A thriller that delves into the life of the main character, Adelia, who is trying to rebuild her life after a traumatic incident. She becomes entangled in a mystery involving a series of violent crimes that seem to be connected to her past. As she digs deeper, Adelia must confront her fears and uncover the truth to stop the cycle of violence. Lastufka's use of vivid, atmospheric descriptions, create a sense of foreboding and tension. He skillfully builds suspense through detailed settings and the psychological depth of his characters. This immersive style kept me engaged, effectively drawing me into the dark and mysterious world of the story.

I crave thrillers that are suspenseful but unique, and I absolutely loved that about Face the Night! The author did such a great job building contempt for the Mayor of Cellar, pity for Adriana, and sorrow for Deesha and her brother. Such a great book. I’ll be recommending it to others!

To be honest, I don't even know where to start with my review for this book. Im not sure exactly what I was expecting, but the minute I saw the eerie cover art, I knew that I had to grab a copy of this book!

Adriana Krause is one hell of an artist. From a young age, she has had a gift for bringing life to sketches. Recently, she landed a job working as a sketch artist for the local PD. As a single mom currently wrapped up in a custody battle, this job couldn't have come at a better time.

Everything seems to be looking up until, while sketching a suspect, Adriene instead draws a rotting and mangled face. This isn't just any face. This face has haunted Adrienes nightmares for a very long time.

Now, Adriene must fight to keep her son while also trying to solve the mystery behind the face. Who is this, and how are they connected to Adriene? Why are they haunting her nightmares?

Even in small towns, the deepest and darkest secrets can't always stay buried.

This book is perfect for lovers of both mystery and supernatural horror. Overall, I found this to be a pretty solid debut novel, albeit a bit hefty at nearly 400 pages. I quite enjoyed trying to piece together the mystery of the face. I also believe that the supernatural portions of this book were well written and creepy. I would definitely consider reading more from Lastufka in the future.

As always thanks to the publisher and netgalley for providing me a copy in exchange for an honest review

I am a huge horror and thriller reader and I enjoyed this book. I did notice things that didn't seem realistic or seem plausible, but it did keep me invested and wanting more and in the end that's what matters

I hesitate to rate books so low, but this was marketed as a horror novel and, despite my own very broad definition of what horror encompasses... it really did not read like a horror novel. It struck me more as a light thriller blended with some supernatural elements. This would maybe be categorized as "Lifetime channel horror" at best.

Aside from that, I simply found the writing too simplistic and the plot too predictable; as well, the saccharine sweet ending really didn't do it for me.

I enjoyed this one! Definitely more of a slow burn mystery that you should expect slower pacing going into it, but once I was hooked into the story I really wanted to find out what happened. Similar to other reviewers I've seen, I really struggled to connect with the paranormal elements, which normally is what really makes a story overall for me. The writing was done well and I will definitely pick up more from this author in the future, this one just didn't really do it for me.

All Adriana wants is stability: Money to cover rent and living. A safe space for her and her son. Her dream is to be a tattoo artist, a career she's destined for, but a career her overbearing father - the mayor of the town she lives in - doesn't support.

To make matters worse he's trying to get custody of her son. A battle she's bound to lose, but when the judge gives her a stay of a month - to find a steady job - she knows she will do whatever it takes to keep her son where he belongs. Home with her.

While it seems like the odds are stacked against her, a twist of fate lands her in the police station, and a job opportunity as a police sketch artist arises. An unorthodox opportunity to use her artistic skills.

But Adriana has been plagued by nightmares, and while she's trying to draw the face of her perp she instead draws the face of a decaying man. Of a hand that's trying to pull her deep into the bottom of a lake. These dreams cause her to do violent things. Nightmares that hint at a secret rotting deep in the heart of the town. Secrets that many powerful men do not want to come to light.

While I loved the family drama dynamic of the story, I struggled to connect to the supernatural elements.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Shortwave Media for an ARC of this title.

A bit of a slow burn this book but once into It I needed to see it through to the end.
The setting was appropriate and well described and Addie was a nicely written character though I’d have liked to have gotten more from Lisa & Jennifer.
The pace was slow but came together well, I will try more from this author!

Adriana Krause has a talent for bringing subjects to life. Until she draws a rotting, mangled face instead of the described suspect. Shocked, she realizes she’s drawn the man who haunts her nightmares. No one has seen this face before—except Adriana.

With few allies on the force, Adriana is alone in her pursuit of the hellish figure from her dreams, while battling her father—the mayor—as he tries to take custody of her young son. She needs this job to save her family, but now the unknown man is all she can draw.

When her nightmares become waking dreams that lead to a series of violent outbursts, Adriana turns to near strangers for help. She must keep her son, unlock the mysteries of this strange face, and uncover one of the darkest secrets ever buried in her small town.

This one was a slow burner but it built up the suspense well and partnered the supernatural genre with the crime/thriller genre in an exciting and intriguing way.

Lastufka’s female protagonist Adrianna is gutsy and likeable and right from the get go I was rooting for her to succeed, what can I say, who doesn’t love an underdog! Also her dad… what an ass!!!

Lastufka’s writing is eerie and atmospheric but just on the right side of believable to make this story terrifying in its realism and horrific in its revelations.

First off let me say that I really enjoyed this authors writing style and their characters. Which I found really realistic and fascinating to read about.

Surprisingly the downfall of this book was the supernatural element (a surprise to me because I love a supernatural extra) but the characters storylines were so interesting that I'd rather it was just a mystery. I'd definitely be keeping an eye out for this author in the future!

