An abused son, Nick, visits his ill abusive father after years away. I enjoyed this gothic horror novel although it moved a bit slow for me. I did like the past and present storyline and the folklore part of the story. It was a good read for those who like a slow burn.

I went into this one blind, and when I tell you the twist smacked me square in the face, I mean it. Sacrificial Animals was incredibly atmospheric, our main character was so freaking complicated and I loved that about it. It was a slow burn, but I flew through it and enjoyed the constant dread and the supernatural twist to it. If you like generational trauma stories and supernatural horror, this is the one.

I listened to this one on audio and thought that the narration was done well. Many thanks to Macmillan Audio and St. Martin's Press for my advanced copies. Sacrificial Animals will be published 8/20, just in time for spooky season.

2.5 rounded down to 2.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book.

Sacrificial Animals is about this complex family in the Midwest - Nick, Joshua, and their dad, Carlyle. When their mother dies during childbirth, along with their brother, Carlyle is left to raise them in his harsh, hateful ways. When Joshua marries an Asian woman, Emilia, Carlyle disowns him. Nick eventually leaves as well, but both brothers are lured back when Carlyle tells them he is dying of cancer. When the family is reunited under the roof once again, Nick has an affair with Emilia and learns she isn't what she seems.

The premise behind this book was so intriguing. Marketed as a blend of horror and Chinese mythology, it sounded creepy and unique. I also like stories involving family dynamics and race, because they tend to have an important message and can connect a lot with the audience.

However, this fell very flat for me, and it was difficult for me to get through. The writing was more literary prose, but then was kind of choppy and disjointed at parts, particularly when it came to the dialogue. The creepy atmosphere was almost non-existent for me, other than a few brutal parts involving animal death. The Chinese mythology also only came in at the very end, which I definitely would have wanted to learn more of that aspect. Instead, a lot of the plot followed the harsh life of the men, which got repetitive after a while. The past and present/back and forth of the chapters also took me out of some of the more riveting scenes, that happened to be cliffhangers.

I liked the revenge aspect, and wish Emilia and her POV was more involved in the story. She was starting to develop more towards the end, but then the story ended, and I didn't really get the message the author was trying to get across. I can see how this book may appeal to others, but at the end of the day, I went in with different expectations that just weren't met.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: Aug. 20 ,2024
“Sacrificial Animals” is the debut novel by Kailee Pedersen. With components of the Chinese myth of the nine-tailed fox, “Animals” is a book that ended far differently than it began.
After promising himself he would never return to his abusive father and their Nebraska farmstead, that is exactly what happens when Nick receives a phone call from his father, who claims to be dying. Nick’s estranged brother, Joshua, returns reluctantly as well, after being disowned by his father years ago for marrying a woman, Emilia, outside his race. Despite the complicated family dynamics, Nick finds himself rekindled with old feelings toward the woman who is now his brother’s wife and they are reciprocated- until Nick finds out Emilia’s true intentions.
The novel itself used verbose language and, as is the most annoying (to me) trend, no quotation marks. I also had no idea what the book was supposed to be about, as nothing happened until the novel was nearly over (around the 80% remaining mark). When those final chapters hit, there was terrifying, gory and sensational, in the best way, but I wanted that from the first page, and I did not get it.
The story is told by Nick, in two timelines; his childhood and later when he returns to the farm as an adult. Both storylines focus on farming and hunting, and the verbal and physical abuse suffered by Nick and Joshua at the hands of their father. Although the hunting segment showed its importance in the final pages, I found it really difficult to endure the rest of the story, as nothing of particular interest happened.
The Chinese myth was fascinating, but I wasn’t given enough of it in “Animals”. Instead of a “supernatural horror” as it is depicted, I was left with an atmospheric novel that choked me with its prose and structure.
Pedersen is talented, and she definitely has the vocabulary, so I’m sure this novel will be a hit with some readers, but it definitely isn’t for everyone. I was intrigued enough to finish the story, but it left me wanting.

