The Chrysalis is an interesting read, one I probably wouldn't have read had I known it was sci-fi rather than horror. Perhaps the book should be marketed more towards sci-fi because there are many who love the genre. I myself went into thinking it was a scary book and was quite disappointed that it wasn't- especially considering the premise.

A couple of things:

1) I found this to be categorized improperly. I went in expecting the horror it is billed as, only to find out it's really a science fiction novel. Nothing wrong with that, just disappointing when you're picking up a book you hope is scary but turns out isn't frightening at all. I'm not a regular reader of horror novels, but even I was disappointed, which isn't the author's fault.

2) I think this would make a swell movie. The story has a very vivid writing style and I think if this was billed properly, could make loads of money.

The Chrysalis was an entertaining read. I didn't find it scary per se (perhaps because I don't have a basement), but it was gripping, and with each page turn, I wanted to find out what would happen next. There was a filmic quality to the piece, which makes sense as I know discussions about a film were underway at the time of writing, and I can certainly see this working well as a horror movie. For a horror book, I felt it was a little lacking in the scares, being more creepy than outright horrific, but the characters were well drawn and the pacing generally good. I think the story might excel more on the screen, but it was still a decent read and worth a couple of hours of your time. 3.5 stars from me.

The Chrysalis comes out swinging, only to fizzle out as the haunted house genre gives way to the alien world of sci-fi.

The novel is less a haunted house story than it is a story about agency and manipulation, and even, to a certain point, a mystery – which is never truly solved. Throughout the novel, our characters are haunted by hallucinations. The primary spooky moments are body horror, and while they often are used to chilling effect, it is not the creaking, spooky, haunted house novel that I hoped it would be. The root of the story is never explored, and that leads to questions that are left unanswered, at the detriment to the story.

By leaving the majority of the mechanics and origin of the mysterious chrysalis, Brenden Deneen managed to avoid having to plot out additional information that may have slowed the novel down. It is certainly a quick read, with moments of true horror that are quickly wiped away as hallucinations or misunderstandings. Deneen also did really interesting work with the characters – they’re a rich and diverse group (far more diverse than I thought a book about young adults in Manhattan would be!), and the relationships are well-written and entertaining.

The characters definitely work best as a group as opposed to dealing with characters one-on-one, especially because Deneen fails to really give motivation to our protagonist’s actions. While part of this is certainly intentional, and plays into the genre and helps to create a sense of claustrophobia and confusion, at certain moments it seems more careless and creates a disconnection between the novel and the reader. Tom is largely a reactive character, and in the moments when he does drive the action or make choices for himself, the reader is cut-off and left to watch rather than experience.

But strong characters aren’t enough to pull this story out of its tailspin. The author tries to do too much, and some of the story’s strongest aspects – how the chrysalis effects Jenny, for instance - end up sliding through the cracks, only appearing in confusing half-scenes that rarely pay off in the larger novel. As a result, the novel’s pacing struggles. At times it is a breakneck tale of the loss of control that our central couple is experiencing, only to be dragged to a halt as the plot points begin to repeat themselves. Fortunately, by that time, Deneen seems to realize it and is quick to wrap the story up ---- resulting in another messy passage as the story breaks apart in its ending.

Although filled with interesting characters and clever, quick, and humorous writing, The Chrysalis never seems to find its footing as a horror novel. It suffers missteps in plotting and pacing, but is worth a look for more forgiving fans of horror and sci-fi.

A creepy fast read. At first the writing kind of confused me, because it jumped quickly and then I got adjusted and enjoyed it. I thought the whole book was interesting and creepy enough to hold your interest, but not scary, scary. Definitely will be recommending in Chapter Chatter Pub closer to publish date.

Easy read with a tiny creepfactor. The book mainly covers ordinary life in an ordinary street experiencing some extraordinary events. The thing in the basement has a funny hold on people, but it didn't freak me out until the very end when the situation became quite surreal. The Chrysalis kept me pleasantly entertained. Well worth the time.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan/Tor Books for the ARC