What do you think?
Rate this book
The Grimmer
The small-town mysteries of John Bellairs are made modern with a dash of Stranger Things in this spine-tingling supernatural horror-thriller After his father returns from treatment for addiction, highschooler Vish ― lover of metal music and literature ― is uncertain what the future holds. It doesn’t help that everyone seems to know about the family’s troubles, and they stand out doubly as one of the only brown families in town. When Vish is mistaken for a relative of the weird local bookseller and attacked by an unsettling pale man who seems to be decaying, he is pulled into the world of the occult, where witches live in television sets, undead creatures can burn with a touch, and magic is mathematical. Vish must work with the bookstore owner and his mysterious teenage employee, Gisela, to stop an interdimensional invasion that would destroy their peaceful town. Bringing together scares, suspense, and body horror, The Grimmer is award-winning author Naben Ruthnum’s first foray into the young adult genre. This gripping ride through the supernatural is loaded with vivid characters, frightening imagery, and astonishing twists, while tackling complex issues such as grief, racism, and addiction.
256 pages, Paperback
First published September 26, 2023
26 people are currently reading
4285 people want to read
About the author
Naben Ruthnum
10 books113 followersNaben Ruthnum is a Canadian writer, who has published work under both his own name and the pen name Nathan Ripley.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews
September 26, 2023
HAPPY RELEASE DAY and Welcome to spooky season everyone 👻❗️💀
Thank you @netgalley and @ecwpress for gifting me this engaging audiobook!
I literally devoured it and the voice actor did an amazing job!
The Grimmer was the perfect beginning for my spooky season.
What happens when you enter a bookshop and you find a semi.drunk owner, a teenage girl with some sort of power and a weird old man with a strage vibe?
Vish is a 15 yo Indian-Canadian that just came back to his hometown after two years of boarding school.
He didn’t want to leave, he had to when his two best friends spilled that his father, a well known therapist, fell into addition and send Vish family into a storm of gossip.
Spending two years away Vish didn’t talk much and find confort in books and Rock music.
Therefore as soon as he comes back to his hometown his first stop is the bookstore, Greycat Books, owned by one of the other few Indian-Canadian of the city, Agastya.
The story has a nice spooky vibe that was perfect to set the mood for a rainy October.
The character were super interesting, mainly the conflict Vish had throughout the book, not just about imminent “end of the world has we know it” problem, but also about his being a kid to the eyes of the parent but adult enough to being aware of what is going on and having an opinion on the matter.
Vish is a kind soul, that suffered for actions made by the adults in his life, but he is also strong, much stronger than any other character in the book.
I loved all the relationships in between the character and I particularly appreciated Gisella overall vibe. She is a bad bitch and she knows it. You go girl!
The magic system was a little complicated, but I liked how Ruthnum attaches it to a more scientific approach.
Definitely recommended!!!
ALSO THIS COVER IS SO PRETTY ❗️❗️❗️❗️I’m in love ♥️
Thank you @netgalley and @ecwpress for gifting me this engaging audiobook!
I literally devoured it and the voice actor did an amazing job!
The Grimmer was the perfect beginning for my spooky season.
What happens when you enter a bookshop and you find a semi.drunk owner, a teenage girl with some sort of power and a weird old man with a strage vibe?
Vish is a 15 yo Indian-Canadian that just came back to his hometown after two years of boarding school.
He didn’t want to leave, he had to when his two best friends spilled that his father, a well known therapist, fell into addition and send Vish family into a storm of gossip.
Spending two years away Vish didn’t talk much and find confort in books and Rock music.
Therefore as soon as he comes back to his hometown his first stop is the bookstore, Greycat Books, owned by one of the other few Indian-Canadian of the city, Agastya.
The story has a nice spooky vibe that was perfect to set the mood for a rainy October.
The character were super interesting, mainly the conflict Vish had throughout the book, not just about imminent “end of the world has we know it” problem, but also about his being a kid to the eyes of the parent but adult enough to being aware of what is going on and having an opinion on the matter.
Vish is a kind soul, that suffered for actions made by the adults in his life, but he is also strong, much stronger than any other character in the book.
I loved all the relationships in between the character and I particularly appreciated Gisella overall vibe. She is a bad bitch and she knows it. You go girl!
The magic system was a little complicated, but I liked how Ruthnum attaches it to a more scientific approach.
Definitely recommended!!!
ALSO THIS COVER IS SO PRETTY ❗️❗️❗️❗️I’m in love ♥️
September 2, 2023
This is definitely a YA Horror for those who are looking for something edgy yet awkward with a cool retro vibe that perfectly captures what it’s like to be a teen—the turbulence and frustration, the desire to both be in the world and run away from everyone and everything at the first hint of confrontation, of the in between stages of life where you’re not a child but not quite a teen, of wanting to belong, needing to belong, but also fearing belonging and the feeling of being needed, of having responsibilities and pressure and stress.
It is a book for fans of the occult and strange, dark, and uncanny magic. Ruthnum shows us the capability of the youth to be mentors just like those who might be older, characters who are having adventures but also having to deal with real life problems instead of being removed from it. There are themes of addiction and breaking vicious cycles—you are never too young to suffer trauma and never too old to fix your mistakes. There is also the wholesomeness of music and the way it brings people together, connecting them, creating and mending friendships, and to express what cannot be expressed with words alone.
A big thank you to Naben and ECW for a physical ARC of the book!
It is a book for fans of the occult and strange, dark, and uncanny magic. Ruthnum shows us the capability of the youth to be mentors just like those who might be older, characters who are having adventures but also having to deal with real life problems instead of being removed from it. There are themes of addiction and breaking vicious cycles—you are never too young to suffer trauma and never too old to fix your mistakes. There is also the wholesomeness of music and the way it brings people together, connecting them, creating and mending friendships, and to express what cannot be expressed with words alone.
A big thank you to Naben and ECW for a physical ARC of the book!
September 25, 2023
ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.
Jacob Machin does an excellent job voicing all the characters in this story! His accents are spot on and he really makes the characters come to life! The story itself was interesting and well written, but just didn’t hold my attention the way I wanted it to. I really liked the plot and the journey the group takes but sometimes it just felt drawn out to me.
Jacob Machin does an excellent job voicing all the characters in this story! His accents are spot on and he really makes the characters come to life! The story itself was interesting and well written, but just didn’t hold my attention the way I wanted it to. I really liked the plot and the journey the group takes but sometimes it just felt drawn out to me.
April 30, 2025
3.5 Stars
This was a pretty good YA horror novel with occult elements (and, of course, cats). I'd definitely recommend this to younger readers looking to get into horror!
This was a pretty good YA horror novel with occult elements (and, of course, cats). I'd definitely recommend this to younger readers looking to get into horror!
August 10, 2023
First, huge thanks to Naben and ECW Press for sending me a digital ARC!
Life’s funny isn’t it?
A few years back, I connected with Brennan Storr, author and podcast host. After we got chatting, we discovered that we grew up only ninety minutes apart from each other. He in Revelstoke, BC, myself in Burton, BC.
Fast forward to early last year, and I connected with Naben via Twitter and soon after read and reviewed his phenomenal novella, ‘Helpmeet.’ Recently, Naben had posted about looking for YA reviewers for his upcoming release and I reached out. YA isn’t my go-to category, and by no means am I an expert or authority on YA works, but what I do know is that YA should make me feel emotions. It should make me feel attachments and nostalgia and move me in ways some dark fiction may not.
It wasn’t until after reading this novel that I did some brief Googling, and discovered that, oddly, Naben grew up (I’m honestly not sure for how long) in Kelowna and lived in Vancouver where he started an Indie Rock band. Here we were, another random connection, where he’d grown up on the other end of the Monashee from me, and, with this book being set in 1996, the main character, Vish, is fifteen, the same age I was in 1996. It all connected then. Much like my recently released memoir was a cathartic experience, I could feel how much of this novel was based on Naben’s youth, and those days cavorting around Pandosy during the Halcyon days at the end of the 90’s. The only annoying part of the ARC was there was no afterword, so I’ll be curious to see if Naben adds anything about the writing of this novel.
