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A review by pagesplotsandpints
The Night Guest by Hildur Knútsdóttir
3.5
<b>Read Completed 7/27/24 |</b> 3.5 stars
THE NIGHT GUEST was a quick and easy horror read, clocking in at just over 200 pages. I loved the fast and furious descent into terror as the main character realizes she's been active in her sleep... and it's not just sleep walking.
I listened to the audiobook so I didn't realize how short it was and didn't understand the pacing at first, but once I adjusted to that, I realized how quickly I was flying through it! The author wastes no time getting into Iðunn's issues and it immediately had me interested and hooked. Is she turning into a vampire? Is she possessed? Is she hallucinating? And who could blame her for almost not wanting to know what's going on. If you're not in control of your own body and you're terrified, I totally understood being a little too scared to even want to *really* find out what's happening.
I also really enjoyed the tone! It was a little quirky in some ways but it wasn't silly. I love Mary Robinette Kowal and her narration brought a light tone to the audiobook as well. Audiobook note: I also think it's so cool that MRK translated this book! I didn't know she knew Islandic. The author's note said the author met Mary Robinette Kowal at a book conference in Iceland and they hit it off and MRK offered to translate the book for her. That's such a neat story. Anyway...
My only complaint is that which I have with a lot of short books and it's that I didn't quite satisfy me in the end. The ending really escalated, but the ending was a tad confusing and I wish we had gotten a little more backstory. I could definitely draw a lot of conclusions but I just wanted a couple more dots so I could connect them a little better and get a little bit better of a final picture.
If you're looking for a fast and quickly engaging horror read, this was a fun one! Please check content warnings (especially animal deaths, specific to cats only) if you need them.
THE NIGHT GUEST was a quick and easy horror read, clocking in at just over 200 pages. I loved the fast and furious descent into terror as the main character realizes she's been active in her sleep... and it's not just sleep walking.
I listened to the audiobook so I didn't realize how short it was and didn't understand the pacing at first, but once I adjusted to that, I realized how quickly I was flying through it! The author wastes no time getting into Iðunn's issues and it immediately had me interested and hooked. Is she turning into a vampire? Is she possessed? Is she hallucinating? And who could blame her for almost not wanting to know what's going on. If you're not in control of your own body and you're terrified, I totally understood being a little too scared to even want to *really* find out what's happening.
I also really enjoyed the tone! It was a little quirky in some ways but it wasn't silly. I love Mary Robinette Kowal and her narration brought a light tone to the audiobook as well. Audiobook note: I also think it's so cool that MRK translated this book! I didn't know she knew Islandic. The author's note said the author met Mary Robinette Kowal at a book conference in Iceland and they hit it off and MRK offered to translate the book for her. That's such a neat story. Anyway...
My only complaint is that which I have with a lot of short books and it's that I didn't quite satisfy me in the end. The ending really escalated, but the ending was a tad confusing and I wish we had gotten a little more backstory. I could definitely draw a lot of conclusions but I just wanted a couple more dots so I could connect them a little better and get a little bit better of a final picture.
If you're looking for a fast and quickly engaging horror read, this was a fun one! Please check content warnings (especially animal deaths, specific to cats only) if you need them.