Sacrificial Animals by Kailee Pedersen is a gripping horror tale that immediately captivated me and kept me on edge throughout. The slow build of tension had me second-guessing every mysterious noise in the night.

I received both the audiobook and the ebook. While I did really enjoy the story, I would recommend the audiobook version over the written, for the sole reason that the text lacks quotation marks during dialogue; similarly, the run-on sentences, while certainly artsy, make the reading experience miserable for me, personally. I would have docked a star for that alone, if I didn't have the audiobook version to carry me through.

LOVED the ending, and the story was very atmospheric.

This is not a feel good book. The author writes a serious book detailing the demise of a family in Nebraska that consists of an abusive father and two sons. The older son comes home with a bride hjs father disapproves of because she looks Japanese. There are far better reasons to want her gone. The book is written in a stream of consciousness manner that requires the reader to pay strict attention to what is said. The author has an amazing vocabulary and writes complicated word pictures. The writing is good, the subject matter is tiring.

Thank you to St. Martian's Press and NetGalley for an eARC copy of Sacrificial Animals by Kailee Pedersen.

I was disappointed with Sacrificial Animals, the main reasoning was that I figured out the twist to this particular story quite early on and it made me not want to finish. What made me finish was that I really wanted the justification of the end for the only character that really deserved to watch the Morrow family spiral. But, beyond that, it was boring and I didn't care about the Morrow family. Also, I didn't care about Nick's relationships with those outside of his family, they were rather unnecessary to the plot line which was focusing on family relations and not that of relationship with lovers. I also wasn't a fan of how punctuation was used, especially with how conversation heavy this particular novel is. However, I will say that Kailee Pedersen does a good job weaving the Chinese folklore of the huli jing into the story.

I also agree with many others who have read Sacrificial Animals that this should have been a novella rather than a full length novel.

Well, this was an interesting story about toxic masculinity, a troublesome relationship between a father and his two sons, and all the repercussions that traumatic events in the past culminate in the present lives of those sons, with a touch of horror and folklore elements told in an alternated dual timeline.
I gotta say that even though the plot was appealing to me, the execution failed repeteadly to keep my attention. The writing style didn't work with me for the most part of this book and I felt that it dragged on and on, which I found to be very frustrating for such a short book.
I usually love dramatic stories about parents and their children. But this one didn't speak to me. What's more, I was expecting more horror. I certainly do not mind a character-driven plot. I actually embrace it. But this book is marketed as horror. So...I wanted more horror out of it!
Some setting and landscapes descriptions were quite amusing to read, though.
I do recommend this book to readers who are into literary horror and stories focused on problematic relationships between fathers and sons.
Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for providing me with a free eARC of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.

"Sacrificial Animals" is a complex examination of culture and familial relationships, told through jumps between the present and the past. It's an interesting dynamic to see, looking at how the events of the past within the family influenced what was going to happen in the future. Pedersen's prose is a bit meandering, taking a minute to get to the point, but ends up making for a more rich reading experience. It added a sense of buoyancy, as if you were floating along within the story. The second half of this novel picks up the pace, which ends up being the more interesting sections, as we see the story begin to unravel. I found this to be a very captivating story and unsettling look into the abuse that family is willing to put each other through, all the while looking through the lens of someone outside of their family and culture. While I think this book was a tad long, it easily could have been shortened by 50 or so pages and still retained the same core story, I really found myself enjoying "Sacrificial Animals".

This is a sly book--read carefully to be well-rewarded. You may think it's another novel of family suffering and child abuse--which it is, to be sure--but there are also fantastical elements swarming in the subtext and text that make it a treat. I admit to having a hard time getting into it because of the explicit brutality at the opening, but I caught onto the threads of the underlying tale and that made it worth having to get through the more triggering aspects. I'd suggest pairings to read it with, but that would spoil things, so.... if you enjoy it, you can look on my earlier reviews to find similar books.