What I liked: As mentioned, the story follows fifteen-year-old, Vish, who has returned to Kelowna, BC. For the last two years, he’d been cast away to a private school on Vancouver Island, as his father grappled with addiction and his mom wanted him far away from how his father was. To make matters more awkward (or worse), Vish is a visible minority, one of the few darker skinned people in the town. He’s isolated himself from his two best friends (Danny and Matt) and just wants to focus on reading and listening to metal music.
Naben infuses – what I can only assume – are a lot of the real moments and feelings he had from back in those days. Growing up, Kelowna was the ‘big city’ for us, a place three hours away that had everything – malls, concerts, celebrities – all the trappings of a big city that had this small-town boy’s eyes wide during every visit. But, it was also an overwhelming place to visit. There was A LOT of buildings, A LOT of people and I could only imagine what it would’ve been like to return to a place where you’re different because of your skin color, but also different because your dad had an addiction that everyone knew about.
From here, Vish seemingly at random, becomes a key player in a battle of good-versus-evil (even if we learn there’s no such thing as random in these battles) and meets Gisela and Agastya. Agastya owns the book store that Vish loves and soon finds out he is also grieving for the loss of his significant other.
But that’s minor in comparison to the reality that an ancient evil is attempting to bring forth horrible people through a portal, into Kelowna, where the town – and then the world – will be devoured. Vish’s participation is vital to this, but it’s offset by the family aspects he’s struggling with. As well as his reluctance to start up his friendship with his best friends again, even if he misses playing music with them. The theme of isolation and feeling lost are predominant throughout, and again, it feels that much ‘more’ because it seems clear that Naben has infused so much of his own life into this story.
Now, while a lot of this novel is focused on Vish, we also get some really amazing character building with Gisela – her past, her struggles and how she survives now, in a time far removed from her origins, with Agastya, his battles, hints at who he is and ultimately how his hurt controls so much of his heart.
We get an ‘ultimate battle’ where we see how Gisela’s magical abilities are put to the test, some sacrifice all and how good comes together to fight against the growing evil. We even get a hint towards the Ogopogo-lore and a subtle nod to a follow up in the future.
Throughout, this novel spoke to me as a reader, in a way few novels do. It connected with that small-town, BC kid, that one that lived near that place during that time and it made me think of some of the memories I have of visiting Kelowna over the years of my youth. It felt like I was there beside Vish and fighting with him, to save his family, his friends and his future.
What I didn’t like: Honestly, I wish there had been more time spent on the socioeconomic aspects of Vish and his family, as well as the reduced multicultural aspects of that time period. It is clear Vish’s family is well off – his father is a therapist, his mom is now a major realtor in the area and he was sent to a private school hundreds of kilometers away. On top of that, he is a minority. So, I would’ve been interested in seeing how some other kids might’ve treated him and if that did effect his relationships with Matt and Danny at all. It might not’ve in the least, which is why Naben minimized it to a degree, but I think it could’ve heightened Vish’s internal struggle regarding where he fit and how he was received.
Why you should buy this: Outside of the magic aspect and the battle versus good and evil, this reads closer to a contemporary drama, with a very heartfelt look at growing up different, trying to fit in and how a kid struggles to fit in after some time away. All small towns are cliquey and having left for a few years, that could make it even harder for Vish to return and find his place. Naben does a wonderful job of highlighting those aspects while also giving us hope. Hope that we can do anything we want, especially when we team up with those we love and when we want to save those we love the most.
This was really well done, a gem of a novel that ticked every box off that I was looking for when I dove into this and shows the scope and talent Naben has as a writer. Very few could pull off such a vastly different 1-2 release of ‘Helpmeet’ and ‘The Grimmer’ and pull it off so masterfully.
Life’s funny isn’t it?
A few years back, I connected with Brennan Storr, author and podcast host. After we got chatting, we discovered that we grew up only ninety minutes apart from each other. He in Revelstoke, BC, myself in Burton, BC.
Fast forward to early last year, and I connected with Naben via Twitter and soon after read and reviewed his phenomenal novella, ‘Helpmeet.’ Recently, Naben had posted about looking for YA reviewers for his upcoming release and I reached out. YA isn’t my go-to category, and by no means am I an expert or authority on YA works, but what I do know is that YA should make me feel emotions. It should make me feel attachments and nostalgia and move me in ways some dark fiction may not.
It wasn’t until after reading this novel that I did some brief Googling, and discovered that, oddly, Naben grew up (I’m honestly not sure for how long) in Kelowna and lived in Vancouver where he started an Indie Rock band. Here we were, another random connection, where he’d grown up on the other end of the Monashee from me, and, with this book being set in 1996, the main character, Vish, is fifteen, the same age I was in 1996. It all connected then. Much like my recently released memoir was a cathartic experience, I could feel how much of this novel was based on Naben’s youth, and those days cavorting around Pandosy during the Halcyon days at the end of the 90’s. The only annoying part of the ARC was there was no afterword, so I’ll be curious to see if Naben adds anything about the writing of this novel.
What I liked: As mentioned, the story follows fifteen-year-old, Vish, who has returned to Kelowna, BC. For the last two years, he’d been cast away to a private school on Vancouver Island, as his father grappled with addiction and his mom wanted him far away from how his father was. To make matters more awkward (or worse), Vish is a visible minority, one of the few darker skinned people in the town. He’s isolated himself from his two best friends (Danny and Matt) and just wants to focus on reading and listening to metal music.
Naben infuses – what I can only assume – are a lot of the real moments and feelings he had from back in those days. Growing up, Kelowna was the ‘big city’ for us, a place three hours away that had everything – malls, concerts, celebrities – all the trappings of a big city that had this small-town boy’s eyes wide during every visit. But, it was also an overwhelming place to visit. There was A LOT of buildings, A LOT of people and I could only imagine what it would’ve been like to return to a place where you’re different because of your skin color, but also different because your dad had an addiction that everyone knew about.
From here, Vish seemingly at random, becomes a key player in a battle of good-versus-evil (even if we learn there’s no such thing as random in these battles) and meets Gisela and Agastya. Agastya owns the book store that Vish loves and soon finds out he is also grieving for the loss of his significant other.
But that’s minor in comparison to the reality that an ancient evil is attempting to bring forth horrible people through a portal, into Kelowna, where the town – and then the world – will be devoured. Vish’s participation is vital to this, but it’s offset by the family aspects he’s struggling with. As well as his reluctance to start up his friendship with his best friends again, even if he misses playing music with them. The theme of isolation and feeling lost are predominant throughout, and again, it feels that much ‘more’ because it seems clear that Naben has infused so much of his own life into this story.
Now, while a lot of this novel is focused on Vish, we also get some really amazing character building with Gisela – her past, her struggles and how she survives now, in a time far removed from her origins, with Agastya, his battles, hints at who he is and ultimately how his hurt controls so much of his heart.
We get an ‘ultimate battle’ where we see how Gisela’s magical abilities are put to the test, some sacrifice all and how good comes together to fight against the growing evil. We even get a hint towards the Ogopogo-lore and a subtle nod to a follow up in the future.
Throughout, this novel spoke to me as a reader, in a way few novels do. It connected with that small-town, BC kid, that one that lived near that place during that time and it made me think of some of the memories I have of visiting Kelowna over the years of my youth. It felt like I was there beside Vish and fighting with him, to save his family, his friends and his future.
What I didn’t like: Honestly, I wish there had been more time spent on the socioeconomic aspects of Vish and his family, as well as the reduced multicultural aspects of that time period. It is clear Vish’s family is well off – his father is a therapist, his mom is now a major realtor in the area and he was sent to a private school hundreds of kilometers away. On top of that, he is a minority. So, I would’ve been interested in seeing how some other kids might’ve treated him and if that did effect his relationships with Matt and Danny at all. It might not’ve in the least, which is why Naben minimized it to a degree, but I think it could’ve heightened Vish’s internal struggle regarding where he fit and how he was received.
