Enjoyed the story of this book a lot. Found it very engaging from the beginning. Feel like it still skews a bit YA with the descriptions. Really loved the queer love story. I really loved that Art was such a big focus of the book. Also really enjoyed the main characters POV as a young black youth from Baltimore.

I did find a typo in chapter six with an extra use of the word through “every moment this house had stood, all its experiences, through passed through him in a matter of seconds.” Believe that first through needs to be removed.

Kosovo is a very bright young author and I hope he continues to write unique stories.

The Macabre was a genre-defying book that I didn't expect to be drawn into as much as I was. The title made me think 'horror', the description made me think 'fantasy', and what I got was a mix of that and more. This entire book really read like an action movie to me--I could absolutely see picture this as a high-speed thriller on a screen. I loved the global chase and the diverse characters that ended up comprising Lewis's group! This is definitely a unique book and I've never read anything like this.

I unfortunately did not connect with this story or any of its characters. The world building really fell flat for me as well. I thought the premise sounded so fascinating so maybe for some people, it will land but it just did not for me.

My review is also posted on both my Goodreads and Fable accounts.

First and foremost, Kosoko Jackson is an auto buy author for me. When I saw this ARC was available, I had to have it. A few things that immediately stood out to me are:

No filler characters. This story was full of essential people that were easy to keep up with. Any new character added was given a description and it was easy to see how they tied into the story.

Very gripping, cliff hanger chapters made me want to keep reading.

descriptive text makes you feel like you’re in the story. The colors, settings, and other adjectives used throughout the pages truly painted a picture.

I could not WAIT to get to the next art piece to see what shenanigans were going to happen. After the second portrait, I was right there with Lewis trying to guess the names.

Not your typical lgbtq read, very subtle romance element with big thrillers and fantasy.

Perfect historical context of other races and cultural groups. Especially the piece about other races having access to ancestral homes in their countries of origin, which black people were denied in America.

The perfect villain origin story, and your perspective of who the villain is changes as the book progresses.

Cannot wait for the published book, will 100% be buying, re-reading, and shelving it front facing.

I had my eyes on THE MACABRE from the moment it was announced - I'm a HUGE fan of horror/fantasy genre-blends. I do think, however, it veered a lot more in the contemporary/urban fantasy direction than horror.

The premise itself is fantastic: creepy, cursed, magical paintings. Already, I was sold. The book opens with some stunning scenes with said cursed paintings; a super unique take on the art world with the horror blends. The worldbuilding was interesting, with magic and geopolitics overlaid on top of the existing character goals and motivations.

I do think the book could have been slightly more fleshed out if it dropped a plot point or two; a lot happened in the book, but it sacrificed a bit of the character development as a result.

The premise of this story was so strong and made me so hopeful that this would be a fantastic book but it ended up falling flat on its face. For starters, there wasn’t any background information on the characters or the world they’re in so we’re just expected to catch up and figure it out along the way. With their not being any background information we also don’t really get to know our main characters at all, for example we don’t even know how old or approximately how old Lewis is, the only age we get is for one of the antagonists. Some plot lines were just glazed right over while insignificant details were relentlessly described as “like _____” and that also took away some the enjoyment here. Finally, this was more fantasy than horror with more of a focus on magic than anything else.

Unrelated to the story line there was a huge amount of grammatical errors as well.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC! This story started off strong with some strong world building and good character concepts but ultimately, the third act of the book felt like it was trying to do entirely too much. Lots of plot concepts that didn’t feel earned or well-developed and the character work needed some nuance. I definitely want to see what the author does in the future but this very much felt…incomplete, like it could’ve been developed much better, but still had some great moments sprinkled throughout. Ultimately, it’s a 2.5 stars for me.

I really hate to do this but I DNF after 3 chapters (12%), which is incredibly disappointing because I was so excited to read this. The description and cover art of this book really intriguing but the writing just wasn’t for me.Much like our character, we are thrown into this world of magic with zero understanding and are expected to just accept it. In addition to that, we have zero knowledge of our MC besides him being an artist, he’s black, and he’s gay. Everything is incredibly surface level. When we’re introduced to Edgar he is constantly referred to as “boy” or “kid,” which made me realize I have no idea how old Lewis actually is, and that further proves the lack of information we are given when interacting with other characters. There are ways to convey information about people without directly saying it.

