As a huge fan of the show Succession, I knew I had to read this horror take on a family very similar to the Roys. I ended up enjoying this one overall for the family and business politics, but this may be one of the rare instances where I really wish the book was longer as I would have loved a more drawn out conclusion with maybe some more horrific scenes thrown in.

This one kind of reads like a modern gothic novel, very slow-burn and character heavy at first, but with an underlying tension that keeps you on the edge of your seat and wanting to read on to find out what is really going on with this sinister family. I know at this point there are many novels of rich people doing bad things, but I am certainly not over this trope as we realize more and more every day how realistic these depictions can be. And to have a horror take on this concept by someone as amazing and insightful as Alma Katsu is such a pleasure. The Berishas are truly a family that you can hate as you learn more and more about their abysmal business practices, how they profit off of the suffering of others, and how their success story may be more supernatural than simply just an immigrant success story.

I love that for most of the novel, we get mentions of the protector of the Berisha family, without really knowing what it is, if its real, and how it has actually been utilized in defense of the family. As things begin to take a turn for the family, we slowly get more and more revealed to us about this entity and the role it has served in the Berishas’ success. I will always love a story where the evil rich people are finally served their due, and this one does not disappoint in the slightest. Although this is a case where none of the characters are relatable or likeable, that is kind of the point (much like Succession), where you really are supposed to root against this family and hope that revenge finally comes around on them for all of the evil they have put out into the world. There are a couple of flashback sequences in the novel that really serve to show us the depths of this evil and to further explain some of the dynamics between the siblings and all of them and their mysterious father, the head of the business and the family. Honestly Zef Berisha makes Logan Roy look like father of the year.

As I said earlier, I do wish the climax of this novel was longer as I would have loved to explore the ancient evil that attached itself to this family in further detail. With that being said, this book is beautifully paced, and the author reveals just enough information throughout to keep you guessing and wanting to read on. Even though this may not be the most original trope, I think Katsu brought a sense of originality to it through the horror genre. I can’t wait to read more by this author in the future as this was only my second read by her.

*2.5 stars in sites that allow it*

This was a very quick and easy read. It wasn’t super spooky but instead had an air of uneasiness throughout. Though a demon is mentioned in the book’s description, The Berisha family blessing (or curse, depending on who you ask) was more of an unconfirmed entity for most of it. While we follow all three siblings, Maris is the main character and it took her most of the book to even believe her family was anything but lucky, and I think it took a little too long. It “didn’t exist” for so much of the book that when it finally did, there was almost nothing left and it felt like there was so much buildup for so little reward.

Maris sometimes contradicts herself in a way that feels a little off. As one example, Maris doesn’t care about something important that happens (she straight up says she doesn’t really care about it) and questions if there is something wrong with her because of it. It felt like an important thing to point out, like wow she’s really messed up to not care about anything, but then in the same chapter, she’s feeling horrible about it. I struggled to understand why she had such a change of heart because so little time had passed so it’s not like she had time to grow and learn or something.

The Berisha family is full of the kind of characters I thought I’d love to hate, but though it was entertaining to read about how much their power corrupted each of them and what they were willing to do to have things their way, I didn’t love or hate any of them. They were just there being horrible and I was reading about it without feeling very connected, even with the flashbacks to their childhood. The people who worked at the Berisha’s company were a bit hard for me to keep straight because none of them had any real depth or personality. There were 4-5 coworkers mentioned often and I never knew which was which when someone was referring to one of them.

I guessed the big twists and one of them wouldn’t have been so obvious if not for an event that I don’t think was even necessary. Without it, I would have been more surprised, so it was a little disappointing because I think I would have enjoyed that more.

This book was kind of hard for me to rate because there are definitely some things I didn’t like about it, and when I finished, I thought “oh, okay,” and didn’t really feel much else. Typically, that counts against a book a lot more, but with this one, I was eager to continue when I had to put it down and I wasn’t disappointed by the ending. That counts for something too. I think it’s something you might want to read if you’re looking for a quick and uncomplicated supernatural thriller.

Thank you to Putnam, from whom I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley.

Maris Berisha is the second child of Zef Berisha, CEO of a major corporation. She wants her dad to recognize her abilities and recognize that she's far more competent when it comes to running the billion-dollar organization than her older brother Dardan. According to Maris, the youngest Berisha, Nora, is a lost cause, a social justice warrior drug addict. As Maris attempts to take what she sees as her rightful place in the Berisha empire, her losses pile up and the reality of the legendary Berisha protector isn't quite what she expected.

Did I enjoy this? Yes!
Did I want more? Yes!
Why not give it more stars?

Because we’re not shown enough. I initially vibed with the book. It was giving Succession and The Fall of the House of Usher. It’s dark, unapologetic, greedy, the characters are grim. But who or what is The Fiend? Is it all but a curse?

I wasn’t satisfied. My curiosity wasn’t sated. That said, this is my first AK book, and since it seems I’m into horror lately, I’ll be sure to seek out her other books. I’m open to recommendations!

