I had high hopes for this one but was ultimately disappointed. I have trouble figuring out who I'd recommend this to as it takes a very long time to deliver on anything it promises in the blurb. Dedicated readers may be rewarded, but the average reader is likely to give up before getting to any of the promised sporror, cosmic horror, or sexual liberation.

Whooo buddy. This one started off in the vein of The Beach by Alex Garland but took a hard left into wtf territory by the end of the book. Aoife’s living a somewhat mundane existence in the UK and impulsively takes off traveling without any true semblance of a plan for finances or even the end destination. She runs into two other young women and ends up residing at their idyllic farmstead which has a large community. The location is beautiful but there are red flags waving in every direction. Aoife’s a bit frustrating as a character at times. She’s very relatable which tended to highlight some of my own personal issues. She tends to ignore the array of warning signs citing the call she feels to the island and this mysterious cave. I also struggled with some of the side characters. Myristica was fantastic but most of the other islanders kind of blended together and I struggled to distinguish them once the story ramped up.

The first half is pretty standard culty horror. But the remaining portion is full of this absolutely wild cosmic horror. I kept thinking I had a grasp of where the story was heading, and then Steel would do a complete about-face leaving me holding on for dear life. The last quarter or so of the book goes into a very strange existential territory and was definitely my favorite part. Cults generally aren’t my favorite trope but the cosmic horror truly elevates The Faceless Thing We Adore. A bit of a slower burn in the beginning but this was a great.

The Faceless Thing We Adore feels like if Midsommar and Hell Followed With Us had a baby. A very ancient, rotting and disturbingly tender baby.

I decided to request this ARC for two reasons: the cover (how gorgeous is it???) and for the cult vibes (because, well… obviously) but what kept me interested was how raw and personal it all felt. I love love love the creepy commune horror but this is honestly a story about what it means to be gaslit and broken by someone who’s supposed to love you. And it’s told from the victim’s POV which just makes it hurt even more.

Now, I will say… The second half didn’t hit as hard for me. The pacing kind of flattened out and by the time I reached the end, it didn’t really feel like one. It blurred a little too much and lost some of that intensity and intrigue from the beginning. I think it could’ve worked better with fewer pages. Still, it was an amazing read.

You’ll like this book if you’re into:
🛐 Communes/cults
🌌 Cosmic horror
💀 Body horror/transformations
🖤 Female rage
🧠 Survivor POVs

Thank you to Page Street Horror and NetGalley for this E-Arc. All opinions are my own.

When I finished this book today I was at a loss of words. This book is weird, beautiful and terrible in the best ways. It’s difficult to articulate because the concept of the book itself is somewhat hard to wrap my head around at some points. The story is done very well and I devoured the descriptive language with gusto.

It’s hard to talk about this book without spoilers so here’s me trying. There’s a woman named Aofie. She is working a dead end job, with an abusive boyfriend in a small commuter town. She’s stuck and sees a postcard. Everything changes and towards the end we are surprised how we got here at all.

I recommend this book, but do be warned there’s cult, horrible activities (which in an effort not to spoil will be left at that), and an eldritch like god. This book kept twisting and I enjoyed the ride.

Will you destroy yourself to fly?

Aoife has had enough. After years of working an unfulfilling job at a bar and living with her emotionally abusive boyfriend, she decides to pack a bag, sheer her hair, and hop a plane. Arriving in a paradise, she meets Giulia and Larissa, two ethereal women who invite her back to their community. Despite the warnings from the locals, Aoife is entranced by her new friendships, delicious food, and for the first time in her life—support. But the longer she stays her perceptions of reality start to unravel and she discovers that the world might not follow her expectations, but rather listens to the commands of the mysterious Unseen.

Readers are plunged into an engaging story, with a mystery so alluring that they will begin to question whose side they should be on. However, the stylistic choice of using sentence structure so short that they toe the line of fragmentation hampers the ability to ever truly settle into the narrative. Steel has plenty of opportunities to introduce what could be a compelling cast of characters, however, despite the time afforded by the slow-burn narrative, it’s hard to feel like they are anything beyond a few common archetypes. The most success if found in the third act, where the story transforms into a metaphysical horror reminiscent of Jeff Vandermeer’s “Southern Reach” series, with an ending that will satisfy those who can make it to the end.

