This book is hard to rate. It starts with a bang then becomes disjointed and confusing. The timelines and plot shifts without notice and is very jarring. Perhaps that's what the author was going for, but it made it quite tough to read. The writing is good and the characters are decently enough developed. It's just....the plot and pov and timeliness switches made it difficult for this reader to keep up with. I think it would be too easy to give away the plot, so just check out the publisher's synopsis to see if it grabs you. Unfortunately, I can't recommend this one.

Thank you to Redhook Books, author Andy Marino, and NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Not entirely sure what I just read🤷‍♀️I was intrigued at first, but quickly felt lost. Chapters weren’t necessarily in order making it quite a disjointed read. While Sydney spirals into madness, I was never quite sure what was haunting her. I liked the writing style, but unfortunately I wasn’t a fan of the story.

This is such a hard book to rate. I LOVED the beginning. I generally do enjoy stories that are nonlinear or disjointed in some way, which this one. If you do not like that then this will not be the book for you. However, some ambiguity went a little too far for me because I really had no clue what was going on at some parts. I think I would benefit from a reread of this or someone to explain some things to me. Overall, the atmosphere was amazing and unsettling and if disjointed and ambiguous storylines are your jam then read this!

The Seven Visitations of Sydney Burgess was compulsively readable, well-written, and I enjoyed its initial premise, but the shift from mystery toward Horror left me cold and some of its themes were personally difficult for me to read.

I should probably make the disclaimer that I’m not extremely experienced reading Horror, and the tonal shift I describe might be very commonplace within the genre. But I have read books that made the leap from disturbing to supernatural or speculative and did so in a less jarring way. This novel starts out in a mode that felt very much like a mystery/thriller, and the vibe was working for me and kept me turning pages. But at some point about halfway thru I started feeling a little confused and adrift as the story got stranger and stranger—before realizing I was actually reading something more in the vein of Weird and Horror. That seems like a recipe for an engaging read and I’m not necessarily against the occasional shift in tone, but in this case the turn first had me feeling confused, and then wishing for a return to the style that powered the first few scenes.

Generally speaking this is a well written novel, the plot twists and reveal were satisfying, and I liked the actual writing. I’d read another book by Dan Marino. But in the end, I found myself feeling a little bit disorientated by the tonal shifting here and never fully recovered my connection to the story as a result.

(On a personal note that may not really apply to your reading experience, I was also a bit triggered by the themes of substance abuse, recovery, and relapse present due to a previous relationship, and that personal connection with the story had a generally negative impact on my enjoyment of the novel overall.)

If you’re down for a slightly Weird Horror story and are prepared to confront some of the unpleasant themes I mentioned above, I can recommend this as a solid, page-turning read. My thanks to NetGalley for providing a pre-publication ebook copy of this work in exchange for an honest review.

I have to admit, this book was weird, and just progressively got weirder as the book went on. But I really enjoyed I was expecting just a normal domestic thriller but it was really different and unique. I loved Sydney as a character and her character progression. I enjoyed the take on addiction and relapsing, which was a big part of the story.
If you like weird stories and somewhat unreliable narrators, I definitely recommend this book.

I actually liked this new bit of horror from Andy Marino it seems more than other reviewers. It could be because I read it while in line at Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights and thus was in the mood- but I found it gripping and unsettling. It tells the story of a young woman who kills an intruder during a home invasion and can’t remember exactly what happened. But what is clear is the fact that she killed the intruder in an up close and very personal way. What happens next is haunting- literally- as mysterious and terrifying things start happening that make her feel like she is unraveling. Good horror for this Halloween season!

Well that was weird.

Sydney Burgess is 9 years sober with an 11 year old son and a boyfriend with whom she lives with, Matt. Her life is finally stable and she can foresee a wonderful future for them all. While Matt and Danny are away camping Sydney inadvertently comes home during an attempted home invasion. Having escaped with her life and recovering in the hospital she is floored to find out that she murdered the man. She doesn't recall that. She remembers pushing the bureau in front of the guest room door and fleeing through the window. She does not remember carving the mans face to pieces. This becomes her undoing.

"You're a lucky woman," says Dutchess County Sheriff Mike Butler. I ride a wave of displacement. Lucky? I don't feel lucky. I feel like I want to unzip my skin and wriggle out of my body and into another. By what metric is he measuring my luck? I suppose he means that I'm luckier than a woman whose attack has resulted in her murder. I want to tell him: lucky is what you are when you hit the lottery."

