The Night Guest was a trip from start to finish, and I found myself thinking about it days after I finished reading. Each time I thought I had the story figured out, I'd find the narrative moving in a different and somehow even more unnerving direction. I found myself reading the entire book in one sitting because I simply needed to know what came next. Including elements of both body horror and psychological horror, The Night Guest perfectly encapsulates how loss of agency can be just as horrifying as a literal haunting. The relatability of the protagonist, Iðunn, makes the terror of the story all the more real: readers can just as easily picture themselves in her shoes, watching their lives spiral out of control as they desperately attempt to preserve themselves. This story was both a joy and a nightmare to read, and I wish I could experience it for the first time again.

Night Guest by Hildur Knútsdóttir is a quick and gripping read that pulls you in from the start. The eerie atmosphere builds a sense of dread throughout, making it feel deeply creepy and twisted in all the right ways. The story unfolds with an intensity that keeps you turning the pages, but the ending left me feeling a bit unsettled. It was abrupt and confusing, and I'm still unsure how I feel about it, as it left more questions than answers. Despite that, I thoroughly enjoyed the book overall—its unsettling tone lingers long after you've finished.

Iounn wakes every morning exhausted with aches, pains, and bruises. Doctors can’t seem to figure out what’s wrong. Her friends offer helpful tips for feeling better, including a smartwatch to track her sleep. But what her smartwatch displays in the morning brings more questions than answers.

This novella oozes with hopelessness, panic, and fear. It comprises 100 chapters, some containing only a sentence or a few words. As the chapters click down, the dread and weariness build with Iuonn's blinding fatigue.

Mary Robinette Kowal not only translated the novel but also narrates it. Her narration truly brings the story to life! Each time Iuonn awoke in her bed, I felt a deep sense of dread as I anticipated her nightly activities.

Overall, I loved this one. But….but….2 things. I strongly believe that the book needs a trigger warning for animal cruelty/death at the start. Additionally, the ending is ambiguous, and I would love an epilogue to add a bit more insight. I have a few theories about the ending and would love to discuss them further if anyone is interested.

😴Book Review😴
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Summary- Iðunn is in yet another doctor's office. She knows her constant fatigue is a sign that something's not right, but practitioners dismiss her symptoms and blood tests haven't revealed any cause.

When she talks to friends and family about it, the refrain is the same — have you tried eating better? exercising more? establishing a nighttime routine? She tries to follow their advice, buying everything from vitamins to sleeping pills to a step-counting watch. Nothing helps.

Until one night Iðunn falls asleep with the watch on, and wakes up to find she’s walked over 40,000 steps in the night . . .

What is happening when she’s asleep? Why is she waking up with increasingly disturbing injuries? And why won’t anyone believe her?
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Rating- ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
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My thoughts- this was such a super fun and unique read, it was very short and I just couldn’t put it down. I enjoyed Iðunn character, but I almost wish this was longer to really flesh out the ideas. The premise was interesting enough that this could have been much longer. The big part of this book that really killed it for me was the ending, it was so abrupt and unsatisfying. This one just left me wanting more.
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QOTD- what are your plans for the weekend ?! I have no plans and no idea what we are up to and I’m so looking forward to it 😂💕

I found this an unusual reading experience even for the horror genre. Idunn has been experiencing increasing fatigue, painful muscles, vague symptoms that are slowly tormenting her on a daily basis. She sleeps but wakes as tired as the night before…or more so. Initially, this woman did drive me a little nuts as I read her introspective thoughts that seemed to go nowhere. But then she got a smart watch and tried to monitor what was happening in her body. A friend suggested she try to monitor her exercise activity. One night she forgot to remove the watch when she went to bed and, when she woke, she’d walked thousands of feet while supposedly asleep. Modern technology meets the world of horror.

This is a story of a young woman with family issues and interpersonal relationship problems. Her life is coming apart from the moment we meet her. The momentum builds gradually. The ending was something that both surprised me and didn’t completely at the same time, though it left me with unanswerable questions. I look forward to reading more from Hildur Knutsdottir.

Thank you to Tor Publishing and NetGalley for an eARC of this book.

I don’t think I’ve ever read a book from an Icelandic author so I was curious about that going in. I love how the language used is direct and to the point, and the short chapters allow the story to move at a fast paced rhythm. The plot is very intriguing and mysterious, as you the reader, along with the protagonist have no idea what’s going on and what exactly is happening to her every time she falls asleep. Is she sleepwalking? Why is she waking up with bruises? Why does she feel like she has spent all night walking or lifting?

Iðunn doesn’t know what’s happening to her, and neither does the reader. It’s a dark, twisty journey and you can’t stop reading wanting to know exactly what’s going on. If you love short books, this may be exactly what you need, as it’s almost 200 pages.

The prose is sparse, but you get the feeling of loneliness and isolation that plagues Iðunn like a haunted specter. From the first page, you will be sucked into this dark tunnel of no return and yet you cannot stop, because you need to know.

