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Sacrificial Animals by Kailee Pedersen
Sacrificial Animals
by Kailee Pedersen (Goodreads Author)
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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.

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.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kailee Pederson for sending me an eARC of this book!

I want to start by saying, that I think the blurb of the book ruins, quite literally, the entire book. Emilia being a jiǔwěihú was the only part not really touched on by the synopsis and honestly was such a small portion of the book. I would've enjoyed it more if she was a greater part of the story, but I also understand how the build-up by referring to past events also helped move the story along.

I think the way the author told the story is incredibly atmospheric, and I enjoyed her ability to describe the emotion that Nick feels, and how his childhood trauma still impacts almost every aspect of his life to this day. Furthermore, the butterfly effect of the past, with the murdering of the two young foxes, was well done, and I enjoyed watching it unfold before my eyes.

I do wish, that more of the thriller aspects of the book were longer, and not that the climax hits you like a truck.

Wow, what a book! Sacrificial Animals gave me VC Andrews vibes but without the incest and with more supernatural elements. The author did a phenomenal job of creating an ominous presence throughout the book, and the display of karma intricately woven into the story was 👌🏻.

I really enjoyed the portrayal of family trauma that focused not on mother-daughter relationships but on abusive father-son dynamics.

I will be reading whatever book Pedersen puts out next.

Well, this was an interesting story about toxic masculinity, a troublesome relationship between a father and his two sons, and all the repercussions that traumatic events in the past culminate in the present lives of those sons, with a touch of horror and folklore elements told in an alternated dual timeline.
I gotta say that even though the plot was appealing to me, the execution failed repeteadly to keep my attention. The writing style didn't work with me for the most part of this book and I felt that it dragged on and on, which I found to be very frustrating for such a short book.
I usually love dramatic stories about parents and their children. But this one didn't speak to me. What's more, I was expecting more horror. I certainly do not mind a character-driven plot. I actually embrace it. But this book is marketed as horror. So...I wanted more horror out of it!
Some setting and landscapes descriptions were quite amusing to read, though.
The audiobook is decent enough. The narrator does a fine job with the voicing of the characters.
I do recommend this book to readers who are into literary horror and stories focused on problematic relationships between fathers and sons.
Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for allowing to listen to a free advanced audiobook copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.

When Sacrificial Animals opens, we meet the Morrow family: the father, Carlyle and his two sons, Joshua and Nicholas. Carlyle is domineering and brash leaving Nick, the youngest—and the inferior in Carlyle’s eyes—to take the brunt of his violent actions and sharp tongue. When the eldest—Joshua—reveals his decision to marry an Asian woman, he is disowned by his racist father and sent away from the sprawling, grand estate of Stag’s Crossing.

Shifting forward in time, Carlyle seems to be softening with his old age but not much… Only enough to grant Nick, Joshua, and Joshua’s wife—Emilia—access back to Stag’s Crossing to see to his death and burial. Nick hasn’t seen Josh or Emilia for twenty years and though Emilia is Josh’s wife, she has a curious relationship with Nick. Soon, their relationship turns intimate but quickly grows in to something more alarming.

The story shifts between past and present timelines and while I think that both hold importance in the overall story, I enjoyed the present timeline so much more. The narrative takes on a slower pace and though it bodes well for building tension, I wish that we would have gotten to the heart of the story sooner. In my honest opinion, I feel this story would have read better had it come in around 220 pages versus the 320 that it is.

Here, I feel it necessary to say something about the writing style too which wasn’t my favorite, at least not in the first half. Sentences tended to be structured in not the most lucid of ways—often times venturing in to purple prose—and it only served to confuse readers rather than getting to the point. The amount of times I thought “put down the thesaurus and step away” while reading was innumerable. That said, the last 30% of this book was KILLER.

Reflections on trauma, race, father-son relationships, and family obligations. And as should be obvious from the title of this book, there is animal death and violence depicted in this book.

I have read this via e-book and listened via audiobook and there is something to be said for the audiobook and the narrator, Yung-I Chang. I thought that he was the perfect narrator for this story and really brought the story to life in a way that isn't displayed when physically reading it. When I read the physical book, I give it 3.5-4 stars but I think with the narration, it's closer to 4.5

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review. Available 08/20/2024!