All the Dead Lie Down by Kyrie McCauley is a haunting and atmospheric audiobook that will stay with you long after you finish listening. The story follows Marin Blythe, a young woman who takes a nanny position at the Lovelace estate in coastal Maine. The Lovelace family is still reeling from the accidental death of the father, and Marin soon finds herself caught up in their secrets and grief.

As Marin gets to know the Lovelace sisters, she also begins to learn about the dark family history. The Lovelace women are said to be cursed, and Marin soon finds herself drawn into a world of ghosts and magic.

The audiobook is narrated by Jeanne Syquia, who does a masterful job of conveying the suspense and mystery of the story. Syquia's voice is perfect for Marin, and she brings the other characters to life with her expressive reading.

Overall, All the Dead Lie Down is an excellent audiobook that I highly recommend. It is well-written, suspenseful, and atmospheric. If you are a fan of gothic horror, then you will definitely want to check this book out.

Marin's journey while living at the Lovelace House was bizarre to follow. She is a nanny for two peculiar girls who aren't very inviting for Marin. Her employer is often abrasive and brash. She doesn't appear very often, and when she does, she has a killer headache that doesn't ever appear to go away. Evie, the eldest child, arrives, and Marin is drawn to her.
Bizarre is the best word for this book. Dead animals. Weird mood swings. Irritating children. I quite enjoyed it. Several twists and not all of them where ones that I expected.
Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a free and honest review.

“… like all secrets, she would take them to her grave.”

I am in such a horror mood. This was such a beautifully gothic horror sapphic romance. I got definite Haunting of Bly Manor vibes, which I LOVED!! Spooky kids always give me the heeby jeebies!!

Not long after she’s left orphaned from a horrible accident, Marin is invited to live at the beautiful estate of her mother’s childhood friend (and horror author) Alice Lovelace. With nowhere to go and no money to her name, she would have ended up homeless or a ward of the state without this offer. She’ll be nanny and teacher to the author’s children, all for room and board.

As soon as she arrives, creepy things begin to happen and she chalks it up to the children playing tricks, but she quickly realizes that something sinister is happening in the Lovelace mansion.

When the oldest of the children, Evie, comes home from boarding school, she and Marin have an instant connection. Where she was feeling alone and scared before, she has a new reason to want to stay. That is until the spooky haunting reach a crescendo and all she wants is the truth.

I was definitely expecting a haunted house, which in a way happened, but it was more atmospheric. The real… “trouble” comes in the form of one of the sisters………….

I enjoyed that it kept me guessing. And the queer love story helped me quickly fall in love with it.

Alice Lovelace is a horror writer and childhood friend of Marin Blythe’s mother, and after a tragedy she invites Marin to be a nanny of her peculiar daughters, Thea and Wren. While Wren tries to drive Marin away in new and creative ways, Thea buries her dolls and holds funerals for them. When the eldest daughter, Evie, returns home, Marin finds herself captivated. Something’s in the woods, and as Wrens;s pranks escalate and dead birds end up in Marin’s room, her anxiety levels rise and she knows she has to find out what’s really going on.

I enjoyed this book even more than I thought I would. I enjoyed the twisty turns and the characters. Each character is weird and interesting in their own way, and I didn’t see some of the twists coming, the best kind of mystery. I didn’t realize the audiobook copy was a galley, so I did wait until the fully-produced audio was released to listen, and the narration was great. If you like YA with a bit of horror and mystery, definitely check it out.

A chilling and suspenseful sapphic horror. Toes the line of having too many "ingredients" but draws most of them together for a satisfactory ending.

TW: parent death, PTSD, flashbacks to train crash (mildly graphic), gore & body horror

I liked the dark vibe of this one. As soon as she arrives, the kids had me spooked. I liked following the story as the sister arrived, the kids pulled their tricks, and Alice continued to be absent and vague. I found the house unnerving and the tricks frightening. But I thought the story got a bit slow in the middle and I wished it'd move a bit quicker. But it did hold my attention and definitely kept me guessing. I never guessed the twist and I really enjoyed the wrap up ending.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

The manifestation of not dealing with one's grief was a bit drawn out. It took quite some time for the story to "get going", but overall the characters were interesting. I particularly liked the author's choice of the names. The "mystery" or "twist" was somewhat predictable; however, I could see a young adult reader being very interested and shocked. For an adult, it was quite clear where this story was going. I do like the representation of diversity (LGBTQ) in the characters, and that the characters can also show readers that "love heals all wounds". It was definitely true to the Gothic tradition, and there were some areas of the novel that reminded me of T. Kingfisher's What Moves the Dead. Overall, it was an interesting read, but a bit slow.

