Imagine viewing a world from a child’s eye, then add not understanding certain human interactions, societal dynamics/norms and last but not least.. murder.

The atmosphere appears very foggy, or too bright.. always off in a way making the reader feel unease. The more you explore, the more your dread grows. Eman Quotah writes in a way that transports you into a scene, allowing you to smell, taste, hear and see the events unfold. I kept thinking “I don’t like this, I don’t like this at all!” .. which was my alarm bells going off and sensing danger. Now that I had a couple of days to think about it, I don’t recall having ever read anything that triggered this exact feeling before.

If you’re into exploring a more psychological horror with some bloody bits, this is the perfect read for you!

Thank you to Eman Quotah for giving me plenty to think and worry about, and thank you to Orbit Books for allowing me to explore this magnificently dread-filled story!

I unfortunately had to DNF. It felt lacking. The writing itself was good but for a book this short I should be interested before getting as far into the book as I did. It just wasn’t for me

Out October 7th, 2025

The Night Is Not for You by Eman Quotah casts a hypnotic spell—subtle yet lingering long after the final page. With deft prose and eerie restraint, Quotah pulls us into a shadow-laced narrative where the night doesn’t just conceal danger, it breathes with it. The atmosphere is rich with unease, like creaking floorboards in an empty house, and the characters feel haunted by things they refuse to name. It’s a story as much about fear as it is about identity and the unseen spaces between.

There’s no need for jump scares here; the dread is psychological, creeping in with exquisite tension. Quotah blends literary depth with quiet horror in a way that chills without showing its teeth—leaving you wondering what’s real and what’s remembered through trembling eyes. It’s not a perfect book—there are moments where the ambiguity threatens to cloud rather than deepen—but the mood and message are unforgettable. I'd recommend it to readers who crave ghost stories with soul and stories that whisper when they could scream.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Run For It for the ARC!

This is a neat blend of a woman struggling to find her own voice amidst patriarchal oppression and sheltering against a mysterious serial murderer writing messages to the neighborhood in their victim's blood. I like the ending twist and how it's hinted at in the narrative leading up to it, and how Quotah also focuses in on the neighborhood's reaction to everything happening. Gorgeous debut, and a voice I'll be keeping an eye out for.

Honestly, overall, this book was a dry read… I think there’s a lot of potential and it does get into different cultural differences, but it reads very much like a report that’s being submitted for school credit and less like a book that I wanted to read overnight. I had a really hard time staying engaged in wanting to read the book because the writing to me missed that personal connection instead, it felt very disconnected.. I think the storyline has a good plot and if they had been more personalization, it could’ve had a lot more potential.

2.75 stars 💕dnf 75%
personally this book fell very flat. this book is reading like a character study, but there’s not much character.. to study? i felt no stakes in this book, and for such a short book i feel like i definitely should be hooked by about 50%. However, i can definitely see promise in this book. I like the basis of this story, and can absolutely see this being a 4 star book, if we were to get some more personality in these characters.

Such a great book. Could not stop reading it. Thank you for letting me read this in advance. Stayed up all night trying to get to the end. Can't wait to look up what else this author to offer.

While this book was slow to start, it had me turning pages into the night. This is a quick read and moves easily through a lifetime for a young girl and how murder has raised her. The story itself brings many cultural nuances that were unknown to me but I found interesting to learn.

I will say, the ending was confusing for me, although I do believe it is left to the readers interpretation (and can have multiple meanings). Overall a very good read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the privilege to read this ARC.