I had enjoyed the The Madman’s Daughter and thought that was a really well done mystery book, so I was excited when I saw that Ms. Shepherd had written a new book. Malice House was a joy to read as it had everything I wanted from this type of book and I was hooked from the first page. The characters were just as good as the The Madman’s Daughter and it had a haunting quality to it. I enjoyed reading this, it was a great horror and mystery atmosphere going on. I look forward to more from Megan Shepherd.

"but I realized that the dark, strange, ugly works were the most powerful. No one ever overthrew a government because they read a book on ponies, you know? It’s because they read about monsters, war, darkness—and were inspired to change things.”

3.5 stars, rounding up.

Horror is such a subjective genre! What scares one person may be laughable to another. Personally, I'm most horrified by stories that align closely with reality, because let's face it, reality is horrific enough. This particular novel is pretty fanciful, so it didn't SCARE me, but I really enjoyed the premise and most of the plot points.

Haven Marbury returns to Malice House after her father's death to prepare it for sale. When she finds an unpublished manuscript locked away in the attic, she begins a project to illustrate it herself and sell the combo for a fortune. However, strange things keep happening since her return to town, including violent murders and scuffling sounds in the walls of her own home. She starts investigating with the help of some new friends? foes? and things quickly spiral out of control...

Since it's not clearly outlined in the synopsis, all I'll say about the origin of the monsters is that I found it unique and imaginative. This book could probably be labeled as horror/fantasy and not raise any eyebrows, so if that's your kind of thing, I think you'll love the premise as well. I really enjoyed the snippets of stories from the fictional manuscript at the beginning of each chapter, as this detail really brought the monsters and their stories to life for me. I also loved the choice of setting; a relatively remote town in the pacific northwest was the perfect vibe for Malice House.

Be forewarned that the beginning third or so is pretty slow, but the story does pick up pace and roll pretty quickly after that. There were a few moments that dragged for me, but overall I found the pace appropriate for an atmosphere horror novel. There is some violence, but it isn't super graphic or gory. My biggest problem with this novel is the main character, Haven, who I found unlikeable and wasn't able to connect with. Some of this may have been intentional, based on reveals later in the story, but it definitely prevented me from actually getting scared for her when she was in peril.

Thank you to Megan Shepherd, Hyperion Avenue, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

Malice House is one of those books that grabs you from the beginning and refuses to let go, taking you along for a truly chilling ride until the thrilling end.

The author has created a world full of terrifying creatures that leap from the page (literally) and one that the reader will gladly travel with the characters to face these horrors together.

It's an incredibly atmospheric read that will have you tucking your feet in your blankets lest something under the bed pinches your flesh.

The realistic characters feel like flesh and blood people. These are characters you will have feelings about one way or another. There are enough twists and turns to keep you on your toes and jaw dropping secrets that leave you breathless when they're revealed.

The "book within a book" storyline is so well done and provides some of the most frightening moments you'll find in a book. The creatures are pure nightmare fuel and will have you checking your doors and windows just to be sure!

This book is a must read for horror fans and will make "best of" lists in 2022.

Malice House is a stunning blend of mystery, thriller, fantasy, and horror. From the very beginning you are intrigued by the main character who has returned to the quaint town where her famous writer father spent his life. She is clearly in between stages of her life and is relatable with her quandaries of how to provide for herself and which path to take in life next. When she discovers an unpublished manuscript in her fathers attic, she feels as though she has stumbled across a goldmine. Especially because as an artist herself, she feels she can enhance his work and create something entirely new, adding artwork to her fathers words.. The results of her work will keep you fascinated, making you wonder if she's going crazy like her father supposedly did, or is there really something supernatural at play? You root for her regardless of which opinion you take and the outcome will keep you on your toes. Such a fun read!

This is a mix of Misery by Stephen King and Home Before Dark by Riley Sager or anything by Megan Miranda, but leaning more towards the fantasy side. It can also get pretty gruesome at times. I would recommend this title for people who like the darker side of things or, if you were initially a fan of Megan's earlier works like The Madman's Daughter series, this is essentially a grown up version of that original trilogy. I liked it for the nostalgia and it makes a great late summertime/fall read set on the coast in Washington you never really know who you can trust in this page turner. The thing that turned me off was first person narrative. With stories like this, featuring the book within a book trope, it is always jarring to me for the differences in points of view even though I know the purpose of it. This is a personal preference. I think that this will definitely find its readers come October, but it just missed the mark for me, especially the ending since it left it open for a sequel which I personally thought the book did not need.