This book wasn't for me, but it's perfect audience is certainly out there. I think that I went in expecting more of a horror element, and some of the real-world elements made it difficult to suspend my disbelief and engage in the story the way I would have liked to. I enjoyed the tension and suspense, and I think I wanted more of that. Overall this is a solid supernatural thriller that's just to find it's ideal reader. The writing is also very good, and I'd absolutely read more from this author!

Face the Night isn't quite a horror novel so much as a supernatural thriller about the dangers of buried secrets, ignoring the past, power driven leaders, and corrupt small town politics. Adriana, our protagonist, does have dreams and visions, most of them tied to a buried trauma and the events that came after it, but for the most part her gifts are more of a plot twist intended to convey us to the primary secret at the core of the plot. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad book, or even unenjoyable, but I was ultimately disappointed to find the latter half of the book being carried far away from the stronger and more balanced narrative used for the first half and then all too quickly finished up with a series of events that don't quite make for a complete resolution. Not a bad thriller, all told, but it could have used a bit more to really well that ending.

Mixed thoughts on this. This was almost a cozy mystery for 80% of the book with pops of horror because of the MC's scary dreams. But then towards the end there is a graphic and gory horror scene and then soon after there is a very violent scene against a child. So the mix of almost-cozy and graphic was really jarring and unpleasant. And then the ending was suddenly fantastical lol. I don't know...The writing style was easy to read, though, and I did like the characters and how things played out. I was intrigued to read through the end. So I think this has earned 3 stars.

I enjoyed this book very much. A great supernatural thriller that kept me up for hours until I finished it. I hope to read more from this author.

I am a horror junkie and jump at the chance to find new horror authors to add to my ever-growing TBR stack. When I came across this book on Netgalley I knew immediately without even having to read much of the description that I wanted to read this book. I was not disappointed when I started it. This book has a small-town setting with a cold case and murder mystery that has you on the edge of your seat trying to figure it out. Our protagonist Adriana (Addie) is the daughter of a small-town mayor that is haunted by a gruesome sector that shows up in her dreams and her drawings.

I found this book to be a very good read and the only reason I didn't give it five stars is because I had some issues with some of the decisions that Addie made throughout the book. Yes, we could chalk it up to her being young but it still bothered me so I docked it a star. I didn't find this to be outright scary but it definitely packed a creepy thriller punch and I really enjoyed the disturbing aura that this book exuded. If you enjoy a good thriller that has horror elements and a hint of a romance I definitely suggest picking up this book.

Good, but I felt not as great as it could have been. I love horror storys and family thrillers but i this one just didn't hit it out of the ballpark. Even the most ridiculous person wouldn't bring in their drug addicted ex to fight a child custody case. Particularly, against the petitioner who is the child's grandfather who just happens to be a mayor. In an election year. Yeah, let that sink in. Who do you think the judge and social workers will side with? And quite frankly, when she left the child with the druggie ex so she can go have a few drinks, I was campaigning for Grampy.

That said, I would be more than willing to give this author a second chance. There's something about this writer that I liked. The book just needed an editor and good friends to explain how custody cases work.

P.s. would have left a review on Amazon but Amazon would only allow it on verified purchases.

While the concept of the story was interesting, ultimately the story story just could not capture my attention as I had hoped. There wasn’t anything wrong with the writing but it was just kind of bland in between the action.

Face the Night is a horror thriller and a tale of long-awaited vengeance.

Adriana is a mother desperately trying to keep custody of her son, Dylan, while her father, the mayor, wants to remove him as he feels Adriana is an unfit mother. Currently without a job, and trying to make ends meet as a now-and-then tattoo artist, Adriana has asked her ex Eric, a deadbeat druggie, to help plead her case in court. With a month to find something permanent, she must make a plan ASAP.

After a mishap lands her at the police station, Adriana uses her sketching skills to snag a temp gig as a sketch artist. And she meets Officer Hinkley, who seems a little sweet on her. Unbeknown to the officer, Adriana suffers from terrible nightmares where she sees a terrifying face coming for her while she is underwater. These have been happening for years, but the face never gets clearer.

As her father campaigns for re-election, as well as to take her child, Adriana must delve into the meaning behind the face as well as put everything she has into securing her child’s future. But as with many small-town secrets, some things do not want to remain buried…

I was hooked by the promise of an early Stephen King-type book and I’ll say that I enjoyed the book and also didn’t enjoy it. While there is nothing inherently wrong with the book, nothing new came out that made me go – wow, I’d never have thought of that. Lots of strange decisions made and some directions not quite explained/closed.

(Spoilers ahead)
Adriana was a likeable character at times, and her desperation at trying to do the right thing for her son came through. Then she’d do something stupid like leaving her ex to look after her child while she decides a “few drinks won’t hurt” and goes out. This with her ex never having looked after the child before.
Then there is the issue with her seeing the face – when she eventually figures out what it’s about, it’s not really something that couldn’t have been guessed earlier. All the clues were there. It was just a case of whodunnit. But why did the face take so long to really make itself known?
The neighbour’s deaf daughter gets used to protect Adriana from doing something bad while possibly under the influence of the face. This seemed very irresponsible on her part and puts everyone in a potential dodgy situation there.
While I get that her new love interest was rebelling against what was happening in the police station, the risks he took for Adriana seemed extreme.

I’d call this a small-town thriller rife with “anything-to-win” politics and a dash of supernatural horror. It needed a lot more to call itself a genuine horror story. It was one of those where, after I turned the last page, I just said, “Oh.” Kinda fizzled out at the end with too many tangents. It was a good effort for a first-time novel, but one I wouldn’t read again, even if to try to pick up more details.

Outstanding debut horror novel. Wonderfully complex with some memorable visual moments and well-written characters.

Love a good thrilling genre-meld. If you don't know whether you want supernatural, crime, political, or family thriller... it's all in Face the Night. Don't sleep on this!