I went into this book blind and it was a strange read. The story centers on Nick, who comes back to his family's farm after 20+ years away because his father is sick. The chapters alternate between past and present time and the reader gets a good idea of family dynamics and what poor Nick had to go through in being the least favorite child. This being said, nothing really happens at all for the first 3/4 of the book and then SO MANY things happen at the end that the whole thing ended up just being a weird story.

I couldn't figure out where the story was going for most of the book. The writing was nice and I had much empathy for Nick, but I wasn't able to figure out when a climactic scene would occur. When it did, I wasn't sure I could really buy in to it having been foreshadowed as much as would have liked to see. It also then delved into the supernatural which I absolutely wasn't expecting (though maybe if I had read the synopsis first, I would have, so that might be on me). I honestly can't decide if I liked the book or not.

Overall, I am just torn between the juxtaposition between nothing happening and then everything happening and am not entirely sure I would recommend this book. It was certainly unique, though, and I absolutely understand what the author was going for after finishing it. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I went in blind to this book, the cover spoke to me and I decided it might be an interesting read. But I sadly really couldn’t follow along with the story and it wasn’t something I would normally read. Hopefully this book is someone else’s cup of tea!

This literary chilling blend of supernatural American Gothic, horror, and ancient Chinese folklore by Kailee Pedersen is rooted in personal history of being born in Nanning, China in 1996, and being adopted and raised on a rural Nebraska farm. Nick Morrow, aged 43, is a literary critic living in New York, gets drawn back to his dysfunctional family home, Stag's Crossing, in Nebraska, haunted and plagued by memories he has never been able to dispel. He is returning with his older brother, Joshua, where his cruelly abusive and brutal father, Carlyle, who placed more importance on his eldest son, is dying from cancer.

Nick had never expected to be at the farm again, his racist father had disowned Joshua when he married Emilia, a Asian woman, is a deathbed reconciliation really possible? With short chapters, this beautifully written story is carefully and sensitively structured to emit a constant ominous tone, designed to build inescapable levels of suspense and tension right up to the unforgettable conclusion. It goes back and forth in time, from when Nick was 13, a time that is to irrevocably shape his future life path. Whilst Carlyle and Joshua slip back into their closer releationship, a strange and more intimate relationship forms between Nick and Emilia, where will it all end?

Pederson touches on themes and isssues that include race, generational trauma, sexuality, identity, what it is to be man, the impact of an abhorrent father, father and son dynamics, foxes, horror and revenge. This is a wonderful read with its captivating family drama, although it did initially require patience before I became fully immersed in the narrative. Its only major weakness are the levels of repetition, which did get on my nerves, and I must warn readers there is brutality and violence towards animals. This is not going to be a book that will be for everyone, but I have no doubt that there will be many who will love it. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

I am often drawn to stories that delve deep into the human experience. I thought that this novel about two sons reuniting in their childhood home with a less-than-kind father would be a good fit. Carlyle Morrow is a domineering man who happens to be quite ill and orders an immediate gathering of his family. What does Carlyle need from his mistreated sons as he nears the end of his life? Families can be so complicated. What are the emotions and dynamics possibly at play . . . Remorse? Forgiveness? Redemption? Healing?

I enjoyed that there was an interesting element of cultural folklore woven into the overall plot line. I’m still such a big fan of old-school legends and fairytales.

There is a constant building pressure, an echo of generational abuse, a pervasive sadness that lurks through each page of this book. I can’t say that it was exactly a feeling of suspense . . . more like the prose conjures a heavy weight of longing, hopelessness, and dread. I had a hard time connecting with the unnecessarily baroque narrative style or finding a reason to care about the fate of its characters . . . I found the pacing quite slow, repetitive, and meandering at times.

I'd like to thank NetGalley for an advanced copy of Sacrificial Animals for my unbiased evaluation.  2 stars

2.5 Stars rounded up

This book takes slow burn to a whole other level, and by that I mean nothing happens in this book until the 70% mark. Though I enjoyed the way things progressed after that, I have to ask myself does that thirty percent make up for the rest of it? I'm not sure...