I recommend this book if you love mysterious, quiet horror and enjoy short books and chapters.

*Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This was so unnerving and creepy up until we got to the ending. I don't really know what was going on with that ending, honestly, but the lead up was very, VERY well done. I love an unreliable narrator and THE NIGHT GUEST has it in a woman who may or may not be having a psychotic break, or may be being taken over by something, or may be dealing with something else altogether. There were so many moments that got incredibly under the skin, and so many ways that Knútsdóttir just created unease and tension even if only a few words on the page. It's a quick and unrelenting read, and I highly recommend it for the upcoming horror season. But content warning: there are lots of dead cats in this story.

This book was a weird ride. I was lost for most of the story and felt like everything about this story was just disjointed. I hope that this books finds the people who love it. Unfortunately, that was not me.

First, the translation on this book is amazing! I didn't realize it even required a translation until I was noting the information on goodreads about it. I enjoyed the book. It was a quick eerie journey that might be difficult for people struggling with mental health. However, it is worth mental dive of the main character to see how the stories plays out. It is a little bit eerie, immensely sad, and leaves a big impact with the ending.

TW/CW: Language, drinking, death of sibling, toxic family relationships, death of cat, blood, gore, sexual assault, cheating

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:
Iðunn is in yet another doctor's office. She knows her constant fatigue is a sign that something's not right, but practitioners dismiss her symptoms and blood tests haven't revealed any cause.When she talks to friends and family about it, the refrain is the same ― have you tried eating better? exercising more? establishing a nighttime routine? She tries to follow their advice, buying everything from vitamins to sleeping pills to a step-counting watch. Nothing helps. Until one night Iðunn falls asleep with the watch on, and wakes up to find she’s walked over 40,000 steps in the night . . .
Release Date: September 3rd, 2024
Genre: Horror
Pages: 208
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

What I Liked:
1. Fast read
2. Unhinged woman
3. Writing style was good

What I Didn't Like:
1. Wish book was longer

Overall Thoughts:
{{Disclaimer: I write my review as I read}}

I wonder how she takes an omega-3 as it's derived from fish oil. If she's a vegetarian eating fish then that's actually called a pescatarian.

I had to laugh because Iðunn reads the article about sleepwalking and it says that drugs and alcohol can cause it, so rather than her mind going to maybe giving up those things she decides she needs medication to help. Maybe quit drinking before bed or drinking at all to help with your problem.

Sleeping with your dead sisters boyfriend might be something I would not be about. Kinda yuck.

Awe the poor cats are being killed.

Iðunn being drugged by Stephen. I hope that she attacks him. But wait her hands are covered in blood so maybe she did.

He's missing.

Never go down to the police station because they suspect you. And if you do go bring a lawyer. We at least they let her go.

Oh poo it's already over. Wish I coukd have stayed with Iounn a little longer.

Final Thoughts:
One of the reasons why I was so interested in reading this book was because I went to the doctor for fatigue but the Dr didn't even draw blood, but instead said I was getting old. It reminded me so much of that episode of Golden Girls where Dorothy goes for fatigue and the doctor also dismisses her. There's definitely a long line of doctors dismissing women for certain ailments rather than just doing their job and trying to figure out what's wrong.

I thought the writing style was good and it was even translated, which I know can make the writing at times harder to understand. This book didn't have that problem and I was able to understand what was happening.

It's a weird book but weird in a good way that made me need to know what was happening.

This book was a strange one. I didn't really enjoy it. It was a really twisted story and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

This is everything I love in the horror genre. Creepy, bizarre, and full psychological horror. This will leave you glued to the pages, drawn in eager to know what is happening, and slacked jaw by the mounting unhinged mystery. Is it in her head? Is she being possessed. Or is this something so much darker going on. Go in blind.

I’m such a fan of psychological horror and this novella surprised me in the best way possible. I loved the sleepwalker narrative and the authors use of structure is really what made this book an enjoyable experience for me! This novella was very unsettling and you had this atmosphere of dread from start to finish. I would recommend this novella to anyone that is looking for a short read that packs a punch.

The Night Guest by Hildur Knútsdóttir, is a creepy story with a strange ending that I absolutely and thoroughly enjoyed. This book affected me in a way no book has ever affected me I was riveted not only by Indrid and her quirky and strange behavior but the side characters were also unique with personalities of their own there’s a lot to love for horror fans with this book and I loved it all. I thought the author had a great grasp on the emotions of someone who is misdiagnosed or not diagnosed at all for an illness they know they absolutely have not to mention the ambiguous ending that left my jaw on the floor. NetGalley, #TourPublishing, #TheNightGuest,

