Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley, for the free E-copy for review.

This gripping read delves into the darker realms of sibling rivalry, woven together with mythical Chinese lore.

We follow Nick, the second son, as we explore his tumultuous childhood. Always feeling inconsequential in his father's eyes and bearing the brunt of his cruelty, Nick dreams of escaping his childhood home when he’s old enough. It’s a visceral experience as he navigates the push and pull of trying to make his father proud while grappling with his distaste for hunting.

Kailee Pedersen masterfully infuses just the right amount of suspense, employing an interchanging timeline that builds toward a shocking climax. The incorporation of Chinese mythology adds an intriguing supernatural element, with some scenes so viscerally gory that they left me gasping.

Yung I-Chang’s narration perfectly captures Nick’s voice, reflecting the deep-seated resentment he harbors for his father and brother. The audio production enhances the atmosphere, pulling the listener deeper into the story.

Sacrificial Animals is a powerful exploration of belief, family dynamics, and vengeance.

Thank you to NetGalleyand St. Martin’s Press as well as the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

#NetGalley #St.Martin’sPress #Sacrificial Animals #KaileePedersen #MACAudio2024 #macmillanaudio

Title: Sacrificial Animals
Author: Kailee Pedersen
Format: eBook
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press/Macmillan Audio
Publication Date: August 20, 2024

Themes: Father/son relationship, Brother/Brother relationship, Chinese mythology/folklore, familial drama, LBGTQ+, slow burn

Trigger Warnings: child abuse, hunting, graphic animal death, cancer, familial abuse/estrangement,

This book is so beautifully written! What a talent this author has. No one has written familial abuse this well since “Flowers in the Attic” by V.C. Andrews. This book tells the story of Nick and his relationship with his father and brother. After growing up with an incredibly abusive and cruel father, the last thing he expects is to be called home by his father to be at his deathbed. Also, he’s expected to call his estranged brother, who has been disowned by their father because of his marriage to an Asian woman, and ask his brother and his wife to come home to bury their father. Their father receives Nick’s older brother warmly, while Nick and his sister-in-law are ignored. As Nick gets to know Emelia better, he begins to suspect that her intentions may not be benign as he had assumed.

This is an author who is talented. There’s no doubt about that. Her prose is lovely and descriptive. The story is also quite compelling. I love the blend of western and Chinese folklore. I learned a lot about both and I was fascinated. It is, however, simply too slow. Not much happens until the last third of the book. That last third is really fun, but this book should have been WAY shorter. It does a great job of building tension through a lot of nothing happening. It does require time and patience. It turned out to be worth it, mostly.

The audiobook has a great narrator. I had a much easier time listening to this one. The narrator is very expressive, yet soothing. I found that I could listen to it while I did housework and it was easier to handle the slowness rather than sitting down to read and endure the grueling build-up.

All in all, the reader/listener needs to go into this story knowing that this is a time commitment and not an easy read. Fans of Ally Wilkes and V.C. Andrews are likely to get it. I had mixed feelings but I’m glad I read and listened to it.

This must be the year of novels featuring fox spirits because this is the third I've read this year (by the way, I'm not complaining; it is just something I noticed.) I started the year with "The Fox Wife," then there was a fox spirit in "The Emperor and the Endless Palace," and now this one. In her thrilling debut novel, "Sacrificial Animals," Kailee Pedersen takes readers on a slow-burn journey through a rural Nebraska farm, where family secrets and ancient mysteries collide.

The book focuses primarily on Nick Morrow as he navigates a complicated homecoming to Stag's Crossing - the family farm - to visit his ailing father, Carlyle, with whom he had a tenuous relationship when he was a kid. Carlyle calls Nick to tell him he is dying of cancer. Carlyle would like to see his sons - both of whom he's had little to no contact with over the years. When Nick arrives, it seems maybe the temperamental and often abusive Carlyle has changed, but when Nick's older brother Joshua shows up at Stags Crossing with his alluring and mysterious Asian wife, Emilia, it doesn't take long for Carlyle's racism and abuse to resurface.

Throughout the novel, Pedersen weaves together past and present, delving into the depths of family dynamics and the devastating effects of intergenerational trauma. Carlyle is an awful human being, and while he treats Joshua as a prince, he is very abusive toward Nick because he thinks he is too soft. Not only is he physically abusive, but also mentally and emotionally, as he forces Nick to hunt and kill the foxes that keep killing their chickens. Little does Nick know that this violent act will haunt him and his family for years to come.

The complex relationships between Nick, Carlyle, and Joshua are expertly crafted, drawing readers into a world where love and violence are intertwined in heartbreaking and mind-blowing ways. As Nick grapples with his past and present, Pedersen slowly builds tension while uncovering the dark secrets buried beneath the farm's surface.

