Hidden Strings is a story about Tessa, a girl grieving over the death of her puppeteer grandmother. When a mysterious new puppeteer shows up to replace her grandmother Tessa is intrigued, but when children begin to go missing Tessa can't shake the feeling that this sinister puppeteer has something to do with it! This was delightfully scary. Perfect for middle grade kids who like spooky stories. I especially loved all of the little scary stories woven into the main story. Thank you NetGalley for an advanced preview. This is one I will add to our middle school library!

I love a good travelling story. I love the idea of carnivals and attractions and the way they breed questioning. This was such a great take on a genre that can be very repetitive.

This was a good read, I liked the idea, the character building and the setting.

This book delivers on a creepy atmosphere that isn’t too scary.

This story follows Tessa, a fourteen year old who is mourning the loss of her grandmother who used to run a fun park. Tessa has feelings of guilt as last summer she went to camp instead of working with her Nana as she normally did, this would ultimately be Nana’s last season.
There is a new puppet storyteller called Liza, but Tessa and her new friends Gabe and Reya grow suspicious and decide to investigate.

This story includes missing children, forgetful adults and a puppeteer who has alterer motives. It includes themes of manipulation and control. This is a must read for anyone who loves a delightfully creepy horror story which will leave you with goosebumps!

Thank you NetGalley, North Star Editions & K J Mist for the opportunity to read ❤️

Tessa’s grandmother had owned a family fun park. When she died, she gave Tessa’s family the park. Her family wanted her to do the puppet shows that her grandmother had done. Her grandmother had told stories with the puppets .They hired a new puppeteer to take over grandmother’s puppet shows. Her name is Liza. Liza tells eerie stories at each show. The stories end with a frightened or missing child. Kids are disappearing. Liza continues her shows that provide hints about events that have happened or that may occur in the future. Tessa knows that Liza must be stopped but how? Will Tessa be able to stop kids from disappearing?

The novel is creepy and atmospheric, with wonderful characters and a great setting. I loved the theme of manipulation and control. It is a fast pace and exciting to read. This is a spellbinding read that leaves a lasting impression.

Tessa recently lost her grandmother who was also the puppeteer for the family fun park. The woman who replaces her is completely different. Her stories are scary, and children begin to disappear as new puppets appear. I really liked the story within story element. The book was fast paced and easy to understand for reluctant readers. 4 stars.

This is a good read for YA and fans of books like Goosebumps. The writing is for a younger audience.
What personally interested me was the carnival-like setting, with the promise of a creepily told tale. Perfect - since I appreciate slow-burn psychological suspense with a gothic edge.

Dark and tense - Hidden Strings pulls you into a shadowy web of control, trauma, and buried truths. This novel follows a woman unraveling the sinister manipulations behind her seemingly ordinary life. We meet Tessa, a grieving fourteen-year-old who returns to her grandmother’s failing roadside amusement park. When a mysterious puppeteer named Liza arrives to revive the puppet show, Tessa becomes uneasy after local children begin disappearing, and becomes Liza’s apprentice to uncover the truth. She learns that these nightly ghost stories are more than entertainment: they’re incantations woven in puppet shows. As the adults around Tessa fall under Liza’s subtle enchantment and more kids vanish (- which reminded me of a bit of IT-and Derry under Pennywise's trance), Tessa must untangle a web of manipulation and magic before it’s too late .

With short chapters and chilling atmosphere, the novella mixes folklore, supernatural mystery, and psychological tension—making it a compelling, eerie read for fans of unsettling power plays, occult secrets, and slow-burning dread.
K.J. Mist successfully crafts an eerie atmosphere where the horror lies not in overt scares or gore, but in emotional manipulation and creeping dread. Secrets unravel slowly, and as reality begins to fracture, the line between victim and puppet master blurs. The characters follow a quest-like journey seen oftentimes in slow-burn mystery / horror tales.