The opening of this book is incredible. Sydney walking in on the intruder - I was immediately compelled to keep reading. I should also mention that I loved Sydney as a character. I thought Marino did a fine job in creating an addict and the struggle they face on a daily basis. Once your an addict you are never not an addict anymore. That line has been erased and Sydney knows this.

Marino is one hell of a writer. We get a back and forth time line and a narrator that is terribly unreliable, yet likable. The entire book starts to feel like a fever dream. I couldn't make heads or tails on what was actually happening. There are some deliciously creepy scenes that I loved but for the most part I was just confused the entire time. I still don't know what The Swimmer is. Is she possessed by a demon? Is this something created in a lab? Is it alien? I have no clue.

Oh boy, that ending. Totally unexpected. 😲

If you're a reader that embraces the weird, the dark, and the gory then this may be the gem you're looking for. All others steer clear! 3.5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook Books for my copy.

This book was brutal. It was brutal with violence. It was brutal with addiction. It was a story that we thought we were seeing truly until we realize we may not be. I do like a well done unreliable narrator. Here it was hard to follow at times and I do believe that was the point. The chaos the author tried to put into the readers mind was purposeful. The back and forth kept me off balance and I did not hate it. At times, I did not want to pick this one back up. I had to really be in the mood. If you are in the mood for chaos and mind tricks, pick this one up.

This was completely mind-numbing, but in a good way. What started out as a thriller turned into every genre possible smashed into one book. I found it impossible to put down as I was curious as to where it would go. Found this to be a very unique read. It's one of those that you keep thinking about several days after you have finished. it

Thanks so much to Redhook and Netgalley for my advanced copy

This book covers a multitude of genres; mystery, horror and science fiction to name but a few. Sydney is a recovering addict and mom. Her home is broken into and during the altercation the culprit is killed, in a very horrifying way. Sydney has no memory of this but is told it is understandable after what she went through, and after all it was self defense.

And there begins the unraveling of one Sydney Burgess. Our story goes back and forth in time, with Sydney slowing remembering what really happened, and why. Sydney decides to investigate this herself and what she finds is shocking to say the least.

I really liked this book, it was so freaking weird and just what I needed right now. Please know this book isn't for the faint of heart. It is gory but it has to be for the sake of a good book. This book was dark and very different and would make an excellent effed-up Halloween horror read! What does that say about me that I enjoyed it so much?

This....ain't it, man.

I love horror. LOVE IT. I've been reading horror novels/books for most of my life. Bluebeard was my favorite "fairy tale" for Christ's sake. This....was more of a fever dream of a drug binge. It's the story of addiction and the after affects and relapse. It's less about horror and more about the trauma that one can cause themselves and their families.

It's an interesting concept but needs something....I'm just not quite sure what it is.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I was very intrigued by the premise of this novel, and I'm a sucker for possession-thrillers. That being said, this one was just "okay" for me. I know the disjointed storytelling is purposeful, but it was confusing at times.
Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Sydney Burgess opens the front door to her house, excited for some alone time since her boyfriend and son have just gone camping. To her complete shock, there is a man dressed head-to-toe in black rummaging through her house. After a short and violent struggle, Sydney wakes in the hospital and begins to recount how she escaped with her life to the county sheriff. There’s only one problem: the intruder was found dead in Sydney’s home and she has no memory of that horrific event.

The reader soon learns that Sydney is a recovering drug addict, she’s been clean for many years, but she can tell that the cop’s perception of her is changing when he learns of her addiction. And thus, we have an unreliable narrator in this strange, strange horror story.

This is an extremely graphic, violent, gory, gruesome, and disturbing work of fiction. There were parts that I wished I could skim over, but my need to read every word didn’t allow for that. If my brain could forget the tongue episode I’d be very grateful.

The narration style was extremely disorienting, probably done purposefully. It flips back and forth between lucid moments and then to nightmarish, almost hellish scenes. It makes sense as part of the story, but it was very confusing to read.

I did not enjoy reading this, but I’d recommend it to true lovers of mind-bending horror stories.

I give it a 2.5/5 rating rounded up to 3 stars.

Thank you to Redhook Books for providing me with an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ok, where to start with this one...

This book starts out as a thriller, which I was so here for. I love a good thriller. I also knew going in that it was in the horror genre, but on that front, it wasn't at all what I was expecting. I would also add here that it has a bit of a Sci-Fi aspect which is why it wasn't quite what I had envisioned in my mind going into this one.

