Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Your Shadow Half Remains is blurbed as “Bird Box” meets “The Last of Us” and it definitely lives up to both of those comparisons! The story follows Riley, a woman living alone by a lake while a pandemic, violence, and uncertainty unfolds around her. We meet Riley 2 years into this ‘new world’ and she has adjusted to life on her own…or has she? Things change when Ellis moves in down the street…

Moraine builds suspense and tension from page 1 in a way I haven’t felt since reading The Shining for the first time a few years ago. There are also strategically placed scenes and instances of visceral violence that really bring the reader into Riley’s world and help root the reader in her reality. There were several times reading this where my notes said “EW GROSS I LOVE IT” so body horror fans, this may be a novella for you!

This novella is eerie, dark, and unsettling with an unstable and unreliable main character which adds to the creepy atmosphere Moraine builds throughout the story. I found myself thinking of this novella before falling asleep last night whenever I heard a strange noise in the house or outside.

At times, the dialogue between Riley and Ellis and Riley’s internal monologue got a bit confusing for me but I loved the unreliability of Riley as a narrator. It was a little slow to start, but once things started happening, I was invested and read it over the course of an afternoon/morning.

4.5/5 stars (rounded up to 5)

A classic unreliable narrator with a dystopian world wrapped in a suspenseful thriller.

I went into this not knowing it was a novella and it surely changed my outlook when I realized its true length.

Nothing that starts out this unsettling can have a succinct narrative that ends out well.

At times it felt like it dragged, which doesn’t bode well for me, but the last couple of chapters really picked up the pace.

In the end I was thoroughly creeped at and did appreciate the nuanced details to what happens when the mere glance of another human’s eyes sends you into a murderous rage.

Thank you to Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for this digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

Crows are my favorite birds. They have shiny beautiful feathers, they hang out in a murder, and they never forget anything. Remember when you shooed one away a year ago? Oh, you better believe that birdy remembers what you did. Seeing the darkness with the crow on the cover sold me instantly. That cover is the start of this beautiful nightmare.

This was deliciously weird and I loved it. It was a such a unique twist on a pandemic sweeping the nation and one that made me shiver. In fear or delight? You'll just have to guess for yourselves. The story threw me because it wasn't what I was expecting and things did get a bit confusing but it really added to the story. Usually, that would turn me off but I became more glued after having my mind working overtime.

Riley is a pistol and one strange bird. I'm not sure about much in life but I know that we need more Riley in our lives. She is ready to set the world on fire and I'm ready to watch it burn.

Your Shadow Half Remains was absolutely incredible. One of my favorite reads of the year. I'll be leary to look into anyone's eyes after reading this.

This is so good! Killer suspense overlaid with erotic queer tension. It was so nightmarish and felt like this intense fever dream, and though the ending was a little ambiguous for me, I did love the direction it took.

Very creepy but by the end left with too much uncertainty to be satisfying - do they go mad? Would have liked a stronger sense of finality and inevitability

This book was so derivative of Josh Malerman's Birdbox, even if it was short, It was so bland and uneventful I just did not have the patience to finish it. So this was a DNF for me.

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Your Shadow Half Remains releases February 6, 2024

Set in a post-apocalyptic world, quite like <I>Bird Box</I>, where looking directly into the eyes of someone else is deadly and will make you go mad.

Our main character, Riley, hasn’t looked into the eyes of someone else in over 2 years. Living an isolated life to herself, she’s been devoid of any human interaction, until a new neighbour shows up.

The character is a bit unreliable and unstable given her surroundings and way of adapting, but it brings intrigue and a sense of unease to the story.
YSHR lacks in complete originality, just because there are stories like this already out there, though it was still enjoyable to read.
The horror themes and violently graphic scenes were illustrative and amplified the eerie setting.

<i>“In the end, maybe it’s disturbing how easy it was to adjust. How easy it is for the worst things imaginable to become normal. Or maybe, she’s wondered more than once, that was just her finding it so easy. If so, she’s wondered about what that would mean.”</I>

This novella took all my favourite parts of the horror genre and delivered them to me tied up in a neat little package. It's slow, ravenous and deeply introspective; a messily unfurling nightmare that catches you by the throat and squeezes until you're breathless and lost. I loved every word. Sometimes I had to physically put the book down and look away. I won't be thinking about anything else for days.

Many thanks to Tor Nightfire, NetGalley and Sunny Moraine for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

If you like creepy, disturbing stories then this book will be perfect for you.

It isn’t splatterpunk, but it has some gory parts that would appeal to fans of that sub genre. It isn’t erotic horror, but for sure has elements of that sub genre as well. There are definitely elements of psychological horror, so I think perhaps that’s the best fit for this unsettling book.

