Grave Matter was the perfect October read. Spooky, believable, and thrilling. My first horror romance and it was a doozy! Highly recommend for thriller/horror fans and will purchase for libraries.

Grave Matter by Karina Halle
Release Date: 10/23/24
Format: ebook
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

I had the pleasure of seeing Karina Halle at Books Gowns & Crowns earlier this month and after hearing her talk about Grave Matter for literally one minute, I knew I had to read it immediately. Psychological thriller/horror mixed with romance? Say less.

I was so right. I fear this book will become my new personality. Is it going to be for everyone? Maybe not. But it is gross and creepy and beautifully written. It kept me engaged from first to last page, and was honestly the first book I have solely read with my eyeballs (without any audio assistance) in over four months.

I could write an entire review on how the ADHD representation alone made me feel so seen. The amount of lines I highlighted in this book is embarrassing. The ways Halle chose to present our FMC’s struggles with ADHD just felt so spot on and it was refreshing to see some lesser written about (and often shame inducing) symptoms in this book.

I did not see the twists coming, I absolutely loved the romance and friendships in this novel, and it is a perfect October read! Check the content warnings because there are some hard to read scenes, but I feel like it is fully worth the discomfort.

Thank you to NetGalley for the free advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion!

<b>If you have a spooky season TBR, Grave Matter by Karina Halle should be added to it without a single moment of hesitation. Get ready to lose yourself in a foggy creepy island with nature's miracles, groundbreaking and terrifying scientific research, people with all kinds of intentions and a sizzling hot forbidden romance with loads of angst. At the end, you may feel like gliding through a hazy air while your heart is aching yet full of feels. A masterpiece from Karina Halle.</b>

💀 psychological thriller
💀 Gothic romance
💀 touch of science fiction
💀 forbidden romance ( professor/student or doctor/patient)
💀 dark romance
💀 neurodiverse heroine

<b>Sydney arrived in the island housing the laboratory and research of Madrona Foundation for her scholarship. No one knows she has lost her academic career at Stanford. She is eager to learn about their work with fungi and Alzheimer's Disease. But she is feeling disbalanced from the moment she steps foot into the island. The people who are running the foundation seem to have some other motives. Professor Kincaid, who also does therapy sessions for students attending the internship programme, attracts Sydney in a strange but powerful manner.

The author drags you deep into the story with wild hallucinations and visions and dreams experienced by Sydney. The nature with the rain and fog, old trees towering over the lodge, freezing sea and exotic fungi provide a perfect backdrop for the plot. I felt like I have been transported to somewhere out of this world. Sydney is lost and her mind is all over the places. Her electric connection with Kincaid is complicated. Kincaid is the perfectly flawed Alpha hero trying to protect Sydney. The chemistry is scorching hot but the emotional bond is even more beautiful. It is a very difficult book to review without spoilers. Nothing is real here. Except may be the danger. The author takes you to the edge of absurd fear and sheer terror. You can feel the invisible pieces moving but you cannot put them together till the end. The characters have endless shades. The secrets are terrifying and heart stopping. But it is a romance after all and love conquers everything.</b>

Karina Halle has crafted a twisted and mindblowing story in Grave Matter. Kincaid and Sydney battled death and destruction over and over again and their happily ever after is won in a hard way.

I reviewed an early copy voluntarily

I was impressed with how this story unfolded. There was a lot of mysterious things going on to wrap my mind around. I feel like you had to pay attention to everything because those breadcrumbs will make sense toward the end. It was fantastically shocking and right up my alley. I didn't see it coming kind of way but having some many other theories. The pacing was a little slow the first half. I believe to help us get the full picture but believe me it is so worth it. Overall, this was a great spooky read just in time for the Halloween season.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️🌶️

Honestly, this book cements the fact that Karina is one of my FAVOURITE authors!

This book was just.... wow!

If you're looking for a spooky, thriller, mystery, with some A-grade spice, and lots of mushrooms, you need to read this book!
It's almost a week later, and I still think about it daily!

Karina literally had me guessing to very the end, and I really did not see that plot twist coming! I had some ideas around it but the actual twist I would never have guessed.

Let me also just say that Wes Kincaid😮‍💨..... Wow that man... He can do what he wants to all my mushrooms.

Go read this book now!

First of all, I want to thank Karina Halle and NetGalley for this eARC. Here my honest opinion.

A little bit of this, and a little bit of that.
Do you want a dark romance? What do you think if we add some gothic vibes and a little bit of dark academia? I guess that we can also make it as a psychological thriller, where you can trust no one (not even yourself), with a sci-fi subplot. Obviously, there wil be spice. A lot of spice. Doesn’t it sound good?
Well, that’s what you get with Grave Matter, a compelling dark romance that you won't be able to put down. I liked everything: the setting, the characters, the suspence that never leaves you. There’s also a touch of horror that emerges in the right time and the right place. I loved how the spice was managed, used to add more thrill.
It’s just the perfect read for this spooky season!