Instagram: @Shelfiesstories

**3.5 stars**

Fiend was one of my most anticipated books for fall. I love Alma Katsu’s spy and historical horror books so was intrigued by this, her first modern day set horror story. The description of Succession meets Netflix’s Fall of the House of Usher is definitely a great way to describe it.

What I liked: the overall story, the history of the family, the lore of the family

What I didn’t like: I didn’t care for the Berisha family, not a single one of them. Which makes it hard to really care about what happens to them.

This was good supernatural tale and a very short, quick read that is perfect for spooky season.

**Thanks to the author and G.P. Putnam Son’s publisher for the e-arc I received via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I also purchased a hardcover via my NightWorms book subscription service.**

We meet Darden the heir apparent to the Berishs family import / export business. Maris, second born, first daughter, is very eager to take over the family business and Nora, the youngest daughter who wants the family to have a more earth friendly business.  The business seems to avoid any type of conglict with the the law,  even when a whistle blower is preparing to testify before congress. Katsu has created an incredible fast past story that will leave you breathless until the last pages.

When reading this book you witness how family loyalty curdles into betrayal as the Berishas spiral, each scheming to survive the curse they once called a blessing.

I've read Alma Katsu's CIA novels, but this was my first venture into her horror writing. I found it a compelling and dark family story, but add in the corruption of being billionaires and also having some sort of protective demon at your service, and the complications keep rolling in. I wanted to understand the characters a bit more, but the style was interesting.

I am so glad that Alma Katsu is back writing novels, and I was even more intrigued when she was taking on a contemporary story that sounds a bit like The Sacklers meets the family curse trope. Overall I enjoyed FIEND, watching a terrible family get its comeuppance after a supernatural being they have used to inflict damage in hopes of prospering turns on them in the chaos of succession is always going to be fun. I kind of wish it had been a bit longer and that we'd had more exploration of the history of the being itself, but it was suspenseful and strange and somewhat cathartic. If you liked Mike Flanagan's FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER, check this out.

This was deeply disappointing. It's an interesting idea, but the execution was flat. The characters were like caricatures of evil. There was no atmosphere, no creeping horror, no nuance. Things happened really quickly, and the result was about as scary as a Goosebumps novel. The end was such a silly cop-out.

Out of respect for the author, I'm not going to post this review publicly. Thank you to the publisher for the ARC copy.

Alma is a master of historical horror fiction, and this is no exception.
This was a super interesting and haunting story. It has historical fiction elements mixed with the paranormal and had an ending that I was not expecting.

Meet the current generation of the Berisha family - Dardan: eldest, male, and reluctant heir to the "throne" of the Berisha business empire and the powers and secrets that keep them one of the most powerful families in the world. Maris: middle, daughter, closest in temperament to her father, destined to marry to carry on the family line, and not happy about where she falls in the family and corporate hierarchy. Nora: youngest, wild child, ignored and all but disowned, allowed to do whatever she wants as long as she doesn't embarrass the family. All think they know the family secrets. All think that some know secrets they're not privy to. All of them may be wrong, not all of them can be right. Products of their families riches and powers, secrets and coverups, deceptions and distrust, experiences and expectations - someone, and only one, must lead the family in the future - but who is willing to pay the price to rule and who will be sacrificed in the bargain? Oh, and there may be a demon in the family's history... or maybe it's just a story to scare people. Real or imagined, their enemies don't last long.

Katsu always delivers. Going back to the first novel I red of hers, “The Deep”, which still haunts me, she has a unique and sure storyteller’s voice that always has me buying in. I had the fortune (misfortune? Hah hah) of reading a good portion of ‘Fiend’ while in New York City, which only added to the atmosphere. Speaking of? I really felt the book captured that strange area between normalcy and darkness that’s always pervaded New York City. I couldn’t help but feel echoes of other great stories set in NYC, as well, such as ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ and Sarah Langan’s … but this is NOT like any of those. With Katsu’s usual level of detail and particular point of view, this felt like its very own world. This is an important part of the author’s overall style as if you’ve read her thrillers, they’re equally as descriptive, emotional, and stories that pull you in that you’ll have a tough time putting down.

‘Fiend’ really got me with the characters. The Berisha family is intertwined with a dark force as much as they are with their own family dynamics. ‘Feind’ feels like it was feeding off my psyche as I continued in the story. It left me with a lot to think about.

What an absolute rollercoaster! I've loved Alma Katsu's historical horror books, and this supernatural take on a Succession style drama with intrigues and secrets all around was fantastic.

The Berisha family has been successful through the centuries; bad things just seem to happen to their competitors. Current patriarch Zef is a distant father and husband, tightly wound and prone to quick outbursts. His children barely know him and what they know, they do not like. The oldest, Dardan, may be the heir and live within the circle of trust but he has often been found lacking, too weak to eventually take control, not just of the company, but of the secret Zef keeps from almost everyone.

Middle child Maris has the smarts and the ambition, but she's a woman, and in this family, she is only good for marrying a distant cousin and having Berisha babies. The youngest sibling, Nora, has long been seen as too flighty and whimsical to be taken seriously as a potential company leader. And Olga, the matriarch of the family, has long been complicit in keeping her children pliable enough for their father, and has kept the Berisha secret all these years.