My biggest reason for giving up on this book was the complete overuse of descriptives—I felt like I was drowning in them. We’re told what he is seeing and experiencing but there is no emotion behind it and it’s like a long winded rant. The amount of times we are told something is “like ____” to be able to describe what he was seeing was incredibly annoying.

I’m a firm believer that if the book doesn’t grab you from the get-go, move onto other things. Maybe others prefer this style of writing but this just wasn’t for me.

Anyone who loves art, horror, and general creepy vibes should buy this book. I finished this book in ONE SITTING. From the moment I started I was hooked. Kosoko does a wonderful job of keeping the reader engaged, keeping the story flowing and keeping you guessing as to what will happen next. It had murder, intrigue, love, and CREEPY paintings! What more could you ask for in a book?

I was highly anticipating this because the synopsis really had me intrigued, but unfortunately I'm DNFing this around the halfway point. It's just missing the mark for me and I'm finding it hard to stay focused on the story when I'm bored. I'm really sad to put this one down.

I am unfortunately DNFing this at 52%. DNFing this one is quite heartbreaking for me, as the premise is so completely intriguing and original. I absolutely adored the overall idea. Sadly, the execution just fell very flat. Nothing about it was truly pulling me into the story, and I found myself constantly spacing out while reading.

unfortunately, despite being very intrigued by the premise of this book, i ended up DNFing @ 45%. i wanted to fall in love with a horror/fantasy genre hop surrounding a magical and dangerous world of art, but the execution of it really fell flat for me. it didn’t feel ike the magic system was explained organically — so much information was dumped on the main character (and, consequently, the reader) in a clunky fashion that really didn’t work for me. it was a lot of telling, not showing.

i also could see the romantic arc coming from a mile away, and not in a good way. obviously i can’t speak to how it plays out, but i have a hard time believing even the beginning of a connection like this when the characters have had all of three conversations. overall, the book felt more YA than adult, which i’m sure some people won’t mind, but it was not what i wanted to see out of an adult debut.

A beautiful, sprawling story with vivid imagery! I devoured this title and fell in love with the characters. A queer novel not to be missed.

unfortunately, i had very high hopes for this one and it just fell flat.

i can see where the author was trying to go in terms of plot, characterization, writing style, etc. - but it did not seem fully fleshed out to me. there were a lot of instances of “telling” instead of “showing,” which led to me not really caring about a lot of the plot. i wish the characters had been more fleshed out - because i did really like them on a surface level, but would have loved if the connection with the reader went deeper.

i think this was a really really interesting and unique concept - the idea of a set of paintings holding abilities and curses is one that i was very excited to read.

also: i went into this expecting horror and it was definitely more fantasy. maybe that’s on me for expecting one thing, but i was still slightly disappointed.

i did really enjoy the middle! i thought it was fast paced and fun - seeing each of the different paintings & the magic they held was very satisfying. additionally, if the romance between the two characters (not saying names - no spoilers) had been developed more, it would have been amazing!

I love this. The tension between the characters and the story all came together to create an impactful and well-rounded novel. I think this book was so much fun to read and because of that I couldn't put it down. The twists and turns take you on such an amazing rollercoaster

What do you get when you combine art history, epic heists, magic, and incisive commentary on British imperialism? My favorite book of the year so far. Kosoko Jackson's first foray into the adult world of literature is an excellent, expansive, exhilarating entry into multiple genres and I loved every second of it.

With a dash of art heist a la Grace Li's Portrait of a Thief, dark and dangerous magic like in Naomi Novik's Golden Enclave series, and the expert critique of the Crown and hint of time travel that you get in Kaliane Bradley's The Ministry of Time, Jackson's The Macabre casts a spell early and refuses to let you out of its grip.