I don’t typically enjoy horror but do read something every October in this genre and this book fit the bill exactly.

I love horror or supernatural thriller like this! We are dropped into an already existing event, with just a little info here and there about how it all started and how it is going. The event has already happened and we are seeing the current state of the world. A strange ailment is overtaking people, turning them into crazed killers. If you look someone in the eye, you go mad. I find that so fascinating.

We follow Riley who is so starved of human interaction, she makes a connection with newcomer in the neighborhood, Ellis. We get to see this eerie chain of events play out, interspersed with memories of her past, key moments that shape who Riley has become. Drawn into Ellis’s orbit makes her want to throw caution to the wind and look… and a lot of this book is the struggle she has with wanting that and ultimately knowing what it would mean.

In a book like this, you won’t get all of the answers you are looking for, but that is the beauty of it. That is what makes it so intriguing. This book begs the question of how the human mind can be affected by this kind of lack of human interaction and what it would do to a person. And I loved every single moment.

Listen I EAT UP an unreliable narrator...especially one with queer yearning like yes okay yes. This novella gives you all the spooky scary creepy vibes through the eyes of someone you don't know if you can trust and I loved every second. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing and thought the prose was beautifully haunting

It took me a long time to read this short book. I would start reading, get distracted by another book, and forget to come back for a while. I just didn't click with it. I kept coming back though, because I wanted to understand what was going on. I still don't completely understand, but the ending really was pretty good.

Riley hasn’t seen another human face in years. Being alone is the only way to stay safe when one look can kill. But when Ellis moves in down the road, Riley finds herself breaking the very rules that keep her safe. Her desperate need for connection overwhelming her rational brain. Or was she ever rational to begin with?

Your Shadow Half Remains is just what I like in horror. It was short, unsettling, and had a slightly confusing/ unreliable narrator that suits this genre so well. The novella perfectly conveys the sense of growing unease that mirrors the character’s own unraveling. I was pulled in from the very beginning. I love how the narrative gets more confusing and contradictory as Riley gets less and less sure of reality. And the ending was perfect for this story. Nothing is wrapped neatly into a bow, there is no final answer to all the questions asked along the way but this is not the type of story that needs a clear cut ending. The story gave me all the feelings that I look for in a horror story and I would definitely recommend it!

This was an incredibly spooky and well-developed novella. Even though our main character, Riley, spends a lot of time wearing dark sunglasses or otherwise shielding her eyes to make sure she doesn't make eye contact with anyone else, the imagery in all the scenes is so detailed and rich. Riley's sense of increasing hopelessness was palpable, as was her fear. The twist at the end honestly really freaked me out. I'm really looking forward to any new horror by Sunny Moraine.

TW: Language, murder, suicide, death of family, gory scenes, death of child, sexual assault, depression, anxiety, toxic relationships

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:ONE LOOK CAN KILL.
Riley has not seen a single human face in longer than she can reckon. No faces, no eyes. Not if you want to survive.But when a new neighbor moves in down the road, Riley’s overwhelming need for human contact makes her throw caution to the wind. Somehow, in this world where other people can mean a gruesome, bloody death, Ellis makes her feel safe. As they grow closer, Riley’s grip on reality begins to slip and she can no longer fight her deepest desires.All Riley wants to do is look.
Release Date: February 6th, 2024
Genre: Horror
Pages: 176
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

What I Liked:
1. Writing style
2. Story sucked me in
3. Very atmospheric
4. Quick and fast chapters

What I Didn't Like:
1. Some parts rambled
2. Confusing things happened
3. Introduced to sleepwalking only after something has gone wrong & not before

Overall Thoughts:
I loved Bird Box so when this book had an arc I begged for it. I love books that deal with end of times and scary things that stop humans from functioning. Unfortunately, I felt like reading this book was like spinning in circles and then trying to do a puzzle. There were so many times I was lost and confused on what the author was trying to tell us what was even happening. There were a lot of great quotes and feelings that gave me the feels. Then there were a lot more times where things were said that left me scratching my head.

Character talks about how she hasn't seen her reflection in years but how does she avoid it in the computer monitor or when she had her phone?

Riley is dealing with a lot. Her mother died. She's witnessed a lot of murders and suicides. She's decided to live in the middle of no where. Things start happening. We find out she cut the eyes out of her mother and maybe even killed her (unsure). She then has killed a man that shows up at her house because he was in an accident with his daughter. I don't understand when he shows up he makes no mention of this but gives her random words. Perhaps she wasn't paying attention and only hearing what she wanted to hear.