Then people start dying, and as Maris sinks deeper and deeper into a whirlwind of desperation, we wonder if the blessing that has long benefited the family is real, or if it is a curse.

I loved Succession, and the early seasons of House of Cards, and the ruthlessness and underhanded tactics of those shows is here, along with the brilliant, flawed characters. Even as they hate their father, the siblings cannot seem to walk away, each biding their time until they have enough power to take over. But what happens when they finally do? Will they be able to control it, or will it tear them apart from the inside?

A creepy horror novel of family and greed. The Berishas are a powerful Albanian family in New York run by Zef and his wife Olga, who, for reasons that won't be clear until late, can't live in the same house. Son Darden is meant to inherit it all but he's got doubts. Daughter Maris wants it all and Nora wants none of it. This starts as a whistleblower is about to expose how Berisha has paid off legislators and then moves quickly. There's a present day plot line and a "then"plot line when the children were young. Know that these siblings are meant to be in their twenties and that it's hard to root for any of them. And know that there's a big twist of a surprise. One quibble-Darden and his siblings went to St Albans which as it happens is an all boys school in Washington, DC not New York where this is set. This is a quick read that might seem a bit familiar in spots but which stands on its own. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. A bit different for Katsu but a good read. And it's being published just as the Murdoch siblings have settled their suits against one another- what timing!

Pub Date: September 16, 2025
Thank you to the publisher for my ARC.
 
Succession is my favorite television show (admittedly, I am a Kendall apologist), and so FIEND feels like a book that was written for me. Brilliantly written, Alma Katsu’s dive into the world of power, legacy, family, gender dynamics, and the supernatural is extraordinary. FIEND is relatively short in terms of length, but it is incredibly thought-provoking with the utmost depth, and FIEND says all it needs to say and more within its pages and does so beautifully and horrifically in a way that only Katsu can do. Katsu’s writing is smart and sharp, building out the corporate world and lavish lives of the Berisha family, while taking care to build out each character with flawless execution.
 
FIEND is the horror novel I yearn for, and it’s haunting me even weeks after I read it; not because of the scares (which FIEND contains a multitude of), but because of FIEND’s commentary on power and legacy. Is it possible to remain good and kind and attract (and then retain) power? What will our actions and words mean for our legacy, and ultimately, how do we come to terms with the fact that we can’t control what our legacy really means, that no matter the amount of money we throw at power and legacy, it is to some extent always outside of our control. Further complicating power and legacy, FIEND delves into the different societal expectations of women vs men and how women are often confined to be the lesser of or weaker, especially when women fall outside of those societal expectations. Maris is strong, bright, and relentless, and I adore her as a character. And like the Berishas’ family curse, often power, legacy, and even society’s expectations of us, can dually be a gift and a curse; Katsu highlights throughout the importance of these nuances and what it means for each Berisha family member and how ignoring those complexities may ultimately lead to not only a fall from power, but our demise.

This is a dark, unsettling tale of the Berisha family, an Albanian clan bound by whispers of a curse that stretches across generations. Or perhaps it’s not a curse at all, but something more insidious woven into their legacy. Despite the shadow hanging over them, the Berishas always seem to come out on top, but at what cost?
This was a quick but haunting read, one that left me with more questions than answers. The atmosphere is thick with dread, and Katsu explores the dangers of burying emotions until they fester. Fiend is a thought-provoking story about family, power, and the weight of unspoken pain.

This was even more tense and fast-paced than some of Alma Katsu's previous books and just as great. Though you can kind of figure out where things are going to go based on the theme of a greedy and evil wealthy family, the writing and rich characters elevate it over the typical historical fiction.

The more I think about this book, the more I come to realize that I like what the author was doing, the nuance she puts in the story telling, the details (both given and lack of those given) allow us to draw our own conclusions about the characters in this story.

Fiend is an interseting read, it's eerie in all the right ways and leaves you grapling at the end. Did I like these characters? No, but I sorta think that is the whole point. This story is marketed as a blend between Sucession and The fall of the House of Usher, and while I haven't seen sucession, I do feel like its a story in the same vein as the later.

We follow The Berisha Family as they make terrible decisions, and harm those around them, we get an intriguate look at their father and each siblings life. It explores blessings vs. curses and the choises we make with the power we have In a story where I was rooting for no characters I found the end satisfactory. It left me thinking and wondering in a good way.

If you like horror, critiques on corporations, and characters you think deeply about I would recommend this one. Thank you to the publisher for providing an advanced readers copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately this book did not work out for me. It was one of my highly anticipated reads for 2025, particularly after reading that it was a combination of Succession and The Fall of the House of Usher (the Netflix show). I agree with both comparisons, but wished for more complexity and depth ultimately. The story was laid out pretty openly at the beginning, so I didn't feel any suspense or anticipation. I wanted the book to be scarier.

With all this being said, there were some things I enjoyed! The story was fast-paced and easy to read. I agreed with its message.

From what I've read, the author's historical horror fiction may align better with what I'm looking for. I look forward to reading some of her other books!