Thank you @netgalley for the ARC of The Night Guest by Hildur Knutsdottir. Don’t let the bright pink cover fool you. This book is the opposite of bright and happy. It is creepy and atmospheric. It is a short novel, but the creep factor is high. The reader has no idea where the story is going until the end.

Iounn knows something is wrong with her. She is exhausted and unknown bruises keep showing up on her body. Doctors can’t figure out what is going on. One night she walks over 40000 steps. Is she safe? Is anyone around her safe?

It was a strong premise and enjoyable while it lasted. The abrupt ending didn’t seem to fit the mystery of the story. I thought that I had received an unfinished copy.

“Whatever has hooked me has a helluva grip on me. The hook is already so deep in my flesh, that the only way out is through. I walk into the darkness.”

Hildur Knutsdottir's creepy novella is set in contemporary Reykjavík. Iðunn is in yet another doctor's office. She knows her constant fatigue is a sign that something's not right, but her test results always are the same, they don’t show anything wrong. Family and friends offer advice on how she can improve her health through lifestyle changes. She caves and purchases a step counting watch. After having it on over night it shows she has walked 40,000 that she can not recollect. The mystery behind why she’s walking so much when she’s asleep will open a can of worms nobody is prepared for.

This was a fast paced disturbing story. It sets up the atmosphere for an eerie story early on and the more it progresses the more the reader feels something isn’t quite right.

I loved that this was fast paced with short chapters. Somehow the unhinged side of this story had more of an effect this way. I was hooked from the get go. I couldn’t put it down or slow down reading it.

This was a fun unsettling novella I would definitely recommend.

The Night Guest by Hildur Knutsdottir is a creepy quick read. Iðunn keeps suffering from fatigue with no known cause. Until one night she records herself and discovers that she has been walking miles without any knowledge of it. She wonders if she is sleepwalking or if it is something else entirely. The story is fast paced and keeps you interested. It is creepy but the ending is vague, leaving you to wonder what you just read. It has a cosmic horror type of feel to it much like Paul Tremblay. Some will love it, some will hate it. I enjoyed it and would recommend reading it if you like horror that makes you think.
Thanks to NetGalley, Tor Publishing Group, and Tor Nightfire for the advanced copy. The opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley! Here are my honest thoughts and reaction:

The Night Guest follows an unreliable narrator as she descends into a hazy madness. Through her prose and sentence structure, the author manages to create a disorienting out of body experience that pulls the reader in.

Short, enjoyable, and haunting. I'd recommend this novel to anyone who is a fan of the "unhinged woman" trope, psychological terror, and atmospheric writing.

This story is a quick read, and I couldn’t put it down! Told in first person, Idunn is an unassuming young office worker in Iceland, suffering from exhaustion from sleeplessness. The writing (and translation) is witty and so taut, and this novella is a page turner. I look forward to reading more from this author. Recommended!

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc copy I grabbed this one up so fast I heard so many good things about it but this one really wasn’t for me. I really liked how quick of a read it was and the short chapters but that’s about it.

I enjoyed reading The Night Guest. For one thing, I was drawn into this slice of contemporary Icelandic culture—the workplace dynamics, the dating scene and nightlife. Iðunn’s story is told around a very recognizable paradigm in which women are not believed and have their concerns dismissed by medical professionals, and in which men feel welcome to insert themselves as a solution. Even with this somewhat far-fetched tale, Iðunn comes off as a very believable narrator as she navigates the very believable horror of giving up where her body goes during the night.
The short, one-line chapters create an interesting effect but make for a strangely rapid pacing that feels insubstantial for a horror story. I would have expected to feel more trapped to maximize the dread, and the slimness allowed us to rush to the end a little too quickly.

4.5 stars

This was a wild and fast ride! I love a novella that is crazy as this and you have no idea where it is going.
The ending left me with so many unanswered questions and I think that’s the whole point of this book.

All I have to say if you love cats then maybe you should skip this book.

Overall it’s a fantastic novella and it keeps you on edge, which is what you want in a horror book.

A creepy horror novella, translated from the Icelandic. We start with a young woman who wakes up every morning exhausted and in pain and sporting mysterious injuries, and after she starts recording what happens in the night, it turns out that even good, helpful doctors wouldn't ever believe what's happening.

The helplessness of not being able to control your body during sleep is classically excellent horror territory, and Knútsdóttir explored some really interesting thematic stuff with the divided sense of self, about how your self is created by how you want to be seen and/or how you are seen by others.

Like most of the other English language reviews, I want to leave a content note about harm to animals (pet cats). <spoiler>The protagonist loves and befriends cats. The focused cat victim is a cat we meet and whom we see the protagonist care for on page, though it's not her own pet. We do not witness the acts of violence on page, but their aftermath is depicted. </spoiler> While this was shocking, this didn't seem to me salaciously or "edgily" included for the shock-value but rather worked as an organic part of the story.

FTC Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the publisher.