I didn't get that with all the deaths and suicides that the world was still able to function enough to have food and even online orders going out. Having lived through a pandemic we suffered it feels worse then this fictional world. The world is built up but it just feels like a minor inconvenience to our character.

It's very ominous if Ellis is killed at the end but it's mentioned that he has a bloody mouth after she kisses him.

Final Thoughts:
So much felt as though it was missing from the story. The beginning made sense but after Ellis showed up it stopped making sense. Perhaps that was the intention of the author but it left me wanting more.

It didn't live up to my love of Bird Box. That book is perfect. That book scared me and gave me the creeps.

WOW. Holy Moly was this amazing. I want every horror book I read to make me feel this uncomfortable.
Visceral writing - I could feel the eyes watching from everywhere, even when they weren't there. Or were they? I really felt the main character's unease at the state of her own sanity. Did anything I read in this book happen? Did it all happen? Who knows. I loved it.

I enjoyed this fun dystopian novel. It had a unique premise that I found to be quite creepy. Riley living alone for so long and slowly losing her grip mentally was an entertaining and discomforting read. You could really feel her deep want for human connection and fear of what may happen if she lets herself have it.

I am kind of torn on this one. It's not bad, by any means, but I think I expected to like it more than I actually did. I mean, c'mon... when you compare it to Bird Box?? That book absolutely blew me away. How can anything come close?!

The similarities between Your Shadow Half Remains and Bird Box stop at the "don't look directly at it" premise. In this case, the "it" you can't look directly at are other people's eyes, not strange alien wind things. Because here, if you look someone directly in the eyes and they are infected, things will go very very badly for you. Like you'll go crazy and start eating them badly.

So we follow our narrator Riley around her little isolated home in the woods after she throws her cell phone into a lake, a house that belonged to her grandparents, that became hers once their lives endled in a bloody mess, a mess she hasn't had the motivation to clean yet. She's been surviving on her own for a long time, ordering what she needs online, ignoring the news updates on the virus, enjoying her peace and quiet until a strange woman named Ellis greets her at the end of her driveway. The woman claims she's new around here, having recently moved into a house down the street to escape the strict rules of her old development.

Starved for human interaction, but also scared shitless to be around another person again, Riley and Ellis develop a tentative relationship, visiting each other with blinders on, but Riley's having a hard time trusting her. Ellis talks a lot but doesn't seem to be sharing much, and ever since she's made herself known, Riley's been experiencing strange and worrying things that seem to be escalating in dangerous ways - she catches glimpses of human shaped silouettes outside and footprints in the grass outside her window, she wakes one morning to her computer wires cut, and one evening she notices writing on the walls in her hallway. Is it Ellis? Is it someone else out there? Or worse, is it her, sabotaging herself without her knowing?

Needless to say, Riley's an unreliable narrator, and Sunny Moraine does a pretty decent job of creating doubt and loads of tension as the story progresses. It's an interesting spin on a familar horror trope and it kept me reading, page after page, trying to figure out just wtf was going on out there in those woods!

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

"Your Shadow Half Remains" by Sunny Moraine is a gripping and harrowing post-apocalyptic tale that explores the fragility of human connection and the consequences of desire in a world where a single glance can be deadly.

Set in a dystopian world where making eye contact with another person can trigger a violent and fatal rage, the story follows Riley, a character who has survived by avoiding all human contact. The isolation and fear that permeate this world are palpable, creating a tense and eerie atmosphere that draws readers into the narrative.

When Riley's longing for human connection becomes unbearable, she takes a risk by allowing a new neighbor, Ellis, into her life. Their growing relationship is both poignant and dangerous, as it defies the rules of this brutal world. The novel delves into the complexities of desire, intimacy, and the basic human need for connection, even in the face of mortal danger.

Sunny Moraine's writing is evocative and haunting, capturing the desperation and yearning of the characters. The world-building is well-crafted, and the rules of this deadly new reality are both chilling and thought-provoking. The author skillfully explores the psychological toll of isolation and the profound impact of touch and intimacy.

"Your Shadow Half Remains" is a powerful exploration of the human condition, highlighting the lengths to which individuals will go to find connection and the sacrifices they are willing to make. It's a story that lingers in the mind, challenging readers to reflect on the importance of human interaction and the consequences of isolation.

Overall, Sunny Moraine has crafted a compelling and thought-provoking work of speculative fiction that explores the depths of human longing and the risks we are willing to take for connection. "Your Shadow Half Remains" is a haunting and unforgettable read that will leave you contemplating its themes long after you've turned the final page.