This book literally gave me nightmares. I can hear that "smacking" noise clearly. It reminds me of some of Willow Rose's horror stories. If you are looking for a book guaranteed to scare you, you've found it!

A truly creepy scary horror of a book that’s kept me up half the night!!! One to read with the big light on! A great horror book that is well worth a read for anyone who wants to be scared witless.

Thank you to NetGalley, Edward J Cembal and Book Whisperer for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I got 40-45% through and I felt like nothing really had happened yet so I couldn’t bring myself to finish it.

Whew, well….

Let’s just say this took me awhile to get through. Much longer than I would have liked. If I am sucked in, I can devour a book in a day or two. This one unfortunately took me months for lack of interest.

The story was much slower than I would have liked. We follow a man tasked with cleaning up the monsters in the city which loom over its people. A delicate balance of casting out the monsters before they run rampant and endanger more lives.

It just felt like I was struggling as much as the MC, but not in a good way. I didn’t feel connected to the story, invested in the MC or even what was going to happen.

There are good thoughts behind this, more poetic than the dystopian story I was hungry for. I’d say read some other reviews and decide what kind of post-apocalyptic story you’re looking for before you read this. It’s not like TWD, and more fantasy than anything with the monsters. It just didn’t hit the mark for me unfortunately.

This book was hard to get in to. The story was too far fetched for me. I know other people really enjoyed this book. Maybe I just couldn’t read between the lines kinda thing.

This was one of the first book I requested on NetGalley when I joined. I was very excited to read and review this book but had an issue with downloading so was not able to access it.

This story was action packed, made me feel quite tense in places. The pacing was great. All in all a well balanced novel.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an e-arc of this title for review.
This book is a story set in a world 100 years post viral take over. However, I wouldn't say that it is particularly triggering for those sensitive to post epidemic plot lines. It did feel very different because of the unique nature of the epidemic.
The opening chapter drew me in and was actually super creepy and intriguing. Although this is not a perfect book I do recommend it overall. It was really interesting and actually the flaws were very much something that indicated to me how into the story I was. I really just wanted more description and time in certain moments of the story. Sometimes there were moments that were so quick that I had to go back and re read as I was getting confused with where people came from or went too. I think that these things could have been sorted easily with a little more development time.
Another, point I want to make is that I am predominantly a character driven reader. I think that it is a sign of a great plot that I didn't care about any of the characters particularly, and still wanted to keep reading. I would say this was in parts a 3 star read for me, but the starting chapter and the final 30% really brought the rating up for me. I liked the interesting concepts and mirroring of real life stuff, in a world that feels very much how our world could go in this situation. I also found this book really quotable and if I had a physical copy of it, I would absolutely have been highlighting a bunch. The twists were really good too... again, especially in the last 30%.
I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a gory horror, enjoys a twisty plot, and likes to think about the human condition and how it is affected by the world around us and vice versa.

I really loved this book, as it was not only well written and an exciting read, it was a wonderful allegory on how we often avoid confronting our own demons until they become too big to manage on our own.

Excellent book, loved it! Looking forward to more from this author! Apologies for the lateness of my review

I thought this was a good book. Definitely a different idea and I enjoyed that. The author made this book easy to understand and get into this world. A must read!

As someone who frequently delves into horror genres, I found The Monsters in Our Shadows to be a refreshing and captivating read. The author successfully crafted a unique narrative that kept me guessing from start to finish. I was especially impressed by how well he navigated the story’s length; for a debut horror novel, it was clear he had a strong vision and executed it effectively without getting bogged down in excessive details.

My thanks to the Book Whisperer, Edward J. Cembal and Netgalley
Well, I'm about 2 months overdue on this review.
I have 2 or 3 excuses for that, but....ugh, why bother?
I'm making this a short review. Mostly because its after 1:00 am, and I'm tired. Yep! I did give that excuse! Wish I could have used that when I was in school.😉
I thought that Mr. Cembals idea behind this story was unique. The concept was freaking intense! I honestly had a difficult time putting myself there without imagining that I'd freak out and be messed up for a wee bit!
Honestly, I don't want to give much detail into the story. The concept didn't seem like much to begin with, but hold onto your ass, because its kind of different. More of a fever dream or sleep paralysis than a nightmare.
As we used to say decades ago....Good shit, Maynard!
Ill be on the lookout for more from this author.
One thing that kept this from being 5 stars? Yep...that ending was a little too twee.

This is a great effort but, for me, the ending doesn't quite work. I think it's worth reading and recommending with caveats. My concerns are difficult to discuss this without spoilers but I think the symptom - here the "shadows" that plague residents of the city - are not adequately linked to the cause that is revealed in the closing. Thus, I don't think the solution offered works either. But by and large, it's a scary book so give it a try.

The cover is particularly good.

This was a debut novel for this author, and the writing shows that clearly. That being said, the story itself was compelling and interesting, combining horror with existential dread and a dystopian future. The Shivers are monsters that we create and are part of us, following us until we give up and allow it to consume us. The metaphors are many. Anthem, an Exiler, finds out how to save humanity from itself. As I said the author needs to really improve his craft and get a really good editor., but he has the talent.

I was a little hesitant going into this book, because I’m still delving into my horror era, but this book was GOOD!

I thought it was a standalone so I was worried how the ending would wrap up, and I was afraid it was going to be rushed, but I feel like it ended well & left me wanting to pick up the next book!

I feel like the pacing was done well, it kept me on the edge of my seat! The storytelling and worldbuilding and the plot was done well and I feel like there weren’t many, if any plot holes and unexplained things that couldn’t be explained in the next book.

Thank you to the author, and Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

An exceptionally crafted horror novel, masterfully written and brimming with complex, multidimensional characters. Anthem, the Exilist, on the precipice of being replaced, uncovers a sinister truth that challenges his perception of reality. His perilous journey through the desolate Deadlands leads him in search of the enigmatic Felixidrine, where he encounters challenges far surpassing his wildest expectations. Driven by an unyielding determination to save his daughter and countless others from the clutches of the insidious Shivers, Anthem pushes himself beyond the boundaries of human endurance, demonstrating unwavering courage and unwavering resolve. I devoured this book with insatiable fervor, unable to tear myself away from its captivating narrative. The tantalizing conclusion leaves readers yearning for more, hinting at the continuation of Anthem's extraordinary odyssey. This exceptional work of horror literature comes highly recommended, an absolute must-read for aficionados of the genre.

This story was action packed, made me feel quite tense in places. The pacing was great. We had moments that felt nice and fast intertwined with slower ones that allowed us to take a breath and rest from all the action for a bit. Loved that. I think it made this story well balanced.

Gothic story about the monsters we try to hide from the world. I liked that it was so clearly an allegory for depression/mental illness, but just was not super into the story over all.

I really liked this book. I loved how the Author made Anthem so relatable. Anthem is caught between doing his job and trying to figure out how to save his daughter. With a pressing timeline he is thrown into a new environment where he has to learn how to survive while still completing what may be an impossible mission. Loved the twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. This one is definitely worth a read!

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.” Thank you NetGalley