5 Stars

Gothic atmosphere, spooky vibes, creepy creatures running amok, I loved this book.

Aspiring artist Haven Marbury is returning to her late father’s remote house by the sea to clear it out after his death. Her father has warned her the house is haunted but she chalks it up to the supposed dementia ailing him. Her father has won Pulitzers for his works but she unexpectedly finds a book she’s never seen, Bedtime Stories for Monsters. Haven has been shot down by multiple publishers due to her illustrations being too dark but she thinks this could be the book that catapults her work, drawing her illustrations to a book by her famous father that no one even know’s exists. After creating these monsters from this book, all of a sudden monsters start appearing in the house, monsters that look just like the ones she’s drawn.

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this book as Megan Shepherd’s first adult horror/thriller book. I’ve read her past Young Adult Fantasy books and immensely enjoyed them. But wow, her adult work is so much better. I know they say authors work improves with each of their books they write and that was definitely the case here.

This book was spooky to the point I didn’t want to read it at night. The way these monstrous creatures were described legitimately freaked me out to the point I wanted to look under my bed incase anything was lurking there. The atmosphere only added to the eeriness of this book, everything was rolled together perfectly to creep me out and make my heart rate kick up. The dark and gruesome themes might not be for everyone but I seriously couldn’t get enough.

I was expecting a lag somewhere in the story due to it being entirely following Haven’s perspective but I honestly didn’t get that. The entire story kept me engaged and then I got to the break-neck speed ending and I loved the story even more.

Thanks to Hyperion Avenue for the copy for my review.