Why you should buy this: Outside of the magic aspect and the battle versus good and evil, this reads closer to a contemporary drama, with a very heartfelt look at growing up different, trying to fit in and how a kid struggles to fit in after some time away. All small towns are cliquey and having left for a few years, that could make it even harder for Vish to return and find his place. Naben does a wonderful job of highlighting those aspects while also giving us hope. Hope that we can do anything we want, especially when we team up with those we love and when we want to save those we love the most.
This was really well done, a gem of a novel that ticked every box off that I was looking for when I dove into this and shows the scope and talent Naben has as a writer. Very few could pull off such a vastly different 1-2 release of ‘Helpmeet’ and ‘The Grimmer’ and pull it off so masterfully.
June 9, 2025
3.75 rounded to 4 stars. A fresh take who's villain missed their opportunity to shine, but great characters and plot made it well worth the read.
Vish just wants to get back to his normal life, even if life has other plans. He just got back from two years away from home; boarding school to "help" his mom be better equipped to help his father recover from his addiction. Vish wants to get out of the house, be more involved with the community he's returned to, and what better way than getting a job at the locally owned indie bookstore? Little does he know that some of the requirements of the job include dealing with creepy interdimensional beings. What mess has his new boss brought him into, and will he make it out alive?
This is a super cute story that has many shining moments: the characters, the pacing, and the plot twists all make for a fun time. Vish is a typical teenager, one who thinks he knows better than his parents at times; and he's even right a few of the times. Agastia makes for the hip older boss and hero you root for, even if he, like Vish, never wanted a part of the mess they've found themselves in. Mr. Farris, our being of menace and mayhem, is where this book falls a bit short for me. He's such an interesting being that I wanted more. More about his power, more about what bits and pieces he was made up from, and how powerful he really was at one point. He was the bones of an amazing villain that may have been a bit more than the author meant to take on. The narrator kept it fun and fast paced as well as offering a variety of voices that helped you connect with the characters.
Overall I really enjoyed The Grimmer and would recommend it for those who are looking for a fun standalone that will fly by and leave you satisfied. 3.75 rounded to 4 stars. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for and AudioARC in exchange for an honest review.
Vish just wants to get back to his normal life, even if life has other plans. He just got back from two years away from home; boarding school to "help" his mom be better equipped to help his father recover from his addiction. Vish wants to get out of the house, be more involved with the community he's returned to, and what better way than getting a job at the locally owned indie bookstore? Little does he know that some of the requirements of the job include dealing with creepy interdimensional beings. What mess has his new boss brought him into, and will he make it out alive?
This is a super cute story that has many shining moments: the characters, the pacing, and the plot twists all make for a fun time. Vish is a typical teenager, one who thinks he knows better than his parents at times; and he's even right a few of the times. Agastia makes for the hip older boss and hero you root for, even if he, like Vish, never wanted a part of the mess they've found themselves in. Mr. Farris, our being of menace and mayhem, is where this book falls a bit short for me. He's such an interesting being that I wanted more. More about his power, more about what bits and pieces he was made up from, and how powerful he really was at one point. He was the bones of an amazing villain that may have been a bit more than the author meant to take on. The narrator kept it fun and fast paced as well as offering a variety of voices that helped you connect with the characters.
Overall I really enjoyed The Grimmer and would recommend it for those who are looking for a fun standalone that will fly by and leave you satisfied. 3.75 rounded to 4 stars. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for and AudioARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 7, 2025
The plot is engaging, and the story is intriguing, but I found the characters unbelievable and had difficulty understanding the friendship between the main character, Vish, and his friends. They kept disappearing and reappearing with little explanation throughout the story, so I was confused about how they finally reconciled near the end. Despite all of that, this book had a great villain! This was another ‘bonus borrow’ from Hoopla (app), available at the end of each month.
January 19, 2025
3.5 rounded up.
Strong ending, but I was mostly here for all the Kelowna stuff.
Strong ending, but I was mostly here for all the Kelowna stuff.
June 4, 2023
Thank you to NetGalley and ECW Press for giving me the digital ARC to review!
I was interested in this from the blurb, with the Stranger Things association particularly intriguing. I'd say this is very horror-lite, probably a good jumping point for young adults to get into horror as there's nothing majorly grim or bloody in it. The antagonist was creepy and the whole concept of him was, admittedly, terrifying. I've never read, or seen, this type of creature in any media before, so it was interesting to see something new.
The main character is Vish, a 15-year-old Indian-Canadian boy who has come back to his hometown after 2 years at a boarding school due to his dad's addiction. It's set in 1996, so there's references to things like VHS and old metal bands, which Vish is a fan of. Our other characters include Gisela, a German teenager who knows more about all the strangeness going on, Danny and Matt, Vish's former best friends, and Agastya, an Indian-Canadian bookstore owner who, like Gisela, knows more.
The introduction of the supernatural stuff is quiet, and if I have to be honest...I didn't hugely care for how it was all described. Magic is more like maths and physics, from what I can gather, and there's some confusing descriptions that kind of made my mind shut off sometimes. I wish I had understood it, but I didn't and it made me wonder if this was a bit too high level for young adults if I couldn't understand it well.
The characters themselves were will written and developed, so no issues there, but the whole supernatural side was just too confusing for me to properly understand.
I was interested in this from the blurb, with the Stranger Things association particularly intriguing. I'd say this is very horror-lite, probably a good jumping point for young adults to get into horror as there's nothing majorly grim or bloody in it. The antagonist was creepy and the whole concept of him was, admittedly, terrifying. I've never read, or seen, this type of creature in any media before, so it was interesting to see something new.
The main character is Vish, a 15-year-old Indian-Canadian boy who has come back to his hometown after 2 years at a boarding school due to his dad's addiction. It's set in 1996, so there's references to things like VHS and old metal bands, which Vish is a fan of. Our other characters include Gisela, a German teenager who knows more about all the strangeness going on, Danny and Matt, Vish's former best friends, and Agastya, an Indian-Canadian bookstore owner who, like Gisela, knows more.
The introduction of the supernatural stuff is quiet, and if I have to be honest...I didn't hugely care for how it was all described. Magic is more like maths and physics, from what I can gather, and there's some confusing descriptions that kind of made my mind shut off sometimes. I wish I had understood it, but I didn't and it made me wonder if this was a bit too high level for young adults if I couldn't understand it well.
The characters themselves were will written and developed, so no issues there, but the whole supernatural side was just too confusing for me to properly understand.
August 26, 2023
Vish has just returned to his small hometown after living at a boarding school for the past two years. Deciding to lay low for the summer after the fallout that happened when he left town, Vish ignores his former friends. Who had a hand in the rumors surrounding his family..
During his first trip back downtown he has a very strange encounter with a misshapen man, a goth girl at Greycat Books, the town's local bookshop. Not only is he witness to supernatural events that will completely change his worldview, he also becomes entangled in this new multidimensional world whether he wants to or not. The fate of this small town rests on a boy who not only has to defend himself from unknown supernatural entities, but also overcome the trauma that haunts his family.
The Grimmer is an original horror/thriller, and as the description says, it definitely has Stranger Things vibes. I very much enjoyed how natural Naben Ruthnum writes ,with characters reacting in a real world manner. It’s not your typical trope of a young person who learns everything overnight and becomes a master.
Great book! I hope this will turn out to be a series!
During his first trip back downtown he has a very strange encounter with a misshapen man, a goth girl at Greycat Books, the town's local bookshop. Not only is he witness to supernatural events that will completely change his worldview, he also becomes entangled in this new multidimensional world whether he wants to or not. The fate of this small town rests on a boy who not only has to defend himself from unknown supernatural entities, but also overcome the trauma that haunts his family.