Sacrificial Animals is an atmospheric literary horror that touches on topics of generational trauma, Chinese mythology, toxic masculinity, and figuring out where one fits into this strange world. The story flips back and forth between past and present following our main character, Nick. Nick's father was harsh and abusive to both him & his brother, Joshua. As the younger son, he was seen as inferior in his father's eyes and dealt with the brunt of his father's abuse. Now in their 40s - Nick and Joshua are summoned home by their dying father. Joshua brings his wife, Emilia, home with him - despite the fact that his relationship with her is what got him disowned by his father. Tensions rise, relationships become tangled and messy, and the sense of dread slowly builds as the ending closes in on us.

First things first, the writing was exquisite *chefs kiss*. As I have read an early copy, I will refrain from using any direct quotes but there were parts of this story where I was highlighting whole paragraphs because the author does a fantastic job of digging deep into what it means to be a human, and what it means to grow up in a dysfunctional (and abusive) household. In addition, the setting of Stag's Crossing and rural Nebraska was described beautifully and really allows you to become immersed. My only complaint as far as writing was the dialogue - no quotation marks were used, which is not a problem itself, but the way conversations were formatted made it hard at times to understand who was talking and what exactly they were saying out loud vs. what was just a thought.

Unfortunately, the story itself was lackluster. I will say, I was pulled in at the beginning and was captivated learning about what Nick went through with his father all those years ago (and having his queer awakening) - but after a while, things got repetitive and I felt like we were learning the same information over and over again. I don't think the story does anything particularly surprising either - it is pretty easy to figure out early on where things are going and what the outcome will be.

There were things I loved about this book and things I really disliked. Overall, this is one that I can see having very mixed reviews - for those that hate it, I understand. For those that love it, I understand. Very torn on this one hence my right in the middle rating!

That being said, I will be on the lookout for new releases from this author 👀

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Nick is surprised to hear from his father. His father wasn't great. When he visits his family, things have changed. A nice read.

Sacrificial Animals is the story of a family. A family twisted by cruelty and what that cruelty sows.
While I really enjoyed the story told by this book, I have mixed feelings about it as a whole.
The good :
The family saga is believable and heartbreaking. The story is told in two periods, one when our main character, Nick is 13 and then 43. The story structure works and is compelling.
The ending. The blending of the Midwest U.S. and Asian mythology was my favorite part.
The not so good :
The writing style. Too often the author uses florid language. I'm not sure if it was a deliberate choice matched to the main character or just a young writer trying too hard. The first few chapters were very difficult to get through. The language did calm down after the opening and was much easier to enjoy.
There is a lot of animal cruelty in this book to match the cruelty the human characters heap on each other, so be warned.
All and all I really enjoyed the story and the author's voice. Hopefully that voice gets a little fine tuning.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance reading copy.

Sacrificial Animals is about the Morrow family, Nick, Joshua, their father Carlyle, and Joshua’s wife Emilia.

The boys’ mother dies giving birth to their stillborn baby brother, when they are still young children. Carlyle raises them without affection and is abusive, especially towards Nick.
In a dual timeline set up, told from the perspective of Nick, the story goes back and forth between Nick as a 14/15 year old and when he is an adult, early 40s.
I found this book very repetitive, what’s going on during Nick’s youth is gone over again in the adult timeline, just with the addition of his sister-in-law. Nothing really happens until you’re 85% through the book. I think that this story would be great if it was shortened into a short story or novella. It’s just too long with nothing happening and too much repetition.

This is a great concept for a horror novel, and there are moments—particularly toward the end—that are stunning and gothic and everything I wanted. I personally had a hard time connecting with this book because of the writing style, which is very baroque and kept me at arm's length from the characters. However, this is a personal reaction, and I think a different reader would experience this as atmospheric and elegant. Overall, it's clear that the author has a strong command on the story and achieved what she set out to do; I just wasn't the right reader for it.