Meet Lewis Dixon. He's an American painter with the chops to get him into the British Museum's newest exhibit showcasing the contemporary artistic talents of the commonwealth. Lewis has been selected to represent the United States. The only catch? He's actually there as an asset of the Crown, and its secretive magic division headquartered at the British Museum, which he finds out after nearly losing his life to an enchanted painting he's been summoned to neutralize. Lewis has been invited, we learn, not for his artistic talents but rather for his lineage -- his bloodline is connected to the mysterious painter of the series known as the Macabre and he is the only one who can help the British Museum handle the magical threat.

From there, we're off to the races, quite literally, as Lewis is conscripted to help agent Noah and director of the museum Evangeline track down and destroy the collected works of Edgar Dumont. Without spoiling much more, not everything and everyone is what or who they seem and Lewis will has to use his wit, experience within the art world, and burgeoning magic talent to keep himself and the ones he loves alive.

This book was so much fun and I found myself begging for a sequel and inevitable adaptation to the small screen as I plowed my way through the last of its pages, which is the highest compliment I as a reader can give. Read it!

Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager for an advanced digital copy to review!

A novel blending of art history, time- and globe-hopping adventure, and dark horror and fantasy about ten cursed paintings and the lengths people will go to collect them, destroy them…or be destroyed.

^from the publisher!

I went into this one thinking it was going to be more of a horror book but it actually felt more like a lit fic with fantasy and horror elements which I quite enjoyed.

From the first few chapters I was completely bought into Lewis’s talent, the paintings, and the lore. I wanted to know what the heck was going on and why!! I really enjoyed how these characters interacted and worked through the paintings. I’ll be honest - a lot of magical stuff in books flies right over my head and I’m glad that the author explained the magic in this book along with the reveals.

I also really appreciated the side plot with Lewis and Noah and their growing trust. Noah’s mom also made me laugh out loud during a tense moment, which was a nice respite.

I felt like there was a lot of character growth in this one too. Fun to watch, and exciting to be a part of.

Really enjoyed this one and the ending sets up for a series IMO! Could be really interesting.

Initially expecting this to be a horror novel, I wasn’t sure how much I’d enjoy it after reading the first couple chapters – happy to say I was delightfully surprised. I personally wouldn't classify this as a horror novel, but more as a magic/fantasy read with some horror influences and scary moments. This book reads so much like an episode of The Librarians or Warehouse 13 and I loved the episodic feeling of each part of the novel. Lewis and his team of friends, co-workers, and even enemies travel around the world to vanquish paintings created by the fabled Edgar Dumont, Lewis’s great-grandfather. This book was fast paced once I got into it; I didn’t want to put it down.
The middle section is where this novel shines – the adventures of Lewis and Noah taking down each painting were highly entertaining and easy to follow. I did get a bit lost toward the end and wish some of the characters (Cassandra, Evangeline, Akana) had more time to be developed. With so many side storylines and other characters being introduced in the second half of the novel, I think the main conflict got a bit lost. I think doing less with this book would have made it stronger, or making the novel longer and giving each storyline more time to be explored.
Overall, I enjoyed the read and while it wasn’t what I was expecting, I’m glad I stumbled upon it and would surely recommend it to someone looking to read a fast paced, magical adventure. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the early ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Really, throughly enjoyed this one. I was a big fan of the authors previous book, and this one definitely wowed me too. They have a great grip on writing the kind of slow churning gothic inspired horror/fantasy that there is not enough of right now, especially in m/m spaces.

The writing itself can be a bit tricky, but I see what they were going for with the prose and I enjoy and appreciate it. The characters are wonderful, especially our main character, and I love the way they all come together as fully formed individuals.

The world building is great, as is the way the magic system is introduced and expanded upon as you go. The entire book is a slow, drip feed of information. It might be a bit too slow for some people, but I don’t mind slowness if it’s intentional and serves a purpose.

Overall, this is a unique book that really ratchets up the tension as you get deeper into it. If you’re in the mood for something dark, moody, slow, and gay then you’re in the right place

Kosoko Jackson’s The Macabre is an engaging collection of horror stories that leans into atmosphere and emotional depth. Jackson’s knack for crafting eerie, thought-provoking narratives shines throughout. It’s an enjoyable read, particularly for fans of literary horror. The lingering chills and moments of introspection make it a worthwhile addition to any horror lover’s collection.