Yes, if you want a spooky unravelling, no, for those who want fast-paced thrills.

I really enjoyed Hidden Strings by K.J Mist. It wasn't overly scary, just a little bit spooky. Perfect for younger readers, or those newly into reading- especially if they're dipping their toes into scary stories for the first time. The beginning felt a bit sudden and short, so I'm happy I allowed myself to settle into it.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC for an honest review

Thank you to Net Galley and Jolly Fish Press for the opportunity to receive an ARC of "Hidden Strings" in exchange for an honest review.

Hidden Strings weaves stories amongst stories as the reader goes on a journey of puppets, magic, and a witch along side the main character.

Although this book is aimed at the YA demographic (ages 8-12), I did enjoy the story and overall it was a quick entertaining read!

As a middle school special education teacher, I am always on the look out for books that will hold my students’ interests while being written at an accessible reading level and Hidden Strings is on that list. Following Tessa as she meets-and eventually works with Liza, the puppeteer hired to take the place of Tessa’s late Grandmother at their family fun park. Hidden Strings was fast paced and creepy! I thoroughly enjoyed the short stories that broke up the overall plot while simultaneously furthering the plot for those who read between the lines. I would recommend this book to my students who are looking for something spooky that they can read quickly.

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read Hidden Strings in exchange of an honest review.

This one is for the weird and spooky children. I was a Goosebumps' fan early on and I feel like Hidden Strings pulled (pun intended) me back almost 15 years. I had a lot of fun and, although predictable, I enjoyed watching how everything was definitely going to get worse before it got better. I do feel though that our main character didn't have much personality and her voice wasn't as captivating as that of the puppeteer's. What I liked most where the storytelling sections and the puppeteer's character, but I do feel like we could've gotten more from her side. All in all, she was the only adult that felt interesting as I was expecting more from the parents and, most importantly, from the grandmother, but I get it's a short book. Made me want to read some more horror for children again.

It's a very interesting story, I liked the characters and the setting and the "evil" one appears just as mysterious as she needs. But I felt like the end was a bit too quick... I really enjoyed the encapsulated tales, some of them are really creepy.

It's not as creepy as I would've liked it to be but it's a well written story with a great plot.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I have no idea why this book is in the adult horror section.
While the premise is good, this isn’t scary or spooky. Definitely not from an adults perspective anyway.
I liked the scene that was given to us from the author and the slightly unnerving puppet master, but again it just wasn’t enough for a well versed horror reader.
This should be marketed as YA at the least. My 12 year old would read no enjoy this.

Tessa and her parents are back at the family fun park they inherited after her grandmother’s passing. Riddled with guilt over missing out on seeing her grandmother for the last time before her death, Tessa tries to put the art of storytelling and puppeteering, hobbies her grandmother had begun to teach her, out of her mind. That becomes increasingly impossible with the arrival of Liza who her parents hire on as the new storyteller. Nightly, her stories entertain and thrill the children and seemingly put the adults in a trance. Soon, children go missing, and Tessa can’t help believe that Liza is responsible.

This novel is short, but is packed with action and mystery. Horror is a popular genre with my middle grade students, and this easy-to-read novel with Goosebumps vibes will surely be popular.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC

What worked:
Liza tells short, eerie stories throughout the book, even though Tessa’s grandmother never would have allowed them at the campground. The tales are typically two or three pages in length and end with a missing or frightened child. They provide hints about events that have already happened and others that may happen later. The stories allow readers to wonder how and why kids are disappearing and how Liza might be stopped. Young readers can quickly finish the short chapters, and motivated readers can complete the whole book in one or two sittings.
Readers immediately know Liza is an evil character, as she tells Tessa that she doesn’t like children. Liza says she never lies, so readers should consider her words carefully. Tessa gets an uneasy feeling when the woman looks at her, and adults get a glazed look in their eyes. A couple of kids go missing, but police and parents quickly forget about pursuing suspects. This situation creates a dramatic problem and gives a taste of the malevolent magic going on. The children listening to Liza’s nightly tales should be frightened, but it’s clear all of the characters’ minds have been addled.
What didn’t work as well:
The plot isn’t overly descriptive, and it’s predictable. The author is still able to skillfully evoke strong emotions of fear. More mature middle-grade readers might want a more intense problem, but it’s fine for its target audience.
The final verdict:
This book will appeal to young readers who enjoy spooky stories. The listing on Amazon indicates it’s appropriate for ages seven and up, but it may be too much for seven-year-olds. Overall, I recommend you give this book a shot.

