Nyx Solis delivers a haunting, deeply unsettling psychological thriller with Dark Violin, a novel that lingers in your mind long after the final page. This is not just a story about trauma—it’s a chilling descent into the blurred lines between victim and villain, survival and destruction.

Celine begins as an innocent girl with simple dreams: to master the violin and mend her fractured family. But a single, horrifying discovery in her parents’ room changes everything. What follows is a nightmarish spiral into abuse, madness, and a suffocating sense of isolation. Her father’s monstrous presence looms over her life, while her mother’s sanity disintegrates, leaving only a cryptic warning: “Don’t let him in.” But evil doesn’t need permission—it’s already inside.

Solis masterfully crafts a psychological landscape filled with tension, pain, and a terrifying sense of inevitability. The novel explores the harrowing effects of generational trauma, the darkness that festers in the shadows of family secrets, and the chilling question: what happens when the abused becomes something just as terrifying? The prose is sharp and evocative, immersing the reader in Celine’s fractured reality, where safety is an illusion and escape feels impossible.

For fans of dark psychological thrillers like those by Gillian Flynn and Caroline Kepnes, Dark Violin is a gripping, nerve-wracking read that forces you to question everything. It’s a story of survival, vengeance, and the terrifying truth that sometimes, the worst monsters are the ones who say goodnight. If you’re looking for a novel that will disturb, captivate, and leave you breathless, Dark Violin is an unforgettable journey into the darkest corners of the human psyche.

Dark Violin
Intense, utterly compelling thriller with some horror thrown in.
It was a very tense and unsettling ride for me.

I did finish this, but at what cost.

Perhaps the most notable thing about this book (aside from the content, but we'll get there) is how much it needed another editing pass. The prose is really atrocious, particularly after the first few chapters. I was willing to forgive the first chapters for just feeling a bit dream-like and detached from reality as a stylistic choice, but when Mira is introduced in what is clearly the normal world, it stops working. The dialogue is often stilted and unnatural, with my personal favorite instance of this being when a characters tells another "'You know, in our culture, plastic surgery is often seen as taboo'". Two scenes begin with very similar descriptions of a character drinking coffee that wasn't a particularly good description to begin with. Considering the importance of music to the novel, it's really unfortunate that the descriptions of music are so nothing and sound somewhat odd (the description of the choir being a prime example). The less said about the sex scenes the better (I will be forever haunted by the phrase "wet pearl"). It often reads like mediocre fan fiction, because where else would you encounter a character unironically referring to "my twisted psyche".

[SPOILERS FOR LATER PLOT INCIDENTS]

The frequent scenes of sexual violence overall just feel... gauche. To be clear, I'm not opposed to the portrayal of sexual violence in fiction; I object when it seems to just be thrown in with little interest in exploration of its complexities and effects. The novel seems deeply convinced that it has a lot of to say about abuse, but it really doesn't. It says that abuse is bad, and sometimes people are just broken and cannot be fixed. This is not as hot a take as the novel seems to think it is, and the exploration of these ideas is one-note and basic. There is no acknowledgement of the fact that almost everyone in the Montreal family can be read as a victim and perpetrator, particularly Ramiro. This isn't to say that he did nothing wrong (he VERY much did), but he presumably was impacted by the culture of abuse that her father created in the household, and the novel never acknowledges that beyond him saying "I'm so fucked up, you're the only person who can love me" (not a direct quote) to Celine. Celine is the only person in the text who is allowed to be harmed and cause harm, but there's no complexity in her portrayal either. She just magically becomes evil after suffering an almost comical amount (including vaguely orgasmic self-harm, which just. Kill me now.). Kevin has dubiously consensual (at best) sex with Mira a few times, but it's just treated as something scary that's happening. It's unclear if Mira remembers what happens, and Kevin never reacts to it (which, considering later revelations in the book, suggests some rather unsavory things about the origins of familial abuse). Mira is quite literally violently raped, but the novel totally glosses over it. It's treated as part of Celine's revenge and Mira is not given much space to react to her rape. SPEAKING OF THAT

[SPOILERS FOR THE FINAL TWIST]

So Mira is a secret trans woman! She was Ramiro the whole time! Celine/Lauren did surgery on her and got her to take hormones this whole time! Oh my god! Don't piss me off! It plays into so many harmful stereotypes about trans women, with them being deceptive, sexually violent, and secretly men. It also treats transition as a kind of body horror, especially because it's done as a way for Celine to emasculate Ramiro, and like much of the on-page rape in this novel, it seems included for shock value more than to really work through Mira's feelings about what happened to her. It's gross and dehumanizing of trans people, and it's a little shocking to me that this plot point is in a book published in 2025.