Expected Publication: October 4, 2022

I really liked the concept of this book, overall I have mixed feelings. There were times I was fully engaged and creeped out, but most of the time it was very slow and drawn out. I had a hard time picking it back up for the most part. I was not a huge fan of the writing, or many of the characters. The ending was okay for me.

Thank You to the publishers via NetGalley for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Woah!

I want this to be a Netflix movie asap. This was a slow build for me and then boom, it goes off the rails at lightening speed. From about 40% on I flew through this book.

What a unique and intriguing plot line. I really enjoyed the character development, all of the detailed gothic horror and it was just extremely entertaining.

The only thing I can compare this to is some of Stephen King’s classic work.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Megan Shepherd and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of a digital advanced reviewer copy in exchange for an honest review!

Gripping. Monstrous. Haunting.

"So the girl who doesn't get scared by horror movies gets scared off by... what?"

REVIEW:
This book follows Haven Marbury, who relocates to her father's house - Malice House - after his passing. Haven is an aspiring illustrator, while her father, Armory Marbury, was a world renowned author and Pulitzer prize winner. Before her father's passing, Amory, was certain that his house was haunted and everyone believed he was going mad from his progressing dementia. Upon settling into the house, she discovers an unpublished manuscript by her father that consisted of short horror stories. Desperate for money, Haven attempts to collaborate with her deceased father by illustrating each of his short stories and sell it to a publisher. But soon after she begins her illustrations, Haven begins seeing and hearing odd things in her house. Is Haven going mad like her father because of her obsession with illustrating for her father's manuscript or is there something a little more sinister going on inside Malice House?

This book is very descriptive and can easily paint the picture of the scene in the readers mind. The writing style was easy to follow. I did appreciate that each chapter began with an excerpt from Armory Haven's manuscript to create that connection between the monsters Haven was illustrating and the storyline they are based off of. With all that being said, this book wasn't for me. I had a difficult time following all the monster's storyline since there were so many to keep track of. Although it is a categorized as a horror, I didn't feel like the finished product reflected a horror novel - other than the brief monster occurrences throughout. I wasn't a fan of the storyline and felt like it was too slow of a build. The book had a great premise, but fell a little flat for me.

A horror story that will challenge your idea of reality. Interesting and unique concept as a daughter tries to unravel her author fathers' legacy, while capturing through her drawings. Didn't have this one figured out!

I have mixed feelings about this one. It was atmospheric and genuinely scary at times and a couple of the twists were surprising. I couldn't connect with Haven's narration though (and that may be intentional, given what we learn about her) but I found her woefully naive and much too trusting in the situations she ended up in.

I was captivated by Malice House when I first dived into this book, but half way through I could see where it was going and began to tire of the story. Great premise but mediocre execution. 3/5 stars.

Haven Marbury is a starving artist, and the daughter of a world renowned author. When her father passes away he leaves his home, Malice House, to her. While exploring Malice House she finds an unpublished manuscript in her father’s handwriting bearing the title, “Bedtime Stories For Monsters”. As Haven reads she finds herself sketching the monsters as if she can’t help herself. The more she sketches the more strange things begin to happen to include a mysterious, but handsome neighbor she can’t quite trust, something that seems to lurk under the bed, boxes of dirt in the attic, and a few gruesome murders.
This was an enjoyable and bizarre horror with a hint of the Tulpa lore……what if you could create something, but once created you’d have no control over your creation?
Thank you #nethalley for allowing me to read and review this ARC of #MaliceHouse.

“Malice was chaos and chaos was malice.”

I initially thought this was a thriller just basing it off the book title and cover. I kept waiting for the first dead body to appear. But eerie sounds, odd coincidences and strange things started happening in Malice House. When the first dead body appears in the oddest and gruesome way, I realized this book was more a supernatural, horror, fantasy novel.
Haven Marbury moved to Lundie Bay to clear her late father’s house. While doing so she discovered a secret handwritten manuscript very different from his award winning works. The manuscript is titled Bedtime Stories. It’s a collection of short stories about horrific monsters and peculiar humans. Haven hoped to do a posthumous father and daughter collaboration. As an aspiring artist she started illustrating the characters. That’s when chaos started.
This book showed the dangerous powers of words and arts in reshaping a world. I like the world building and description of the monsters, their stories and how they all connected. I didn’t really know where the story was heading but the creep factor, deceptions and my curiosity kept me reading. The middle part slowed down for me. It became too descriptive. I guess I wanted more action than words. But things started speeding up once Haven discovered a family secret and started putting pieces together. I was expecting a grand ending but I liked how the author wrapped up things. She left enough room to wonder about the monsters and other peculiar characters of Bedtime stories, she reminded you that you are not alone and to keep checking under your bed for monsters.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a bit slow in some parts, but I really enjoyed the story overall. I would recommend!