The Grimmer is an original horror/thriller, and as the description says, it definitely has Stranger Things vibes. I very much enjoyed how natural Naben Ruthnum writes ,with characters reacting in a real world manner. It’s not your typical trope of a young person who learns everything overnight and becomes a master.
Great book! I hope this will turn out to be a series!
October 13, 2023
This is a really great creative story. It's very unique. The characters are very likable and well developed. I would recommend this! Special Thank You to Naben Ruthnum, ECW Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
September 24, 2023
3.75 ⭐
I absolutely love this book cover!
I also enjoyed the book! It was interesting seeing magic being represented as more scientific and based on alchemy. I did like the characters, but I wish we could have seen more about the relationship between Vish and his father. The main character is 15 but the story felt more as if he was older.
The setting was great, I loved that it was set in Canada, in a small independent book store.
the writing was really good, I really enjoyed the way the more creepy scenes were written! however I do wish there were a bit more of the horror considering its a horror book.
looking forward to reading more from the author!
It's a great read for the upcoming spooky season!
Thank you to Netgalley, Naben Ruthnum and ECW Press Audio for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review! always appreciated :)
I absolutely love this book cover!
I also enjoyed the book! It was interesting seeing magic being represented as more scientific and based on alchemy. I did like the characters, but I wish we could have seen more about the relationship between Vish and his father. The main character is 15 but the story felt more as if he was older.
The setting was great, I loved that it was set in Canada, in a small independent book store.
the writing was really good, I really enjoyed the way the more creepy scenes were written! however I do wish there were a bit more of the horror considering its a horror book.
looking forward to reading more from the author!
It's a great read for the upcoming spooky season!
Thank you to Netgalley, Naben Ruthnum and ECW Press Audio for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review! always appreciated :)
September 27, 2023
This was a super creepy YA thriller set in a supernatural bookstore with great BIPOC rep and parental addiction rep. I was drawn to the fantastic cover and really enjoyed this on audio! Full of a great cast of characters this was a truly spine-tingling horror story.
Definitely recommended if you're looking for something good for #spookyseason reading! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review! This was my first book by Canadian author Naben Ruthnum and definitely won't be my last.
Definitely recommended if you're looking for something good for #spookyseason reading! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review! This was my first book by Canadian author Naben Ruthnum and definitely won't be my last.
October 31, 2024
I have to say this is one of the most unique fantasy books I have read. This takes place in the 90s, so it feels like going back to my teenage years. Between the hair metal bands, the Pantera shirts, I swam in this world gleefully. This is a story about a boy who’s been away for the last few years because his father was in rehab. When he gets to move back in with his family it’s a bit strange and his first stop is to a bookstore. His friends are still there, but they’re a little different and he doesn’t fit in no matter how many T-shirts he wears. And being one of the only brown kids in the area he is automatically assumed to be the son of the bookstore owner. This is not unusual, but it is an entrance into a world of mathematical magic and danger. Time can stop, but also fast forward. This was very interesting and entirely worth it. I wouldn’t mind visiting this world again, but it’s so unique that I understand why it’s a bit of a sleeper. But those who give it a chance most likely going to find something they like.
April 7, 2024
DNF at 84%
I'm tired of this book and I just don't care. I'm mad because it started off amazing. And then it just devolved into a series of events that sort of happened as opposed to a cohesive narrative. This book also suffers from "we'll tell you everything later" and "we lied about X but now we'll tell you the truth." And there's no reason for any of it. The protagonists are underdeveloped and/or garbage humans and villain is creepy but evil for evil's sake. And who in their right mind just lets a 15 year old boy borrow their cat?!!! For reasons. Fuck no you cannot borrow my cat. I don't care how sad you are or how well I know your parents.
I know I'm not the target audience for this book, but I've also read a bunch of YA/MG books that don't suffer from feeling half baked nonsense.
I'm tired of this book and I just don't care. I'm mad because it started off amazing. And then it just devolved into a series of events that sort of happened as opposed to a cohesive narrative. This book also suffers from "we'll tell you everything later" and "we lied about X but now we'll tell you the truth." And there's no reason for any of it. The protagonists are underdeveloped and/or garbage humans and villain is creepy but evil for evil's sake. And who in their right mind just lets a 15 year old boy borrow their cat?!!! For reasons. Fuck no you cannot borrow my cat. I don't care how sad you are or how well I know your parents.
I know I'm not the target audience for this book, but I've also read a bunch of YA/MG books that don't suffer from feeling half baked nonsense.
June 14, 2023
Thank you NetGalley and ECW Press for providing a digital ARC to review!
I was intrigued by the cool cover and the plot sounded good. It was a fun and easy to read book with some horror elements, but the ending felt a bit rushed and anticlimactic. Most of the characters were interesting, including the villain, but he felt very absent and we didn't get to see him enough.
It would be a nice introduction to YA horror for some readers!
I was intrigued by the cool cover and the plot sounded good. It was a fun and easy to read book with some horror elements, but the ending felt a bit rushed and anticlimactic. Most of the characters were interesting, including the villain, but he felt very absent and we didn't get to see him enough.
It would be a nice introduction to YA horror for some readers!
September 25, 2023
1/5 Stars
TL;DR - A painfully slow, over-bloated, lukewarm (at best) book that delivered the absolute minimum (if that) on the things it promised. Went from intriguing to boring to eye-rolling really quick, and ultimately ended in a bland, forgettable way. I straight up did not have a good time.
Big thanks to ECW Press and NetGalley for providing the ARC for this book in exchange for an honest review!
***Trigger warnings for mentions of prescription drug addiction and vomiting.***
‘The Grimmer’ by Naben Ruthnum is the story of Vish Maurya, a fifteen year old Indian kid coming back to his hometown after two years in a far-off boarding school. On a routine trip to the local used bookstore, he gets pulled into a world of magic and monsters and an evil plot only he can stop. Oh, and it’s the 90s, something you can barely tell but also the author will never let you forget.
Hey, wow, I hated this. I was anticipating a 4-star read at least, and boy howdy, I didn’t get anything but a headache. I was promised that “this gripping ride through the supernatural is loaded with vivid characters, frightening imagery, and astonishing twists, while tackling complex issues such as grief, racism, and addiction” and I got exactly none of that. What a huge letdown.
(In the first draft of this review, I said I would be genuinely angry if I wasn’t so tired and glad to be done with this book, but you know what, I am angry. I wasted five hours on this nonsense that I'm never going to get back.)
Okay, where to start.
I’m definitely not the intended audience for this - I’m a woman in my late 20s. As another reviewer said, I’m not a teenager and haven’t been for some time. I’m too old to remember with much clarity the nuances being a teen entails, and too young to know about being a teen in 1996. If you’re a teenage boy now or were during the 90s, this might hit better than it did for me. Also, on that note, I have to say, it’s a really weird choice on the author’s part to write a YA set in the 90s and then provide no context for any of the references for anyone who wasn’t a teen or older back then.
Speaking of references, first and foremost, I really need to explain the single most annoying thing about this book (except that the blurb lied to my face, more on that later): everything that’s mentioned, from clothes to cars to books to — yeah, it’s literally just everything — has a brand or otherwise significant name attached to it. In my notes, I have “I GENUINELY DON’T GIVE A SINGLE SHIT ABOUT THE BRAND OF PANTS PEOPLE ARE WEARING” and that pretty much sums up how frustrated I was that everyone wears a specific brand of clothing and a specific brand of shoes and drives a specific make and model of car and this is Vish’s opinion on this song from this album from this band and by the way this movie just came out and then this song comes on the radio and this is the band on his t-shirt and his watch is—
[muffled screaming]
(I should have put the book down when the weird eldritch abomination spider-creature was, completely unironically as far as I can tell, named “Zerg”. I should’ve run, why didn’t I run?!)
It genuinely feels like the author is trying to use clothing brands and music/book tastes and what he perceives them to represent to try to tell us things about the characters and their personalities instead of just, telling us about the characters and their personalities. It also seems like most of this is thrown in superficially to browbeat into us that, yeah, this is the 90s, with no other purpose, other than maybe the author going, “I’m so cool because I know all of these things! Look how cool I am! Look!”.