There are other things that I could complain about, like the plot holes (who the hell is Mira's mother and how did she get involved, why can that small child see ghosts, how does Celine top and play the violin during sex while partially paralyzed) and the way in which everything is either over- or under-explained (the narration drawing specific attention to the parallels between the nature documentary and George's murder twice in two pages vs. the bit at the end where Celine plays the violin in front of her family, including dead people). But, what sticks with me the most is how boring this book was. Scenes occur. Some of the scenes contain explicit incestuous violence. All of the scenes include characters speaking in a way that no human being has ever spoken. It doesn't really get insane enough to be enjoyable in an ironic way until three quarters of the way through the book, which is not ideal.

Do not read this book. There are much better thrillers out there.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

It is a mix-bag blending psychological, thrill, suspense and a little dip into the horror genre. Before diving into the story, it’s important to note that it comes with a few warnings—there are themes that might be unsettling for some readers. So, it’s definitely worth checking these warnings before you start reading.

This is not my usual read, but I found myself fully engaged, and so far, it hasn’t let me down. The standout aspect of this book is the satisfying finale. "Revenge. It's the ultimate satisfaction."
I appreciated how it wrapped up—giving the victim the justice she deserves.

However, I did find certain elements a bit over the top, especially the twists in the end—the explanation of what happened to Ramiro. It is possible, but I still think it's a bit unrealistic. Then there’s Dr. Reyes, who, as the plot unfolds, seems to fade into the background. And Kevin, I hope there's a better ending for the lad.

All in all, I really enjoyed the read. I would rate it around 3.5, pushing it to a 4 because it’s just different and unique in its darker approach. It kept my interest piqued, and although some aspects stretched the bounds of possibility, the overall experience was engaging. This book definitely isn't your typical read, but that's part of its charm!

This book is incredible. It masterfully blurs the lines between reality, imagination, and consequence. Dark Violin brings out the worst of the worst at all of the right times and doesn’t shy away from difficult imagery.

I initially enjoyed the opening. The heavy description of the violin performance brought me a sort of warmth. It was exaggerated, but in a comforting way that almost made you feel the music. This very quickly changed to an incredibly dark place when you learn the subject of the story. Violence, sexual assault, incest, murder, trauma. All are some the worst of the worst crimes , and they are portrayed in such a way to make you either squeamish or sucked in. It’s a difficult read if you are disturbed by such things, but if you can manage it, it’s an amazing story.

Some of my gripes mainly fall within the realm of too much imagery. Yes, believe it or not, you can over describe things. Was it annoying? Yeah. Did it add much to the story? Kind of. Even when it mentioned sun light shining, my vision of the whole book was dark and damp, like a rainy detective novel vibe. I often found myself not paying attention to the visuals. But I stuck it through, read it all, and I couldn’t be more pleased. If someone asked me to describe the entire book, I could. Vividly.

The twists are a big part of thrillers. But I can 100% tell you, this book does NOT follow the easy to follow and guess guidelines of most novels. Every step of the way I was questioning myself and my sanity because I didn’t know what the hell was going on. I knew what was going on, but the amount of twists and changes made it impossible to figure out the ending. I LOVED that.

Overall:
This book is nearly flawless. It combines everything you need in a horror/thriller, and it does it masterfully. The author should be praised for this type of work. My ONLY complaint, is the massive amount of over describing things. Other than that, it’s one of my most favorite books I’ve read in a while.

A chilling psychological thriller that blurs the line between victim and villain, Dark Violin explores pain, survival, and the monsters lurking in plain sight. Dark, intense, and deeply unsettling—read with caution.

Wowza!!! Just wow!! It's difficult to describe what I just read, but know that this book is amazingly unique!! I am very stingy with giving 5 star reviews, but this book has definitely earned all 5 stars!!!

The book started out with a few "Content Warnings" to include death, violence, abuse, incest, sexual assault, and trauma. The book does touch on all of those things, however, none of the events go into detail.

The first chapter spent an obscene amount of time describing Celine playing the violin. It was VERY painful to read. I eventually found myself skipping over some of the words and hoping the rest of the book didn't follow in the same manner. Thankfully, it did not!