A supplemental read for fans of high concept sci-fi horror fans.

3.5 ⭐️ I loved the setup of The Faceless Thing We Adore—the dreamy, feverish vibe pulled me in right away, and the blend of queer identity, emotional escape, and creeping horror was exactly my kind of story. Hester Steel’s writing is lush and hypnotic, and the island commune setting was so vivid it felt like I was sinking into it with Aoife. But as much as I was into the atmosphere, the book started to feel a little too long and unruly, especially in the middle where the pacing dragged and the story lost some of its tension. By the time it spiraled into its chaotic, cosmic horror climax, it felt like it had veered a bit off the rails. I still really appreciated what it was aiming for, but I wish it had been a bit tighter and more grounded in its last act.

I loved the beginning part of this book. The cult aspect was sending up red flag after red flag and really created an unsettling feeling! I was drawn to this book for the culty vibes, and those did not disappoint! I was intrigued by the mysterious supernatural force? Spirit? God? That the cult was centered around as well. The spooky cult with a side of sporror part was right up my alley!

However, as the book descended into a fever dream, with the Unseen god taking over more of the plot, my interest waned. The story got a bit confusing and muddled down with all the lyrical prose. The writing was beautiful but it left me lost as to what was actually happening.

The majority of this book just wasn’t for me, but I think other readers who enjoy some poetic horror would love it!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Page Street Horror for the eARC!

"The Faceless Thing We Adore" by Hester Steel is a horrifying journey into a cult that offers a safe place and a sense of belonging, all the while hiding sinister secrets and an inexplicable entity that is hungry ... and seeks freedom by any means possible.

When Aoife leaves her abusive boyfriend, she travels to another country where she meets Larissa and Giuliana. Both speak of their Farmstead on an island as though it's straight out of a fairytale. A happy place where everyone is treated like family, and the land is always warm and sunny. It sounds like paradise. When Aoife is welcomed to return with the girls, she intrinsically knows it's the place she was always meant to be.

On the Farmstead, Aoife is given a home and community, a sense of belonging, sexual freedom, and a greater purpose. It's everything she's ever wanted and more. While she can see herself living there happily, there are unexplainable things that she can't ignore, such as the rot spreading across the land, the fear her friends have when talking about their leader, and the mysterious teen kept locked up inside a cabin with no windows.

Aoife begins to look deeper into the community and their secrets, trying to understand exactly what she's gotten herself into and what it'll cost her. As she does, she learns there is something powerful that has the community in its grip, and when Aoife is caught in its plans, she realizes she has the power to choose what happens to their reality, and whether she will be everyone's undoing.

The narrative style is fitting. Written in lyrical prose, the story feels like a vivid fever dream or a wild acid trip. It reflects many of the characters’ thoughts and behaviours, which can be spontaneous at times. Several beautiful lines emerge from this style of writing, thoughtful and reflective, including evocative details from the lush descriptions of the landscape. This style of writing piques interest and attention from the first page, through the tightly wound scenes, right until the earth-shattering end.

Steel creates an atmosphere that is pure warmth, innocence, comfort, and safety, but also something dark, twisted, gruesome, and unpredictable. There are lots of mysteries to be solved, and Aoife’s up to the challenge. But every time it seems she’s figured something out, it gets flipped on its head and there’s a period of uncertainty. This instability creates a lot of tension and suspense that gets wound tighter and tighter as, with every discovery, comes a twist that’s impossible to see coming. All these secrets to uncover and moments of unpredictability build this desire to figure out what the larger picture is and how all these people are swept up in something that is both awesome and terrifying.

Aoife’s character, while at times can be infuriating, feels reflective of someone who’s been through abuse and trauma. She leaves one toxic environment for another, and one kind of abusive relationship for another. Her character feels true to someone who has jumped too quickly into a situation after leaving a bad relationship without proper distance and time to think clearly and is, perhaps, too naive to see the red flags of the Farmstead and its community. The most growth she has is near the end of the story, and even then, it seems due to another’s influence rather than any real change in herself. I would’ve liked to have seen more reflection from her character and a desire to break free from the toxic environment and relationships she’s found herself in. Instead, she’s caught in a lot of the same bad cycles that repeat throughout the book, which ends up being both a disappointment and a frustration.

