After reading the description of this book I thought it sounded really good, it was giving some gothic horror and paranormal vibes which I truly enjoy. However while reading this I found that the style of writing the author used may not have been my favorite at least for this book. The chapters were so droned out with excessive descriptions. I feel this would have been good cinematically but for a novel it just took away from the plot.

If I was the type of reader who DNFd books I would have stopped reading by like 40 % of this book because it just was too much and nothing at the same time. I did stick with it and the only saving grace I experienced with this book happened in part 4. Though I wasn’t rooting for a single character because neither Liz or Dylan had any qualities that I would deem to be redeeming for this story.

*I received a free ARC from NetGalley*

I chose this book to read because of where the novel takes place. I love San Francisco. When the fog rolls in slowly, it is something of an eerie show. The fog starts creeping in on the ocean and before one is aware, the fog surrounds and all noises disappears. This book was very creepy and the author was able to describe that chilling feeling so well. Because I know the area, I had an easy time picturing where Dylan had walked. I have never been to any caves but I am sure there are plenty invisible to the regular world. Maybe only those ‘claimed’ are able to find such places. The darkness Lizzy and Dylan described did seem alive and just waiting to claim people’s souls. This story will be in the depths of my subconscious the next time I visit the Bay Area.

First of all this sounded super interesting and good, the cover art is also top notch. However I had a really difficult time reading and getting into the story from how wordy it was especially within the first couple chapters. So unfortunately this book just wasn't for me, although I think if you are used to this type of writing you'll enjoy it!

Personally this is a genre and story that I love and enjoy reading but unfortunately I was unable to capture the essence of the story. I understood the concept of the story yet found it difficult to grasp and failed to hold onto my attention. Even though I wasn’t able to fully understand or comprehend the story I still wrote this review to inform the author and publisher that it maybe a great story but not all readers might not be able to have a grasp of the story or being able to their attention held to finish reading the book. One day I will read the book again and update my review.

While it was a bit difficult to get into at first, the story soon picks up, it drew me deeper with its eerie atmosphere. Once the pace picks up, it became an engaging and satisfying read, offering plenty of suspense and twists. If you’re a fan of horror, this book will be worth the read in the end. Can definitely be read in a day!

I could not get into this book, so it is not for me. I did like the cover art and I did like the overall plot I read in the description.

I received a free ARC by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This novel delivers an unsettling atmosphere that pulled me into the chilling ordeal of siblings Dylan and Lizzy Gardner as they navigate an ominous city setting. The story leans heavily into psychological horror, blurring the line between reality and delusion among the protagonists.

The book’s greatest strength is its eerie, oppressive tone. The fog itself feels almost sentient, a constant force of dread that amplifies Dylan and Lizzy’s growing paranoia. Their internal monologues reflect this descent, often fragmented and scattered to mirror their unraveling sanity. While this stylistic choice is effective in capturing the horror of their situation, it also makes for a disorienting reading experience. I often found myself struggling to keep track of what was happening in the real world versus what was occurring in their minds, which at times pulled me out of the story rather than immersing me further. Because much of the narrative is filtered through their fractured thoughts, the pacing can feel uneven. Sometimes gripping and other times meandering in circles of fear and uncertainty. Some moments lost their impact simply because I had to pause and reorient myself within the scene.

While Children of the Fog succeeds in creating an unsettling and immersive atmosphere, the fragmented storytelling may not be for everyone. Readers who enjoy deeply psychological horror and don’t mind untangling unreliable narration might appreciate the experience more. For me, it was an intriguing but frustrating read.

I know additional editing occurs after the ARC is sent out, but I’d like to note that Tom’s name changes names once at the beginning to Will, and once around 72% or on my reader, page 201, to Dylan. 

Final Thoughts: 
An atmospheric and thought-provoking horror story that effectively portrays psychological distress—but at the cost of clarity and narrative flow. Consider reading for its take on fear and isolation, though it may not be a smooth experience for all readers.

C.W. Anderson’s Children of the Fog is a chilling, atmospheric thriller that weaves together horror, psychological trauma, and dark fantasy into a haunting tale of survival and destiny. Set against the mist-shrouded streets of San Francisco, the novel follows siblings Lizzy and Dylan, whose childhood was tainted by unspeakable horrors—ones they barely escaped with their lives. But survival doesn’t mean freedom, and years later, the darkness they fled is creeping back into their world.

Lizzy has worked tirelessly to distance herself from her past, embracing ambition and control as a shield against the nightmares that still lurk in her soul. Meanwhile, Dylan has been consumed by the mystery of what they endured, wandering the country in a near-mad obsession with the supernatural forces that once hunted them. His worst fears are realized when a sinister fog begins to roll through San Francisco, bringing whispers of the Dark Lady—an ancient, terrifying presence neither of them can outrun.