Another solid horror novel from Kyrie McCauley. This one wasn't particularly my cup of tea but it was a solid novel with lots of suspense. A fair amount of Mexican Gothic vibes for those that are a fan of gothic horror in that vein. A solid pick for a HS library.

Fantastic. It took me a little bit to get into this book, but once I did, I was enthralled. I saw so many themes taken (or somehow referenced) to classic horror stories or motifs– The Turn of the Screw, The Fall of the House of Usher, zombies, unreliable parents, and parentification of children. There are even more things but I worry it will spoil the story.

I wasn’t sure how these classic stories and motifs would work and I found myself annoyed at the beginning – but then I remembered this was a YA book and it turned into true pleasure and discovery. I also love the sapphic romance in the book. It felt very realistic and made me so happy that books like this are available. I feel like I am happily living my young queer highschool life through these stories.

All the Dead Lie Down is a gothic romance about Marin, who takes a job as a nanny for one of her mother's old friends at an isolated manor. The children are strange and play pranks that escalate on Marin. As things get creepier, Marin tries to figure out what is really happening at Lovelace House. The story is creepy and engaging and the there are some unexpected twists.

Sapphic, Gothic, and YA perfection in one book. Marin arrives at the Lovelace expansive, creepy house after her mother's death. Alice is her favorite horror author, a widow, and mother to 3 girls. Marin has been hired to take care of the youngest two because the eldest is away at school. But, a multitude of pranks and secrets test Marin along the way as the story gets increasingly creepier.

This book is well written but the AI Generated narrator made it hard to enjoy.
This book took a long time to pick up, and I think, again, that it really was affect by the AI generated narrator. But even thinking about the actual events, the love interest seemed to happen randomly and felt very one sided.
Marin seemed way more obsessed with Elsa, I mean Evie
Evie is basically Elsa but instead of ice powers, she's been told to conceal, don't feel, don't let it show because her powers bring back the dead
the twists were not super surprising and I wasn't ever really scared or horrified, maybe if I had read it instead of listened with the crappy narrating I would have been more invested.
The characters were good. It’s a bit derivative of Hill House and Bly Manor, but the YA version. Read this if you enjoy the creep child and doll motif in horror
Marin was basically the nanny from Bly manor and the little girls were just the kids from Bly Manor
It was a big hodge podge of a few different stories all crammed together

It was my pleasure to read ALL THE DEAD LIE DOWN for a podcast interview with the author. I loved seeing beloved tropes worked into a story that will resonate with YA readers in a fresh way, while also relishing all the things we love about them. Remote houses, cemeteries, fog, a spooky Mrs. Danvers type character, creepy children...all tropes we love! I hope this book finds its audience. It was definitely worth the read.

Oh damn! This was so good! Contemporary YA gothic horror sapphic romance. Creepy children. Family secrets. Unsettling history. Distant mother. Bones washing up on the beach. Dead things. I absolutely loved it!

This is one of those books that is incredibly vivid and detailed and visceral, and leaves you thinking about the imagery and events long after you put it down. I'm still thinking about it over a month after finishing it.

When I posted to my facebook reading log about this book I said "I would die for this to be turned into some kind of visual media, whether that's a movie or mini series or something," and I am firmly standing by that statement. Not only are the visuals and vibes utterly exceptional and perfect for a visual horror media, but the story is definitely interesting and engaging enough to hook a wide audience.

I can't wait for the audiobook of this, and I'm definitely going to be picking up the ebook when I can. The synth audio ARC did not do it justice, and even saying that, I am absolutely obsessed with this book.

Audio ARC from NetGalley.

4.5 ⭐️

All the Dead Lie Down is a whole mood. It’s gothic romance and horror and atmosphere. Even while it seems like not much is happening, it’s an enjoyable read. Everyday life at the Lovelace estate is so charming and otherworldly and othertimely that it lulls me into a false sense of security, meanwhile horrific realizations are dawning on me, one after another. I loved it!

The only thing keeping this from being a full 5/5 for me was the slightly OTT climax, but the characters and sense of place are so strong that I’m willing to suspend all my disbelief for them.

I will definitely be back for more Kyrie McCauley!