Through Nick's reflections on his past and his relationships with his father, brother, and Emilia, the author explores identity, sexuality, and how violence and abuse contribute to our trauma. Pedersen's beautiful prose paints a vivid portrait of rural Nebraska that is as beautiful as it is haunting. Her attention to detail brings the farm to life, making it a character in its own right, with its secrets and shadows looming over the Morrow family.

While I enjoyed the story's slow burn and the beautiful writing, I will admit that the story held few surprises. I had a clear sense of where we were headed, but that didn't detract from the journey. What did bother me, however, was the author's decision not to use quotation marks. This is one of my biggest pet peeves. It seems to be more and more prevalent in books these days, and I honestly don't understand why it's necessary. It adds nothing to a book.

Not only did I read this book, but I also listened to an ALC, and I was truly impressed with the narrator. Yung-I Change does a phenomenal job of capturing the characters and manages to hit the highs and lows perfectly, enhancing the overall reading experience.

While not overly shocking, I found this to be a mesmerizing and thought-provoking read that carries a hefty punch. With its richly drawn characters, atmospheric setting, and spine-tingling suspense, this novel is sure to captivate fans of dark literary fiction and psychological thrillers. I knew exactly where this one was heading from the beginning, but I still enjoyed the ride.

A much needed change of pace in horror. From the start, we feel a building sense of dread. The flashbacks kept the reader engaged in trying to figure out how the past related to the present & we then got to see how it made the perfect setup for what was to come. Makes me think of the saying, "a tiger can't change it's stripes" when the main character sees the effect of his well-intentioned deed.

Sacrificial Animals is a slowburn horror literary fiction featuring daddy issues, toxic masculinity, and Chinese folklore. In the story, we follow Nick and Joshua as they go back to their hometown after getting a call from his dying father. He wants to be forgiven for all the things he did to them. Nick, Joshua, and Emilia (Joshua’s wife) go back to seek reconciliation. (CW: child abuse, animal abuse, racism).

This is the classic ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ situation. This book gives slowburn a whole new meaning. It takes a long time until the horror starts and until then all we get is an unsettling and disgruntling literary fiction about family drama and daddy issues. Both things are stuff I don’t enjoy. It was just very slow and reflecting. I’m the kind of person who loves a good character study or character-focused books, but this was just reminiscing about one’s effed-up past and it’s just not my thing. The two timelines of then/now also made it feel slower to me.

Around the 80% the story picked up super quickly and it became AMAZING. The ending was crazy fun and it made it all worth it.

I don’t have much to say other than the writing is beautiful (if you enjoy literary fiction) and that I loved the ending. 3.5 stars because of that (but I can't round it up because it just was brutally slow).

This was really great. It was giving me Frailty (the movie) vibes in the beginning but had a fun twist at the end that I didn't expect, though could have guessed at if I had read the description. The narrator Yung-I Chang did a great job.

Oof.

I probably should write more than that.

So... I didn't like this book.

The story is told in "then" and "now" timelines. The problem is that these timelines feel interchangeable. In the "now" timeline, the characters are obviously older, and we have the addition of the enigmatic Emilia. Otherwise, the dynamics are the same, and it doesn't feel like there's much of a (or any) character arc.

Through most of the book, nothing happens. It's all repetitive, slow nothingness told in overly flowery prose. None of the characters are likable, and honestly, they're barely even interesting. The father is abusive and hateful. The sons are jealous and hateful. And that's about it.

At about the 80% mark, something happens that's just weird. I mean, I wasn't all that surprised, but it just seemed tossed in with no real explanations as to the how of it all. And that's when the action and violence happens in this horror novel.

Then it's done. And I'm left wondering why I bothered.

I received a free print copy from St. Martin's Press, and a free audiobook download from MacMillan Audio. I started with the print, planning to alternate. Not only was I bored, but the author chose not to use quotation marks, and I was incredibly frustrated as I tried to sort when someone was speaking or thinking, or when it was exposition.

I switched to the audio, which was marginally better. At least I didn't have to think about what was being spoken aloud. The narrator did a good job.

*Thanks (and apologies!) to St. Martin's Press and MacMillan Audio for the free copy and download.*

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Sacrificial Animals by Kailee Pedersen
Sacrificial Animals
by Kailee Pedersen (Goodreads Author)
Read
I listened to an advanced copy of the audiobook

Review of the audiobook: 4 stars
The narrator did a good job but because they talk in the exact same voice for chapters 30 years in the past and chapters in the present, I got confused a few times which part of the timeline we were in.

