Let Him In

The creep factor was off the charts on this one - I couldn't read it at night 🙃

Grieving widow with young twin girls.. young twin girls who develop an imaginary friend, Black Mamba - a shape shifting man who takes the appearance of a black mamba, a fish, a black bear, a giant crow, a black cat - who takes them on adventures and instigates some nasty behavior.

This was a riot of a read.

I received a copy of Let Him In from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was interested in this book just based on the amazing cover, and I was glad that the book did not disappoint. I sped through this spooky novel. All the old British horror tropes were there - creepy twins, checked-out widower dad, old house, mysterious apparitions, weird cults and eccentric old ladies. It could have been cliche, but I found the writing subtle and beautiful, which helped make these tropes seem new. The atmosphere of the novel sets the tone throughout. I found this book to be just as much an exploration of grief as a horror story.

Reading Let Him In felt like I was slowly revealing a painting, and every inch yielded new and more horrifying clues. A perfect haunted house book for spooky season!

This is a beautifully written slow burn horror that entrances you and leaves you wondering. If you like tidy books that give you all of the answers, this is not the book for you. The twins begin to bring <b>him</b> up several months after the death of their mother. Alfie was already struggling to cope with losing the woman he loves and being unprepared to raise the girls on his own. He once again calls on their aunt, a psychiatrist, for help and this time she agrees to speak with the twins and finds disturbing parallels to the past. Is he an imaginary friend? Or is he something else...something real...something malevolent? Is it a manifestation of grief, loss, and fear of how things are changing in their lives? Is it related to the house with it's dark past that survived an attempt to destroy it? Is it related to the family's religious upbringing with beliefs in a shadowy realm and demons? Secrets are revealed, the past is explored, and lines are crossed before he is finally gone for good. Or is he?

Just when you thought you may have figured out the situation with the twins and there "friend" boom something comes out of left field and has you rethinking everything that you had previously read. I overall loved this book as it kept me on my feet the whole time and kept me guessing with each page I turned. I highly recommend you read this book and let William take you on a journey as only he can in this book.

Perfectly creepy in what is said and what happens, as well as what isn't. These people are struggling in different ways, all based around the sudden death of one loved one. Friend deftly weaves in family history, relationship dynamics, grief, and past trauma with the very real possibility that the MC's daughters (or he himself) are on a path of destruction. The sense that he is barreling towards an unraveling is palpable.
Great premise, storytelling, and ending. And who can resist a creepy set of twins?

Thank you, Netgalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and William Friend, for providing me with the ARC (Advance Reader's Copy) of this book.

I must say that I absolutely loved reading this book and have been wholeheartedly recommending it to everyone in my circle. The story revolves around a grieving family struggling to come to terms with a recent death and their efforts to move on. The way the characters of the twin daughters, the husband, the sister, and the mother are portrayed feels incredibly believable and relatable.

The supernatural aspect of the book is one of the most realistic portrayals I have encountered in any novel. It beautifully treads the fine line between reality and fantasy, as often happens in real life when one person's supernatural experience may be interpreted as mere fantasy by someone else. The gradual unfolding of events throughout the book keeps the tension high, and you feel as if you are holding a ticking time bomb with each turn of the page.

The sense of helplessness that permeates the narrative is deeply affecting, particularly through the eyes of Alfie, who grapples with both the challenges of raising his twin daughters and the profound loss of his wife. Complicating matters further is the presence of a fictional supernatural character, the enigmatic "Black Mamba," invented by his daughters.

What works -
- the vividly depicted house and the intricacies of family dynamics.

- The slow-burning supernatural incidents add an air of suspense and intrigue, while the exploration of the house's mythology adds depth and richness to the narrative

- The storytelling is masterfully controlled, ensuring that readers remain engrossed throughout.


What doesn't work -
- I must admit that the story does become slightly repetitive at times, particularly during dream sequences that hold significant meaning initially but lose some impact due to their recurrence.

- I couldn't help but yearn for a more explosive and climactic finale. A little more "BANG" at the resolution could have provided a truly unforgettable crescendo to an already remarkable narrative.

Highly recommend reading this book. It will stay inside for a long time.

This was a super creepy, and at times frightening, book. I loved every single page as I tried to figure out exactly what was going on and why. If you want a story that's going to make you pull the covers tightly over your head to keep the bad things out, look no further.