Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of "The Monsters in Our Shadows" by Edward J. Cembal. This story tells the tale of "Anthem," our main character against the backdrop of a post-apocalyptic country where monsters now shadow and destroy certain members of the society. The overarching allegory is that certain individuals suffering from mental health issues (i.e. depression) are followed by a physical manifestation of their illness and ultimately consumed by it. I will be honest - I was floored and extremely impressed with the theme and integration of mental health issues throughout the book. I applaud the author for drawing such an impactful narrative and very much enjoyed the book overall. At times it felt like it went on a bit long but I raced to get through it and think the ending was both realistic and hopeful.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“What’s it like?”
“There are flowers.” 💐

Possible spoilers 💁🏼‍♀️
Honestly, I don’t understand how this book isn’t more popular. A dystopian horror that will stay with me forever. The author did a great job of making me feel every emotion.
The main character, Anthem, is an exilist. He is in charge of palliative care in the end stages of depression. He is a sort of hero when it comes to easing people into their death. The world is overrun by Shivers. Almost every person has their own Shiver & the darkness it carries. After years of trying to avoid it & ignore their shiver it finally consumes its host. There is no hope in getting rid of a Shiver, but medication can prolong your life until it inevitably takes over completely. Until Anthem gets sent into the Deadlands to find more medication. He doesn’t find a cure, there is no cure. But he does find a way to live a fulfilling life despite always being followed around by the dark shadow.

TW: depression & suicide
This book hooked me from the beginning. It’s not mentioned WHAT the Shiver is, but I interpret it as depression. This book was a perfect description of depression & the tolls it takes on you. It showcases the feeling of impending doom. The author talks about there not being a cure just a medication to numb the pain. Bringing up how even when you try to ignore it that it will always be there following you. It is the perfect example of choosing to live every day despite your mental illness. You are more than your mental illness. There is light at the end of the tunnel & the answer doesn’t have to be an end. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for this copy of The Monsters in our Shadows.

I really Enjoyed this book, thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

This book had great plot and charter development. I enjoyed the pacing and thought the book was unique.

Given that this was the first time I have read this author this book is one of my top reads of the year.

I’m an avid horror reader and this book did not disappoint! I’m amazed that this is a debut novel. It had more depth and emotion than I was expecting which really floored me. I’m not the biggest fan of dystopian fiction but the remarkable descriptions and world building really sealed the deal. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of The Monsters in our Shadows.

I really wanted to like this book but it was just not for me.

Very fun, crazy, thrilling of a read! I very much enjoyed reading this! I was at the edge of my seat the whole time. When I thought I knew what was going to happen I was wrong. The characters were amazing and the plot was really good.

The Monsters in Our Shadows is an excellent post-apocalyptic journey of discovery, mayhem, and love. The monsters in this novel are not unlike those of bestselling author Adam Nevill, in that they are relatively nondescriptive. Also similarly to Adam Nevill's work, it is complex and emotionally layered, dealing with topics such as mental health, moral dilemmas, and the brutality of post-apocalyptic living.

I thoroughly enjoyed this adventure, and if you are into tropes such as dystopian society, post-apocalyptic adventure, and/or books that deal with mental health in abstract ways, then this is the book for you!

I would like to say thank you to Netgalley for this ARC.

Anthem is an Exilest. It is his thankless job in Atlas to escort the doomed and their Shivers, the monsters that are set to devour them, from the city walls to protect the citizenry. He takes them to the Deadlands where, aptly, nothing can live, or can it? Anthem wants to give more to the people of Atlas but to begin he needs to know why things are the way they are and information is in short supply. That is until one day when he gets accidentally caught outside the city walls and witnesses things that amaze him.

We follow his journey as he strives to make things better for his people and learns that perhaps an equitable solution is as good as a win.

Monsters In Our Shadows is a well written book with characters that grab you. If you’re not careful you might end up staying awake all night to finish it.

This was fairly good to me. At times I couldn't really get into it, but it was enjoyable enough for me to want to finish it.

I was hooked by this book from start to end. I typically love all horror and sci-fi books, this book was like no other and hit most popular marks. Anthem's character arc was great and the world-building was immersive, and the eerie atmosphere kept me hooked. The suspense made it hard to put down. I highly recommend reading this book blind to fully appreciate its twists and turns—each one more surprising than the last. It was a great book to add to my list for this year.

I’m very conflicted about this book. The plot and premise was there and was very intriguing. However it fell short for me at the end with how it fizzled out. The beginning of the book was fantastic was if I could just take that chunk alone, I would rate that 4/5 stars. I think if Anthem (the main character) wasn’t so 2 dimensional and was more flushed out, it would have helped the book greatly as there are these huge themes of emotional trauma and grief through out the book.