Review of the book: 2.75
There are many things I loved about this book but more things I didn't. Some parts of the plot didn't make a lot of sense, some parts were simply too long and repetitive, I wish it had been 50 pages left.
I was also very excited for the ending to come as it felt like the author put in place obvious hints but then there was no build up to the one big scene, and it was just "this happens, this happens, end", it fell flat and was quite disappointing.


Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read this book.

Sacrificial Animals
Kailee Pedersen
8/20/24

Rating: 4.5 / 5

Ok, so ...

This gothic/supernatural horror novel of generational trauma, toxic masculinity, and revenge is absolutely dripping with darkness, atmosphere, and a constant sense of uneasiness prevailing over all.

Kailee Pedersen's writing is elegant and descriptive, with prose that's almost lyrical, even while she's describing some pretty terrifying scenes.

I really, really enjoyed this horror novel. It's told in flashbacks and present day, and I was really invested in both timelines, which made it a page turner for me...
(Although some of the flashback scenes did became a bit redundant... and maybe the book could have shaved off 30 pages or so.)

But other than these tiny "issues" that have more to do with my personal preferences than anything else, I'd be hard-pressed to think of any other critiques. I truly loved everything else about this novel.
And that last quarter ... Wow. *chef's kiss*!
I love a horror novel that sticks the landing... and this one nailed it!

I highly recommend this one.

The audiobook, narrated by the extremely talented Yung- I Chang, really brought the story to life as well.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Kailee Pedersen for this ARC eBook and audiobook in exchange for my honest feedback.

*Full review on publication date

At first I was not sure I was going to like this book. I do not normally relate to men/boys in books. Even if we have similar childhoods.
But after a few minutes I was hooked. I absolutely love this so much. I was just massively uncomfortable.
It was beautiful.

*may contain slight plot spoilers*
*may contain slight plot spoilers*
*may contain slight plot spoilers*

This book absolutely blew me away, and not for the reasons you'd think. It's not that it was just that good (though, don't get me wrong, it WAS good). Or that the writing was unbelievably gorgeous. None of those things.

It blew me away for 2 primary reasons:

1. I didn't think I was going to like it, and then I really, really did.

This is rare for me. Typically, when I start a book and am not into by the first 50 pages or so, it's a safe bet that I wont' like it. That was the case with this one. I read the description and thought, "That might be okay. Let me check it out." (Thanks, by the way, to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to have an ARC of this book to review.)

But then, I started it, and about 50 pages (I'm guessing -- I listened to the audiobook, so I'm not really sure where I was) in, I still couldn't really get into it. It was dragging a bit, and I couldn't get invested in the main character or his brother or father. I was sure it was going to be a dud.

And when that happens early on, I'm usually right. I nearly always finish a book, even when it's a dud, because I hate stopping without seeing how things turn out. So I had planned to finish it anyway. But I've never been so glad to have finished a book that I wasn't into at first.

It's a somewhat slow burn, but once the flames catch, it's an inferno.

If you're a fan of Stephen Graham Jones' "The Only Good Indians," then you'll likely appreciate this one, too. The writing style is similar, as is the premise of the book. Although, if you go into the book blind, you'll have no idea that it's going to end up where it ends up. I don't want to spoil anything, so I won't give the ending away. Suffice it to say I was expecting a dark family drama about trauma, and I ended up somewhere TOTALLY UNEXPECTED.

Now, onto reason two...

2. I would have sworn this book was written by a man.

I don't mean that as an insult, but nor do I mean it as a compliment. It's merely a statement of fact. I didn't pay much attention to the author was once I realized I didn't know them. And so, the whole time I was reading the book, I just assumed it was written by a man.

When I finally came to review it and saw that the author was a woman...I was totally blown away. Again, that's neither a good nor a bad thing. It just is. It's one of the things about this book that totally blew me away.

As for what I can tell you about the book -- not much. I think this is definitely one that you'll enjoy much better if you go into blind and get the surprise that I did about where it ends up.

As long as you don't mind a little darkness in your literature, you'll likely appreciate it.

What a gorgeous and stunning debut this was. So to start the comparisons to The Only Good Indians is going to pour out of me for obvious reasons (live by the SGJ sword die by the SGJ sword) and I haven't read enough T. Kingfisher to know if this is an accurate rec but I think that's who I would rec this to, people who liked What Moves the Dead (I liked this one way more but the beautiful writing vibes) and The Only Good Indians.

So this is def one for people who like to let the story unfold itself. The ending will not come as a surprise because the author has led you to this conclusion the whole time and the way there is gorgeous and full of dread and foreboding doom. I loved the journey I took with it. I was invested and the writing is just so BEAUTIFUL. (again I can tell this author is a poet, it always works for me poets who write fiction). A lush modern horrific fairy tale.

