the night guest by hildur knútsdóttir 💓 was reading a book about sleepwalking the best decision to make before going to sleep? I guess we will never know 💤

an eerie and ensnaring story set in contemporary reykjavík that’s sure to keep you awake at night. what is happening when she’s asleep? why is she waking up with increasingly disturbing injuries? and why won’t anyone believe her?

this was a quick translated horror that will keep you guessing up until the very end! weird girl confusion and paranoia at its finest. the short chapters were everything but the ending left me with more questions than answers. if you have any sensitivity to cat death/ cruelty, this will NOT be the book for you!

a new fear of sleepwalking has been UNLOCKED, thank you macmillian audio for my early copy 🎧 4 stars!

Iðunn has been struggling with extreme fatigue and unexplained bruises. Her doctors can’t find anything wrong. Thinking that more exercise could help, she buys a step-counting watch, and then wakes up one morning to find she has walked more than 40,000 steps in her sleep. As her symptoms and injuries become more and more severe, she is determined to find out what is happening while she sleeps.

I really enjoyed the first 98%. The atmosphere is so creepy and weird, the pacing is great, and the tension builds perfectly. However, I did not understand the ending at all 😅 I’d still recommend it, but it didn’t quite stick the landing for me.

Significant content warning for dead cats- no violence against cats occurs on page but the aftermath is discussed in detail.

Talk about creeppyyyy. This book really had me sitting there in daylight checking behind me.

Not only was the use of chapters very well done, the lack of background made the book somehow more creepy? It was fruatrating at some points, but I enjoyed knowing very little other then what the author gave us.

I do think the build up to the end was sudden and I wish we knew more past the end.

I LOVED this one until I didn’t. It was creepy and spooky, you never really knew where it was taking you. It was eerie and a pretty cool concept for a thriller/horror book. However, the ending just happened. All of a sudden the book was just over and I no longer enjoyed reading it. I felt like I had wasted my time because the ending brought me no closure or wrap up. Maybe 10 more chapters and it would have been better.

Thank you, NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, Hildur Knutsdottir, and Tor Publishing for this ALC


This is a super quick and fast-paced listen at only 2.5 hours. The mystery of Iðunn’s sleepless nights and unexplained injuries pulled me in. She kept trying so hard to find a reason for her ailments only to be told countless times that there was nothing wrong. I have had this happen more times than I can count and it is so unsettling. I liked the use of short chapters and thought it added to fear and suspense while listening. Mary Robinette Kowal did a great job with the narration as well.

There are mentions of harm to animals and deceased animals, so if that's not something you're comfortable with, you might want to skip this book. I found the ending a bit disappointing, but overall, the book was interesting and succeeded in giving me the creeps.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for an audiobook copy of this short horror novella. This book publishes on September 3rd, 2024.

SIGH. This book started SO strongly for me. I would rate this book 5 stars for the first 75% of it, and then 1 star for the last 25% of it. With that being said, I'll give it a solid 3 stars, but I'm not sure I would recommend this.

This book is translated from Icelandic to English. The translator was also the narrator of the audiobook - I thought that was great. The introduction music to this audiobook - OOOOOHHH!!! SO SO creepy. The outro music too - wow. I loved it. It really set the atmosphere for the book. My only complaint with the narration is that the author was a little breathy - I could hear her breaths in-between some sentences. That is a pet peeve of mine for some reason.

This book is about Iðunn, a woman who is having a lot of health issues, mainly fatigue, exhaustion, and overall soreness. She eventually invests in a smartwatch after all her friends (and stupid male doctors) tell her to "Just get some exercise! :D". Iðunn accidentally falls asleep with her smartwatch on and the next day is extremely shocked and confused by the pedometer reading - she got 40,000 steps last night after midnight???!!! OOOOO was this CREEPTASTIC to me! I freaking loved the setup of this novella. But even though this is a novella, I still thought it could do SO SO much more. The ending wasn't just ambiguous - it was abrupt. I found that really disappointing. Also, the slaughter of cats was also disappointing and did nothing to progress the story. It was just sad.

4.5 stars ⭐️ The Night Guest by Hildur Knútsdóttir, translated by Mary Robinette Kowal

Iounn knows her constant fatigue is a sign that something's not right, but practitioners dismiss her symptoms and blood tests haven't revealed any cause. She tries buying everything from vitamins to sleeping pills to a step-counting watch. One night she accidentally falls asleep with her watch on and wakes up to disturbing injuries, blood all over her, and her watch saying she’s walked over 40,000 steps in the middle of the night. Where has she being going in her sleep and what has she been doing?

I FLEW through this audiobook! I read this in one sitting and that’s not because it’s barely over 200 pages, but because of how invested and interested I was in the story . This was such a gripping read that will have you questioning what is going on even after you’ve finished it.

I honestly love an ambiguous ending and this one was one of the most confusing ones I’ve read before so that’s probably the only reason I couldn’t give this a 5 star rating.

I 100% related to the main character being gaslit and told that there was nothing wrong with her whenever she went to doctors. This has happened to me more times than I can count. I loved the discussion surrounding this and how it happens to women very often.

Content warnings: animal cruelty and death

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for sending me this arc audiobook for me to review! These are my honest thoughts and opinions.

What is happening while Iðunn is asleep? She is waking up exhausted every morning but all the medical tests are coming back normal. How will she find out what's going on?

This novella had me on the edge of my seat, I binged it in one sitting! For lovers of unreliable narrators, mental health struggle, and gruesome horror with a touch of the paranormal. This book had a diary like feel with each chapter feeling like stream of consciousness decent into sleep deprivation psychosis.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, Tor Nightfire and the author for providing this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed the audiobook narration and will buy the print version when its released next month.