Megan Shepherd’s "Malice House" was like nothing I expected and it absolutely delighted me in its obscure and eerie storyline. A story within a story within a story, it’s a wildly unique concept that Shepherd executed beautifully. This is a less gory, more suspenseful and eerie horror about a hidden manuscript brought to life with the stroke of a hand to wreak havoc on Haven’s reality. "Malice House" is a dark, interesting dive into family secrets and self-identity.

This is Haven’s story and told from her point of view. I liked her vulnerability and complexity. She had a tumultuous relationship with her father and seems to still be seeking approval for her talents since she was denied by him growing up. I wish we would’ve gotten a tad more on her backstory from her marriage to time with her father as a child, as I feel it would’ve added another layer to the story that felt missing. The rest of the characters are equally well-written and easy to dislike with so many out for their own self-serving purposes. From the beginning you’ll very much have a “don’t trust anyone” feel to the story—which ultimately ends up being true. There are some really great twists in this book.

I loved the setting that Shepherd created. Malice House itself reading as a character with hidden secrets and hauntings within its walls. So much of the story depends on the house or what was housed there. Loaded with gothic elements, I loved the slow build of this story into a strange, shocking climax.

I think what I loved most was the storyline driving "Malice House." Without giving it away just know that it’s a story within a story type of read with a lot going on but all tied together with those epic twists I mentioned above. I loved the excerpts from “Bedtime Stories for Monsters” and they added such scary, unsettling parallels to each chapter.

Overall this is a story of self-identity as Haven fights to make peace with not only her haunted past but the things haunting her present and threatening her future. Through the series of terrifying and shocking events, she learns to trust her talent, embrace her identity and stand up to those trying to take her down.

I really really enjoyed this, more than I expected to at the outset. The first chunk is slow moving, but it builds steadily until the last third is just wall to wall, scary as fuck action, which is for sure Shepherd's forte. I liked how all the plot threads shook out, no one was creepy for the reasons I expected, and some of the twists I truly didn't see coming at all. My initial take on the characters feeling a bit flat ended up mattering much less in sum; after a certain point the book had so much momentum it just felt like watching a horror movie. It actually put me in mind (energy wise, not content wise) of the end of Cabin in the Woods, which is a compliment. If you're looking for a popcorny, scary, fantastical read, this is it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for granting my wish and providing me with a free digital ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review!

This is a really difficult book to rate, because there are elements of it I loved and elements that grated on my nerves. I love horror, so when I read the description for Malice House, I was hooked. Horror, dark magic, family secrets, and a spooky house? Sign me up! The story is fairly complex with many twists (I’m not sure if they’re supposed to be a surprise, because I found them to be set up in a pretty straightforward manner); I think it’s best to go into it blind, so I’ll avoid spoilers in my review.

I do want to be clear up front, though, that this novel is more in the genre of horror and dark fantasy rather than thriller, even though the beginning might lead you to believe it’s a mystery/thriller. I imagine that could turn some readers off if they’re not fans of supernatural and fantasy elements in novels. I’m always down for a horror novel to lean into otherworldly elements, so I was happy with that direction. If it’s not for you, though, you should skip this book.

The plot follows aspiring illustrator Haven Marbury as she moves into her late father’s old manor. Her father was a famous writer, and as she sorts through his belongings, Haven discovers an unpublished adult horror short story manuscript. She thinks she might make a breakthrough in the publishing industry by illustrating all of the characters and selling it as a collaboration with her father. As Haven gets to work on this, though, murders start occurring nearby in strange ways that could connect back to Haven and her father. What exactly is going on in this seaside small town?

I’ll start with what I liked about this novel. I enjoyed the concept of the book and found the way it leaned into the supernatural to be refreshing. I feel as if many books today are pushed as horror when they’re not actually much different from thrillers, so it was nice that Malice House actually fit its horror description. It’s almost what I wished Sager’s Home Before Dark was (but I was so let down by his novel). So, props to the Megan Shepherd for diving into a spooky plot and actually following through with it until the end. I enjoyed the snippets of Haven's father's book at the beginning of each chapter, as well.

