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 Her father was a famous writer, and as she sorts through his belongings, Haven discovers an unpublished adult horror short story manuscript.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.

"Malice House" is written by author Megan Shepherd who has written several young adult and children's books. This is her first adult book which is always exciting and this is my first book by her.

Official synopsis: Haven Marbury is just getting out of a failed marriage and moves into her late fathers seaside house. Her father was a famous writer and while moving into his old house she stumbles upon a unwritten manuscript that is nothing like he has written before. Its horrific and scary and she instantly decides to publish it and do the illustrations herself in attempt to jumpstart her career. Of course there are people who want their hands on the manuscript and why is there monsters under her bed and people dying in the wood?

Ok, one thing I love is stuff totally creative and different and this book is it. Its beautifully written and has no clear genre. It's a mystery, thriller, and horror mashed into one. I was told to go into this one blind and that is the best advice. Just read it.

Pros: Another thing I love is batshit crazy characters and Haven definitely may be one of them. I think it's totally awesome that she just haphazardly breaks into people houses to find clues or just simply breaks into some one's truck and steals their shotgun even though she has never fired a gun in her life. The ending was also nails. Without spoiling anything it's basically a 40 page, fiery, bone crushing, violent, horrific, train wreck of a ending.

The book also has one of the most terrifying characters I think I have ever read. Again I can't give anything away but imagine someone who can force anyone to do anything he wanted just by asking. "Go and shoot that person and then kill yourself with the same gun" And then you can't help but do it......

I can't think of anything I didn't like the book. Maybe too long? But I like my books around 300 pages and I can't think of anything to take points from. One of my favorite books of the year so far.

Advance Reader Copy given free for honest review.

I was so intrigued by the premise of this book—a struggling illustrator inherits the creepy mansion of her late father, a famed novelist, and finds a disturbing manuscript filled with murder and monsters—but the execution wasn’t for me.

I always find that horrors—both supernatural and everyday—are most terrifying when the world and people around them feel grounded and real. Nothing about this world felt realistic to me. The dialogue didn’t ring true. The personal drama felt forced. The descriptions lacked sufficient detail and originality to bring them alive. Even down to the protagonist’s name—Haven Marbury—it felt like I was watching a shlocky TV show rather than reading a novel for adults. Imagine the boatload of paperwork and legal upheaval and financial stress a person would take on by inheriting a dilapidated mansion, especially when they’re already broke. There was almost none of that, which made the whole situation hard to buy. And I was confused about the father. I thought he was a famous horror writer, but he also had a Pulitzer Prize and wrote literary fiction? That felt like a stretch.

I also struggled with the pacing of the opening and how much backstory was spoon-fed to us between slices of dialogue. Finding the manuscript should have been the inciting incident of the story, but it was slipped casually into the first chapter like an afterthought. No buildup. No creepy excerpts. (Those came later, and underwhelmed.) It all felt very rushed and lacked tension. Overall, the writing was neither as elevated nor as creepy as I had hoped.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This one was a miss for me. I DNFd this one pretty early on. And not because the book or writing was bad, but because I just don’t think I’m the right audience for it. Maybe more fantasy than horror? I’m just not a fantasy person. Hopefully the reader will love it!

Malice House was a quick and enjoyable read. There was enough suspense and plot twists to keep me interested, but I'd classify this more as fantasy than horror. There were a few too many "monsters", some of which were a bit too farfetched to be scary. But I am an older reader, and have read a lot of horror novels....so I don't find many books that really scare me anymore.

Thanks to net galley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

So, if we completely ignore the glaring similarities to an RL Stine book we all read as children, there are some fun ideas here. The execution, however, is...kind of all over the place and makes me wonder if the author set this manuscript aside a time or two only to come back to it in a completely different headspace.

