What a deeply unsettling novella! About a week after finishing it, I keep randomly thinking about it.

For starters, massive trigger warning for animal cruelty/death. I was not expecting it and the content was graphic.

This starts off a bit slow, and if you don't read the synopsis ahead of time (I hadn't), you're not quite sure what's happening. The narrator drops a couple of hints that things are not okay, that there are recent events that might come into play in the story, which is enough to start building up tension.

If you like going into things not knowing much, then all you really need to know is that the main character seems to be having sleep issues and keeps waking up exhausted, sometimes with unexplained bruises and injuries. She's on a quest to figure out what's going on, and what she discovers leaves her with more questions than answers.

By the end of the book, you're also left with questions, so if you need a clean, clear ending, this might not be for you. This type of ending works perfectly well for me, as does the general structure of this story. I love trying to piece things together with the character. I love the feeling that things aren't quite right and can't possibly end well. This is creepy as hell, and the audiobook is great.

I did keep wanting just a bit more. A bit more of the main character, a bit more insight into her past, a bit more at the end (not necessarily more answers, just... more). This is what keeps it from 5 stars, but if it lingers with me much longer, that might get bumped up.

Sometimes I feel like this woman too. I wake up feeling like I did all the work in the world overnight. I thought I need melatonin or other sleeping aid to have restful sleep. I got an Oura ring to follow my sleeping habits but maybe I have someone haunting me too. Who knows who gets under my skin make my walk/work every night?!

It must be horrifying to see that your watch is telling you you took 40000 steps when you were supposed to be sleeping or going to same place over and over again with missing kitten tally rose. Iðunn was truly struggling with her sleep. People suggest all sorts of "remedies" but none of them worked. She couldn't get over her sister's passing and probably sleeping with her ex did not make things better either. But no one know what exactly was wrong with her. How could she wake up with damp hair and blood under her nails?

Short but scary novella fitting to Nordic tradition. They don't beat around the bush. They hit you right in the face with crazy stories and you'll just have to take it.

I won't be reading this on audio anymore, although I was initially very interested in receiving this ARC.... until I realized it was a horror novel featured killing cats, dead cats. Please change your publisher's blurb to mention this cruelty and the horror genre.

The Night Guest is a quick read that is very intriguing. If you like psychological thrillers, this story is for you. I was curious from the beginning of this story, wondering where it may go. It took a turn that was not expected, and kept me engaged until the end.

I listened to the audiobook version of this story which is a translation that is read by the translator. It was well done. I listened at 1.75x speed (my normal audiobook listening speed is 1.75-2x speed).

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this advanced audiobook copy.

I listened to an advanced copy of the audiobook

Review of the audiobook : 4 stars
The narrator is clear at speeds 0.5x-2x, but I think some elements of this book would be much more impactful in a physical format

Review of the book : 2.5 stars
Had good ideas but something about the writing style isn't for me

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this ARC.

Super Quick listen and so good. I love unreliable narrators. This was like diving into the mind of someone with hypochondria but also extreme mental illness. Throw in a few terrifying sleep disorders. Even through all that I still really liked the main character and wanted her to find peace.

Great narration!

Trigger Warning for animal abuse.

Read Completed 7/27/24 | 3.5 stars
THE NIGHT GUEST was a quick and easy horror read, clocking in at just over 200 pages. I loved the fast and furious descent into terror as the main character realizes she's been active in her sleep... and it's not just sleep walking.

I listened to the audiobook so I didn't realize how short it was and didn't understand the pacing at first, but once I adjusted to that, I realized how quickly I was flying through it! The author wastes no time getting into Iðunn's issues and it immediately had me interested and hooked. Is she turning into a vampire? Is she possessed? Is she hallucinating? And who could blame her for almost not wanting to know what's going on. If you're not in control of your own body and you're terrified, I totally understood being a little too scared to even want to *really* find out what's happening.

I also really enjoyed the tone! It was a little quirky in some ways but it wasn't silly. I love Mary Robinette Kowal and her narration brought a light tone to the audiobook as well. Audiobook note: I also think it's so cool that MRK translated this book! I didn't know she knew Islandic. The author's note said the author met Mary Robinette Kowal at a book conference in Iceland and they hit it off and MRK offered to translate the book for her. That's such a neat story. Anyway...

My only complaint is that which I have with a lot of short books and it's that I didn't quite satisfy me in the end. The ending really escalated, but the ending was a tad confusing and I wish we had gotten a little more backstory. I could definitely draw a lot of conclusions but I just wanted a couple more dots so I could connect them a little better and get a little bit better of a final picture.

If you're looking for a fast and quickly engaging horror read, this was a fun one! Please check content warnings (especially animal deaths, specific to cats only) if you need them.