Anderson masterfully builds tension, crafting a dreamlike yet unsettling atmosphere where reality blurs with nightmare. The interplay between Lizzy’s denial and Dylan’s obsession makes for a gripping dynamic, pulling the reader deeper into the mystery surrounding their past and the looming threat of their future. The novel is rich with gothic horror elements, eerie symbolism, and a relentless sense of dread that keeps the pages turning.

For fans of eerie, slow-burning horror with psychological depth—think The Haunting of Hill House meets The Silent Companions—Children of the Fog is an unforgettable read. Anderson’s writing lingers like the very mist that haunts the novel, creeping into your thoughts long after you’ve finished. A must-read for those who enjoy stories where trauma and terror intertwine, and where the past is never truly buried.

C. W. Anderson intertwines horror and paranormal themes in his novel Children of the Fog. This story is not for the faint of heart; there are numerous gore scenes and self-harm scenes. The premise: Dylan and Lizzie are siblings who observe odd behavior from their grandmother; she tells the children ominous forebodings about their future. The siblings harm themselves, in hopes, to protect their mother from evil. This evil takes literal shape from the fog that lingers in their California town. The narrative fast forwards to their mid-twenties. Dylan is nomadic and burdened with the paranormal. Lizzie lives with her boyfriend and holds a job. The fog monster is back, and Dylan believes he must protect sister. The narrative tension centers on: Who will win: the siblings or the Dark Lady and fog minions?

Anderson captivated my attention. I was compelled to keep reading. There are moments of artistic expression true to the horror genre that seem almost Poe-esque. And, there are moments that the narrative seems lost in descriptive words taken from a thesaurus. The novel would have benefitted from some revision, specifically more dialogue and less description.

This novel is for true horror fans who want to be transported to a paranormal plane that transposes evil and good.

Thank you NetGalley and Fever Dream Books for my e-ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

Children of the Fog by C.W. Anderson keeps you hooked till the very end.
A well written suspense filled with twists that kept me hooked from the very beginning.
A quick and fun read that I finished in a few hours.
The characterization was superb, the writing pacey and flowing, and the tension delivered in a series of shocks and twists along the way.
This is a tightly written story, with well developed characters and enough suspense to keep you reading.

Children of the Fog was an unsettling reading experience. The writing style captures the main characters' mental state and makes for a sense of foreboding and inevitability as they battle for their sanity. It feels disjointed in the best way. At various times I found myself frustrated with the protagonists while also overwhelmed by the futility of resisting. I can't say I enjoyed the experience, but it did make a lasting impact that I still find myself contemplating.

Let's start with the good things. Cosmic horror is probably my favorite in the horror genre. So, the antagonist of this book is both truly and deeply terrifying, and completely compelling for me. It drove me to keep reading all the way to the end. I also liked the sibling relationship between Dylan and Liz, which reminds me of my own sibling relationship sometimes. I relate to the idea that no matter how wild and unhinged my sibling gets, I will drop everything to be there for them. I also think some of the exposition was beautifully written, with vivid and creative descriptions. Ultimately, there were several engaging excerpts in the novel, and I think that the direction the plot took was well constructed.

And now for the bad. First, I will admit that it is possible that the writing style is just not for me. However, I think that the grandiose nature of the exposition was poorly matched with the characters. It clouded the text and made it so that it was difficult to follow the story, and it made it hard to connect with the characters.

There were a few other issues that made it difficult to connect with the characters. The dialogue was poorly constructed, and felt divergent from the exposition. The characters also just didn't talk like real people, often making the dialogue a struggle to read, which was unfortunate because that was often the only way to get information about the past or details about what was actually happening. The characters themselves don't feel completely believable. Liz's career is far too advanced for her age and qualifications. Dylan is treated like some elder, but he's still too young to rent a car in most places. I can suspend my disbelief, but combined with all the other issues, it's too hard to ignore these issues.

Next, I found several errors. I'm not talking about a few typos either, some of these errors are egregious. For example, when a very intimate scene between Liz and her boyfriend suddenly turns into an unfortunate scene between Liz and Dylan, because the author accidentally used the wrong name. The text also wavers between the use of passive voice, active voice, and a few verb conjugation slips. These errors make the already gratuitously verbose text difficult to read.