And so many banal, mundane, completely useless things are included or over-explained for no conceivable reason. Chekhov’s gun? Never met him. No plot relevance, no insight or context about plot or characters, no foreshadowing. Probably 50 pages, liberally, could be shaved off this book that’s just…useless filler. The plot moves at a glacial pace because of the extraneous everything - this book is 300 pages but I felt like I was reading for a week straight with no sleep.
To whoever wrote the blurb, you’re really good at your job, but you’re also a filthy stinking liar, which I guess in marketing is the same thing. The blurb calls this a “spine-tingling supernatural horror-thriller” and every single one of those words is the exact opposite of the truth. There are no thrills, there are no chills, there's barely any horror. It’s boring, it’s bland, it’s scarcely even supernatural. Magic in this book is just math and physics and biology, which is cool in theory, but it’s simultaneously over-explained and yet not explained in a way that makes any damn sense. I’m still not sure how most of the magic stuff worked other than…it worked. Super disappointing execution of what could have been really cool, and definitely did not live up to the blurb's promises.
On the subject of lies, I don’t know where the blurb gets off saying this book is about “vivid characters”. Vish is boring and shallow - except he’s also oh-so-edgy because he READS and listens to METAL and he’s just so DIFFERENT. I didn’t know “not like other guys” was a thing, but here he is and here I am. You really do learn new things every day (but I wish I hadn’t learned this).
Gisela is your part-and-parcel manic pixie (but goth!), smoking hot, not-like-other-girls, 16 but actually 700, dream girl? And she’s also…oh yeah, a cheap, blurry photocopy of Yennefer of Vengerberg (from The Witcher) in a black goth trench coat. I wish I was kidding, but her backstory is that she’s a young, unwanted girl who has an aptitude for magic that gets bought by a powerful witch and trained to do awesome magic stuff. Neat, totally original, sure thing buddy. She’s also pretty stupid for all that time and supposed training, considering she’s a 700 year old “super good witch”, and yet the antagonist gets away with a lot of things she should have been able to anticipate, if not outright prevent and counter.
All I have in my notes about the antagonist is, “boring villain do boring villain things, say boring villain words”, and yeah, that’s exactly how impactful and developed the dude was.
The inclusion of and commentary on racism is pretty non-existent for a book that says it “tackles it”. Vish and his parents are supposed to be one of the only brown families in a town that, according to 1996 census data, has 89,000 people in it (and yet somehow everyone knows everyone and all of their business, but I digress), which I find to be a huge stretch having grown up in a town under 10,000 people in the whitest whitebread part of the Midwest, but the most we hear about racism is some fleeting references to him getting bullied in school and the fact that he’s assumed to be related to one of the “only other” brown folks in town. Addiction is, again, barely a factor, and it’s not really “tackled” other than Vish and his mom are mad or sad about his dad’s past addiction a handful of times, and his dad is sorry about it. Grief is, again-again, only mentioned in passing and not in a way that made me feel for the grieving person. This whole book is actually extremely lukewarm emotionally overall, and I had no reason to care about any of the characters, unless you count hating being stuck in a book with them.
The final battle is barely a few pages, the villain gets taken care of in an instant, and overall, the climax is just…anticlimactic. Even the “twist” fell flat, to the point where I just rolled my eyes and moved on. There’s also some last-minute things introduced and left unresolved in the last few pages that potentially open the door to a sequel, and sweet holy gods I hope there isn’t one. Generously put, no thank you.
Final Thoughts:
Man, this could have been so good, but it was so, so bad. If you’re looking for 90s nostalgia, this isn’t it. If you’re looking for a book that “[tackles] complex issues such as grief, racism, and addiction”, this isn’t it. If you need a book that makes little sense and has little substance besides being stuffed to bursting with irrelevant brand names and other culture references, and you’re cool with a little bit of your brain melting out of your ears while you’re reading, oh man, this is for sure the book for you.
I will be summarily deleting this ARC from my Kindle and hope never to think about it again.
TL;DR - A painfully slow, over-bloated, lukewarm (at best) book that delivered the absolute minimum (if that) on the things it promised. Went from intriguing to boring to eye-rolling really quick, and ultimately ended in a bland, forgettable way. I straight up did not have a good time.
Big thanks to ECW Press and NetGalley for providing the ARC for this book in exchange for an honest review!
***Trigger warnings for mentions of prescription drug addiction and vomiting.***
‘The Grimmer’ by Naben Ruthnum is the story of Vish Maurya, a fifteen year old Indian kid coming back to his hometown after two years in a far-off boarding school. On a routine trip to the local used bookstore, he gets pulled into a world of magic and monsters and an evil plot only he can stop. Oh, and it’s the 90s, something you can barely tell but also the author will never let you forget.
Hey, wow, I hated this. I was anticipating a 4-star read at least, and boy howdy, I didn’t get anything but a headache. I was promised that “this gripping ride through the supernatural is loaded with vivid characters, frightening imagery, and astonishing twists, while tackling complex issues such as grief, racism, and addiction” and I got exactly none of that. What a huge letdown.
(In the first draft of this review, I said I would be genuinely angry if I wasn’t so tired and glad to be done with this book, but you know what, I am angry. I wasted five hours on this nonsense that I'm never going to get back.)
Okay, where to start.
I’m definitely not the intended audience for this - I’m a woman in my late 20s. As another reviewer said, I’m not a teenager and haven’t been for some time. I’m too old to remember with much clarity the nuances being a teen entails, and too young to know about being a teen in 1996. If you’re a teenage boy now or were during the 90s, this might hit better than it did for me. Also, on that note, I have to say, it’s a really weird choice on the author’s part to write a YA set in the 90s and then provide no context for any of the references for anyone who wasn’t a teen or older back then.
Speaking of references, first and foremost, I really need to explain the single most annoying thing about this book (except that the blurb lied to my face, more on that later): everything that’s mentioned, from clothes to cars to books to — yeah, it’s literally just everything — has a brand or otherwise significant name attached to it. In my notes, I have “I GENUINELY DON’T GIVE A SINGLE SHIT ABOUT THE BRAND OF PANTS PEOPLE ARE WEARING” and that pretty much sums up how frustrated I was that everyone wears a specific brand of clothing and a specific brand of shoes and drives a specific make and model of car and this is Vish’s opinion on this song from this album from this band and by the way this movie just came out and then this song comes on the radio and this is the band on his t-shirt and his watch is—
[muffled screaming]
(I should have put the book down when the weird eldritch abomination spider-creature was, completely unironically as far as I can tell, named “Zerg”. I should’ve run, why didn’t I run?!)
It genuinely feels like the author is trying to use clothing brands and music/book tastes and what he perceives them to represent to try to tell us things about the characters and their personalities instead of just, telling us about the characters and their personalities. It also seems like most of this is thrown in superficially to browbeat into us that, yeah, this is the 90s, with no other purpose, other than maybe the author going, “I’m so cool because I know all of these things! Look how cool I am! Look!”.
And so many banal, mundane, completely useless things are included or over-explained for no conceivable reason. Chekhov’s gun? Never met him. No plot relevance, no insight or context about plot or characters, no foreshadowing. Probably 50 pages, liberally, could be shaved off this book that’s just…useless filler. The plot moves at a glacial pace because of the extraneous everything - this book is 300 pages but I felt like I was reading for a week straight with no sleep.
To whoever wrote the blurb, you’re really good at your job, but you’re also a filthy stinking liar, which I guess in marketing is the same thing. The blurb calls this a “spine-tingling supernatural horror-thriller” and every single one of those words is the exact opposite of the truth. There are no thrills, there are no chills, there's barely any horror. It’s boring, it’s bland, it’s scarcely even supernatural. Magic in this book is just math and physics and biology, which is cool in theory, but it’s simultaneously over-explained and yet not explained in a way that makes any damn sense. I’m still not sure how most of the magic stuff worked other than…it worked. Super disappointing execution of what could have been really cool, and definitely did not live up to the blurb's promises.