I struggled with the pacing as there are multiple points of rising and falling action. On one hand, it was enjoyable because it felt like things were coming to a close, and then you get hit with a twist you don’t see coming. At the same time, it’s exhausting to build up momentum to a climax continuously and then have things wind down to what feels like a conclusion to the story, only for the ball to keep rolling. Had these felt a little less conclusive, I think it would’ve worked better for building suspense and blindsiding both the main character and the reader.

Overall, the horror and cult aspects are incredibly well done. There were multiple moments when the story took a turn, and I felt uncomfortable and unsettled. Readers who like innovative horror and cult stories will enjoy this one. “The Faceless Thing We Adore” by Hester Steel is expected to be published on August 5th, 2025.

Thank you to NetGalley and Page Street Horror for providing me with an e-arc and the opportunity to share my honest opinion in this review.

The Faceless Thing We Adore by Hester Steel ★★★★☆ Haunting and intimate, this novel lingers long after the last page. Steel’s writing is spare yet evocative, and the story dives deep into obsession, love, and fear. It’s strange, a little surreal, but incredibly moving. Perfect for readers who want to sit with a book and just… feel.

This book was provided by NetGalley for a review. It was great! It was extremely weird, fun, AND cosmic. I had a pretty emotional week, and this was the perfect book to be reading while having an emotional breakdown. The MC, Aoife (pronounced Efa), deals with emotional turmoil in a real way throughout the book. I enjoyed her convoluted journey to find herself while the world is falling apart and she wanders in and out of sanity.

In a moment of clarity, Aoife leaves her relationship, hops on a plane, and heads across the world for an adventure. At a bar, she meets two women who welcome her to join them. One of them invites her to join them on their way home to a place in the woods. Having nothing better to do and nowhere to be, Aoife agrees.

At first, it seems like a paradise. A community of people welcoming her into their customs, it’s intoxicating. But she soon discovers there’s more to what’s happening than she’s been shown. A young teenager is locked in a barn, Jonah (the cult-leader) is more than a little creepy, and a weird rot is quickly spreading across the campus. Once Aoife discovers what is going on, life will never be the same.

This book was amazing. I appreciate the desperation of the MC to change her circumstances and the courage she had to actually do something. She’s so lonely at the beginning of the book, longing for people to care for and to care about her. And she finds that. But at what price? It’s such a cool concept. I really enjoyed the way the author captured madness and exestential crises. It comes out on Tuesday!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC!

DNF@17%

Sorry, I'm just not in the mood for this, and I couldn't get hooked.

3,5 ⭐️

Aoife just ran away from a toxic, abusive relationship with her boyfriend to a place that mysteriously captivated her from a postcard. A fateful meeting with two women leads her to a remote island, far from civilization. The small community there seems like a paradise, like somewhere she could finally belong.
So what if a woman went missing quite recently, and the villagers on the other side of the island are wary of the eclectic group of people? Aoife feels like she’s supposed to be there. And for the first time in her life, she wants to do something just for her own sake. It feels, impossibly, like coming home.
Was it truly her decision, though?

The Faceless Thing We Adore has an incredibly interesting premise, tackling several themes such as the corruption by absolute power and blind faith in cultish environment, and the power of our own choice despite the world’s cruelty trying to shape us into something equally brutal and greedy. I wouldn’t classify it as horror, though, despite the horrifying occurrences that made me squirm in discomfort, and the actual eldritch being the cult worshiped.

As the story’s written in first person present tense, we’re constantly in Aoife’s head, and let me tell you, she mostly made me exhausted and frustrated. Which isn’t to say she’s written badly, not at all - she’s a young woman who may have physically gotten out of an abusive relationship, but the emotional inner struggle is a beast, especially as she jumped right into joining a cult. I desperately clutched all the bits of sympathy I had, and I genuinely rooted for her to start appreciating herself for who she is, but I still found her simply unlikable. It’s very authentic, though, because she’s been gaslit and thoroughly trained into putting herself down. Her yearning to be <i>someone</i>, to be a loved and needed and necessary for people, was breathing on me directly from the pages.

There were some sapphic entanglements, but I didn’t find the relationships compelling enough to put any kind of emphasis on them.

Ultimately, I’m rounding down because of the writing. It’s quite lyrical, making me feel like I’m floating through the story dreamily, not really touching the ground. I felt disconnected from Aoife, the island, and all the side characters. And that’s my failing, I need something more down-to-earth to make me invested, to have an emotional impact on me. The story itself also got progressively surreal, and I struggled with imagining anything. Though as I said, that’s fully on me, and I hope other readers won’t have the same problem.

