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Eye of a Little God
The Painted Man is here. I feel him in the darkness. He says, "If you let me in, I'll make the pain stop." God help me, I want to let him.
After losing his delivery job - the last thing binding him to an empty life - Eddie Luther, veteran and drifter, drives into the snowy woods with a bottle of sleeping pills. But instead of eternal silence, Eddie hears a whisper inside his damaged ear.
Help me .
He follows the call and finds a cryptic journal filled with loneliness and longing, a journal whose words seem written for him alone. Guided by the clues in its pages, he embarks on a journey into a shadowy world beneath the small town of Devil's Fork, Nebraska - a world where girls become cats, televisions whisper prophecies, and only those cast out of society can see and use magic . . .
Or maybe Eddie's sanity is slipping. All he knows for sure is that he's falling in love with someone he's never seen, someone who may be more than human - and who will change everything he thinks he knows about the world and his place in it.
After losing his delivery job - the last thing binding him to an empty life - Eddie Luther, veteran and drifter, drives into the snowy woods with a bottle of sleeping pills. But instead of eternal silence, Eddie hears a whisper inside his damaged ear.
Help me .
He follows the call and finds a cryptic journal filled with loneliness and longing, a journal whose words seem written for him alone. Guided by the clues in its pages, he embarks on a journey into a shadowy world beneath the small town of Devil's Fork, Nebraska - a world where girls become cats, televisions whisper prophecies, and only those cast out of society can see and use magic . . .
Or maybe Eddie's sanity is slipping. All he knows for sure is that he's falling in love with someone he's never seen, someone who may be more than human - and who will change everything he thinks he knows about the world and his place in it.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 2, 2024
6 people are currently reading
351 people want to read
About the author
A.J. Steiger
6 books167 followersA. J. Steiger graduated from Columbia College in Chicago, where she majored in fiction writing. She has lived her whole life in the Chicago suburbs, though she enjoys regular visits to other galaxies and dimensions in her mind. She's a freelance writer and transcriptionist with an enthusiasm for anime and pancake houses.
Mindwalker is her first book for young adults.
Mindwalker is her first book for young adults.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
January 5, 2024
This book was unlike anything I've read and truly surpassed expectations. The description doesn't begin to cover the wild ride that is Eye of a Little God. This was a fever dream with moments of true horror - when a book can be gross and haunting and unsettling and lit fic all at once, it's a fantastic trip.
Eddie is a creepy main character - a bit unreliable, off-putting. And so is everyone he meets. His past haunts him and so does the girl in the red dress he thinks he sees in the woods. I won't go into any detail to stay spoiler-free but his quest to find and help this girl takes him on journey that reveals more about the world and himself than he could've ever imagined. There is magic, there is human connection, there is fear and blood and emotional baggage. There are demons inside and out. And making Eddie a Vietnam vet adds an intense layer throughout that was very well done.
I really enjoyed this read - it was addicting. It had a slower start, but the pacing worked well. You were sucked into Eddie's investigation and lose yourself in this other world the way he did. And the writing itself was excellent. There was a simplicity mixed with a poetry that worked so well in the genre, and it really made those horrific moments pop. I look forward to reading more A.J. Steiger!
Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC!
Eddie is a creepy main character - a bit unreliable, off-putting. And so is everyone he meets. His past haunts him and so does the girl in the red dress he thinks he sees in the woods. I won't go into any detail to stay spoiler-free but his quest to find and help this girl takes him on journey that reveals more about the world and himself than he could've ever imagined. There is magic, there is human connection, there is fear and blood and emotional baggage. There are demons inside and out. And making Eddie a Vietnam vet adds an intense layer throughout that was very well done.
I really enjoyed this read - it was addicting. It had a slower start, but the pacing worked well. You were sucked into Eddie's investigation and lose yourself in this other world the way he did. And the writing itself was excellent. There was a simplicity mixed with a poetry that worked so well in the genre, and it really made those horrific moments pop. I look forward to reading more A.J. Steiger!
Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC!
December 24, 2023
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Severn House for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
TW: Suicide, mental health, medical institutionalization, stalking, sexual assault (not heavily explicit), transphobia, gore (mild), war, PTSD, animal torture/death (mild)
This is a beautifully written literary horror novel that tackles trauma, loneliness, and human connections - and how not being alone and finding these connections can be the way to actively combat the demons haunting you. In this novel, even until the last page you won’t be entirely sure what is reality and what is an unreliable narrator - and yet, the story will still suck you in until the last page. I thought Eddie was a fascinating main character, as he was broken, traumatized, and in many aspects not the “hero” he strived to be. He self-admits to being drawn to broken people who need his protection - regardless if they truly need him at all. However, his flaws make him a realistic protagonist, and as the story progresses and his investigation leads him further and further into the grim underbelly of reality, we want him to succeed. .
Many reviews mention the blurb being misleading, and I agree with them - mostly. I would say that everything that happens in the blurb description is true, but this novel uses them more as a storytelling device to explore the trauma and mistakes Eddie has made in his life. I would take the blurb with a grain of salt, as this story would not fit under fantasy-horror in my opinion, and the use of magic is more of a background to the surrounding events. The magic and the Painted Man are less aspects of the world, but rather a way to show how trauma can haunt and “possess” you - to the point that eventually you feel it’s better to give in to these darker desires than fight to live another day. Even as we begin to understand who, or what, the Painted Man is, we’re never really certain if the events described in this book really occurred - or if they are how the traumatized people in this novel interpret them.
A great deal of this novel is a form of inner monologue for Eddie as he goes about his life, and starts to slowly lose his grip on his life after his trauma from the Vietnam war. He has hearing and memory issues, and trouble connecting with people on a personal basis - which is the catalyst for him losing his job at the beginning of the novel. Losing the one thing he had going for him, and being estranged from his parents and an ex-girlfriend, he decides he isn’t much use to anyone and wants to take himself out of the equation entirely.
However, he is interrupted before he can take more than a few pills by a gunshot from the woods nearby. Deciding to investigate, he sees a woman in a red dress running away - sounding distressed - and finds a notebook on the ground that seems to have been hers. At this point in the novel, a second POV begins with the voice of the woman in her notebook as she writes down her thoughts. As Eddie reads further into the notebook, he believes he has some kind of connection to this woman and is compelled to save her - becoming almost an obsession for him.
This is also interesting, because we spend a great deal of the novel unsure if these events actually occurred as we (as Eddie) experienced them, since he was heavily under the influence at the time. This unreality only becomes stronger the further we investigate into the journal, and the deeper Eddie’s investigation goes. As he continues, he meets two pivotal characters that know more about this mysterious woman than they will tell him - Carrie and Lou. Through becoming closer to Lou, and talking with Carrie, Eddie is unintentionally pulled further into the unknown world of magic both operate in - and both warn him of escaping before it’s too late.
A large focus on this novel is on both of the main male characters - Eddie and Lou - as having had previous instances of stalking women. It’s honestly a testament to how well this novel is written to make both sympathetic characters who the reader will root for - even while even the characters themselves acknowledge that their past behavior was unacceptable. I thought this novel did very well to play into the stereotypes of the quintessential “stalker” - one is a shy, soft spoken man with a stutter who becomes attached to anyone showing him kindness, and the other is a dishonorably discharged traumatized war vet believing his girlfriend still needs him around. In any other novel, these characters would be one-dimensional villains - but in this one, they are sympathetic protagonists who have made mistakes in their past..