Also scenes that should have been good turning points for Anthem to show growth and determination were rushed and I can’t believe I am saying this, but the book needed to be longer to successfully fulfill what the author was trying to convey.

Chilling. Tick

Horror. Tick

Dystopian. Tick
Totally awesome book. Couldn't put it down

This novel ticked all the right boxes for me. Thank you for the opportunity to review

The Monsters In Our Shadows is a dystopian novel in development as a major motion picture. When the invitation to read the book arrived in my inbox, I decided to give the novel a try. Although horror is not a genre I typically read, I do love bone chilling thrillers and horror movies. And since I know first-hand how difficult it is to get a book published, and how next to impossible it is to land a movie deal, author Edward J Cembal gained my respect in an instant. Of course I'd read his book.

I'm not a psychiatrist, but I'd almost bet the shadowy nightmarish creatures inside the story with an insatiable hunger to consume human hosts, called Shivers, are metaphors for clinical depression. If so, I now understand why depression is such a debilitating illness. The Shivers are horrifying in their ability to slowly but surely suck the life out of a person. Battling and winning against the Shivers is the key to human survival. In The Monsters In Our Shadows we follow protagonist Anthem's journey to defeat the monsters.

Many thanks to Book Whisperer and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of the book to read and review. This review will post to Bayside Book Reviews at https://baysidebookreviews.com and its Instagram page on release day. Follow us! *NetGalley Top Reviewer*

Thank you to the publisher for giving me a copy of The Monsters In Our Shadows in exchange for an honest review.

I overall really enjoyed this book. The main character, Anthem, had some solid characterization that made you want to root for him.

There was always a new twist or turn in the plot that kept me reading as well. I was actually surprised by a couple of moments in the book and really enjoyed the overall plot.

The Shivers are sooo creepy and I hate them. So mission accomplished with that 😅. I thought the entire concept of Shivers was really unique and truly loved the imagery of each individual one. I also liked how the idea of these monsters evolved throughout the book.

My only criticism would be there was a lot of repetitive phrasing throughout. Similar word choice in similar moments, if that makes sense. The author didn’t vary the description a lot in those noments and by the end I was a little bit over it (but really on a little bit)!

Overall this was a really solid, interesting, fast-paced debut novel. Looking forward to more from this author in the future!

The whole book was amazing. It kept me on my toes, the ending was perfect. I hope there's another book to it. I'm so blown away!

When your therapist says to personify your mental health struggles, this isn't what they meant. Pretty decent horror story.

Sadly this wasn’t for me. I had to put it down and dnf it. The synopsis was great, I was looking forward to a horror dystopian novel! But sadly I didn’t feel a connection to any of the main characters and was missing a certain spark.

This was not a book for me. The description sounds so intriguing but I could not manage the execution. Repetitive and not as creepy as I thought it would be.

Thanks to Netgalley and Book Whisperer for this ARC.

Your own personal monster....

A century after “the great consumption” , Anthem works as a “Exilist.” His job is to trap shivers and banish them outside the walls in the deadlands. He, like many of those living in the city, has his very own shiver. Shivers are ravenous monsters/creatures that latch onto their hosts and follow them around until they consume them. People can see them but act as if they cannot. What must it be like to have your own personal monster? One that you carry around with you for others to see.

Anthem is given a harrowing task. One that takes him away from his young daughter and beyond the walls and into the deadlands. It is not an easy task, in fact it is extremely dangerous, unnerving, dark, and unpredictable. There are not many characters in this book which puts the full focus on Anthem, the shivers, the supporting characters, and the plot.

This is a dystopian book with a message about our own personal "monsters." There is action and some creepy and scary scenes. It shows both the best and worst of humanity. I found this book to be unique, horrific, thought provoking, and enjoyable. I enjoyed the vivid descriptions, tension, and action in this book. This book is a nice merging of several genres - horror, science fiction, paranormal, dystopian, and even mystery. The Monsters in our Shadows played out like a movie in my mind. Anthem is a character to root for and I enjoyed how his character gained insight and grew over the course of this book.

Original, creepy, dark, horrific and thought provoking!

Thank you to author and publisher for the arc!

I was very hyped about this book because some of my mutuals were raving about it but unfortunately I didn’t like it as much as they did. I felt the story was repetitive, the writing wasn’t great and I was just bored 80% of the time unfortunately.

I think a lot of people would enjoy this book, I’m just not one of them