It’s best to go into this one blind. I had no idea what I was getting into, and it was a wild ride. The Night Guest is a tense, fast paced totally eerie horror novel. I was on edge wanting to know what was going on with the FMC Iðunn. Iðunn doesn’t feel well. Is grieving the death of her sister. She’s keeps waking up tired, bruised, injured sometimes bloody and it only gets worse as the novel goes on. Doctors, friends, colleagues and family dismiss her concerns. Offering advice and solutions that don’t help. As a woman relatable amirite? I love an unreliable narrator and Iðunn is indeed unreliable. I was totally creeped out and horrified at the normalness of this woman going mad. But is she going mad?! Imagine going to bed and waking up to your smart watch telling you you’ve taken over 40,000 plus steps. What is Iðunn doing on these nights she can’t remember. She is desperate to find out. I enjoyed this quick gory, intense, disturbing horror novella. The novel kept me guessing and I’m still thinking about that ending. 10/10 would recommend.

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Blog link goes live Sept 10th
Amazon Review pending system approval

TL;DR: I doubt I’ll remember this, I really do. It was… okay?
Source: Netgalley, many thanks to the publisher!

Plot: A short story about a woman loosing her mind to pain and lack of sleep.
Characters: Our only real character of note is Iðunn and I have to be honest, she wins my rarely awarded ‘Maybe Too Stupid to Live” award.
Setting: The only real setting I can recall is a bit of a spoiler, but there were not any intensely vivid ones.
Horror: I really didn’t find this very scary? I suppose I figured out the twist the ‘scare’ early and that killed the vibe.

Thoughts:

The Night Guest is billed as an ‘ensnaring’ story to keep you up at night. I’ll give it ‘ensnaring’ simply because it’s a fast read. But this one will not be keeping me up at night, and I doubt it’ll do that for anyone else. Our main character Iðunn is trapped in a familiar hell of trying to find out what’s ‘wrong’ with her. She’s tired, she’s lethargic, she seems depressed and no one will take her seriously. In the course of the 200 page novella we watch her pinpoint a cause and then find the reason for it.

It’s a dark story. We have animal abuse, murder, blood, pain, some implied violence, and grief touched on. These are just touches for the most part, the animal abuse and death was the biggest and most seemingly impactful part, but all play a role. The first of my big complaints involves that, the themes in this are presented but almost never actually explored or in some cases even seen on page. We just get gloomy character talk about them. Sure we see some of the impact in Iðunn, but nothing comes off the page to haunt me from this.

The other big complaint I have is that Iðunn is genuinely the most frustrating person to read about. She’s one of the rare characters I’m going to label ‘Too Stupid to Live’. I understand some of her frustrations, some of her worries but she refuses to take any real action to help herself. Over half of this novella could be cut out if she’d paid attention to her pedometer when she bought it. It was just so frustrating.

Ultimately this novella left me annoyed and disappointed. It’s not badly written, it’s well translated, and I didn’t completely hate my time but I’m not a huge fan.

2 out of 5 pedometers (you bought the thing for a reason, pay attention to it)

Okay so first as someone who has struggled to get a medical diagnosis for years I felt an overwhelming kinship to our main character iounn (I couldn’t find the proper form of the o to spell her name correctly) in the first 2 chapters. As I kept reading I didn’t want to put this novella down as it was so enticing. I was a little disappointed by the ending it just felt very cut off to me but I enjoyed the read overall.

*I received a free ARC COPY from NetGalley*

This was a quick and creepy read. I thought I had everything all figured out, but the last few chapters proved me wrong. I enjoyed this, and I liked the characters and concept. This is really fast-paced, and while the ending definitely felt a bit abrupt, I can see how that fits in with the vibe of the story in a way.

Iðunn keeps having unexplained symptoms, that no doctor can diagnose. All of her blood work and scans come back normal. She’s been waking up with extreme fatigue every morning, even though she feels well rested. She then starts to notice random bruising all over her body, and one morning has the taste of blood in her mouth.
Things only continue to get worse, so she buys a watch to track her steps. The watch resets at midnight, but there are over forty thousand steps when she wakes up. Where did she go?

I’ve seen 50/50 reviews for this, but I won’t lie, I kind of enjoyed it! I was hooked from the beginning with the dark and eerie Icelandic setting. It’s a short 208 pages, with very very short chapters. I read it in under 3 hours and couldn’t turn the pages quick enough.
While this is a twisted horror story, I throughly enjoyed the writing and thought it was the real winner. The author did a great job at keeping me entertained and pulling me right back in.

One major trigger warning is the death of cats, specifically the murder of cats. But it’s mostly just one chapter in the book with minor descriptions, so if you can get past that, you might enjoy it! (Trust me, I love my cat).

The Night Guest was published yesterday, 9/3!
Thank you @netgalley and @torpublishinggroup for this advanced copy!

A delightfully unsettling horror novella! Throughout, I felt I had a strong sense of what was going on with the MC, but was pleasantly shocked and surprised by the last few chapters.
Overall a very quick and creepy read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the ARC!