I found Lou in particular to be an interesting examination of the “stalker” stereotype. His hair is sometimes not in great condition, he likes to watch movies more geared towards children, he becomes attached to anyone who shows him kindness to the point that it leads to him stalking this person. On top of all that, he also has a severe stutter and likes to give off the idea that he isn’t intelligent, to make his life easier. And yet, Eddie is drawn to him to learn more - even when Lou refuses to give him any information on the mysterious woman he is trying to find. As these two traumatized men, who have issues fitting into regular society, come together to find friendship - they learn how to rely on one another and find strength in their bond. I really enjoyed their dynamic, and how they gained strength from each other to help curb their more pronounced issues (Lou with being shy and differential, and Eddie with anger issues). They in a way protect each other, and through their relationship both grow as people to learn how to move forward in the world and their lives.
I’ve seen multiple people question the lgbt/queer label on this novel, and spoil it by saying it only occurs at the very end of the book, and personally I’d disagree with that. HOWEVER, without giving any spoilers, I will say the only difference between the end and the rest of the novel is how explicit the representation given is. There is no surprise to how the events at the end unfold, and once we finally learn all the clues to putting all the pieces together on the mystery woman's identity, they all fit together perfectly. My only surprise at the “reveal” was how well it was done and how perfectly it tied the preceding events together. I think I would enjoy this novel on a reread, knowing the reveal, to be able to see all the hints I might have missed before.
I would suggest this novel to anyone who likes horror, but who wants the horror to be the device to tell the story of the characters and their motivations. This would not be a good fit for anyone wanting a straightforward dark fantasy horror, as this book heavily focuses on the thoughts and relationships surrounding the main character Eddie, as opposed to the magic in this world. I would describe this more as a literary horror novel, which examines the stereotypes people fit into, and how by opening up to one another we can learn to live and grow past them.
–
Spoilers beyond this point.
I keep seeing reviews spoiling the ending for this book and claiming the character of Lou is transmisogynistic, and that Eddie’s response is ALSO transmisogynistic. This isn’t true. The REASON Eddie has issues with the demon only referring to Lou as Nicole and “she” and a “woman” is because LOU THEMSELVES says that he doesn’t feel entirely like a woman, and if he was born as a girl he STILL wouldn’t see himself as a woman. Lou is nonbinary. And it’s honestly SUPER disheartening to see SO MANY people just decide that a nonbinary person in the 80s, who doesn't have access to the words and lingo we use today, is transmisogynistic. Eddie himself asks Lou if he’d prefer to be called a woman named Nicole, and LOU says no. Nicole is a PART of her identity, but not the ENTIRE THING. And after this point Eddie switches between he and she when referring to Lou. The REASON that it’s wrong that “Nicole” only comes out entirely as a woman when she’s possessed by a demon, is BECAUSE she’s not ONLY a woman named Nicole, she’s also a man named Lou, and a person who doesn’t solely identify as either gender.
Stop saying this is transmisogynistic, you’re being enbyphobic by claiming that Lou HAS to be a woman - DESPITE THE CHARACTER THEMSELVES saying they’re not. This book does absolutely NOT do the “man in the dress” gag (y’all do realize it’s only transmisogynistic when it’s a joke, right? Men can wear dresses, but I guess if you can’t understand people who don’t fit in the gender binary you might not be able to see that.)
Eddie uses the phrase “man-woman” to describe Lou BECAUSE THIS IS THE 80S AND NEITHER KNOWS THE TERM NONBINARY. I had to come back to edit my review because of this nonsense. The book clearly has Eddie ask Lou his preferences in how Eddie should refer to her, AND it’s obvious that Eddie accepts EVERY PART of Lou/Nicole - including them not solely identifying as a woman. If that were to ever change, Eddie would support her. But as of now, Lou EXPLICITLY states that they don’t think they’d be comfortable only being a woman if they were born in another gender.
Nonbinary people exist. Not everyone fits into the gender binary and seeing one (1) character do that doesn’t make it transmisogynistic, you’re just being transphobic. Thanks.
–
Initial thoughts after finishing this book:
HOLY SHIT. I have so many thoughts. I loved this. This blew me away so much I was not expecting it at ALL. Am I still a person after reading this? Are any of us????
TW: Suicide, mental health, medical institutionalization, stalking, sexual assault (not heavily explicit), transphobia, gore (mild), war, PTSD, animal torture/death (mild)
This is a beautifully written literary horror novel that tackles trauma, loneliness, and human connections - and how not being alone and finding these connections can be the way to actively combat the demons haunting you. In this novel, even until the last page you won’t be entirely sure what is reality and what is an unreliable narrator - and yet, the story will still suck you in until the last page. I thought Eddie was a fascinating main character, as he was broken, traumatized, and in many aspects not the “hero” he strived to be. He self-admits to being drawn to broken people who need his protection - regardless if they truly need him at all. However, his flaws make him a realistic protagonist, and as the story progresses and his investigation leads him further and further into the grim underbelly of reality, we want him to succeed. .
Many reviews mention the blurb being misleading, and I agree with them - mostly. I would say that everything that happens in the blurb description is true, but this novel uses them more as a storytelling device to explore the trauma and mistakes Eddie has made in his life. I would take the blurb with a grain of salt, as this story would not fit under fantasy-horror in my opinion, and the use of magic is more of a background to the surrounding events. The magic and the Painted Man are less aspects of the world, but rather a way to show how trauma can haunt and “possess” you - to the point that eventually you feel it’s better to give in to these darker desires than fight to live another day. Even as we begin to understand who, or what, the Painted Man is, we’re never really certain if the events described in this book really occurred - or if they are how the traumatized people in this novel interpret them.
A great deal of this novel is a form of inner monologue for Eddie as he goes about his life, and starts to slowly lose his grip on his life after his trauma from the Vietnam war. He has hearing and memory issues, and trouble connecting with people on a personal basis - which is the catalyst for him losing his job at the beginning of the novel. Losing the one thing he had going for him, and being estranged from his parents and an ex-girlfriend, he decides he isn’t much use to anyone and wants to take himself out of the equation entirely.
However, he is interrupted before he can take more than a few pills by a gunshot from the woods nearby. Deciding to investigate, he sees a woman in a red dress running away - sounding distressed - and finds a notebook on the ground that seems to have been hers. At this point in the novel, a second POV begins with the voice of the woman in her notebook as she writes down her thoughts. As Eddie reads further into the notebook, he believes he has some kind of connection to this woman and is compelled to save her - becoming almost an obsession for him.
This is also interesting, because we spend a great deal of the novel unsure if these events actually occurred as we (as Eddie) experienced them, since he was heavily under the influence at the time. This unreality only becomes stronger the further we investigate into the journal, and the deeper Eddie’s investigation goes. As he continues, he meets two pivotal characters that know more about this mysterious woman than they will tell him - Carrie and Lou. Through becoming closer to Lou, and talking with Carrie, Eddie is unintentionally pulled further into the unknown world of magic both operate in - and both warn him of escaping before it’s too late.
A large focus on this novel is on both of the main male characters - Eddie and Lou - as having had previous instances of stalking women. It’s honestly a testament to how well this novel is written to make both sympathetic characters who the reader will root for - even while even the characters themselves acknowledge that their past behavior was unacceptable. I thought this novel did very well to play into the stereotypes of the quintessential “stalker” - one is a shy, soft spoken man with a stutter who becomes attached to anyone showing him kindness, and the other is a dishonorably discharged traumatized war vet believing his girlfriend still needs him around. In any other novel, these characters would be one-dimensional villains - but in this one, they are sympathetic protagonists who have made mistakes in their past..