Woo buddy. Real talk, Grave Matter would not normally have been something I'd just pick up, but when Karina Halle announced she was doing a psych thriller with spicy, I knew I had to give it a shot!

This is everything you could want in a psych thriller. I lost count of the amount of times I said "wtf" in my head before immediately diving back in to keep reading. Right from the start, Karina is dropping moments and hints that foreshadow where the story is going, but just as I thought I might have figured it out, she threw another curve ball at me! This was even more awesome because I've actually been to Vancouver Island, and visited areas of the island that are very reminiscent of the setting for Madrona Lodge. I really loved too that the plot of this was sci-fi but not so far sci-fi that you couldn't actually believe it might happen.

A word of caution - when you think the twists are over, you’re wrong!

I had the wonderful opportunity to read **Grave Matters** by Karina Hale and I absolutely loved it! The story was packed with twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat. Hale masterfully crafted a unique narrative that kept me guessing until the very end, and I don’t want to spoil any of the surprises for future readers.

One aspect that stood out was the character of Sydney. She was as much in the dark about the unfolding events as I was, making her journey all the more entertaining and relatable. Her relentless questioning and determination added depth to the story and kept me thoroughly engaged.

This was a very unique story in a genre I wasn’t sure I would enjoy, but Hale’s writing proved captivating and immersive. I highly recommend **Grave Matters** to anyone looking for a thrilling and unpredictable read. Karina Hale has truly outdone herself with this one!

What I love about Karina Halle's books is that they take you on a dark and twisted journey. The journey is always spicy, full of angst, lust and often violence. But ultimately, it leaves you going, "What the hell did I just read...I need more".
Grave Matter was all of this and more. A dark academic mystery leads you to a secluded island where they are studying all things mushrooms. Sydney, Our FMC, finds herself drawn to her Professor and Psychologist, Dr Kincaid (who seems like a fungi...get it...mushroom joke). This book gave me serious Shutter Island vibes where you constantly question every character and their motives and, ultimately, the truth: a true mind bender and the perfect spooky season reason. I love Karina Halle's writing, and this book reminded me that I need to read everything she has ever created!

What to expect:
Professor X Student
Forced Proximity
Only one tent
Isolated PNW setting
BDSM elements
Slow burn
Degradation kink
Dark Cottagecore
Stalker
WTF did I just read
Haunted Forest
Morally grey characters
He falls first
Women in STEM

Thank you so much, Karina, for my ARC copy.

I am writing this review immediately upon finishing the book, and I am having difficulty wrapping my head around what I just read. One thing I know with certainty is that this book and the writing completely captured the essence of Vancouver Island: the mystery and ethereal nature, the feeling of being dwarfed by the wilderness around you, the mist and spirituality.

Setting aside, the plot of this book was excellent completed. It is one that you feel the need to immediately re-read, knowing what you now know. I will admit, there were times in the first 15-20% that I considered DNFing it. I felt the characterization was off-putting, a sense of immaturity. And while this may be partially true, some of this was certainly intentional on the author's part. So if you were like me and thought "I dunno if this is for me", just keep with it.

I can't speak much about certain aspects of the book and the (many) notes I made, as now I see that they would be spoilers. I can make one solid recommendation - go into this as blind as you can. Suppose the description of "Horror Romance meets Science Fiction in this dark and delicious gothic psychological thriller" appeals to you, and you find the synopsis intriguing. In that case, I recommend you don't search any further and just dive in. While the spice-related trigger warnings are indeed necessary, I did not find those scenes to be heavy-handed or exorbitant.

Thank you to NetGalley and Metal Blonde Books for a digital advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I have never been more appalled nor intrigued by such a romance before! Grave Matter is the perfect blend of Crimson Peak meets Annihilation. As Sydney battles the mysteries of the Madrona Foundation, she's also battling her obsession and fixation on the resident teacher and psychologist Wes. With dark erotic dreams soon becoming reality, Sydney has to wage her heart against her mind, in a literal sense, as she fears she's going insane.

The atmosphere Halle writes in for GM is STEEPED in fog; even from the moment our FMC arrives to the remote Madrona Foundation, with her hopes of a dream opportunity, there are mysteries that leave the reader thinking "what was that?!"

As more morsels of spooky are unveiled (there are ghosts, there are beasts, there are villains) I LOVE the way Halle wrote as she leaves the reader just as blind as Sydney. Every page you turn, you'll be thinking "that can't be what I think it is?" only the find that the truth is somehow WORSE and more entertaining! I found myself yelling at my book as I went as I feared for Sydney as she began to dig into the truth behind Madrona Foundation and the walls collapsing in her mind.