Thanks to North Star Editions and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC. This was a super quick read. I read it all in one setting. It’s a nice little spooky tale that is obviously made for a much younger audience than me. I’m into YA novels, but I think this a bit more younger than that. Reminds me of Goosebumps and if I’m going to read YA, I would want more Fear Street. That being said, I think the author did a good job with this. It obviously kept me hooked enough to not put it down. I think some of it could have been touched upon a bit more. It’s kind of simplistic in its storytelling. The plot points could have had more put into them at some points. Solid 3.5 though.

Spending the summer at her family-owned “Best Family Fun Park in Texas” used to be a fun experience for fourteen-year-old Tessa, especially when she was learning to craft wooden marionettes with her grandmother. But now that her grandmother has passed away and the park is struggling financially, Tessa's parents are doing what they can to keep Tessa's grandmother's dream alive. A mysterious woman—Liza—has been hired to host the nightly story sessions at the park: a woman who appeared at just the right time for the right price. But as strange things begin occurring with greater frequency in Liza’s vicinity, Tessa and her friends must discover the truth before time runs out. This spooky middle grade novel blends the excitement of summertime campfire stories with a Goosebumps-style delivery. The overall narrative itself is spooky, and every story told by both Liza and Tessa is included in its entirety within the narrative, as well. Together, these elements amplify the intensity of the frightening moments of the book, inviting young readers into a safe yet deliciously spooky experience. Brief chapters, double spacing, and fast-paced storytelling make the book well suited to middle grade readers, especially those who appreciate scary stories. And whether readers experience this novel in one sitting or in several shorter sessions, the story will strike a spooky nerve that readers will be anxious to experience again. Perfect for summer, this book is an excellent addition to library collections for middle grade readers with a love of lightly frightening tales.

Tessa loved stories, most of all the ones her grandmother used to tell. After her Nana passed, her family needed to hire a new puppeteer. Liza , was not what she expected, with her fascination of scary stories and hate of children, what would become of the “Fairy Tale Family Fun Park & RV Campground”?
After all, “what you believe doesn’t matter. Stories are meant to entertain”.
When children start to go missing , everything begins to unfold….

1st person
Novella
YA- 10+ yrs
Horror/ psychological thriller.

This novella was so good. I devoured it so quickly. It was an easy fun read and perfect for the age group intended. It had just enough horror to make it creepy for a YA reader but not enough to truly scare them.

Thank you to NetGalley and North Star Editions for providing me with an e-arc copy of Hidden Strings by K. J. Mist, publishing on August 1st.
This is a spooky novella following our main girl Tessa when her recently deceased grandmother’s Family Fun Park finds a replacement puppeteer int he form of a woman named Liza. But the stories this puppeteer tells to the local children are NOTHING like Tessa’s grandmother used to tell - these are spooky, fear inducing tales of ghosts, witches and monsters. When the local children start to disappear and the adults around her seem unfazed, Tessa knows Liza must have something to do with it. And she is determined to figure out this mystery for herself…
Overall this was an interesting, quick read. I would recommend this to younger readers who are looking for a spooky thrill!
I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I had either read this when I was younger or if I had read things like this when I was younger; then this book would have felt nostalgic instead of immature.

I enjoyed this book a lot. Reminded me of Goosebumps. It was really well written and had an interesting concept.