There are also some issues with the plot. A lot of details get lost in the murky exposition. There appear to be rules that the Dark Lady and her minions must follow, but they are confusing, and not well laid out. Dylan is meant to be this expert in the situation but we don't see that side of him very often, especially during his final ritual, which one could argue is because the fog folk started to get to him, but that isn't made clear. The scenes where we learn about the past when Dylan and Liz were kids and things with the grandmother were kind of just described or told to us instead of experienced. In a story like this, a shifting timeline might have worked better.

I did like the direction of the plot though, and I felt the pacing was good. There are really good nuggets of exposition among the confusing or poorly constructed ones. I think that there's good parts in the text that could be worked on. It just needs that work and ideally, to see an editor to help facilitate that. As it is now, I would not recommend this title.

Children of the Fog intrigued me with its dark atmosphere and eerie premise, but I found it a bit uneven in execution. Lizzy and Dylan's sibling dynamic was interesting, especially the contrast between Lizzy's need to escape and Dylan's obsession with their past. However, I struggled to connect with them fully—Lizzy came off as a bit too distant, and Dylan's descent into madness was hard to follow at times.

The foggy, sinister setting of San Francisco worked well to build tension, but some parts of the story felt repetitive, and the pacing dragged in the middle. The supernatural elements were intriguing, though I wish they had been explored in more depth. Overall, it was a creepy read, but I was left wanting more clarity and emotional depth to fully engage with the characters and their journey.

The book description is the most coherent part of the book. The story is there, but it's lost in the convoluted and thick style.
It feels like the author had a heyday with his thesaurus and or really wanted to make this seem like it was written a century ago even though it takes place in the present.
There were a handful of "disturbing" scenes, I think I only once said "EW". So I don't think I would qualify that as "Splatter carnage", but who am I really?
I think the only truly coherent part where I wasn't frowning at nearly every paragraph in confusion was Lizzy remember grandma's lore.

Thanks Fever Dream Books for giving me the opportunity to ARC read this title

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the privilege of previewing this novel. Unfortunately, it wasn’t something I enjoyed.

From the prologue, I felt a lot of “what the heck am I even reading,” moments, not in a good way. The writing style felt forced and like it was trying to be something it wasn’t. The characters didn’t feel very developed and the “dark lady” celt pretty generic.

I found the ending predictable and the entire story very one-note/anticlimactic. This book felt, to me, felt like it was a wish of a screenplay that never got there, so it was turned into a book last minute.

Not the worst, but not for me.

Children of the Fog has one of the creepiest atmospheres I’ve ever come across in a book. It follows a brother and sister as they each deal with a terrifying, supernatural childhood trauma in their own way. There are some really eerie, gripping scenes that kept my attention, but I felt like the story got bogged down by too much inner monologue and description. I wish there had been more dialogue and forward momentum. I also would have loved more depth and detail about the Dark Lady. Overall, I’d give it 3 out of 5 stars. Thank you Fever Dream Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed reading this book! The prologue was very interesting and sucked me into the book immediately It was just the right amount of scary and story combination.

Very dark and intense. A depressing picture of a disturbed family life. Requires the right mood for reading.

Some disturbing gore and self-harm scenes require a strong stomach. Horror fans only for those.

Disclaimer: I read horror on occasion, but not regularly. If you are a bigger fan of the genre the book may be more appealing to you. I appreciate the author's effort in writing such a dark story.

In Children of the Fog, C W. Anderson tells a story of two siblings attempting to outrun a traumatic incident from their past - one orchestrated by a dark entity that comes in the fog, an apparition known as the Dark Lady. Unfortunately, despite the author's clear skill with the written word, the novel itself is largely dull and uninteresting.

I wanted to like this book; every element was there for me. Gothic horror? Check. Moody atmosphere? Check. Mysterious event from the past that drove two siblings in wildly different directions? Check. But, C.W. Anderson is more skilled with putting flowing sentences and nightmare imagery together than forming likable, engaging characters. Neither sibling gets me to a point of rooting for them, and the brother is downright unlikable.

Reading the book is an exercise in frustration, as the author is given to long paragraphs of description that pad out the page count far beyond what is necessary. I'm all for poetic prose and painting a picture for the reader, but this tested my patience.

The threat itself is generic to a fault. You've seen ghosts and ghouls like this many times before, and the Dark Lady doesn't stand out or become fleshed out enough to be something beyond a vague, abstract threat. The way the story ends feels predictable and anti-climactic.

Overall, I can't recommend this book entirely. Some of the writing is impressive on a technical level, but this book really reminds me of horror movies from the early '00s: great cinematography that is fantastic to look at, but that has no depth and fails in demanding emotional investment from the reader.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Fever Dream Books for providing me a review copy of this novel.

This book is the reason why you should be afraid of the dark, why you should not go outside once the sunsets. This story messed wit5h my mind.