Also what worked for me personally was the chapters going back and forth between "Then" and "Now" the author kept this super clear and concise until the two come to their inevitable conclusion.

Unfortunately I didn't care for this book. I really wanted to as the writing was great and the story was interesting but it had to much of a religious undertone for me.

Sacrificial Animals is a slow-burn literary horror that blends Chinese mythology with midwestern white America and cycles of familial abuse. It took me a bit to get into but ultimately gripped me up through the pitch perfect ending. The author drew on her experiences being adopted from China and growing up on a farm in Nebraska in the late 90's.

Alternating between past and present timelines, we follow Nick Morrow, the younger son of a racist, paranoid, and violent man who has only become worse since the death of his wife. He tries to raise his sons in his own image, pushing them into fishing and hunting. Nick is secretly queer and deeply traumatized by the violence he experiences as a child. As an adult, his father says he is dying. So he asks his children to come home. Including Nicks older brother who was disowned for marrying an Asian woman. Past and present wind together, as dread and horror slowly build. Again, it may be slow to start and it definitely leans literary, but I thought it was brilliant. The audio narration isn't my favorite but it's okay. I received a copy of this book for review via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

The story was interesting; I did find the use of extremely uncommon words unusual. The pace was incredibly slow, which made it hard to pay attention.

Nick Morrow receives an invitation from his father to return home. When he left rural Nebraska behind, he believed he was leaving everything there, including his abusive father. The small family farm, laden with memories of unresolved conflicts and abuse, creates a haunting setting. Nick's brother, Joshua, is disowned for marrying Emilia, a woman of Asian descent who cannot ignore the summons from their father. Joshua and his father quickly warm to each other while Nick and Emilia are left out of the reunion. Nick and Emilia begin an affair, but Nick starts to suspect that Emilia has sinister motives.

Memories and flashbacks of Nick's adolescent years awakened a shadowy presence stalking the farm. The novel highlights past and present events to reveal the roots of trauma and provide context for understanding Nick's current struggles. The book was an enjoyable supernatural horror novel that blends ancient Chinese mythology with contemporary issues of family trauma. This novel was a haunting standout for me. I enjoyed the narration and recording of this book.

I received an ARC audiobook for my honest review. Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio.

Love love love the ending. Why wasn’t the rest of the book like that?? 😭

This story is told from the POV of Nick, the younger of two brothers who grow up on a Nebraska farm with a harsh, abusive father. Nick is the softer, sensitive son and has a lot of unresolved trauma. We follow two timelines, one when Nick is a teen and one as a 40 (ish) year old man. A main force in the story is Emilia, the Asian woman Nick’s older brother marries, producing a lot of racist family strife.

For 95% of this book I wondered if the horror label made sense. Horrific stuff happens but more in the realistic family drama sense. Rest assured that the ending gets wild, but I was disappointed that it took so long. I really, really wish more of that flavor to the story had been present earlier as a slow drip. Maybe other readers feel like it is there, but I personally felt let down. A common complaint from me is that a story doesn’t feel like it escalates - it feels same-y until the very end. That’s how this book went for me.

I think the family dynamics are well written. The way Nick is oppressed by Carlyle is viscerally uncomfortable.

It’s a bit overwritten for me. Sometimes I really liked the poetic, figurative parts and other times it was too portentous and melodramatic. I think toning it down and including that language more strategically would’ve been more powerful for me.

I’d probably have given this 4 stars if I hadn’t expected something more definitively horror and speculative throughout. But I liked enough about Pedersen’s imagination and writing style to want to give her another go in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I went into this one blind, and when I tell you the twist smacked me square in the face, I mean it. Sacrificial Animals was incredibly atmospheric, our main character was so freaking complicated and I loved that about it. It was a slow burn, but I flew through it and enjoyed the constant dread and the supernatural twist to it. If you like generational trauma stories and supernatural horror, this is the one.

I listened to this one on audio and thought that the narration was done well. Many thanks to Macmillan Audio and St. Martin's Press for my advanced copies. Sacrificial Animals will be published 8/20, just in time for spooky season.

Thank you net galley and to the publishers for this ARC. I really enjoyed this story. From the very first chapter I was hooked and I wanted to continue. Talk about a binge read. Great characters and plot. As the story went on things got even better and the ending was perfect. I highly recommend this book and I will be looking forward to what the author does in the future. 4 out of 5 stars !!!

I received both the audiobook and the ebook. While I did really enjoy the story, I would recommend the audiobook version over the written, for the sole reason that the text lacks quotation marks during dialogue; similarly, the run-on sentences, while certainly artsy, make the reading experience miserable for me, personally. I would have docked a star or two for that alone, if I didn't have the audiobook version to carry me through.

LOVED the ending, and the story was very atmospheric.