I found Lou in particular to be an interesting examination of the “stalker” stereotype. His hair is sometimes not in great condition, he likes to watch movies more geared towards children, he becomes attached to anyone who shows him kindness to the point that it leads to him stalking this person. On top of all that, he also has a severe stutter and likes to give off the idea that he isn’t intelligent, to make his life easier. And yet, Eddie is drawn to him to learn more - even when Lou refuses to give him any information on the mysterious woman he is trying to find. As these two traumatized men, who have issues fitting into regular society, come together to find friendship - they learn how to rely on one another and find strength in their bond. I really enjoyed their dynamic, and how they gained strength from each other to help curb their more pronounced issues (Lou with being shy and differential, and Eddie with anger issues). They in a way protect each other, and through their relationship both grow as people to learn how to move forward in the world and their lives.
I’ve seen multiple people question the lgbt/queer label on this novel, and spoil it by saying it only occurs at the very end of the book, and personally I’d disagree with that. HOWEVER, without giving any spoilers, I will say the only difference between the end and the rest of the novel is how explicit the representation given is. There is no surprise to how the events at the end unfold, and once we finally learn all the clues to putting all the pieces together on the mystery woman's identity, they all fit together perfectly. My only surprise at the “reveal” was how well it was done and how perfectly it tied the preceding events together. I think I would enjoy this novel on a reread, knowing the reveal, to be able to see all the hints I might have missed before.
I would suggest this novel to anyone who likes horror, but who wants the horror to be the device to tell the story of the characters and their motivations. This would not be a good fit for anyone wanting a straightforward dark fantasy horror, as this book heavily focuses on the thoughts and relationships surrounding the main character Eddie, as opposed to the magic in this world. I would describe this more as a literary horror novel, which examines the stereotypes people fit into, and how by opening up to one another we can learn to live and grow past them.
–
Spoilers beyond this point.
I keep seeing reviews spoiling the ending for this book and claiming the character of Lou is transmisogynistic, and that Eddie’s response is ALSO transmisogynistic. This isn’t true. The REASON Eddie has issues with the demon only referring to Lou as Nicole and “she” and a “woman” is because LOU THEMSELVES says that he doesn’t feel entirely like a woman, and if he was born as a girl he STILL wouldn’t see himself as a woman. Lou is nonbinary. And it’s honestly SUPER disheartening to see SO MANY people just decide that a nonbinary person in the 80s, who doesn't have access to the words and lingo we use today, is transmisogynistic. Eddie himself asks Lou if he’d prefer to be called a woman named Nicole, and LOU says no. Nicole is a PART of her identity, but not the ENTIRE THING. And after this point Eddie switches between he and she when referring to Lou. The REASON that it’s wrong that “Nicole” only comes out entirely as a woman when she’s possessed by a demon, is BECAUSE she’s not ONLY a woman named Nicole, she’s also a man named Lou, and a person who doesn’t solely identify as either gender.
Stop saying this is transmisogynistic, you’re being enbyphobic by claiming that Lou HAS to be a woman - DESPITE THE CHARACTER THEMSELVES saying they’re not. This book does absolutely NOT do the “man in the dress” gag (y’all do realize it’s only transmisogynistic when it’s a joke, right? Men can wear dresses, but I guess if you can’t understand people who don’t fit in the gender binary you might not be able to see that.)
Eddie uses the phrase “man-woman” to describe Lou BECAUSE THIS IS THE 80S AND NEITHER KNOWS THE TERM NONBINARY. I had to come back to edit my review because of this nonsense. The book clearly has Eddie ask Lou his preferences in how Eddie should refer to her, AND it’s obvious that Eddie accepts EVERY PART of Lou/Nicole - including them not solely identifying as a woman. If that were to ever change, Eddie would support her. But as of now, Lou EXPLICITLY states that they don’t think they’d be comfortable only being a woman if they were born in another gender.
Nonbinary people exist. Not everyone fits into the gender binary and seeing one (1) character do that doesn’t make it transmisogynistic, you’re just being transphobic. Thanks.
–
Initial thoughts after finishing this book:
HOLY SHIT. I have so many thoughts. I loved this. This blew me away so much I was not expecting it at ALL. Am I still a person after reading this? Are any of us????
January 14, 2024
This is a novel that's hard to define but you know it's something special as you're reading.
I guess you can say it's an atmospheric supernatural horror with shades of dark fantasy mixed in. In this book you'll find magic, a woman turning herself into a cat, unreliable narrators, a demon, and enough weird side trails to keep things interesting.
It's basically about a lonely man who drifts through life after he leaves the military after being in Vietnam. He's going to commit suicide out in the woods when he hears a gunshot and sees a fleeting glimpse of a woman in a red dress running away. He finds a journal that she dropped and he becomes obsessed with finding her because he believes her life is in danger.
The journal is filled with creepy, disgusting, and cryptic writings and drawings and as he tries to piece clues together for her identity, this will lead him on a hunt where people might not be who they seem and his life might be in danger.
He'll soon meet a man as awkward and shy as he is and this relationship will be the crux of this novel throughout.
There's a demon that wants to be let loose but this is not your typical evil entity. There are no horns, no exorcists, no spinning of heads. But that doesn't mean it can't be very harmful to humans.
The story sometimes feels like a fever dream set in a world almost like ours but one where these supernatural things are accepted. Based on our protagonist's past experiences you can't help but wonder if this is in his imagination. He's suffered some trauma and mental issues in Vietnam so we have to ask if he's a reliable narrator.
Aside from the horrific things our characters will go through, this novel digs into the life of our protagonist and how he's going through his life with PTSD (even though it doesn't have that name yet as this book is set in the early 80s or thereabouts).
I really loved the narrative, how I never knew what was true or not, and the weirdness was my kind of thing I like in a horror book. I definitely recommend it if you're looking for something bold and different.
I guess you can say it's an atmospheric supernatural horror with shades of dark fantasy mixed in. In this book you'll find magic, a woman turning herself into a cat, unreliable narrators, a demon, and enough weird side trails to keep things interesting.
It's basically about a lonely man who drifts through life after he leaves the military after being in Vietnam. He's going to commit suicide out in the woods when he hears a gunshot and sees a fleeting glimpse of a woman in a red dress running away. He finds a journal that she dropped and he becomes obsessed with finding her because he believes her life is in danger.
The journal is filled with creepy, disgusting, and cryptic writings and drawings and as he tries to piece clues together for her identity, this will lead him on a hunt where people might not be who they seem and his life might be in danger.
He'll soon meet a man as awkward and shy as he is and this relationship will be the crux of this novel throughout.
There's a demon that wants to be let loose but this is not your typical evil entity. There are no horns, no exorcists, no spinning of heads. But that doesn't mean it can't be very harmful to humans.
The story sometimes feels like a fever dream set in a world almost like ours but one where these supernatural things are accepted. Based on our protagonist's past experiences you can't help but wonder if this is in his imagination. He's suffered some trauma and mental issues in Vietnam so we have to ask if he's a reliable narrator.
Aside from the horrific things our characters will go through, this novel digs into the life of our protagonist and how he's going through his life with PTSD (even though it doesn't have that name yet as this book is set in the early 80s or thereabouts).
I really loved the narrative, how I never knew what was true or not, and the weirdness was my kind of thing I like in a horror book. I definitely recommend it if you're looking for something bold and different.
December 8, 2023
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a review copy.
Oh, this book. I devoured it. The blurb makes it sound like this will be a dark Fantasy, possibly some magical realism, a journey into an unknown place. But that does it a disservice, because if that's what you're expecting, you'll be disappointed. Eye of a Little God is one long fever dream, slightly rotten, oh so sweet. Seriously, the book was so very sweet for a book about loneliness, aloneness, obsession. It was beautiful and I loved it. Strong 5 stars.
Oh, this book. I devoured it. The blurb makes it sound like this will be a dark Fantasy, possibly some magical realism, a journey into an unknown place. But that does it a disservice, because if that's what you're expecting, you'll be disappointed. Eye of a Little God is one long fever dream, slightly rotten, oh so sweet. Seriously, the book was so very sweet for a book about loneliness, aloneness, obsession. It was beautiful and I loved it. Strong 5 stars.