I also enjoyed the novel’s themes. It explores creativity and responsibility for what one puts into the world. Haven wonders what would happen if an author was actually pulling a story out of some other world, rather than just writing a fictional idea, which is a super cool concept to contemplate. Feminism is also a consistent theme throughout the book, and I loved the way the romance was handled as a result. Haven puts herself and her needs first and isn't willing to compromise for a cute boy. I was cheering for her as she stood up for herself!

Unfortunately, some other parts of this story just didn’t work for me. The novel felt so, so slow. It’s around 375 pages, so while it’s not super short, it definitely should not have felt as long as it did. I kept thinking I was much closer to the end, when I was only 40-60% in. There are a lot of small things that happen as Haven investigates the house and the town. Most of it is relevant to the plot, but it could have been shortened and a few things could have been cut out. There are many minor twists, and sometimes it felt like too much was happening in one story. If 25% of the twists had been removed, I would argue the book would have been smoother overall.

I also wasn’t a huge fan of the writing. Whenever something happens, Haven spends a lot of time explaining it and thinking about it. This annoyed me a bit, because I could have drawn most of the conclusions myself, rather than having her spell them out repeatedly for me. There could have been more dialogue and less internal monologues. I love it when books are descriptive, but many of the descriptions in Malice House felt unnecessary and just wasted time on mundane things. For example, I liked Haven’s job reviewing horror movies, but she explained it and referenced it too often, so it got a little old. The excessive explanations and descriptions probably contributed to the book feeling long.

My final complaint is with the characters. I didn’t love Haven. She made some really dumb decisions in the middle of the novel, and I couldn’t understand why she was acting so impulsively. Since she spends so much time watching horror films, she should have known not to take certain actions (like digging around in the dirt in a forest in the middle of the night). The author did sort of have an explanation in the latter half for some of her choices, but I still thought she should have acted more logically. The other characters didn’t feel fleshed out enough. I liked Rafe, but Kylie was underused and underdeveloped. Most of the villains were too cartoony for my taste, and their motivations weren’t clear enough.

As you can tell, I have mixed feelings about this book. I almost rated it two stars, because some parts were pretty hard to get through. However, the ending was better than I expected, and I do believe in the long-term I’ll remember the good aspects more than the aspects I didn’t enjoy. Malice House has interesting ideas with some smart choices by the author, but it could have been edited better. I would read a sequel, and I might check out other books by Megan Shepherd. I’d recommend this if you’re into fantasy and horror and are looking for an easy read with a twist on the standard haunted house plot line.

2.75 stars, rounded up because I appreciated the way the author included strong themes and followed through with the plot she set up.

Interesting and well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. Just a little slow and unbelievable at some points. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I loved the premise for this story. We hear from writers all the time that when they're writting, it's like they're pulling it from another world or dimension and Megan Shepherd brings that idea to life in this book. She actually talks about it a little bit in her notes after the book. So if you read this, I recommend reading the notes as well.
Although this is very much an adult book with adult topics, it reads very much like Young Adult. I think this would be a great book for people who enjoy YA horror but are interested in getting into adult horror. Or even just adukt books in general. Because it did read younger for its target age, it was easy to read but also took me out of the book occasionally because the topics were so adult but I kept forgetting that the book and therefore the characters in this book were adult. So it would always shock me when something really traumatic happened and I had to remind myself "oh yeah, this isn't YA Neither are the characters."
While this was a bit of a downfall, as I said previously, it also made it a lot easier and mindless to read. The writing was easy to get through and the plot was so intriguing that it kept me flying through the pages. The characters weren't as flushed out as they could have been. But for this reason, I think this is a good book for plot based readers. Very faced passed, very interesting and had moments that were downright creepy and gore.
Speaking of gore, this does have some mild cases of body horror. So if that's something you don't like or that bothers you, I would advise you to maybe stay clear of this one. But if you think you can handle it, I think this is a really good horror book and very unique from anything I read. It's similar to a book within a book trope. But it takes that trope and flips it on its head, making it its own trope, story and idea. This was very cleverly well done! I'm excited to see future adult works by this author!
This was sent to me by the publishers via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. So thank you so much to them! All opinions are my own!

Atmospheric and enchanting, this novel is more of an experience than just a "book". A lot of thrillers have felt formulaic and lazy of late, but this novel stays intriguing and unique throughout. I don't want to give away too much, but I think this would be an incredible series.

Thank you to the publisher and #NetGalley for the chance to review this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.