Something of a Calling is a bite-sized, poignant story that will sink its teeth into you (literally). A ‘good for her’ tale, but the ‘her’ is a conglomerate of earth’s creatures working towards leveling the playing field against human tyrants that have long destroyed endless environments and lives. Stage has some really interesting ideas in here and while it is an incredibly quick read, the gruesome moments and messaging will stick with readers. As someone who often has strong emotional reactions seeing animals in the wild, this was a visceral experience that had me cringing and nodding my head in equal measure. I was left wanting more which always feels like an indicator of the quality of a novella. You can feel the passion from the author in this story which heightens the emotional quality. I think this book could be a jumping off point for some really interesting conversations, the chapters from perspectives other than Andy’s leave room for interpretation and a lot of questions. Who is truly innocent? Is violence ever warranted? Who deserves mercy?

A really unique read. Thank you Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for the ARC!

Delightful Ecological Horror!

Something of a Calling by Zoje Stage is such a quietly powerful take on ecological horror. The kind that sneaks up on you, soft and unassuming, before tightening its grip in ways you don’t expect. Take the cover, for example, it is seemingly simple, but it contains LAYERS that add to the story, and I found myself getting lost in it as I continued to devour the story. There’s this gentle, almost meditative quality to the story at first, rooted in grief, loss, and the aching need to reconnect with something larger than yourself while also entering into a new stage of life (retirement). Stage lets those themes breathe, building an emotional foundation that feels real and grounded before anything overtly terrifying even begins to surface. And then, slowly, that unease starts to creep in. The body count rises, and it becomes this echoing shout as everything comes to life.

Once the horror arrives, it lingers, it seeps, it settles into the bones of the story and turns something natural into something deeply unsettling. That contrast, between the quiet emotional core and the growing, almost inevitable sense of dread, makes the terror hit so much harder. Not to mention the horror of this story might not be the scariest to readers, but the more it sits with you, the scarier it becomes. Nature will never be the same. It’s eerie, it’s thoughtful, and it proves that sometimes the most effective horror doesn’t need to shout to leave a lasting mark.

Such a good book. I could not stop reading it. This author is so good. I cannot wait to read her other books. Five stars hands down.

Some horrors don’t come from monsters… they come from what we’ve done to the world.

This book completely pulled me under.
What starts as a final case for Detective Andy Cooper quickly becomes something so much bigger...something unsettling, almost otherworldly, and deeply rooted in the idea that maybe humanity isn’t as untouchable as we think.

Andy is such a strong, grounded main character. She’s carrying grief, exhaustion, and years of seeing the worst of people, and you can feel how worn down she is by it all. Watching her step into something she can’t fully explain but somehow understands on a deeper level was both eerie and emotional.

The atmosphere is where this book really shines. The quiet lake, the small-town isolation, the sense that something is shifting just beneath the surface… it creates this constant feeling of unease that builds with every chapter.

And the eco-horror element? So well done.
It’s subtle, creeping, and almost… justified in a way that makes you uncomfortable.

The story really leans into that idea of nature pushing back, of consequences catching up, and it makes you question where the line between horror and truth actually is.

There’s also this underlying emotional thread about grief, loneliness, and what comes after a life defined by loss and duty. It gives the story so much depth beyond just the mystery.

By the end, I was completely immersed and honestly a little shaken.


Thank you so much Blackstone Publishing, Zoje Stage, & NetGalley for the #gifted earc.
All opinions are my own 🖤

As a long-time fan of Zoje Stage, this one is unsettling in a quiet, creeping way, and it's still emotional underneath the horror. Andy feels real, especially as she’s dealing with grief, change, and a life that doesn’t look the way she expected. It's a slow build of tension and unease that is just the right amount of unsettling. Strange and disturbing in the best way.

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Something of a Calling by Zoje Stage was an easy five star read for me. I was completely pulled in from the very first page and ended up finishing it in a single sitting, it’s that engaging.

The story follows Andy Cooper, a detective on the verge of retirement, who becomes involved in a deeply unsettling case. What stood out to me the most was Andy herself. She felt incredibly real and grounded, and I found myself fully invested in her perspective as the story unfolded.

Having previously read and loved Baby Teeth, I had high expectations going into this novella, and it absolutely delivered. Zoje Stage’s writing is accessible and easy to follow while still maintaining a strong sense of tension and atmosphere.

This novella blends psychological and ecological horror in a way that feels both terrifying and thought-provoking. Beneath the surface, it explores the idea of humanity’s impact on the natural world, raising unsettling questions about whether humans themselves are becoming an invasive force.

Overall, this was a sharp, haunting, and impactful read that lingered with me after I finished. I would highly recommend it to readers who enjoy horror with deeper thematic elements.

Detective Andy Cooper is nearing retirement, but the future isn’t exactly brimming with possibility. Maybe she’ll travel the country in an RV she hasn’t bought yet. Maybe she’ll finally get a dog. Maybe she’ll spend her days gardening beside the shrinking patch of woods behind her house. Truth is, Andy isn’t sure what comes next—and after losing her daughter to a drunk driver and watching her marriage fall apart, the quiet that waits on the other side of retirement feels more like an abyss than a reward.
Then the bodies start appearing.
The victims haven’t been stabbed or shot. Instead, they look like they’ve been chewed. Torn apart by teeth. Not human teeth. As Andy works what may be her final case, she forms an unlikely friendship with Fiona—a woman who seems to embody everything Andy has lost: energy, curiosity, a love of nature and the wild world outside town. But beneath Fiona’s easy smile is a secret that could shatter everything Andy thinks she understands.
This was just a fun read. Andy is a great character—world-weary without being cynical, sharp but quietly wounded—and I would happily follow her into another book. The central mystery is creepy in a wonderfully unsettling way, and the idea behind it is genuinely terrifying once it sinks in. My only real complaint is that the book is too short. The concept here is strong enough that it could have been expanded quite a bit, and the ending ends up feeling a little rushed because of it. Still, the small-town setting gives the story a nice, grounded vibe that makes the horror hit a little harder. So close to a five-star read that I could almost taste it. Even so, this is easily the best book I’ve read so far this year.