January 2, 2024
A Joyfully Jay review.
3.75 stars
Eye of a Little God is a meditation on loneliness, depression, and finding a flicker of hope in the darkness. The story is steeped in ambiguity, including how it’s marketed. Though billed as queer, that label is doing a lot of heavy lifting. All queer representation is at the end and open to interpretation. For example, Eddie and Lou’s friendship is platonic, so it’s equally plausible to interpret Eddie’s declaration of love (especially given its circumstances) as a continuation of their friendship or the potential for romance. Additionally, the story is not a flawed hero’s journey via horror, it’s via mystery with a few horror elements, such as disturbing art and socially horrific behavior. However, these components are effective in evoking a firm and ominous sense of place, even in moments of disorientation.
Read Jovan’s review in its entirety here.
3.75 stars
Eye of a Little God is a meditation on loneliness, depression, and finding a flicker of hope in the darkness. The story is steeped in ambiguity, including how it’s marketed. Though billed as queer, that label is doing a lot of heavy lifting. All queer representation is at the end and open to interpretation. For example, Eddie and Lou’s friendship is platonic, so it’s equally plausible to interpret Eddie’s declaration of love (especially given its circumstances) as a continuation of their friendship or the potential for romance. Additionally, the story is not a flawed hero’s journey via horror, it’s via mystery with a few horror elements, such as disturbing art and socially horrific behavior. However, these components are effective in evoking a firm and ominous sense of place, even in moments of disorientation.
Read Jovan’s review in its entirety here.
November 1, 2023
This one missed the mark for me, unfortunately. I found it dull to read, which is surprising given its surrealist vibes. A book about a man searching for a missing woman, whose notebook he's found, piecing together clues that lead him into stranger and stranger circumstances, seems like it would be interesting.... but it wasn't. At least not for me. I found it dull and repetitive, with little to catch my attention. The book was tagged LGBTQ and I was curious to find out why -- that's the only reason I finished the book in the first place. And not to give too much of a spoiler, but the LGBTQ part shows up.... in the very last chapters. So the majority of the book has nothing to do with it. Disappointing all around.
December 28, 2023
I have to admit that the synopsis for this book was a bit misleading. With many thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for an ARC, here is my review. The book starts very strongly: great writing, nice pace, some expectations to see how it'll all turn into horror. By the middle, these expectations are dashed: the book has turned into fantasy, as the main character discovers that magic exists and can be used to save a stranger, Getting into the rest of the book proved very hard for me. I'll give it 2.5 stars rounded to 3.
dnf
August 5, 2024DNF @ 27%
This was a case of misclassification. Tagged as a horror, but to this point it's reading more mystery/thriller - which I don't love and steer clear of. This book definitely has an audience, it's just unfortunately not me
This was a case of misclassification. Tagged as a horror, but to this point it's reading more mystery/thriller - which I don't love and steer clear of. This book definitely has an audience, it's just unfortunately not me
October 30, 2024
This book felt like a lot of waiting and very little payoff. Overall there was not a whole lot of explanation and very heavy-handed symbolism. At the end of the book, there was also a stark tonal shift that threw me for a loop. All in all, I felt the story could have moved faster and some plot points deserved more exploration.
December 15, 2023
This book was lent to me in eBook format in exchange for an honest review.
Eye of a Little God is a decent story in desperate need of at least one more round of editing. The prose is inoffensive for the most part, the action isn't the worst I've read on a page, the characters are compelling enough to get you through their arcs without irritation. In many places, I would even say that each of these aspects at least border on "really good." If the novel was at its current peak more consistently, I would recommend it wholeheartedly. Unfortunately, any time it really begins to find its flow, even on a sentence-to-sentence basis, some kind of barrier pops up that brings it to a screeching halt.
The most egregious of these barriers are the numerous spelling and formatting errors. These become not only more common towards the end of the book—presumably because A.J. Steiger was either worn out or rushing to meet a deadline—but also more glaring. There is at least one chunk of text in the final confrontation with the main antagonist, the big dramatic boiling point that the entire novel had been leading to, that is clearly just a placeholder note the author left for themself. Not in the sense that the wording feels out of place or underdeveloped, but in the sense that it fully interrupts a sentence, shifts to third-person future tense, and says "Here this character will continue to do this, using this general theme." This is something that gets mocked even in self-published books and fanfiction, so it feels downright inexcusable to see it appear in a book that presumably had to go through several layers of editing to get into my hands. Especially during such a key scene.
These kinds of issues with Eye of a Little God are made more noticeable, and more painful, by how much potential they're wading in without even realizing it. The prose, as mentioned, is often legitimately good, allowing readers to begin getting lost in the voice of a scene and really feel enveloped in its tone. I say "begin getting lost" because any time you find yourself getting too invested, a childishly-written line or a word repeated one too many times in back-to-back sentences will break your focus and keep you separated from what's happening on the page. This isn't constant enough to be maddening, but it does seem to happen 100% consistently any time something good goes on for a few too many lines.
Similarly, an is a compelling point-of-view from which to write, but both traits are downplayed until they might as well have just been ignored altogether. Just as readers might start to wonder how the main protagonist's biggest flaw might impact his budding friendship, in fact, it's implied that it's something mythical and beyond his control, and it doesn't become a problem again. (This is also barely explained, and seems mostly to operate as an excuse to neither condemn nor explore this trait in more depth.) In a more political sense, it is also incredibly frustrating to read such a sympathetic take on this type of character with very little emphasis on the actual suffering their behavior inflicts on real people. Unless you can one-up Bojack Horseman, we really don't need more stories that pat abusers on the back and tell them they aren't actually that bad. (This is also present in the characterization of the main character as a Vietnam vet; it's the same tired story of how much it affected American soldiers to murder innocent people, with no real empathy afforded to the people they were murdering.)
Finally, in a similar vein, it feels almost cruel to market this book so heavily as an LGBT story. Yes, gay characters and themes but they are coated in a thick layer of transmisogyny that serves no real purpose.
In short, Eye of a Little God is worth reading if you find it for free or for very cheap, but it lacks the depth that might warrant actively seeking it out. It pussyfoots around its more complicated themes and falls heavily into tired, often offensive tropes that it's already commonplace to subvert. It's best when you turn your brain off, but if you do so, you risk uncritically rooting for a I wish the author luck in their growth, and I am interested to see what else they might produce.
Eye of a Little God is a decent story in desperate need of at least one more round of editing. The prose is inoffensive for the most part, the action isn't the worst I've read on a page, the characters are compelling enough to get you through their arcs without irritation. In many places, I would even say that each of these aspects at least border on "really good." If the novel was at its current peak more consistently, I would recommend it wholeheartedly. Unfortunately, any time it really begins to find its flow, even on a sentence-to-sentence basis, some kind of barrier pops up that brings it to a screeching halt.
The most egregious of these barriers are the numerous spelling and formatting errors. These become not only more common towards the end of the book—presumably because A.J. Steiger was either worn out or rushing to meet a deadline—but also more glaring. There is at least one chunk of text in the final confrontation with the main antagonist, the big dramatic boiling point that the entire novel had been leading to, that is clearly just a placeholder note the author left for themself. Not in the sense that the wording feels out of place or underdeveloped, but in the sense that it fully interrupts a sentence, shifts to third-person future tense, and says "Here this character will continue to do this, using this general theme." This is something that gets mocked even in self-published books and fanfiction, so it feels downright inexcusable to see it appear in a book that presumably had to go through several layers of editing to get into my hands. Especially during such a key scene.