Hands down one of the most unpredictable reads I've had in years. The best of horror and dark romance with a dash of science fiction that just leaves you satisfied.

This book blew my mind! Exactly the kind of psychological thriller I have been searching for this spooky season! Karina Halle knocked it out of the park! This story was so compelling that I finished it in under 24 hours! I started questioning everything right away, and that plot twist left me stunned.To be honest, I wasn't expecting a HEA. But I was pleasantly surprised. You can tell Halle put a lot of research into mycology. When the classes were described, I became a clueless college student again. 😂
I do have to say that this book is marketed as a "Gothic psychological thriller," and there really was nothing gothic about it. I was a bit disappointed in that as I was expecting more gothic vibes, but it was still a satisfying psychological thriller. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a read that will keep you guessing. Fair warning, though, you will get sucked in. And as always, mind your trigger warnings.

Thank you to Netgalley and Metal Blonde Books for the e-arc. My view and opinions are entirely my own.

THE HOOK/APPEAL: a gothic psychological thriller. A dream opportunity with terrible secrets attached.

THE REVIEW: I've been a fan of Halle for a lonnggggggg time, and yet, it had been a while since I had read her. Was I worried she wouldn't be as good as I remembered? Yes. Was I worried for no reason? YES. I don't want to spoil things. Try to go in blind.

THE RATING: 5, duh.

Let me tell you what sold me on this; "Horror Romance meets Science Fiction in this dark and delicious gothic psychological thriller." I mean?! Talk about an epic combination of genres, I just knew I had to read it asap. I went into it blind beyond that one sense and wow wow wow. What a ride. From the jump the vibes are so eerie and as more questions were raised I just had to know what the heck was going on. In the middle I started to lose it and get really aggravated by what I *thought* was going on but I stuck it out and I'm glad I did because it all made sense. But also made no sense cause WHAT?! Truly could not have predicted those plot twists if I tried. At one point, my heart was racing and I was looking over my shoulder while reading in the dark. Loved the eerie vibes so much!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the early access.

This book gives off so many creepy and spooky vibes. You only have the POV of the FMC, so you only know what she does, and that is just so perfect. Trying to figure it all out as she does.

The author does an incredible job of describing the setting and making everything feel so dark and cryptic. I was constantly on the edge of my seat waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Wes is perfection personified. What an incredible book boyfriend. I was floored by this man. I wish I could say more but I don’t want to give any spoilers.

The author says she hopes you read it and think wtf. She has succeeded. Just read this book. Be creeped out. Be shocked. Enjoy.

𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴:
✰ 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘹 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳
✰ 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘣𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯
✰ 𝘨𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘤 & 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳
✰ 𝘶𝘯𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳
✰ 𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘱

This book was phenomenal! Karina managed to deliver such a unique, cool, spooky and atmospheric world.
Madrona is scary and intriguing and keeps you guessing all the time.
And our main characters Wes and Sydney are so great together! Their chemistry was esplosive and the twist in the end made me adore their romance even more.
Definetely a great read for the Fall and October. I highly recommend it!

*arc kindly provided in exchange of an honest review

Sci-fi, gothic horror, romance, secrets, ghosts, and a remote location? Just the description alone had me sold. The twists and turns in this book were fantastic! Fair warning, this is a slow burn horror, however I am a patient person. Once you get about halfway in, the real craziness begins. I absolutely loved this book and its buildup to the ending. I recommend this to anyone who likes a bit of strangeness.

umm what did I just read?
Hands down one of the weirdest, wackiest, unputdownable reads I’ve ever read!
The whole book you’re wondering what the hell is happening and why, it makes you want to keep reading till you hit the twist and that twist is twisty!
If you love Karina Halle’s books you’ll love this psychological thriller slash horror about the dark world of fungi science/research, and why not chuck a bit of smutty romance in Karina style!
I definitely enjoyed this book to the point of getting anxious reading it at night before bed 😅 although not sure horror genre is for me! Loved the Vancouver setting!
4/5 stars

gorgeously spooky/gothic work with a lot of awesome ideas and some very fun fungal themes. i'm VERY into the whole mushroom/mycelium aesthetic and this one pulls it off in such darkly cool ways. You will be surprised by the twists in this work and the entire way the setting works. 5 stars, tysm for the arc.

"Grave Matter by Karina Halle is an absolute gem! This book has everything I crave in a dark romance—intense emotions, gripping suspense, and characters that feel so real they practically jump off the page. Halle’s storytelling is hauntingly beautiful, weaving a tale of love and redemption with a dark edge that kept me hooked from the very first page. The chemistry between the characters is electric, and the twists are perfectly timed. If you're looking for a read that’s both thrilling and deeply heartfelt, Grave Matter will not disappoint. Highly recommend!"