I don't think this book was for me...... Ok ill say it, I did not like the end! What the heck was that?! 😪

Ok our MC is losing her mind, at least she thinks she is, she's constantly waking up tired and thinks something is off with the scrapes and bruises she beginning to see on her body. The book kept me guessing and here I was expecting some big reveal at the end, only to be sorely disappointed.

Yes I would recommend this, but be warned, the last few pages could annoy you!

Solid 3 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillian Audio for this ARC, Beyond humbled 🙏🏾
The Night Guest, out Sept 3rd 2024!!!!

This was just plain weird and a bit scary. Not sure it was my cup of tea, but if your into strange stuff this one might be for you. Give it a try would love to hear what others have to say about this one.

Thank you Mcmillan audio for my free audio copy.

I don't even know how to review this. I am disturbed and I am questioning what I just listened to. With that though I really liked it. I think it was done well and I really liked this type of horror

I recommend this for a quick horror listen.

First let me start by saying if you are a die hard cat lover you may want to skip this one because of the abuse inflicted on the cats. This was a good read right up until the end when I was like WTF did I just read. The ending was confusing,smh.

The Night Guest delivers a chilling, tense experience that will leave you on edge. Translated from Icelandic, this book masterfully captures the cold, unsettling feeling of being caught between wakefulness and sleep, where strange occurrences blur the line between reality and nightmares.

The story follows Iðunn, a young professional struggling with unexplained health issues that her doctor dismisses. Despite trying everything—exercise adjustments, diet changes, lifestyle overhauls, and various medications—she can't shake her persistent fatigue. When she starts using a step counter for motivation, she's shocked to find she's logging steps in her sleep. This is just the beginning of her terrifying journey.

As the story unfolds, Iðunn encounters a series of creepy, graphic events that keep you guessing until the end. The book's ambiguity leaves you pondering what truly happened, inviting you to come up with your own theories.

A word of caution: if you’re sensitive to scenes involving harm to animals, this might not be the book for you.

The Night Guest is quite the haunting tale that expertly toys with the reader's sense of reality, making it a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for providing this audiobook advance copy.

The chapters are short and suspenseful which, along with the stress ramping up with each chapter, propeled this story forward. I was transported right into the story up until the vague ending which left me feeling confused. I listened to the audiobook and found the narrator easy to listen to. I really appreciated a native speaker pronouncing all of the traditional Icelandic names and cities.

Woah, this was an intense horror novella!

Iðunn has been having medical problems and doctors can't seem to figure out what is wrong with her. While trying to find out what is happening, she experiences a quick descent into madness. This was my first book translated from Icelandic and possibly first set in Iceland? It was a flawless translation and the setting was great!

The pacing, the atmosphere, the absolute horror! I thought this was so well done and I just really need to talk to someone about the ending please!! I wish we had more of an explanation but the mystery and confusion of it puts you in Iðunn's shoes.

This short novel broke my brain in the best possible way. It is mysterious, dark, and the prose is excellent.

Iðunn isn’t sleeping well. Convinced sleeping pills are the answer she’s disturbed to realize she’s not more rested with their help. She begins to realize she is sleep walking. When she tries to ensure she stays in her apartment, she wakes up injured. Where is her night guest taking her?

The book is chilling and enigmatic. I loved it. I hope more of her work is translated to English.

I would like to thank MacMillan Audio for an advanced copy of the audiobook for review.

Having heard positive reviews of this book on a couple of podcasts I listened to, I was excited to get into this audiobook. It is a short book, 3 hours long. Despite this, I got through 5 chapters before having to turn it off. I don't know if it is the lead character or the narrator, but I just could not stand her. From the constant complaints about the healthcare system to criticism of politics and corruption in Iceland, and the nagging hypochondria- all made worse by the exaggerated, irritating over-the-top narration...
If this was someone who started talking to me at a cocktail party, I would just walk away. Which I did.

Admittedly, I didn't even get to the meat of the story. Will probably try a print copy. Maybe.

A tight 200 pages, 2.5 hour audio book, that packs a really delicious punch. Creepy as all hell, just toying with us in the most tense and uncomfortable ways. The Night Guest is translated from Icelandic and really masters that cold unnerving quality of being between wakefulness and sleep. When strange things are happening and you become unsure of yourself, what's happening to you while you sleep, and what you might be capable of.

The Night Guest is about Iðunn, a young professional that's been having health troubles that her doctor hasn't taken seriously. Being a woman trying to access healthcare, amirite? Smdh. She's tried everything--less exercise, more exercise, diet change, lifestyle change, all kinds of meds. But she just can't shake this fatigue. So when she gets a step counter to try and motivate her to walk more, boy is she surprised that she seems to be logging steps in her sleep. That's where it starts. And whooooo girl, strap in, because we are in for a RIDE. There are a lot of super creepy, graphic, scary things that happen to poor dear Iðunn and I for one, did not really know WHAT exactly happened by the end. But, I'm ok with that. Send me your theories.

WARNING: for anyone who can't handle harm to animals. You may want to skip this one.

I thought the narrator did a great job with this audiobook.

The book itself was so creepy. I liked the fact that it was short, and explored deep concepts such as sleepwalking, mental health and sleep deprivations without getting too deep into them.

There is a trigger warning if you are a cat person.

I recommend the book, but not right before bed.

This was a great debut novella from a new Icelandic author and a perfect pick for women in translation month! The chronic pain and mental health rep was my favorite part and I found it so relatable and well written. Horror isn't my fav genre but this was more horror light/psychological women's fiction. Good on audio too and perfect for fans of books like Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder. I look forward to seeing what this author writes next! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

CW: cat lovers might want to skip this one but there is no graphic on page violence