These kinds of issues with Eye of a Little God are made more noticeable, and more painful, by how much potential they're wading in without even realizing it. The prose, as mentioned, is often legitimately good, allowing readers to begin getting lost in the voice of a scene and really feel enveloped in its tone. I say "begin getting lost" because any time you find yourself getting too invested, a childishly-written line or a word repeated one too many times in back-to-back sentences will break your focus and keep you separated from what's happening on the page. This isn't constant enough to be maddening, but it does seem to happen 100% consistently any time something good goes on for a few too many lines.
Similarly, an is a compelling point-of-view from which to write, but both traits are downplayed until they might as well have just been ignored altogether. Just as readers might start to wonder how the main protagonist's biggest flaw might impact his budding friendship, in fact, it's implied that it's something mythical and beyond his control, and it doesn't become a problem again. (This is also barely explained, and seems mostly to operate as an excuse to neither condemn nor explore this trait in more depth.) In a more political sense, it is also incredibly frustrating to read such a sympathetic take on this type of character with very little emphasis on the actual suffering their behavior inflicts on real people. Unless you can one-up Bojack Horseman, we really don't need more stories that pat abusers on the back and tell them they aren't actually that bad. (This is also present in the characterization of the main character as a Vietnam vet; it's the same tired story of how much it affected American soldiers to murder innocent people, with no real empathy afforded to the people they were murdering.)
Finally, in a similar vein, it feels almost cruel to market this book so heavily as an LGBT story. Yes, gay characters and themes but they are coated in a thick layer of transmisogyny that serves no real purpose.
In short, Eye of a Little God is worth reading if you find it for free or for very cheap, but it lacks the depth that might warrant actively seeking it out. It pussyfoots around its more complicated themes and falls heavily into tired, often offensive tropes that it's already commonplace to subvert. It's best when you turn your brain off, but if you do so, you risk uncritically rooting for a I wish the author luck in their growth, and I am interested to see what else they might produce.
August 30, 2024
A mix of horror, surrealism and dreamlike atmosphere. A good story that I liked even if it's not always easy to follow.
Not the type of book you read if you want a classic who-dunnit.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
Not the type of book you read if you want a classic who-dunnit.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
May 9, 2024
The synopsis of this book is a lie. It’s not a dark fantasy romance.. It deals with psychological issues, trauma, abuse, depression, and gender dysphoria.
It disguises real issues like suicide with magic and fantasy.
It disguises real issues like suicide with magic and fantasy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 14, 2023
3.75
This book is good, yes, but it is not what the description makes it out to be. The blurb makes it seem as though it's some kind of magical tale in which a man, Eddie, is saved from his own thoughts by a mystical entity, and is transported into something akin to an alternate version of reality where things are wonky. The description doesn't lie in its descriptions, only it makes it seem like more than it is. Or rather, it undersells itself.
This book, to me, falls into the realm of being more in the genre of literary-fantasy rather than fantasy-horror. There are gruesome aspects that place it within the realm of horror, but overall? This is a book about grief, loss, and learning to find the value in the life you are given.
This is not a story about an alternate world of magic per se, even though there are magical elements to it. It's magical realism, and shies away from going a full fantasy route.
The entire story banks off of a mysterious notebook that was left in the woods on the night that our main character Eddie intended to kill himself. Eddie, who at this point has nothing to keep him going since he's become estranged from his family and has no friends to speak of, uses the notebook as a clutch; he uses the notebook as something of being a chance for him to do a good deed in life, a means to leave this world as a saviour instead of a murderer, and fulfill what he thinks is his purpose - being a protector.
Eddie is such an interesting character to me because he manages to come off as not having much social experience, but still self-assured in his actions. He's determined to find out what he wants to know, but he doesn't come off as pushy or demanding, but just having a strong presence. He's not good at understanding other people, but he feels an inexplicable need to protect others; he feels his best when he can be useful.
When he decides to try his best to find the owner of the notebook, it's like he's no longer fumbling around in the dark one day to the next trying to find a reason to live, its like he finally knows how to steer his life in a direction he wants to go in rather than just whatever he thinks he must do.
And at the crux of it all, this story is one about Fate. How no matter how much he may try to push away, or to prod into other peoples lives, trying to figure out what exactly is being hidden from him, he can't change the outcome. He can only delay it.
Now, when it comes to the story itself, I think that in the magical element of the story is a little lacking. I personally am not particularly interested in fantasy, but I do enjoy magical realism, but this story seems like one that desperately wanted to out-and-out be a full blown fantasy but decided to hold back because it knows that it would hinder the story and turn it into something it's not meant to be. But even still.... there are a few moments in the story where it tried to take a darker turn but ended up feeling more fake-danger, Twilight-esque in the way that magical elements were revealed or talked about. And there's a few unexplained things that happen that I guess I could turn a blind eye to but ultimately have me scratching my head as to what exactly those scenes were meant to add to the story over all, and don't really fit in all that well. They kind of felt like scapegoats, a way to grab your attention again after things start to get slow.
But even so, I find myself wanting to round up with this story instead of down, because I feel like the heart was there at least. The author wanted to explore an idea that was outside of her usual territory, and I can respect that.
It's weird, it's interesting, it's a little rough around the edges, but at the end of the day, its a decent read to pass the time with. Take that as you will.
This book is good, yes, but it is not what the description makes it out to be. The blurb makes it seem as though it's some kind of magical tale in which a man, Eddie, is saved from his own thoughts by a mystical entity, and is transported into something akin to an alternate version of reality where things are wonky. The description doesn't lie in its descriptions, only it makes it seem like more than it is. Or rather, it undersells itself.
This book, to me, falls into the realm of being more in the genre of literary-fantasy rather than fantasy-horror. There are gruesome aspects that place it within the realm of horror, but overall? This is a book about grief, loss, and learning to find the value in the life you are given.
This is not a story about an alternate world of magic per se, even though there are magical elements to it. It's magical realism, and shies away from going a full fantasy route.
The entire story banks off of a mysterious notebook that was left in the woods on the night that our main character Eddie intended to kill himself. Eddie, who at this point has nothing to keep him going since he's become estranged from his family and has no friends to speak of, uses the notebook as a clutch; he uses the notebook as something of being a chance for him to do a good deed in life, a means to leave this world as a saviour instead of a murderer, and fulfill what he thinks is his purpose - being a protector.
Eddie is such an interesting character to me because he manages to come off as not having much social experience, but still self-assured in his actions. He's determined to find out what he wants to know, but he doesn't come off as pushy or demanding, but just having a strong presence. He's not good at understanding other people, but he feels an inexplicable need to protect others; he feels his best when he can be useful.
When he decides to try his best to find the owner of the notebook, it's like he's no longer fumbling around in the dark one day to the next trying to find a reason to live, its like he finally knows how to steer his life in a direction he wants to go in rather than just whatever he thinks he must do.
And at the crux of it all, this story is one about Fate. How no matter how much he may try to push away, or to prod into other peoples lives, trying to figure out what exactly is being hidden from him, he can't change the outcome. He can only delay it.
Now, when it comes to the story itself, I think that in the magical element of the story is a little lacking. I personally am not particularly interested in fantasy, but I do enjoy magical realism, but this story seems like one that desperately wanted to out-and-out be a full blown fantasy but decided to hold back because it knows that it would hinder the story and turn it into something it's not meant to be. But even still.... there are a few moments in the story where it tried to take a darker turn but ended up feeling more fake-danger, Twilight-esque in the way that magical elements were revealed or talked about. And there's a few unexplained things that happen that I guess I could turn a blind eye to but ultimately have me scratching my head as to what exactly those scenes were meant to add to the story over all, and don't really fit in all that well. They kind of felt like scapegoats, a way to grab your attention again after things start to get slow.