The Night Guest was a quick twisted little read. I flew through this one. The narrator is fantastic. I did get a little confused during the end but maybe I just lost something in translation. I would highly recommend this one to anyone who loves horror novellas.
3/5 Stars

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me an arc in exchange for my honest review.

For fans of novellas I highly recommend picking up The Night Guest by Hildur Knútsdóttir. This short book is engaging and doesn't overwhelm the plot with too many characters or details. As the book opens, there is wonderfully executed buildup as to why our main character Iðunn is always fatigued and brings up the very real experience of the medical professions dismissal of women's health concerns. After buying a watch to track her steps/health, she realizes she is walking thousands of steps throughout the night with no memory of the trips. This is really all you need to know before you jump in and follow the unraveling of the mystery.

Compulsively readable. Deliciously horrific. These types of books that have a a thriller/mystery component, I never really love the "reveal" at the end. It never seems to match the build up for me, which is why I tend to avoid thrillers. Can't say I loved this "reveal" either but it was vague enough to make me like it more than usual and it leaned into the horror elements in the build up in a way I really enjoyed.
The audiobook is a super quick 2 hours and 42 minutes so if you listen at a faster speed, as I do, you really can listen to it in a day or two. It's narrated by the translator so she clearly KNOWS the book and narrates masterfully. I was absolutely transported!!

Definitely recommended for a quick scare!

This was a fabulous novella. It was weird, creepy, and highly entertaining. I loved all the suspense and tension. The pacing was great. It had a really strong and unique plot. The audiobook was excellent. I loved the narrator; she did such an amazing job. She spoke clearly, her pronunciation was good, and you could hear the emotion in her voice.

I love the disassociated way this was written. As if life was happening to and around our main character. The novel was gripping and really got into the story quickly and the pace stayed fast until the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ALC!

4.5 stars - The Night Guest was a truly disturbing in all the best ways story! I was hooked the entire time and finished it in a night because I had to know what was going on. It was visceral and haunting. A perfect book for horror connoisseurs and those looking to read something for spooky season.

The ending left a bit to be desired for me personally, which is why I took off half a star. However, I can see this ending being right up some reader's alley so I think that comes down to personal taste.

Definitely recommend!

This book is extremely short, and I was thankful for that! The narrator of the audiobook was great, however, the story was just lacking substance. The beginning hooked me and as I ready you don't really find out much else until the very end. And then it's just done. Could've been a longer story with more details but it really fell short of my expectations. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC audiobook!

DNF; quit around 75%

The reveal slid into a topic I will not read (dead cats)

I was pretty lukewarm about the story overall but it was quick and a fast read so I kept with it.

As of now, this is another book where the cover and title makes absolutely no sense (maybe it will by the end). I find this frustrating.

I was intrigued by the story initially—what’s she getting up to with her sleep walking? But dead cats?

The Night Guest is a novella about a woman struggling with finding her own identity after the loss of her older sister. While I enjoyed the ride here, there were too many questions left at the end that seem to stem from just poor character development. There is not enough "why" explored here to make it a unique somnambulist tale.
I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator, Mary Robinette Kowal, was perfect for this.
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC!

A main character who pays lip service to her negative impact on the environment for using water bottles and woefully points out sexist double standards, yet apparently has no qualms sleeping with a married man with kids, terrorizes a neighborhood too collectively stupid not to put their cats outside even though there's an epidemic of them going missing. I'm glad this had the good sense not to be longer.

In "The Night Guest", a woman wakes up exhausted and injured, with her doctors unable to diagnose her condition. Some even doubt her. One night, she falls asleep with her smartwatch on and discovers she has walked over 40,000 steps, adding a layer of suspense to the story.
TW: There is horror involving neighborhood cats that is closed-door, but the consequences are not.

I found The Night Guest to be a truly captivating read that kept me guessing until the end. I'm eagerly looking forward to purchasing the book when it's released.

This short, Novella really packed a punch for me. There are minor spoilers in this review. Be warned.

I love the representation throughout this novel. First of all, we have a mid 50s female protagonist, which is not really common in most stories. We also have a woman who is extremely strong and standing on her own with no interest in marriage or having children. We need more of that representation in stories. This book deals with loss and grief and finding one self and I thought it was very well presented.

I thought it was very interesting. How the story unfolded and the way that the main female character was continuously finding different things out about the plot line. I felt it was very well done, and that the plot was organic and flowed well. Definitely kept me entertained and wanting to read more.

A couple things that I did not love, the love interest. I wasn't a big fan of the love interest being a past bf of the sister. There was also a minor plot hole that never got solved for me in reference to something found in the sister's room.

overall, though I did enjoy the story and absolutely will read more by this author

A very creepy and atmospheric story of a young woman experiencing mysterious and violent somnambulism. The story is not unique but the slow burn of trying to act normal when things are not makes for a satisfying read