I enjoyed the stories within the story but felt it was a bit slow. The second half of the book took off and offered a more paranormal feel which seemed to quicken the pace. Overall a good, quick read.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc

Malice House by Megan Shepherd was not quite what I thought it would be. I couldn't get into this book. Had to stop reading about one quarter of the way through.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy to read. I reply enjoyed this book and felt it was a quick and enjoyable read.

This was my first Megan Shepherd book, and I don't know how I feel about it.

The paranormal elements, although included throughout the novel in the snippets of the Bedtime stories for monsters, were not really included in the narrative until much later on - this gave me the impression that this may actually be a thriller, and then suddenly there was paranormal and it felt off, timing wise.

I liked the characters of Haven and Kyle, and I think the author did a good job at making the other characters seem unlikeable.

There were a lot of twists in the last 30% of the novel, but by then I was a bit overwhelmed with the amount of new information and new things going on.

I also found the sub-plot of what happened with Haven and Baker to not fully make sense with the rest of the novel, and it seemed thrown in at the end.

Thank you so much for granting my wish. I did not expect it at all. I loved this book so much and I read it all in a night. Have a wonderful day.

I've been a fan of Megan Shepherd since reading her Madman's Daughter series almost 10 years ago, and I was so excited to see that she was writing adult horror, one of my favorite genres. This book uses the story-within-a-story method, and I thought that it worked really well. A lot of the time when I read horror, the characters take a backseat to focus on the scares, and I often don't get very attached to characters in horror novels. But I really liked Haven and Kylie. I'm really excited to see if Shepherd continues writing horror!

Struggling illustrator Haven Marbury inherits her father’s estate, the aptly named Malice House. She and her father, a famous author, had a rocky relationship and Haven is hoping to exorcise the past and make a little cash while she’s at it. While combing through the mess her father left behind, she discovers a creepy book of short stories about monsters, quite different from her father’s typical literary fiction. The discovery of this manuscript sets in motion a series of shocking and even bloody events…it seems like Malice House may be living up to its name.

I found this book to be a fast, enjoyable read. It’s less of a horror novel than a dark fantasy, in my opinion. There are some obvious twists, but I also was surprised by several turns of the plot. Those turns I didn’t foresee kept me guessing and turning the pages to see if Haven would make it out of Malice House alive and with her sanity intact. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys their fantasy on the darker side, or who likes lighter, more fantastical horror. There was at least one plot point at the end that wasn’t totally resolved, and I hope that there’s a sequel in the works because I’d love to see how that plays out.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!

When Haven Marburg inherits an old and possibly haunted house from her famous author father, she discovers an unpublished manuscript in the attic. The manuscript titled, Bedtime Stories for Monsters, is unlike her fathers previous works and when Haven starts to illustrate the tales, spooky things begin to happen.
This was a well written and complex story. It is very dark with aspects of horror mixed with fantasy and a strong love of literature and books. I liked the mixture but it was a little confusing at first to pinpoint what exactly is happening. I would recommend this friends and it will make a great fall read. This book will be released on October 4,2022.
I received this early copy for review from NetGalley and the publishers. I’m so glad for the opportunity to have read and reviewed it. Thank you!

I was not expecting to like this book so much but I did! It checked off so many boxes for me in what I need a thriller to be, even leaving me a little spooked.


Thank you #Netgalley for an early read of #MaliceHouse

Who could resist a book about an author, an illustrator, and a reading group called the Ink Drinkers?! All wrapped up in mystery, horror, unexpected relationships, moments of giddy laughter and an on-the-edge of your seat ending! I was drawn into Haven’s life at Malice House—so much so that I looked up the meaning of Malice—the desire to do harm. So this house which is her inheritance is intent upon doing harm. House or Haven? Evil or Good? As a psychologist I was intrigued about Haven’s relationship with her father, her ex, and even the man who hires her to review horror films. The chilling tale unfolds at a rapid pace. Be prepared to stay up late because you will want to know what comes next and because you may worry that your dreams may continue the haunting. A truly suspenseful and psychologically insightful novel.

Thanks to Hyperion Avenue and NetGalley for the advanced review copy.