But even so, I find myself wanting to round up with this story instead of down, because I feel like the heart was there at least. The author wanted to explore an idea that was outside of her usual territory, and I can respect that.
It's weird, it's interesting, it's a little rough around the edges, but at the end of the day, its a decent read to pass the time with. Take that as you will.
January 27, 2024
Eddie, a Vietnam vet living in 80’s small-town America, becomes entangled with a mysterious woman named Noelle after a chance encounter in the woods. As he races to rescue her from a figure known only as ‘The Painted Man’, Eddie discovers more about the world around him than he could have ever imagined. Magic and demons hide around corners, but so do new connections with faces familiar and not.
Eye of a Little God is an exploration of loneliness and isolation, ostracism and trauma. Our three central figures are all social outcasts who have been dealing with their trauma in vastly different ways, but find commonalities in one another.
I struggled to finish this one. In the end I don't regret pushing through, though I had a little trouble getting into it at first as the blurb was a little misleading. Technically all the elements in the blurb do occur – there are horror and romantic elements, someone falls for someone who might be possessed, there are queer main characters. However, I would classify this as magical realism more than a romance or a horror novel, and while the central romance is queer, it doesn’t come to the forefront until the final climax of the story. The dissonance between what I expected and what I got made my reading experience frustrating, which judging by some of the other reviews I am not alone in. I do think a slightly different blurb might allay this.
Eddie, Lou, and Carrie have distinct voices and perspectives. The characterisation is very distinct and their unique vulnerabilities broke my heart repeatedly. Stieger did a masterful job in really digging into their psyches and allowing the reader to experience some of the tragedies they were dealing with.
There were a few noticeable grammatical errors and some repetition that got tiresome, but there were also passages that were just gorgeous, with measures of beauty and aching sadness. Some scenes where characters experienced dissociation or derealization were profoundly moving, but also pretty triggering so be careful when you read this one, please!
The pacing wasn’t great. The beginning was good, it started off quickly and kept up the intensity, but the middle dragged a lot for me. Carrie's story was needed, but I always felt like her sections were slow or too clunky in their insertion into the plot.
Spoilers ahead for the ending!!!
I usually thoroughly detest books where whether the supernatural elements were real is left up to interpretation or are just due to mental illness/neurodiversity. Here, however, I was not as upset as I’d usually be. From the start, the reader is unsure about how much of the plot is occurring, so it didn’t feel like a lazy choice/rip-off when the ending is left up in the air. The fact that many of the supernatural phenomena might be artifacts of the characters’ PTSD or trauma did not feel poorly done as there were multiple characters with trauma of different kinds in this story. I also found the romantic relationship so quietly lovely in the aftermath of the conflict. This book was not what I expected but I did enjoy it in the end!
Eye of a Little God is an exploration of loneliness and isolation, ostracism and trauma. Our three central figures are all social outcasts who have been dealing with their trauma in vastly different ways, but find commonalities in one another.
I struggled to finish this one. In the end I don't regret pushing through, though I had a little trouble getting into it at first as the blurb was a little misleading. Technically all the elements in the blurb do occur – there are horror and romantic elements, someone falls for someone who might be possessed, there are queer main characters. However, I would classify this as magical realism more than a romance or a horror novel, and while the central romance is queer, it doesn’t come to the forefront until the final climax of the story. The dissonance between what I expected and what I got made my reading experience frustrating, which judging by some of the other reviews I am not alone in. I do think a slightly different blurb might allay this.
Eddie, Lou, and Carrie have distinct voices and perspectives. The characterisation is very distinct and their unique vulnerabilities broke my heart repeatedly. Stieger did a masterful job in really digging into their psyches and allowing the reader to experience some of the tragedies they were dealing with.
There were a few noticeable grammatical errors and some repetition that got tiresome, but there were also passages that were just gorgeous, with measures of beauty and aching sadness. Some scenes where characters experienced dissociation or derealization were profoundly moving, but also pretty triggering so be careful when you read this one, please!
The pacing wasn’t great. The beginning was good, it started off quickly and kept up the intensity, but the middle dragged a lot for me. Carrie's story was needed, but I always felt like her sections were slow or too clunky in their insertion into the plot.
Spoilers ahead for the ending!!!
I usually thoroughly detest books where whether the supernatural elements were real is left up to interpretation or are just due to mental illness/neurodiversity. Here, however, I was not as upset as I’d usually be. From the start, the reader is unsure about how much of the plot is occurring, so it didn’t feel like a lazy choice/rip-off when the ending is left up in the air. The fact that many of the supernatural phenomena might be artifacts of the characters’ PTSD or trauma did not feel poorly done as there were multiple characters with trauma of different kinds in this story. I also found the romantic relationship so quietly lovely in the aftermath of the conflict. This book was not what I expected but I did enjoy it in the end!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 10, 2024
Eddie doesn't feel like he belongs anywhere. He doesn't have a purpose. That is until he finds a notebook in the middle of the woods after hearing a gunshot. Now Eddie is on a journey to find a woman who fears for her life. He might just find out that the world is filled with magic along the way.
I absolutely loved this book. I want more of this universe immediately. Right in my hands. It's so good.
The characters are amazing. I loved the depth of all of them and how they all viewed the world. Each person had such a different viewpoint that all worked together in a strange and intriguing way. I loved learning about all of the characters even if they are all morally grey. they are all just people trying to survive in the strange and messed up world of the book.
The world-building was really interesting. Typically when a book doesn't really establish the rules of magic, the world-building can feel a little bit lackluster. But this book does it amazingly. The world was just so rich and I loved the way that magic was described. I also thought that the talk about fate and free will was super interesting and I absolutely loved it.
The twist at the end was my favorite thing. I didn't see it coming. I possibly could have if I was trying to but I was totally on board with just letting the story flow over me. I think that's honestly the best way to read it. The story is really just beautiful and I love that our two characters will choose each other every day for as long as they can.
Overall, a wonderfully written book. Definitely give it a read, though read the content warnings first.
I absolutely loved this book. I want more of this universe immediately. Right in my hands. It's so good.
The characters are amazing. I loved the depth of all of them and how they all viewed the world. Each person had such a different viewpoint that all worked together in a strange and intriguing way. I loved learning about all of the characters even if they are all morally grey. they are all just people trying to survive in the strange and messed up world of the book.
The world-building was really interesting. Typically when a book doesn't really establish the rules of magic, the world-building can feel a little bit lackluster. But this book does it amazingly. The world was just so rich and I loved the way that magic was described. I also thought that the talk about fate and free will was super interesting and I absolutely loved it.
The twist at the end was my favorite thing. I didn't see it coming. I possibly could have if I was trying to but I was totally on board with just letting the story flow over me. I think that's honestly the best way to read it. The story is really just beautiful and I love that our two characters will choose each other every day for as long as they can.
Overall, a wonderfully written book. Definitely give it a read, though read the content warnings first.
September 18, 2024
Thank you NetGalley, Severn House, and A.J Steiger for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Final rating: 2.5 rounded to 3 stars.
Rarely, don’t I finish an ARC, but sadly I found that I had to DNF this one a little over halfway. I’ll be honest, the blurb of this book and what I was expecting, is completely different from what it ended up being.
Looking past the formatting problem of the Kindle edition I received which became extremely irritating as the book went on and I hope this is remedied in the final release, I will say that I find Steigers writing quite nice. Her writer's voice and prose are detailed and engaging, and I found the depiction of mental health and the atmosphere quite poetically done.
But then there is everything else that just makes this an unenjoyable read. The start was quite intriguing, but then there was a lot of meandering and inner monologue to the point that it was unengaging, and eventually, I began to tune it all out. Then there is the LGBT marketing, when considering how far I got in this story, this aspect is barely existent (and others state not really there until the end). The horror aspects are vague, and although the writing is atmospheric, this wasn’t the type of horror or content I was expecting (again based on the description and marketing).
