This was a very interesting listen. I really didn’t know what to expect but all in all it was a good story. It was creepy for sure and suspenseful. Iounn is at another doctors office trying to figure out her wounds. She would wake up and have bruises, aches, pains and sometimes bloody limbs. What the heck was going on at night? How could she wake up tattered and torn and where was she going? She started to track her sleep. First with a camera in her room, then with mileage tracker. But she couldn’t believe the results both showed. She needed answers and she needed them now. What has been going on has to be resolved. She has to make it end. The Night Guest by Hildur Knutsdottir is definitely an original thriller. Fast paced, strange and bizarre. It was a quick listen and Mary Robinette Kowal did a great job narrating. I am so glad I had the opportunity to listen to this story.

Iðunn is trying to find out why she's struggling so much and is constantly feeling fatigued. She rotates through doctors, feeling hopeful when she finds a younger, female doctor who doesn't relate her problem with 'female' troubles. But no matter what she tries, from changing her diet, to getting more exercise, to vitamins and sleeping pills. Nothing seems to be helping her and no one is able to make a diagnosis that makes sense.
One night Iðunn wakes up after having fallen asleep with her smart watch on and discovers that somehow she put on 40,000 steps. She keeps this to herself but tries setting different traps and notes to see if she's actually doing something at night. Nothing she does reveals what's happening at night, but increasingly she wakes up to discover some unsettling things about her - bloodied face, black eyes, her body covered in dirt.

It gets to the point where she fears going to sleep and won't allow herself a social life, until she meet one special guy. After their first night together she quickly heads home, not daring to fall asleep at his place. But to stay in a relationship she can't avoid sleeping over and her worst fears are realized when, after falling asleep in his bed, she wakes up in her own bed, covered in blood.

What happens to Iðunn at night? What happens to those around her?

I listened to the audio version of this book, read by author/translator Mary Robinette Kowal and I found it highly engaging.

The slowly emerging sense of wonder and horror builds very well. Kowal as narrator definitely has an advantage of really understanding the story as she was the translator and her narration is subtle and helps the listener grow into the fear surrounding Iðunn.

There are a lot of questions around what's happening and not all of them are answered. I don't have any problem with that (but others may). This isn't a traditional story in any genre, really, though most likely it will be appreciated by fans of dark fantasy and horror. It's certainly not as 'in-your-face' as Christina Henry or Grady Hendrix and maybe not as dark as Ramsey Campbell. Though maybe it is. The darkest parts of this horror are what's left to the reader/listeners imagination - though we're certainly guided to go to a dark place.

This is a short book - a novella at best - but I suspect we'll be hearing and reading a lot more from Hildur Knútsdóttir in the years to come.

Looking for a good book? The Night Guest by Hildur Knútsdóttir is a slowly building, dark story that engages and thrills the reader by keeping them on edge and guessing throughout.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for sending me an early copy of this audiobook! All opinions are my own!

If you're looking for a short, fun spooky season read, look no further! I can't decide if the ending and me being so confused makes the book scarier or not, but it was definitely unsettling and eerie! I feel like it needed another 100 pages or so to really flesh things out, but I did appreciate how quick it was and the way it sucks you in until you've suddenly found yourself at the end of it! Grab a blanket, light a candle, and get ready to be scared!

Mileage may vary with this one, but it was everything I wanted. It was creepy and disquieting. It gave me A24 movie vibes. I highly recommend going in blind. I did, and I think it adds to the experience. If you need a neat and tidy ending, this probably won't work.

The conversation/themes about women and the healthcare system were fantastic and thought-provoking. As someone with chronic pain, the feelings of the unknown the main character goes through are something I know well.