On the subject of lies, I don’t know where the blurb gets off saying this book is about “vivid characters”. Vish is boring and shallow - except he’s also oh-so-edgy because he READS and listens to METAL and he’s just so DIFFERENT. I didn’t know “not like other guys” was a thing, but here he is and here I am. You really do learn new things every day (but I wish I hadn’t learned this).
Gisela is your part-and-parcel manic pixie (but goth!), smoking hot, not-like-other-girls, 16 but actually 700, dream girl? And she’s also…oh yeah, a cheap, blurry photocopy of Yennefer of Vengerberg (from The Witcher) in a black goth trench coat. I wish I was kidding, but her backstory is that she’s a young, unwanted girl who has an aptitude for magic that gets bought by a powerful witch and trained to do awesome magic stuff. Neat, totally original, sure thing buddy. She’s also pretty stupid for all that time and supposed training, considering she’s a 700 year old “super good witch”, and yet the antagonist gets away with a lot of things she should have been able to anticipate, if not outright prevent and counter.
All I have in my notes about the antagonist is, “boring villain do boring villain things, say boring villain words”, and yeah, that’s exactly how impactful and developed the dude was.
The inclusion of and commentary on racism is pretty non-existent for a book that says it “tackles it”. Vish and his parents are supposed to be one of the only brown families in a town that, according to 1996 census data, has 89,000 people in it (and yet somehow everyone knows everyone and all of their business, but I digress), which I find to be a huge stretch having grown up in a town under 10,000 people in the whitest whitebread part of the Midwest, but the most we hear about racism is some fleeting references to him getting bullied in school and the fact that he’s assumed to be related to one of the “only other” brown folks in town. Addiction is, again, barely a factor, and it’s not really “tackled” other than Vish and his mom are mad or sad about his dad’s past addiction a handful of times, and his dad is sorry about it. Grief is, again-again, only mentioned in passing and not in a way that made me feel for the grieving person. This whole book is actually extremely lukewarm emotionally overall, and I had no reason to care about any of the characters, unless you count hating being stuck in a book with them.
The final battle is barely a few pages, the villain gets taken care of in an instant, and overall, the climax is just…anticlimactic. Even the “twist” fell flat, to the point where I just rolled my eyes and moved on. There’s also some last-minute things introduced and left unresolved in the last few pages that potentially open the door to a sequel, and sweet holy gods I hope there isn’t one. Generously put, no thank you.
Final Thoughts:
Man, this could have been so good, but it was so, so bad. If you’re looking for 90s nostalgia, this isn’t it. If you’re looking for a book that “[tackles] complex issues such as grief, racism, and addiction”, this isn’t it. If you need a book that makes little sense and has little substance besides being stuffed to bursting with irrelevant brand names and other culture references, and you’re cool with a little bit of your brain melting out of your ears while you’re reading, oh man, this is for sure the book for you.
I will be summarily deleting this ARC from my Kindle and hope never to think about it again.
December 15, 2025
The Grimmerrrrr
The Grimmer by Naben Ruthnum may be my most disappointing read this year. Taking place in the beautiful city of Kelowna, British Columbia Canada, this YA horror thriller was one of the first results upon googling books that take place in Kelowna. Part of me wishes I didn't, because it's clear after doing a bit of research that the author took a vacation here once in the summer and then looked at a map of popular places in the town and called it a day.
The plot centres around a 15 year old kid named Vish. He is a metal head Indian kid who doesn't get along with anyone because he's the only South Asian person in town :(. That is until he goes into a local book store that's also ran by an Indian guy. While browsing, someone behind Vish asks if he is related to the owner, seeing as they are both brown. Annoyed, Vish turns around to talk shit about this clearly racist remark, and meets a rotting corpse who is an amalgamation of 12,000 souls trapped inside him like Freddy Krueger. And while he is struck dumb with fear, a Hot And Cool "16 Year Old" German Chick comes out and spits on the corpse and it runs away, after claiming that he will kill them all! Cool! Now Vish and his new friends have to save Kelowna from the terrible Mr. Farris. Or something.
There's not a lot I liked about this book. The writing was bad and kid of frustrating, but what really got in my craw was how this author didn't know my city at all, but was happy to name drop locations left right and center for no reason even it makes zero sense. At one point, the book store guy mentions that his favorite pub happens to be where Vish's dad's favorite pub is. And that pub? McCollough Station Pub of course! Never mind that it is 8 kms away and uphill and far away from where either character lives, it's a popular Kelowna landmark so it must be mentioned.
There's some things I liked about it, but not much. I like the magic system, what little they actually go into it, but it's rather neat I like when magic is actually just science. There's also a scene where one character has to be exorcised of demons in the Lake Okanagan and the description of just the smell of one's skin after stepping out of the lake was so vivid, but I don't know if that is because I know of that smell just because it's My lake. Also, I did appreciate how it described our small town vibe. I read a Goodreads review complaining that the gossip of Vish's dad being a recovering addict wouldn't be passed around in a town of 89000 people and everyone knows everyone. But like. Yeah man. Everyone knows everyone. That is Kelowna.
I do believe that the most egregious thing for me and what is causing me to give this book 1 and a half hats, is the erasure of any mention of First Nations or anything about the Okanagan peoples. It's fucking weird that there is not a peep about it, that the lake has "untapped magical energy that No One has ever noticed before because white people just use it to jetski!" Weird man. 1.5/5
The Grimmer by Naben Ruthnum may be my most disappointing read this year. Taking place in the beautiful city of Kelowna, British Columbia Canada, this YA horror thriller was one of the first results upon googling books that take place in Kelowna. Part of me wishes I didn't, because it's clear after doing a bit of research that the author took a vacation here once in the summer and then looked at a map of popular places in the town and called it a day.
The plot centres around a 15 year old kid named Vish. He is a metal head Indian kid who doesn't get along with anyone because he's the only South Asian person in town :(. That is until he goes into a local book store that's also ran by an Indian guy. While browsing, someone behind Vish asks if he is related to the owner, seeing as they are both brown. Annoyed, Vish turns around to talk shit about this clearly racist remark, and meets a rotting corpse who is an amalgamation of 12,000 souls trapped inside him like Freddy Krueger. And while he is struck dumb with fear, a Hot And Cool "16 Year Old" German Chick comes out and spits on the corpse and it runs away, after claiming that he will kill them all! Cool! Now Vish and his new friends have to save Kelowna from the terrible Mr. Farris. Or something.
There's not a lot I liked about this book. The writing was bad and kid of frustrating, but what really got in my craw was how this author didn't know my city at all, but was happy to name drop locations left right and center for no reason even it makes zero sense. At one point, the book store guy mentions that his favorite pub happens to be where Vish's dad's favorite pub is. And that pub? McCollough Station Pub of course! Never mind that it is 8 kms away and uphill and far away from where either character lives, it's a popular Kelowna landmark so it must be mentioned.
There's some things I liked about it, but not much. I like the magic system, what little they actually go into it, but it's rather neat I like when magic is actually just science. There's also a scene where one character has to be exorcised of demons in the Lake Okanagan and the description of just the smell of one's skin after stepping out of the lake was so vivid, but I don't know if that is because I know of that smell just because it's My lake. Also, I did appreciate how it described our small town vibe. I read a Goodreads review complaining that the gossip of Vish's dad being a recovering addict wouldn't be passed around in a town of 89000 people and everyone knows everyone. But like. Yeah man. Everyone knows everyone. That is Kelowna.