I would love to get my normal in-depth reviews, but I feel I can’t with this book because I will end up nitpicking it unfairly. Ultimately, I don’t think I was the right audience for this book.
Final rating: 2.5 rounded to 3 stars.
Rarely, don’t I finish an ARC, but sadly I found that I had to DNF this one a little over halfway. I’ll be honest, the blurb of this book and what I was expecting, is completely different from what it ended up being.
Looking past the formatting problem of the Kindle edition I received which became extremely irritating as the book went on and I hope this is remedied in the final release, I will say that I find Steigers writing quite nice. Her writer's voice and prose are detailed and engaging, and I found the depiction of mental health and the atmosphere quite poetically done.
But then there is everything else that just makes this an unenjoyable read. The start was quite intriguing, but then there was a lot of meandering and inner monologue to the point that it was unengaging, and eventually, I began to tune it all out. Then there is the LGBT marketing, when considering how far I got in this story, this aspect is barely existent (and others state not really there until the end). The horror aspects are vague, and although the writing is atmospheric, this wasn’t the type of horror or content I was expecting (again based on the description and marketing).
I would love to get my normal in-depth reviews, but I feel I can’t with this book because I will end up nitpicking it unfairly. Ultimately, I don’t think I was the right audience for this book.
January 6, 2024
I thought this book was very original & creative. It’s definitely one of a kind. I’ve never read a book like it.
I did find it a bit confusing at times, simply because I wasn’t sure where some things fit in, and what some things meant or had to do with the story itself. I do feel some things had no meaning to the story, and were just there for “fluff”, while others made complete sense by the end of the story. It all came together by the end.
Our MC Eddie was a sort of “protector” of sorts I felt like, and deemed himself that. It was a wild ride seeing him progress through this journey of finding this unknown person who he felt he was supposed to protect.
This story had magic, devils, demons, and a whole lot more thrown in that I just was not expecting that was a pretty pleasant surprise.
I did find the writing a bit.. odd? But, it didn’t take away from the story in the least bit for me. Just something I wasn’t used to. I enjoyed a refreshing new writing style to me.
The story itself had me on the edge of my seat, trying to figure out what was going to happen next in the story. I felt so much sympathy for Eddie, Lou, and even Carrie. By the end of the story, I loved all of them.
All in all, I believe this book is worth the read. It’s a great story, creative, compelling, and highly original.
I did find it a bit confusing at times, simply because I wasn’t sure where some things fit in, and what some things meant or had to do with the story itself. I do feel some things had no meaning to the story, and were just there for “fluff”, while others made complete sense by the end of the story. It all came together by the end.
Our MC Eddie was a sort of “protector” of sorts I felt like, and deemed himself that. It was a wild ride seeing him progress through this journey of finding this unknown person who he felt he was supposed to protect.
This story had magic, devils, demons, and a whole lot more thrown in that I just was not expecting that was a pretty pleasant surprise.
I did find the writing a bit.. odd? But, it didn’t take away from the story in the least bit for me. Just something I wasn’t used to. I enjoyed a refreshing new writing style to me.
The story itself had me on the edge of my seat, trying to figure out what was going to happen next in the story. I felt so much sympathy for Eddie, Lou, and even Carrie. By the end of the story, I loved all of them.
All in all, I believe this book is worth the read. It’s a great story, creative, compelling, and highly original.
December 29, 2023
I have mixed feelings about this one. It started strong and then tapered off and for the middle of the novel I struggled to stay invested and I admit I skimmed parts of it to get through it. However, it picked up in the latter quarter and I flew through the ending chapters because I finally got properly invested. I don't think it was enough to make me say I loved the book though, the conclusion also felt a bit anticlimactic compared to what the build-up had been.
This book is uncomfortable to read in places but in a good way in that it throws a harsh, clear light on traumatic issues and topics and it doesn't shy away from being 'ugly' in places which I appreciated and felt fit the narrative of the story. However, it's marketed as a horror and I feel in places it's a little light on that but there are definitely elements of it.
Overall I think this is a tentative 3.5 stars and it had a lot of elements I really liked and parts were downright addictive but it just wasn't 'enough' for me. There was a lot of potential here but I'm not sure it reached it for me.
Thanks to Netgalle and the publisher for an arc of this in exchange for an honest review.
This book is uncomfortable to read in places but in a good way in that it throws a harsh, clear light on traumatic issues and topics and it doesn't shy away from being 'ugly' in places which I appreciated and felt fit the narrative of the story. However, it's marketed as a horror and I feel in places it's a little light on that but there are definitely elements of it.
Overall I think this is a tentative 3.5 stars and it had a lot of elements I really liked and parts were downright addictive but it just wasn't 'enough' for me. There was a lot of potential here but I'm not sure it reached it for me.
Thanks to Netgalle and the publisher for an arc of this in exchange for an honest review.
November 20, 2024
ARC obtained through Netgalley
I had a hard time getting into this book, the first few 100 pages didn't exactly grasp my interest. Too little seemed to happen. However, after that, it became quite interesting. The storywriting was really good and it really messed with my head, just as it did with the characters. It made me forget the whole world around it. Even though the story was quite vague and complicated, it was still easy to imagine what was happening and relate to the characters, due to the writing. I loved the way the writer brought us back to memories, it felt so vivid.
I had a hard time getting into this book, the first few 100 pages didn't exactly grasp my interest. Too little seemed to happen. However, after that, it became quite interesting. The storywriting was really good and it really messed with my head, just as it did with the characters. It made me forget the whole world around it. Even though the story was quite vague and complicated, it was still easy to imagine what was happening and relate to the characters, due to the writing. I loved the way the writer brought us back to memories, it felt so vivid.
August 9, 2024
“This much I know. There are two choices. One is to melt into the darkness. The other is to become a god of despair. I can't tell you how this story ends. I don't know the ending. Not yet. Remember, it's only a story.”
The “Twin Peaks” score plays softly in the background as we curiously stomp through bizarre scenes, meet truly unique characters, experience the shortfalls of magic, and fall…in love? The clear outlier of Steiger’s talent lies in her ambitious prose and pace control. Her construction of complicated characters was equally paramount. You can read the jacket blurb but it won’t in any way prepare you for the story.
The Queer and LGBT feel somewhat disingenuous. There’s an exchange of sorts that occurs 3/4s through the novel and it does create substantial discourse around gender and autonomy. But, I think you could angle the mirror another 45 degrees and this specific plot factor could be twisted into something more negative, and cruel. Steiger trotted a fine line, and the purpose wasn’t clear, which ultimately made that bright red “trope” alarm sound in my mind.
3/5 “If you're going to take on a demon, you'd better be prepared to offer up a chunk of your own heart.”
The “Twin Peaks” score plays softly in the background as we curiously stomp through bizarre scenes, meet truly unique characters, experience the shortfalls of magic, and fall…in love? The clear outlier of Steiger’s talent lies in her ambitious prose and pace control. Her construction of complicated characters was equally paramount. You can read the jacket blurb but it won’t in any way prepare you for the story.
The Queer and LGBT feel somewhat disingenuous. There’s an exchange of sorts that occurs 3/4s through the novel and it does create substantial discourse around gender and autonomy. But, I think you could angle the mirror another 45 degrees and this specific plot factor could be twisted into something more negative, and cruel. Steiger trotted a fine line, and the purpose wasn’t clear, which ultimately made that bright red “trope” alarm sound in my mind.
3/5 “If you're going to take on a demon, you'd better be prepared to offer up a chunk of your own heart.”