The Night Guest — Written by: Hildur Knutsdottir
Translated by: Mary Robinette Kowal

I can’t lie .. this one freaked me out. A woman confronted with mysterious symptoms and no cause .. at least that’s what her doctors come back with. But what is causing her to wake up every morning even more exhausted and sore than when she went to bed? Maybe it’s sleepwalking ? Or something more sinister.

I couldn’t keep reading fast enough.
Pub Date: Sept. 3 2024
I’d mark that in your calendars now because you gotta read this for yourselves.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

TW: dead animals.

The premise of this book hooks you. I desperately wanted to know what was happening to our MC at night, why is she getting so many stipe, why is she so so tired.

The book moves incredibly quickly, short chapters, fast dialogue, almost impossibly quick at times. You really get sucked into the premise and then our grand reveal happens, and then suddenly it’s all over… and I was left wanting something more.

I definitely could have done without the depiction of dead cats :( that was terribly sad and definitely should be in a warning at the beginning or part of the synopsis no matter how briefly it was talked about.

I see what the author was attempting and I really enjoyed their writing, I just wanted a bit more substance out of the ending. Overall a solid three stars for good writing and strong ideas, will recommend if you can stomach the trigger warning.

"The Night Guest" by Hildur Knutsdottir is about memory, reality, and the creepy stuff from the past. It's set in a small village in Iceland, and it mixes a thrilling story with spooky supernatural elements.

The main character, Rakel, moves back to her old home to care for her sick mom. Then, weird things start happening, making her question what's real as old memories and danger return. Knutsdottir does a great job describing Iceland's cold beauty and the eerie vibe of the story.

The suspense builds nicely as we learn more about Rakel's past and hidden secrets. The mix of memory and imagination keeps you guessing. Rakel is trying to protect her mom and find the truth.

The story keeps you hooked with a blend of psychological and supernatural elements. The ending is satisfying and makes you think.

"The Night Guest" is haunting and beautifully written. It stays with you long after you finish it. It is a must-read if you like literary fiction and psychological suspense.

This book was so fast-paced and kept me hooked the whole time. I read it all in one sitting. It was very suspenseful and I couldn’t put it down.

The main character is always waking up exhausted, as if she hadn’t slept the whole night. She keeps waking up to mysterious aches and bruises. As the story progresses, it gets even creepier.

While I absolutely loved the storyline, the quick chapters, and the humor of the main character, the ending left something to be desired. I was ready to give this 5 stars until I was left thoroughly lost in the end. Despite that, I would recommend this book if you’re looking for a quick, suspenseful horror.

I was swept up in The Night Guest. A novella that became hard to put down. The author’s writing style is personal, as if you’re being let in on a private conversation. A wonderful surprise is the humor injected into the writing. It’s a quick read with some chapters being a sentence or a paragraph. It’s a compelling plot right up to the end. That’s where it fell apart for me. I found the end confusing and unsatisfying. I would’ve preferred more illumination and less metaphysical.

I LOVE a book with short chapters and flew right through this. The main character is so witty and relatable at times and I enjoyed every page. I thought this was such a unique and captivating story, and it kept me on my toes until the very end. I’m also a sucker for a good cover so I’ll definitely be getting a physical copy when this comes out in September.

3/5 ⭐️
The first 90% of the book felt like it was going to be a 4+ star book. However, I do not like open endings. One more chapter could have made this book incredible for me. The slow decline was incredible, and I loved being in the mind of the main character. If you like more open endings, this is for you. If you want it tied up at the end, I would not recommend unless you are willing to let that go.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This book had me completely hooked from the start, and then just kept layering on more and more intrigue and eerieness, I couldn't put it down. I devoured this novel in one sitting. I couldn't help myself. The bite-sized chapters were too tempting...

My only complaint is that I now crave more...

A beautiful nightmare of a horror novel that isn't afraid to get dark and dirty. It felt like a sinister meditation on the monotony of domesticity, and what not being believed can do to a person...

Such beautiful writing... I can't wait to buy a physical copy to add to my horror favorites. I'll also be recommending it to many others, including my mother's Barnes and Noble book club.

Comes out September 3rd
(On sept 3 I'll leave my review on all my socials)

“The Night Guest” is a breezy read, with short chapters that make it hard to put down. The main character is having trouble sleeping, and when she does wake up, she’s exhausted and has strange injuries. She tries everything she can to unravel the mystery… which puts both herself and others in danger.

I enjoyed the fast pacing of this novel and the unusual and intriguing premise, but I found the ending underwhelming and a bit confusing. There were a few unresolved questions that left me unsatisfied at the end. That being said, I still enjoyed this literary horror book and would recommend it!

This is a short but extremely creepy book set in modern day Iceland.

A woman begins waking up every morning feeling exhausted, with bruises, wounds, and even blood on her face and hands with no memories of what has happened. At first she seeks medical advice before determining that she suffers from sleep walking.

But it's not that easy as her symptoms get worse and the lack of sleep begins to take its toll on her mind and body. And the truth is more horrifying than the symptoms.

In this novella, the author takes us on a psychological horror journey through a nightmare of loss and leaves a bloody trail along the way. It's translated perfectly (kudos to the translator) and it gets you in it's grip from the first page and never lets go until the shocking ending. I highly recommend it.