Also, I just want to give a huge shoutout for a realistic portrayal of tarot. I knew it was good when the first cards to show up weren’t major arcana!

I experienced this book in three formats: eARC, VoiceGalley, and the published audiobook. I loved the actual audiobook best, but I am grateful for the opportunity to receive both the ebook and a synthetic text-to-voice audio as ARCs.

Earlier
I am loving this book. The comparison to Haunting of Bly Manor is legit. The house and characters are the perfect amount of creepy and atmospheric, and I can't wait to finish it!

This is my first VoiceGalley, and I'm finding it an interesting experience. The AI narrator does a pretty good job for being AI, though some of the intonation is definitely different than the author intended. There is at least one moment where another voice (also AI?) comes through in the background, which I found weird and improbable. I appreciate VoiceGalley being offered as an option, though I'm not sure I will opt for it much.

Stars are for the story, not the audio.

Full review posted on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5460673527

4.5 rounded up
Creepy snd atmospheric; scared me silly. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook

The Haunting of Bly Manor meets House of Salt and Sorrows in award-winning author Kyrie McCauley’s contemporary YA gothic romance about a dark family lineage, the ghosts of grief, and the lines we’ll cross for love. IF you love on the edge of your seat, who's to blame, who's the bad guy, then this book is for you!!

For readers who enjoy a gothic setting similar to The Haunting of Bly Manor, here is another creepy story that takes its cues from The Turn of the Screw. The narrator is a new nanny, invited out of the blue, by the mercurial author Alice Lovelace, who at times will remind readers of Jack Nicholson in The Shining. She is also troubled by the increasingly offputting pranks her two young charges pull on her. When the eldest daughter, Evie, returns, obviously holding a dark secret, Marin finds herself falling for the enigmatic boarding-school dropout. The story is almost entirely set within the bounds of the Lovelace estate, which grows increasingly less hospitable as the story progresses until even the walls seem to have gone dark. Readers who liked the Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould or Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand would enjoy this dark romance.

All the Dead Lie Down (Hardcover)
by Kyrie McCauley
A surprising jaunt into the a new world of life and death. The remarkable handling of the characters makes this a great book for the lgbtq+ community. I found it inspiring how the characters are truly and honestly described, making them feel like lost friends. The paranormal nature of the story will also interest readers in that genre of literature too. The Necromancy of the story has been handled just as remarkably well as the lgbtq+, making it more fearful and intriguing. Great horror, especially in the young adult library.

Book Title: All the Dead Lie Down
Author: Kyrie McCauley
Narrator: Synthetic Voice Galley
Publisher: Harper Audio – Katherine Tegen Books
Genre: YA/Teen, Horror/Gothic/Magic/LGBT/Family Drama
Pub Date: May 16, 2023
Pages: 368
My Rating: 4.2 Stars

~ Trigger warning mutated animals~
Story starts when teenager Marin Blythe receives a letter from Alice Lovelace—a famous horror writer; who was a childhood friend of Marin’s mother. Marin has recently been orphaned when her mother Cordelia was in a train that derailed and she died from her injuries.
The letter is an offer for Marin to be a nanny for Ms. Lovelace’s two young daughters in exchange for room and board at Lovelace House, a huge coastal Maine estate. Since she has nowhere else to go she accepts the offer.
Marin immediately finds the little girls a bit creepy Thea the youngest daughter buries her dolls and has a formal burial service for then. The other sister Wren who is only 10 months old than Thea but acts much older doesn’t like Marin and plots nasty pranks trying to drive Marin away.

While Marin is trying to understand these two girls Evie Hallowell, Alice’s eldest daughter unexpectedly drops out of her rigorous boarding school’s summer program and returns home.
Alice decides that since Evie is home for the summer she can help Marin with the little daughters and Marin can tutor Evie for upcoming college entrance exams.
The pranks have gotten more serious since Evie returned – dead or half dead animals from the nearby woods have suddenly appeared almost everywhere.
Are the girls to blame or is there something or someone else?

We readers have a fear and dread that something seriously evil is going on.
The first part of this story totally had my interest.
Second part definitely got dark and the twists but had my attention in a different way than the first part.


I was a big Stephen King fan; switch to psychological thrillers but every once in a while I am okay with horror. This was one of those times as I did like this story!

Want to thank NetGalley and Harper Audio-Katherine Tegen Books for granted me this early VoiceGalley audiobook.
Publishing Release Date is scheduled for May 16, 2023