Now I love a good genre mashup when executed well. This one was good, but was quite confusing at times. Don't get me wrong, it was interesting, I just don't think it hit the mark by trying to do too much. It felt disjointed and the flow was off. I think the author intended a lot of this, but it didn't quite work from a readers perspective.

If you look at the story as a whole, it was good. I enjoyed the characters and the thoughts that went through Syndey's head during these posessions. As a mother I could feel Sydney's love for her son. I know she was trying to do her best for him, but her possessions threw her off of all the hard work she had done and I felt so bad for both her and her son while I watched their life come undone.

The audiobook was done well. I enjoyed the narrator and felt Lakin did a wonderful job in creating character and feeling throughout the story.

Though this one didn't hit with me, I do think Marino is a talented writer and might be interested to see what may come later from him.

Thank you to Redhook Books, Hachette Audio and Netgalley for a copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

I was really looking forward to diving into a good horror novel, unfortunately this was not what I was wanting or expecting at all. I am torn between rating this a 2 star or 3 star, so we will just go with a 2.5 rounded up for Goodreads and NetGalley.

There were definitely some gruesome and dark scenes but they were extremely short lived. The story itself is very scattered and confusing to follow. Maybe it was intentional to write the story this way as Sydney’s life is portrayed as scattered and confusing itself as an alcoholic, but from the readers perspective it just did not work at all. I felt it was written with incomplete sentences and blocked thoughts, ultimately leaving me confused and frustrated.

I thoroughly enjoyed the beginning but was very happy when I finally reached the end. This isn’t a horror book I will be jumping to recommend.

I appreciate having the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. The Seven Visitations of Sydney Burgess hits shelves September 27th, 2021!

I absolutely love possession horror so was thrilled to check out this brand new entry in the subgenre. I loved the idea of this one, even the execution did not completely work for me.

The narrative was purposely quite fragmented, given the mental state of the main character. The disjointed chapters made sense from a design perspective, but it didn't create the most pleasing reading experience. Whenever I found myself pulled into the story, the scene would abruptly jump to a different time and space, which always disrupted my reading flow.

The best aspect of this novel were the moments recounting the actual possessions. I particularly enjoyed hearing the woman's murderous thoughts. 

This novel didn't quite leave up to my high expectations for its potential as a new favourite possession story. I still appreciated the author taking a chance on a different narrative style, since horror is a great genre for experimentation. If you love possession stories as much as I do, you'll likely still want to try this one for yourself. 

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Orbit Books.

The Seven Visitations of Sydney Burgess by Andy Marino is a horror novel although it does start off a bit like a thriller. The story is told from the point of view of the protagonist in the current time although there are flashbacks interspersed into the story.

Sydney Burgess is a recovering addict who has spent the last nine years clean and sober fighting to get her life on the right track. Sydney has done all of this for her son who is now eleven and she never wants him to remember the times in her life she wasn’t there for him.

One night an intruder breaks into Sydney’s home she shares with her now partner and her son. The intruder knocks her out and as events unfold Sydney finds a way to make her escape where she alerts the neighbors who call the police. Sydney only remember her escape and the neighbors outdoors but when police question her they say she murdered the intruder before she left her home.

The title of this one, The Seven Visitations of Sydney Burgess, comes into play in the story as it’s in sections with the seven visitations. The book started off strong in the first part of the story but with each part it seemed to become a bit of a mess in terms of world building and the flow of the story. The protagonist is on a downward spiral from the elements in the book but I’d prefer it didn’t seem the story was going with her, if that makes sense. For me what this one needed was to go deeper into the details of what was going on. I think I grasped the basics of what it was meant to be but being left with a feeling of wading through to figure that out put my rating for this one at two and a half stars.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I was intrigued by this book from the start, possession/horror stories are always a good choice. However, this one took an interesting turn into something else that I was not expecting and I wasn't a huge fan. It's not a possession story in the typical sense, more about drug addiction and something else even darker. There was a lot of other fluff that made it hard to get through to the actual story and took away from what the story could have been. Not a winner for me.

I liked the concept here, but something about the story just never quite grabbed me, despite the multiple intriguing elements... It felt a little all over the place, which I appreciate is part of the point - but it just never seemed to gel into the coherent whole I was hoping for. I had a hard time relating to the characters, and the sense of disorientation that I got following Sydney's devolution gradually turned into bewildered confusion as the book developed, and not in a good way. This one wasn't for me.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Nope, not into it. I don't mind when not every little mystery or point of confusion in a book is addressed, but this was way too open ended. This is a pet peeve and I admit that, but it just feels like lazy was on the author's part.