With Celine's mother suffering from depression, she finds herself a victim of her father's horrific "games". Just how much can one young girl take?

I did find the manner in which this book was written to be slightly frustrating. The book alternated between several different time periods, and it wasn't always easy to determine when each scene was taking place. Additionally, it was somewhat difficult to keep up with all of the different "characters" .

This book is definitely not for the reader who likes quick, easy reads. This books makes you think and question things.

Kudos to the author on writing and publishing a unique, well written must read!!!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion/review.

I didn't know what to expect from this book as I prefer to go into most reads blind and I definitely got more than I expected but in a really good way, I really enjoyed it. I will say that this book won't be for everyone and trigger warnings should be checked, however, I like my books dark so that isn't bother me in the slightest.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ebook copy in exchange for an honest review. (Also, I noticed after I read it that this book is available on KINDLE UNLIMITED!!!)

***DEFINITELY READ THE TRIGGER WARNINGS BEFORE READING***

Well that was MESSED UP (and very icky in some parts) and sickeningly vengeful! The writing style is a little different and the story is dark, tragic, and nightmarish. This is a story that lingers in your mind and haunts you.

I really would LOVE to see this as a movie! I could see just see it in my head with some moody, creepy, and weird cinematography but it would be a really cool story to see brought to life.

The only minor issue I had with this book is that it was a little confusing and hard to follow and figure out what was going on at certain points. However, to be fair it did kind of add to the off putting and eerie atmosphere and everything made sense at the end. I really enjoyed how unnerving and tense this read was, but I still found myself wishing some parts were less confusing.

Overall I enjoyed Dark Violin and would recommend to people who enjoy off putting, bleak, and twisted reads…but definitely check the trigger warnings first!

Not gonna lie you need to be in a very strong mindset as well concentrated enough to follow the plot. Now for a review: Celine’s dreams were simple: master the violin and reunite her fractured family. But one night, a chilling discovery in her parents’ room shattered her innocence—and her life. Her father introduced her to a sinister "game," while her mother’s descent into madness left Celine trapped in a living nightmare. Haunted by her mother’s final warning, "Don’t let him in, Celine", she soon realizes the devil doesn’t wait for an invitation. He’s already home. This psychological thriller blurs the lines between victim and villain, exploring themes of pain, survival, and the monsters hiding in plain sight. Perfect for fans of dark, morally complex stories, Dark Violin will leave you questioning what happens when the abused becomes the abuser.

Content Warnings To be Heeded.

I couldn’t immerse myself into the story…. So many different things happening and the chapters are oh, so….. long! I tried… I got to 30% but it’s just very hard to get into.

This is certainly a dark, twisted, and bleak book. It twists and turns more than any book in recent memory and the themes of incest, sexual assault, and suicide are prevalent throughout. It's not an easy read, that's for sure, but it's not meant to be.

To try and explain what this novel is about would not do it justice because this is one of those books you have to read to understand. You'll either like it or hate it.

I thought the way the story unfolded and all of the myriad secrets revealed throughout were very well done. I definitely wanted to keep reading just to figure out what was going on. But getting to those secrets can confuse the reader as the book changes perspective without warning, tying it together nearer to the end. That's not a complaint but some people might be put off by it.

My biggest issue was the length. There's certainly a certain amount of filler at times and I think the narrative would have been better served if some of the fluff were removed.

That being said, if you want to read something thats extremely dark and twisted and have your mind melted, I'd definitely recommend this book.

This was a fantastic thriller. Twists, suspense, tension. The mystery was riveting. I . Right away, I was hooked with how odd this situation was, and things only increased, which had me on the edge of my seat.

This book just wasn’t for me. When I first started it, it sucked me in right away until it got a few chapters in and I realized that the story about Celine is being written by a character. It was quite confusing when it would switch between the story and the writer.

Wow. What a great read. Could not put it down. Thank you for letting me read this in advance. I stayed up way to late trying to get to the end.

Thank you publisher and Netgalley for this ARC. I love the premise of this book! I wanted to be fully invested and have my heart shattered, but I couldn't stand the way that this book was written.

This was a "What the heck did I just read?" Type of book. The beginning started off dark, then I thought maybe it wasn't real, then the ending!! This book covers some dark themes, so please read the content warnings before trying it out. I couldn't decide if I liked Celine or not. But I love a good "revenge" book.

***PLEASE READ CONTENT WARNINGS BEFORE READING THIS BOOK.**