4,5 stars

Oh man. This book is deeply messed up (mostly complimentary but also take this as a caution). The writing is beautiful and drew me in right from the beginning. I liked that the story managed to surprise me - the plot of the book I thought I was reading wrapped up a third of the way in, and from then on I was in open water.

As the main character, Aoife is passive in a way that feels frustrating at times, but it also makes sense in the context of her relationship with Craig. I don't feel like she falls into the annoying category of "person who doesn't know they're in a horror movie" - she kind of does know, and I find that more interesting than if she were to be totally naive and clueless as things escalate.

I would have liked to see more depth in her relationships with the other characters, and overall I do think this could have been a bit more concise. This is especially true of the last section, although the conclusion itself was a super interesting choice.

There was a point at which things got so gory and horrifying that I had to put the book down and come back to it in the daylight. I feel sick just writing this review, so this is one of those books where I'm going to rate it highly and then absolutely never read it again.

love a good folk horror and that’s exactly what this was for me.

The tension, the dread, mixed with bacchanal fever, and cults. The whole thing was a drugged out fever dream and I love it.

The description really doesn’t do it justice.

4.5 ⭐️ (rounded up)
I really enjoyed my time reading this book. It hooked me from the very beginning and had me completely invested in the story early on. The vibes were creepy in the best way, and I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next.
I think the first 70% or so of this book was excellent. I was fully immersed and loving where it was going—the tension, the atmosphere, and the way the story built up were all really well done. The cult elements were especially fascinating, and everything felt exciting and unpredictable.
That being said, the last portion of the book didn’t work quite as well for me. There were a few events that didn’t make much sense or didn’t feel like they added anything significant to the story. I also think the book could’ve been a little shorter, as it did start to drag a bit toward the end. Even with those minor flaws, I still really enjoyed the overall experience and thought it was a unique and memorable horror read.
Overall, this was a strong and compelling book. I’m giving it 4.5 stars because of how much I loved the beginning and middle—it was genuinely hard to put down. I would definitely recommend it to readers looking for a dark, intense cult story with a fascinating premise.

Thank you so much to Hester Steel, Page Street Horror, and NetGalley for providing a free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!’

I love horror and page street having adult horror now is amazing! This book felt like a fever dream which is one of my favorite types of stories. I also love a good cult story. Excited for more horror like this!

Thank you Page Street Horror and NetGalley for the E-ARC.

Holy hell was this a WILD RIDE. I am the biggest chicken on the planet and a few times I felt like I had to hide under the covers to finish a few chapters. The end was immensely satisfying, because fuck cults. I know characters are flawed but damn Aofie made me want to throttle her several times with all her dumb decisions.

GORGEOUS writing with this one, and a strong premise — but the pacing really dragged for me at times, and Aoife frustrated me often (which was a problem, because we spend the whole book in her head).

Recommend this one to: Midsommar fans, general cult enthusiasts, fans of vivid imagery + prose, fans of surreal horror. 3.5-4 stars!

Sadly had to DNF this, I just don’t think this kinda horror is for me unfortunately! I tried so so hard to get into it but I just couldn’t and I didn’t understand what was going on, I think it was too confusing for me!

3.5 stars.

Thank you to Page Street Horror and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this book!

A woman’s rage can tear universes apart.

This is one of those “I liked but didn’t love it but wanted to love it” kind of books. I loved the eldritch body horror, the way the cult twisted as it went further into its beliefs, and the way that your brain as the reader gets just as muddled as Aolfie’s during the story. I also felt the way the emotional abuse was portrayed in this book was spot on, and difficult to read (in a good way). It twisted my heart and made me feel the rage that was building inside the main character myself.

I think it’s largely the pacing that makes me not love this book as much. It bounces between being slow and atmospheric, and being break-neck fast. I also wish we had more development time with the side characters, as a lot of them I couldn’t remember who they were or any defining features when they came up later in the book. Granted, there were a lot of side characters, and the ones we did focus on I loved the development of.

Overall, if a book about an eldritch worshipping cult sounds interesting to you, I recommend giving it a shot! Definitely excited to see what this author puts out next.