learn her story - why she came to Lowry Bridge and what happened to her sister.

It’s probably me. Literary horror is one of my favorite genres, and I have a picture of what it should be like. I like slow-paced novels, but only if slow pacing makes sense. I wish this novel would start at roughly 50 or even 60% because I considered giving up on it several times while reading the first half. Although the second half was much better, even very good, it couldn’t make up for the first part. The damage was done. I appreciate themes like resistance against the patriarchy. But unfortunately, I think this often felt forced, and emphasizing it constantly overshadowed the primary purpose of the novel.

I am sure that despite what I wrote above, many readers will like this novel. If you like slow-paced historical fiction and feminist sapphic horror, this book might be a good choice.

Thanks to Dreamscape Media for the advance copy and this opportunity! This is a voluntary review and all opinions are my own.

This is a really interesting feminist horror book. It is also an INCREDIbLY slow burn. Basically you have a tummy ache with no pay off for a huge portion of the book. It wasn’t my cup of tea but I know others love it. I think it’s good just not for me.