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!

Up there with all of the best extinction level event books, bringing drama,tension and fear all into one text. I really enjoyed this read

An excellent horror. Well written with good, solid characters. Anthem, the Exilist, about to be replaced, discovers all is not quite as it seems. He journey through the Deadlands to find Felixidrine and encounters much more than he bargained for. His determination to save his daughter and others from  their Shivers is commendable and he pushes himself to the limit. I couldn't read it quick enough and the ending leaves it open for more. Highly recommended.

Sadly, to me, this is one of those "intriguing premise but mediocre execution" cases.
The synopsis really appeals to me (dystopian horror? Yes, sir!) but I didn't care for the characters, the dystopian elements didn't clique with me and the writing was too clunky and repetitive for my taste.
I apologise to the author and to the publisher, but I actually DNFed this book.
It's a *me* thing. This book did not work with me at all, but I'm sure it will to other readers.
If you like sci-fi-y, dystopian horror consider giving this book a chance.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me this ARC.
What a great book! I loved it!
I really recommend it to anyone who is looking for a book with a "dark" vibe. It is a perfect read for Halloween, or winter/autumn.

DNF at 30%

I was really looking forward to picking this book up. The cover gave off creepy vibes and the synopsis had me sold but unfortunately, the content just didn't hold up.

I went into this book expecting to be scared and for the reading experience to be tension filled, especially considering this is marketed as horror; and the atmosphere of the book and the pacing fell flat for me. There was a lot happening but at no point did I feel scared or tense in any way; therefore the plot just felt rushed and I wasn't immersed enough to care about what has happening on the page.

The writing was also a major hurdle for me; it was repetitive to the point of the character repeating action several time of two or three pages (this is something that should have been picked up in editing) and the author kept trying to make use of phrases and metaphors to add a creep factor but they just ended up falling flat.

Overall it was just a lackluster experience, but I do believe that the plot of some passages of writing showed promise and the book overall just needed better editing.

I have never read anything in the horror genre, not even Stephen King! But the dystopian element of this book appealed to me. Once I delved into it, I was reminded somewhat of the South Korean TV series "Hellbound," of which I was a fan. I'm going to skip the obvious symbolism and just say that this was a cracking good story, complete with edge-of-your seat thrills and suspense. Imagine being in the future, where nearly everyone has an actual monster following them around, and there is no way to get rid of it. Chilling, right? For the would-be hero of this tale, who wants to help find a solution to save himself, his daughter, and the town he lives in, his path is perilous and exciting. Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advanced Reader Copy.

I loved this book! The Monsters in Our Shadows by Edward J. Cembal is brilliantly written and unexpectedly deep and emotional. It's a fresh take on the dystopian genre and so much more. I was fully engaged from the first page. Few books linger in the mind long after the last page is turned, but this one does. The novel challenges readers to reflect on their lives and the monsters they may face. It’s ultimately a profoundly hopeful message. What an incredible debut novel! I look forward to reading Cembal’s next novel! Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and author, for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.