Mary Robinette Kowal's narration is perfect, as always.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The scariest part of a story is what happens when the world around you refuses to believe your terror. Hildur Knútsdóttir’s The Night Guest delivers a deeply unsettling psychological horror set in Reykjavík, where Iðunn’s mysterious sleepwalking episodes lead her down a twisted path of injury and confusion. After her smartwatch ⌚ reveals she's walking 40,000 steps in her sleep, Iðunn is desperate for answers—but as the nights grow darker 🌑 and the injuries more severe, she’s forced to confront the terrifying truth: What’s really happening while she’s asleep?

Drenched in tension and dread, The Night Guest slowly unravels the nightmare of being gaslit by your own body. The familiar themes of women’s healthcare dismissal, strained friendships, and the dark corners of the psyche let this novella sink its claws 🐾 into your thoughts and let your imagination run wild. It’s not just about fear of the unknown—it’s about being trapped in your own skin, with no one willing to listen as your reality spirals into chaos.

The audiobook performance of The Night Guest perfectly amplifies the novel's creeping dread. The narrator’s pacing draws you into Iðunn’s mounting terror, with subtle shifts in tone that make the eerie moments land even harder. It’s an immersive experience, enhancing the unsettling atmosphere of this psychological horror.

The prose is sharp ✂️, the pacing relentless, and the atmosphere? Absolutely suffocating. This novella is perfect for fans of Sara Gran's Come Closer or Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield.

Iðunn feels like something is wrong with her but every doctors test comes back normal. She's often exhausted and wakes up with random bruises on her body. She knows something isn't right but can't find a cause for what is happening. While on a health journey to try to fix these odd symptoms, Iðunn buys a fitness watch to track her steps. One night she accidentally wears it to bed and is surprised to see that her step count has gone up. In this spooky novella story, Iðunn has to try and figure out what is going on while she is sleeping.

I was very intrigued by the premise of this novella. As someone who has had nerve related pain and illnesses I could relate to her struggle to find a reason behind all of her symptoms. In the beginning of the book I had a hard time seeing where it was going. I was interested in the story and Iðunn but it wasn't obvious what direction the book was going to take. Once she figured out she was sleeping walking it took on a twisted, creepy tone. There were parts of it, like her watching herself get out of bed, that were very spooky.

I had 2 issues with this book. One was her sleeping with her dead sister's ex-boyfriend. That seemed messed up on both of their parts. Also, she had quite a few orgasms in a row while they had sex. I actually checked to see if a man or woman wrote this book because that sounded like something a man would write. I had to roll my eyes at that part but that is a very slight complaint in the grand scheme of things. I also found it surprising that someone who is nonstop going to doctors wouldn't ask about a sleep study once she suspected she was sleep walking.

This book definitely needs a trigger warning with the dead cats. This book was a creepy novella, perfect to kick off the spooky season. The ending is open ended, and leaves you to figure it out for yourself. I was left with a lot of questions but I thought it worked well with this book. I recommend this book if you're looking for a quicky, creepy read this fall but I don't recommend if you're sensitive to animals deaths or dislike open ended books.

Lounn cannot figure out why she is so tired and feels like she hasn't slept. That is until she wears her watch to sleep and sees that she has walked thousands of steps at night. As she retraces her steps and tries to figure out what is happening to her at night, her horror story increases.

This listened more like a short story, and although enjoyable it was a bit outside of my comprehension at times. The audio quality was decent, and listened well.

"Scary Story" lovers, will probably find this enjoyable.

Very creepy and disturbing novella about a woman who discovers she is sleepwalking--and is concerned about just what she's getting up to at night. Fantastic narrator who did a great job capturing the protagonist's sardonic sense of humor. Things grow increasingly tense and desperate as the story progresses. Perfect for spooky season!

The Night Guest by Hildur Knutsdottir was spectacular! Well written, fantastic premise, exciting plot points and interesting character arcs, I was blown away.... blown away! So different than anything I have read lately, you need to read this novella. Now this is my brand of different and weird. The audiobook narrator made the book come alive, well done.

Iŏunn has tried everything but is still waking up tired and achy, and sometimes bloody and bruised, every morning. So she decides to stop sleeping at all, and that's when her nights get really disturbing.