November 16, 2023
Creepy endearing read! Eye of a little god follows MMC Eddie a lonely cast off veteran who has given up on life - until he stumbles upon a strange girls diary containing disturbing entries, creepy sketches and notes that seem to link to him but he’s not sure how. Eddie goes down a rabbit hole of twists/turns and unexplainable situations which lead him to question what is real and what is in his head whilst distracting him from his earlier path of despair. For fans of Stephen king/joe hill who want something a bit more rough around the edges.. this is a good read - I think the story does feel a little repetitive but the final few chapters do pick up. I would say the fantasy elements could be built out a bit more but overall it was a decent read
November 22, 2023
"Eye of a Little God" gives off some seriously creepy vibes and throws an intriguing plot into the mix. At first, I was hooked, but as the story rolled on, it got a bit repetitive, and that kinda dampened the vibe.
The plot's all weird and confusing, which adds a sort of a mysterious charm, but I gotta admit, I couldn't vibe with the main character. That connection was missing, and it left the whole thing feeling a bit meh.
Expected a bit more magic, especially after reading the blurb. Still, it's an okay read. If you're into offbeat stories with a spooky twist, "Eye of a Little God" might just be your cup of tea. 📚👁️
I'd like to thank NetGalley for the online copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
The plot's all weird and confusing, which adds a sort of a mysterious charm, but I gotta admit, I couldn't vibe with the main character. That connection was missing, and it left the whole thing feeling a bit meh.
Expected a bit more magic, especially after reading the blurb. Still, it's an okay read. If you're into offbeat stories with a spooky twist, "Eye of a Little God" might just be your cup of tea. 📚👁️
I'd like to thank NetGalley for the online copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
January 7, 2024
* I received this book for free from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
I will start by saying that the writing in this book is beautiful, the author's ability to paint the world is wonderful. That being said, I didn't know what I getting with this book, it is definitely not in the realm of what I would usually read and I can't say this was a book for me. Am I glad I read this? Yes. Would I read it again? No. Did I enjoy it? Not really. I was challenged by it, the story is beautifully written and the plot is intriguing and that is why I am giving it 3 stars.
CW - Suicidal Ideation, Suicide attempt, Animal Cruelty
I will start by saying that the writing in this book is beautiful, the author's ability to paint the world is wonderful. That being said, I didn't know what I getting with this book, it is definitely not in the realm of what I would usually read and I can't say this was a book for me. Am I glad I read this? Yes. Would I read it again? No. Did I enjoy it? Not really. I was challenged by it, the story is beautifully written and the plot is intriguing and that is why I am giving it 3 stars.
CW - Suicidal Ideation, Suicide attempt, Animal Cruelty
May 2, 2024
One of the most extraordinary books I have read in a long time. Like a fever dream, but with heart and soul and love woven throughout.
Eddie is a bit of a drifter, mildly suicidal, quirky and awkward and painfully lonely. At his lowest point, he suddenly hears someone calling for help. Eye of a Little God follows his journey as he tries desperately to find the person who needs help, and as he starts a tentative, sweet friendship with another loner.
I am still buzzing with this book. The beauty of falling in love with a soul, sight unseen. The simple conviction that Eddie feels as he knows that he needs to help this person. Absolutely stunning, beautiful, bizarre book.
Eddie is a bit of a drifter, mildly suicidal, quirky and awkward and painfully lonely. At his lowest point, he suddenly hears someone calling for help. Eye of a Little God follows his journey as he tries desperately to find the person who needs help, and as he starts a tentative, sweet friendship with another loner.
I am still buzzing with this book. The beauty of falling in love with a soul, sight unseen. The simple conviction that Eddie feels as he knows that he needs to help this person. Absolutely stunning, beautiful, bizarre book.
November 23, 2023
What a book. Wow. I didn’t really know what I was getting into, but it became one of my favourite books I’ve read this year.
In the best way possible, this book is weird. It’s strange and it’s confusing and I spent most of the time reading it trying to thread together things that never really seemed to fit - and then somehow, it all came together in the end.
Beyond the strangeness, this book is a wonderful ode to loneliness, and outsiders, and different types of grief. The characters are so deeply complex, Eddie in particular is a difficult man to understand, but one I grew to have so much affection for.
I truly cannot recommend this book enough. An absolute mastery of horror that somehow left me feeling soft and warm by the end.
In the best way possible, this book is weird. It’s strange and it’s confusing and I spent most of the time reading it trying to thread together things that never really seemed to fit - and then somehow, it all came together in the end.
Beyond the strangeness, this book is a wonderful ode to loneliness, and outsiders, and different types of grief. The characters are so deeply complex, Eddie in particular is a difficult man to understand, but one I grew to have so much affection for.
I truly cannot recommend this book enough. An absolute mastery of horror that somehow left me feeling soft and warm by the end.
January 16, 2024
BOOK REPORT
Why do I feel like I just read a modern-day re-imagining of Carson McCullers’ The Heart is a Lonely Hunter all slathered up with some greasy magical realism?
Oh, right. Because I have a headache. The kind of headache I get after reading a certain sort of book that I wish I could get imaged on an fMRI. There is just something in a particular sort of writing style that quite literally hurts my brain.
Well, I’m quite sure a lot of people have enjoyed or will enjoy this book. I’m just not one of them.
Why do I feel like I just read a modern-day re-imagining of Carson McCullers’ The Heart is a Lonely Hunter all slathered up with some greasy magical realism?
Oh, right. Because I have a headache. The kind of headache I get after reading a certain sort of book that I wish I could get imaged on an fMRI. There is just something in a particular sort of writing style that quite literally hurts my brain.
Well, I’m quite sure a lot of people have enjoyed or will enjoy this book. I’m just not one of them.
February 21, 2024
I put this book down feeling a little stunned, like when you come off a roller-coaster and you're not quite sure what to do with yourself. Eddie's sorrow hit a nerve and his quest for connection was gripping - there was always a reason for 'just one more chapter'. I'm not sure I'd agree on the horror tag but there was suspense, mystery and magic and a lot of complex issues tackled in the book like trauma and mental health. I almost felt like I was betraying Eddie by questioning his reliability as a narrator, a hint of worry over what he is actually capable of.
December 14, 2024
A gritty, surreal horror novel that plays out like a B-movie. It has a late-developing LGBTQ romance, a variety of horror elements (witchcraft, demons, and magic), an intriguing mystery (a missing girl spotted in a forest leaves behind a cryptic journal with a cry for help), a swift pace (I finished it in two days), and an adult take on the classic fairy tale story.
Steiger employs third-person present tense narration, which gives the story cinematic immediacy. She also makes expert use of indirect discourse to reveal character details. I enjoyed this novel a lot and look forward to reading more from Steiger.
Steiger employs third-person present tense narration, which gives the story cinematic immediacy. She also makes expert use of indirect discourse to reveal character details. I enjoyed this novel a lot and look forward to reading more from Steiger.
July 18, 2025
When Eddie finally gives up on life, he stumbles upon a mystery that gives him a reason to live another day. That mystery is a desperate cry for help from a woman he almost sees. The notebook she leaves behind sends him down a dangerous and magical rabbit hole that forces him to examine his life at every twist and turn.
This riveting tale manages to balance creepy and heartwarming in a blend that kept me turning pages. After I finished, I wanted to keep reading and hearing Steiger's deft voice in my head.
This riveting tale manages to balance creepy and heartwarming in a blend that kept me turning pages. After I finished, I wanted to keep reading and hearing Steiger's deft voice in my head.
February 15, 2024
This book has left me feeling like I just had a fever dream. I was completely consumed reading this, I had to read the next chapter to find out what happened, unfortunately it was the last 50 pages where everything went out the window. Maybe I had different expectations as to what would happen with the characters but the ending seemed very lacking and rushed to me. I was left feeling very unsatisfied,
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