I do believe that the most egregious thing for me and what is causing me to give this book 1 and a half hats, is the erasure of any mention of First Nations or anything about the Okanagan peoples. It's fucking weird that there is not a peep about it, that the lake has "untapped magical energy that No One has ever noticed before because white people just use it to jetski!" Weird man. 1.5/5
September 27, 2023
If ever there was a book I was destined to love it was most definitely this one. It just checked off all my boxes and some boxes I didn’t even know I had! I mean, cats and books and horror all in one book is just beyond heavenly. I sped through it in record time, devouring page after page until suddenly it was the last page and I was terribly sad it was already over. YA horror is always something I enjoy reading so I had a feeling I’d enjoy it but I didn’t think I’d fall in love with this story and these characters like I did! And added bonus, not only is it entertaining but it also tackles some pretty difficult subject matter like addiction, racism and grief. It’s always nice when a story goes beyond surface level and explores difficult topics in a sensitive manner. I really can’t recommend this book highly enough!
January 30, 2024
Thank you to ECW Press for a finished copy of The Grimmer in exchange for an honest review.
High schooler Vish has just returned to his town in British Columbia after he was sent to boarding school while his father was treated for addiction. He is nervous to come back home and hear what people say. He wants to enjoy his summer listening to metal music and reading literature, which brings him to a strange bookstore. He is employed there for the summer, and weird stuff starts to happen. A peculiar, decaying man is after him, and the bookstore owners are not what they appear.
I haven’t read a lot of YA horror, so I didn’t know what to expect, but I loved this! The horror was very eerie and gruesome. The horror was spaced out well throughout the book, with some scenes that will stick in my head for a long time. There is a teeth scene and …ugh. But there is more to the story than horror; it also shows the importance of family and discusses themes of loss, race, addiction and the struggles of teenage years.
The characters were hit or miss for me. They were all written well, but some are easily disliked. But the author had a fantastic way of humanizing these unlikeable characters, so the reader feels sympathy for them. It creates a lot of internal conflict because it feels so real, which impresses me.
This is my first Naben Ruthnum novel, but I have Helpmeet on my shelf that I am excited to read!
High schooler Vish has just returned to his town in British Columbia after he was sent to boarding school while his father was treated for addiction. He is nervous to come back home and hear what people say. He wants to enjoy his summer listening to metal music and reading literature, which brings him to a strange bookstore. He is employed there for the summer, and weird stuff starts to happen. A peculiar, decaying man is after him, and the bookstore owners are not what they appear.
I haven’t read a lot of YA horror, so I didn’t know what to expect, but I loved this! The horror was very eerie and gruesome. The horror was spaced out well throughout the book, with some scenes that will stick in my head for a long time. There is a teeth scene and …ugh. But there is more to the story than horror; it also shows the importance of family and discusses themes of loss, race, addiction and the struggles of teenage years.
The characters were hit or miss for me. They were all written well, but some are easily disliked. But the author had a fantastic way of humanizing these unlikeable characters, so the reader feels sympathy for them. It creates a lot of internal conflict because it feels so real, which impresses me.
This is my first Naben Ruthnum novel, but I have Helpmeet on my shelf that I am excited to read!
May 8, 2025
This was actually surprisingly good. The more I read, the more I liked it. The story was great, the writing was genuinely good, and I really liked all of the characters. I think one of the things I liked most was family drama going on in the background. I liked that the love interest was present, but it didn't really develop into anything yet. I like that the main character was interesting, funny, and just such a normal teen swept up into this very not normal situation. The only thing I'm iffy about is world-building (meh, would like more details and specifics) and the end reveal. I don't think I like the end reveal, but I also don't hate it because it works thematically. Would highly recommend this as a spooky read even for slightly younger readers.
October 11, 2023
Omg, this was SO GOOOOOOODDDD
The story was great, the 90s vibes were fantastic, and it being set in Kelowna was so cool! I absolutely loved this, and I honestly can't wait to read what Naben Ruthnum writes next :D
The story was great, the 90s vibes were fantastic, and it being set in Kelowna was so cool! I absolutely loved this, and I honestly can't wait to read what Naben Ruthnum writes next :D
April 12, 2024
This was so fun! I always knew cats were magic!
September 18, 2023
Enjoyed this one. The plot wasn’t that deep so it is a bit easy to figure out what’s going on very early, but that didn’t make the book any less enjoyable. Vish was an interesting main character and I enjoyed his internal dialogue.
Pretty chill spooky season read.
Pretty chill spooky season read.
October 5, 2023
Ending was terrific.
October 4, 2023
I really really wanted to like this. I was intrigued by the comparison to John Bellairs as I feel like no one contemporary has taken on the hole he left of very agreeable and cozy middle grade horror that really still holds up as an adult.
I felt like the first third had a promising set up with an interesting protagonist and a realistic and compelling reason as to why he's kind of a loner. It also promised me Elder Gods-y eldritch horror! I love Elder Gods-y eldritch horror! There was a book shop! There were several cats! I love all these things!
I also try to avoid rating books that I don't like as I understand that it is often a me thing not a book thing, but in this case I think the book kind of warrants it.
Without spoilers, the book's central premise is about an ancient lake in Kelowna, BC and mystical powers coming into alignment. The main characters are white people or South Asian people. They seem to be the only people who can stop this terrible apocalypse from happening. I get that we can't talk about everything, but seriously Naben Ruthnum, this book is coming out in the year of our lord 2023. Are we seriously treating "ancient Canadian lakes and the lands around them" as...empty land? No mention of what is happening around this lake 1000s of years or whether people are there in the past beyond that the lake brims with mystical energies or whatever.
For those non-Canadians, Kelowna is not that far from where First Nations uncovered over 200 unmarked graves of children who died while in residential school. (https://globalnews.ca/news/9721910/ka...). It's triggered a national conversation and many many more graves have been discovered across the country. The erasure of First Nations people is just honestly kind of mindboggling in a book this new with the premise that it has and this is why I have rated this book 1 star.
The other major reason which I probably would not have rated this book down for is the way it handles magic. One of the nice things about Bellairs is that the occult stuff is very simple and seems very organic and flows well with the rest of the plot. There's a weird doll that some boy has found and it gives him bad dreams, bad people are looking for a demonic clock, great, we get it, let's move on. Ruthnum has made his magic system extremely complicated (there are like math equations and stuff) and there's a lot of a kind of thing that I personally hate where someone keeps talking about how something is very important but they don't have time to explain it. I mean maybe sometime in the time that you took telling me at length that you can't explain it, you could have found the time to explain this apparently Extremely Important Thing. This happens at least like 4 times in half the book and both the complicated demonstrations of scientific concepts and the refusal to explain the bigger picture and what is actually happening both really impede the flow of the plot.
I felt like the first third had a promising set up with an interesting protagonist and a realistic and compelling reason as to why he's kind of a loner. It also promised me Elder Gods-y eldritch horror! I love Elder Gods-y eldritch horror! There was a book shop! There were several cats! I love all these things!
I also try to avoid rating books that I don't like as I understand that it is often a me thing not a book thing, but in this case I think the book kind of warrants it.
Without spoilers, the book's central premise is about an ancient lake in Kelowna, BC and mystical powers coming into alignment. The main characters are white people or South Asian people. They seem to be the only people who can stop this terrible apocalypse from happening. I get that we can't talk about everything, but seriously Naben Ruthnum, this book is coming out in the year of our lord 2023. Are we seriously treating "ancient Canadian lakes and the lands around them" as...empty land? No mention of what is happening around this lake 1000s of years or whether people are there in the past beyond that the lake brims with mystical energies or whatever.
For those non-Canadians, Kelowna is not that far from where First Nations uncovered over 200 unmarked graves of children who died while in residential school. (https://globalnews.ca/news/9721910/ka...). It's triggered a national conversation and many many more graves have been discovered across the country. The erasure of First Nations people is just honestly kind of mindboggling in a book this new with the premise that it has and this is why I have rated this book 1 star.