This was a quick read/listen with plenty of creepy atmosphere. I found the ending to be really confusing since it was so short, like I was missing something important. Definitely beware of animal cruelty in this book...yikes.

The narrator did a great job with the many Icelandic pronunciations.

2.5 rounded up!

I'm so sad to report that but book really bummed me out. What started out SO promising completely fell flat in the end for me.

I was hooked from the start & the whole story was so intriguing. A super likable & relatable narrator realizes after buying a smart watch to track her steps, that she's walking thousands of steps, in her sleep. Steps she doesn't remember taking. Then she starts waking up bloody & sore & even more confused.

Add in a dead sister & missing cats & you have a whole ordeal that truly never gets solved. I can't say I even know what actually happened. I needed like 100 more pages at least!!

Thank you so much Macmillan Audio for this audio book as a part of your influencer program!

The Night Guest was creepy!! I appreciate the slow tension and the twist was great. Loved the short chapters too

I'm usually not a fan of short stories but this one hooked me right from the start. Everything was going great until the last few chapters where I quickly fell off. I really had no idea what the point of the ending was and failed to understand it and had to run to Goodreads to get an explanation. The story was unsettling and made my heart race but ultimately didn't finish the job. I had A lot of different theories as the story went on but none of them ever panned out. I really did think that she murdered her sister and was dealing with the guilt of that, but I have no idea what the truth was. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book had me just hooked then it feel apart. It felt like the last part of the story was rushed and not finished. I feel cheated haha.

It was a real shame because there was this brilliant undertone with the sleep disturbances and the build up was so delicious I was hanging on for dear life then it fizzled out!

TW there is some animal abuse so be warned but

I could go for a follow up novella though..

Wow! This book gave me such a whirlwind of emotions. I was so invested and loving every second – only for the ending to be completely rushed and leave me with so many questions. As someone with a sleep disorder, I was completely drawn into the story about a character who sleepwalks every night for miles and miles with no memory of the experience. The creepy, unsettling moments were perfect, and I really enjoyed learning more about each of the characters. This book is ⅔ perfect and ⅓ unfinished. I still recommend it because the majority of the book is so well done. Also, the narrator is great!

ARC received from Macmillan Audio via Netgalley.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this audio ARC!
This was an incredibly unique read. At only 208 pages, I suppose it is more so a novella, which I didn’t realize until I opened the audiobook to see it was only four hours long.
I greatly enjoyed this book to be perfectly honest. The narrator was clear, concise, and engaging. I loved the use of the short chapters and first person POV. My favorite part was most certainly the ending, and IMO this story was the perfect length! I can’t say I have read a book such as this before, and it’s one I won’t soon forget. For that reason, it’s a 5 star read from me!

Started reading this three times, it is a very strange book, but not one that I didn’t enjoy. Didn’t understand what was going on half the time. Weird scenes, weird characters. Big trigger, dead cats. Definitely not my cups.

The audio was well done, but I can’t help wondering if I would have been as lost, if I was reading. The cats though would have been off putting either way.

This was such a wild and weird novella! Though I would’ve preferred a different ending, it was a very enjoyable 4 ⭐️ read for me and was great on audio. Highly recommend but check trigger warnings as there are some intense parts to the story.

What if the danger in the dark comes from within ? This short horror novella was very engrossing - the main character is at her wits end, she wakes up tired and at times bruised but doesn't know why. She discovers she sleepwalks a very modern way - her step count is way off, but that is not the only thing that is off, cats are acting strangely around the main character, so are some of the more perceptive humans ...
I couldn't have predicted where this was all going but I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.
The audiobook was excellent - I loved that this book is narrated by the translator !

Haunting and gruesome descent into madness for an ordinary woman. While our MC navigates the mental health care system and HR at her work, she spends her nights prowling the streets as a somnambulant predator. This darkly funny novella is an entertaining horror bite that is perfect for fans of witty social-commentary and a bit of gore.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy. These opinions are my own.