A decent horror pick-me-up, William is an in-your-face assemblage of horror trope and setting: possessed doll, tech-gone-rouge, and haunted house to highlight a few. Beneath its funhouse style carnage and violence, there lies a thought-provoking core thesis, which reveals itself towards the end for a satisfying finale.

My main issue with William is its structure: it's missing a proper first act introducing its characters and setting. Spin it positively it drops readers immediately in the midst of action (everything is already creepy/off-kilter from the get-go). However, the absence of buildup also makes the horrors less dynamic, as well as the deaths coming across as trivial (since we as readers never really get to know the characters). The writing is also uneven, very articulated in generating atmosphere and putting out philosophical discourse, but action sequences tend to be muddled and disorienting, and I find myself constantly re-reading passages trying to visualize what exactly is happening.

William offers a quick dose of satisfying horror (not a bad pick if you'll be doing a Halloween readathon this year), but has evident flaws due to the amputated storytelling (not unlike a certain character...)—a novella of strong ideas desperately needing to be fleshed out to a full length novel.

**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**