The other major reason which I probably would not have rated this book down for is the way it handles magic. One of the nice things about Bellairs is that the occult stuff is very simple and seems very organic and flows well with the rest of the plot. There's a weird doll that some boy has found and it gives him bad dreams, bad people are looking for a demonic clock, great, we get it, let's move on. Ruthnum has made his magic system extremely complicated (there are like math equations and stuff) and there's a lot of a kind of thing that I personally hate where someone keeps talking about how something is very important but they don't have time to explain it. I mean maybe sometime in the time that you took telling me at length that you can't explain it, you could have found the time to explain this apparently Extremely Important Thing. This happens at least like 4 times in half the book and both the complicated demonstrations of scientific concepts and the refusal to explain the bigger picture and what is actually happening both really impede the flow of the plot.
July 16, 2023
I will be honest, I am not sure I was the intended audience for this YA horror-thriller, being a female fantasy fan in her thirties, but I gave it a good go.
In ‘The Grimmer’, it is 1996 and Vish is returning from 2 years at boarding school, where he was sent after he disclosed to friends that his dad was a drug addict. Emotions are still raw and there is some family trauma to be explored, but we get into the horror action pretty quickly when he witnesses a supernatural altercation in his local bookstore, is then told that he is fated to assist the bookstore owner in stopping the horror and subsequently gets a summer job at the bookstore to cover his tracks. I cannot say more because that would be too spoilery, but I feel that is probably enough for you to decide whether this book is for you or not.
It was not for me, though I think it was because I am too old to relate to a teenage boy but too young to feel nostalgia for 1996. The characters and the writing style annoyed me - how many times did it have to be mentioned that Vish is just so much more alternative than everyone else, the constant half formed opinions about bands he knew little about and the need to discuss every persons clothing style even while the end of the world was happening? There was such a self indulgent teenage masculinity about the writing, you could feel that teenage boy anger simmering about how the world was unjust underneath the surface and for that reason, I think this book could be very popular with the teenage boys it is aimed at. Even the horror was very juvenile, teenage boy - very reminiscent of the type of movies they think makes them grown up to watch, very visceral and obvious. I appreciated that there was no love story, but of course there wouldn’t be if it was aimed at 15 year old boys - instead we have the cool, unobtainable witch girl who could front a band and hold her own with the boys.
Like I said, I am not the intended audience, I think it’s probably a very good book to aim at the growing teenage boy market and I would recommend it to my stepson for example, but it wouldn’t be one I would recommend to anyone over 18 who cannot relate to that time in their lives.
In ‘The Grimmer’, it is 1996 and Vish is returning from 2 years at boarding school, where he was sent after he disclosed to friends that his dad was a drug addict. Emotions are still raw and there is some family trauma to be explored, but we get into the horror action pretty quickly when he witnesses a supernatural altercation in his local bookstore, is then told that he is fated to assist the bookstore owner in stopping the horror and subsequently gets a summer job at the bookstore to cover his tracks. I cannot say more because that would be too spoilery, but I feel that is probably enough for you to decide whether this book is for you or not.
It was not for me, though I think it was because I am too old to relate to a teenage boy but too young to feel nostalgia for 1996. The characters and the writing style annoyed me - how many times did it have to be mentioned that Vish is just so much more alternative than everyone else, the constant half formed opinions about bands he knew little about and the need to discuss every persons clothing style even while the end of the world was happening? There was such a self indulgent teenage masculinity about the writing, you could feel that teenage boy anger simmering about how the world was unjust underneath the surface and for that reason, I think this book could be very popular with the teenage boys it is aimed at. Even the horror was very juvenile, teenage boy - very reminiscent of the type of movies they think makes them grown up to watch, very visceral and obvious. I appreciated that there was no love story, but of course there wouldn’t be if it was aimed at 15 year old boys - instead we have the cool, unobtainable witch girl who could front a band and hold her own with the boys.
Like I said, I am not the intended audience, I think it’s probably a very good book to aim at the growing teenage boy market and I would recommend it to my stepson for example, but it wouldn’t be one I would recommend to anyone over 18 who cannot relate to that time in their lives.
March 18, 2024
The first few chapters were great and pulled me into the plot, but after that it went downhill and stayed there. The villain appeared fascinating and genuinely creepy, but he was absent from a lot of the book, and made less and less sense as it went on.
The plot was mostly nonexistent (but this wasn’t really character-driven either; the characters were ok, but not amazing) and the timeline was confusing.
The magic element was barely there, because the main character had a lot of details kept from them. I sort of understood why, but the conflict of the story felt pretty underwhelming without any real explanation as to what the hell was going on most of the time. There was no tangible urge to defeat the bad guy. And to my recollection, no good reason as to why he existed in the first place. The book just kept saying it was all a big deal. And most of the twists were rushed and lacklustre.
I wanted it to be a fun, witchy, occult-vibe YA, but it was pretty meh. Even the attempts to confront racism and drug abuse were poor. The villain was racist for his first assumption but. Spoiler!! He was actually right? (Not for his racism *behind* his assumption. Just for his guess.) Did he know something we didn’t until the end? Probably. And so while his opening remarks were racist, that was the only real mention of anything happening to Vish based on racist ideologies. And the drug abuse Vish’s dad fought, helped shape their characters, but it still felt shallow. I don’t think any real life issues were dealt with here; more so just mentioned once or twice and then suddenly moved on from.
Finally, some of the dialogue, especially towards the end, was not great. I felt like I was watching a bad YA Netflix show rather than reading a horror novel.
The plot was mostly nonexistent (but this wasn’t really character-driven either; the characters were ok, but not amazing) and the timeline was confusing.
The magic element was barely there, because the main character had a lot of details kept from them. I sort of understood why, but the conflict of the story felt pretty underwhelming without any real explanation as to what the hell was going on most of the time. There was no tangible urge to defeat the bad guy. And to my recollection, no good reason as to why he existed in the first place. The book just kept saying it was all a big deal. And most of the twists were rushed and lacklustre.
I wanted it to be a fun, witchy, occult-vibe YA, but it was pretty meh. Even the attempts to confront racism and drug abuse were poor. The villain was racist for his first assumption but. Spoiler!! He was actually right? (Not for his racism *behind* his assumption. Just for his guess.) Did he know something we didn’t until the end? Probably. And so while his opening remarks were racist, that was the only real mention of anything happening to Vish based on racist ideologies. And the drug abuse Vish’s dad fought, helped shape their characters, but it still felt shallow. I don’t think any real life issues were dealt with here; more so just mentioned once or twice and then suddenly moved on from.
Finally, some of the dialogue, especially towards the end, was not great. I felt like I was watching a bad YA Netflix show rather than reading a horror novel.
October 5, 2023
I feel that I have to first give a disclaimer and say that I am very likely not the intended audience for this book, which probably contributed to my low, 2-star rating. In saying that, I'm not entirely sure who the intended audience of this book is considering how self-indulgent and cringy it reads (or sounds, in this case). It was very very obvious that this was a "young adult" debut novel (although personally, I think it's far better suited for children) because it was a struggle to get through and I found myself getting second-hand embarrassment on more than one occasion. It's set in the 1990s for no apparent reason at all, yet the author refuses to let you forget it, and in fact seems to be on a mission to fit in as many useless "cool" facts about the '90s as they can, from what the characters are wearing to what obscure music that they're listening to. The premise of this book looked very promising, as well as the blurb which stated that it would address topics such as racism and addiction (which the book 110% did not) so I was severely disappointed by it. It reads like the first draft that you burn after writing, full of useless descriptions that don't advance the story as well as major plot holes that weren't even given a cursory mention by the end of the last page. The only reason I gave it two stars and not one was because it's fundamental, stripped-down basic idea was quite intriguing. The final product, however, is most certainly not something I'll ever be reading/listening to again.
August 18, 2023
Thank you NetGalley for providing a digital ARC to review!
I thought this book was okay. I couldn't really get into it at first, but when I got past a certain point it was nice to read. It wasn't my favorite, but I still liked it! I also wish we got more from the villain's pov, as I think that would be very interesting.
I thought this book was okay. I couldn't really get into it at first, but when I got past a certain point it was nice to read. It wasn't my favorite, but I still liked it! I also wish we got more from the villain's pov, as I think that would be very interesting.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews