Decay: a tale of destruction

by S. Matisko

An army of humans lays siege to the last stronghold of the monsters. Vampires and witches, mermen and weremen, fairies and fliers, and even a golem gather together to make a final stand. Part witch, part vampire, Eliza hopes she will be able to save her brethren and her home. Tapping into ancestral powers long forgotten, she swears she will defend their city to the last. But nothing prepares her for the horrors that approach the walls, much less those that lie beyond.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction

175 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 1, 2023

About the author

S. Matisko is a young experimental genre-jumping author from Indiana USA. Whether it’s romance, poetry, or magical fantasy, S. Matisko is all about it! She believes stories are to be told to their best potential and many ideas push writers into uncharted territories.

S. Matisko studied creative writing at Purdue University, where she received her BA in 2020. Now, she likes to write while wearing comfy dresses on her couch and expanding her knowledge of different storytelling methods.

Publications:
Let it Breathe (2021)
Broken Wrist Poetry (2023)
Decay: a tale of destruction (2023)
Bridge to the Beyond (2024)
The Isle of Repentance (2024)

You can follow her on Amazon(S. Matisko), Twitter (@s_matisko), or Instagram (s.matisko)

Happy reading!

Reviews

[Teresa Brock · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first novella that included witches, vampires, mermen, hybrid monsters and the list goes on. Eliza(part witch part vampire is born in Vallatin City. A city where monsters live, train and protect themselves. A city that wants to be taken down by humans because they are afraid of the monsters and hybrids that they do not understand. After seeing her home fall and battling so many obstacles Eliza comes into her own and has the will and the drive and the power to take on as many humans as necessary to vindicate her loss. I suspect we will see more from this author in the future. If this is your genre, check out this quick read to take you on an adventure that will leave you asking a lot of questions about Eliza, her past and her future

[whatcha_reading_darling · Rating 4 out of 5]

“He was unbearably irritating, but Howie was all I had in this world now. He was the only thing I had that I would die trying to protect.”
A take of destruction indeed! This was such a fast fun novella! This book follows Eliza whose home has been destroyed by evil humans and is now on a mission to save her fellow monster bloods and the only home she’s ever known. This is a KU short novella that I definitely recommend to my fellow fantasy readers! 🐉

Thank you author S. Matisko for a copy of this book in exchange for my review 🩶

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this novella! My heart wanted it to go on and on to learn more about the world, the characters and have some more backstory as well as finding out what happens next. The author wrote beautifully and I will be keeping my eye out for more.

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a solid book and a quick read. I could have easily finished it in one day if I had the time. I received it as an ARC, but some personal stuff came up, and I forgot about it. It has since been released, so you can go check it out. It is on Kindle Unlimited. The reason I'm rating it 3 stars instead of 4 is because I probably wouldn't re-read it (unless there is a sequel someday), and there are a few things that could be improved. None of those were enough to deter me from reading, it held my attention and I genuinely enjoyed it. I've never read a vampire story quite like this before, it was refreshing.

The FMC is strong, a tad morally gray, and a badass. Who doesn't love that? Since this book immediately starts off with a siege, and considering what Eliza is, there is violence and gore in this book. But it reads very much as a YA book, so it's not very much. There is also a bit of romance, but again, barely worth noting. No spice at all.

Now for the negatives.

The book could have easily been much longer. Several scenes were cut short by scene breaks - you know, those little text dividers. (Those are called a dinkus, by the way. The more you know.) Almost every time this occurred, I wished there was more story. There's so much potential in those gaps for character development, it's a bit of a let down. It also caused certain things to feel rushed, which felt unrealistic, especially at the beginning. It pulled me out of the story a bit because I was left wondering what happened in that break.

There are grammatical errors sprinkled throughout, but again, not enough to turn me away from the interesting story. There were also a few passages I had to read twice because it wasn't clear who was speaking or thinking/acting.

I wasn't crazy about how the creatures called themselves monsters. I understand why the humans would, but it doesn't seem like something they would want to adopt. I think it would have been fine for them to go by their blood type like they did sometimes.

I don't want to spoil the ending, but just know it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. I'm not sure if the author is planning to write a sequel, but it seems set up for one. There are several unanswered questions. I would love to follow Eliza on her bloody rampage in a second book, especially if it was more fleshed out.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. If you like battles, a strong FMC, supernatural beings, and found family, I would recommend it.

[Graciecakes · Rating 1 out of 5]

I would have DNF’d if I wasn’t behind on my reading challenge (spoilers ahead).

I think the premise of this book has potential. In a war between monsters and humans, after everyone she loves has been killed, Eliza part-witch part-vampire turns to vengeance. However, what holds this book back is the pace. We’re rushing through the plot, by Chapter 3 ish, the heavily anticipated siege is over, as is monster life as we know. This prevents any character development: they all lack depth, personality, and consistency. I wasn’t connected to the characters at all and didn’t feel any emotions. I’m not sure the author did either as the main character’s whole chosen family is killed (very quickly) including her best friend and love interest, it’s barely acknowledged and feels out of touch in the next chapter when she’s eating spaghetti and colouring with two children with a random human she met in the woods. Whose love interest is brutally murdered before we even get to know the characters! More investment is needed to develop consistent, well rounded and recognisable characters. I couldn’t stand Eliza so I don’t want to read another book about her.

I also think the language could do with some refining (and proof reading, there is a “spar” instead of “spear” at one point). It doesn’t need to be referred to as “monster bloods” and “vampire bloods” etc etc - these are established creatures, they can just be vampires and monsters. The phrase “evil human” also sounds like something a child would write.


I suppose overall it has potential, and I appreciate new writers finding their feet. Don’t rush to get something out. Build readers a world and characters they can fall in love with

[Kristie Wagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eliza's world has never been peaceful, but the destruction at Vallatin sets her on a course to learn the true nature of the world. Vallatin, her home, her sanctuary, is a place where all creatures, humans, were, merfolk, witches, and even vampires lived and trained to keep themselves safe. For Eliza, being half vampire and half witch, this place was everything.

After losing everyone and everything that she loved, Eliza meets Howie the human, and after a devastating realization, they decide to pose as monster hunters in an effort to find and rescue any others who may have escaped from Vallatin. Stuck with another human, Eliza and Howie sneak around and plan how to ditch him so they can do what they set out to do.

During their journey, they learn that humans are both good and bad, as are monsters. But the world itself is the true monster - the question to be determined is whether it's due to the inability of humans to coexist peacefully with monster bloods because of their nature, or because of hateful ideologies forced upon those who don't know any better.

I really liked this book despite the not really happy ending. Because honestly, the world is kind of a terrible place, and no matter how hard you try for peace, it can still eat you alive. This book was interesting, emotional, and real.

[Lexisbookishburrow · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book delivers exactly what the author promises; female rage. Eliza, who is half witch half vampire is a strong and brutal main character.

The beginning of the story was interesting as it built up most of the backstory and we are introduced to all sorts of “monster blood”. It really picked up when Eliza meets Howie and I enjoyed their dynamic of vengeance and mercy. Eliza surprised me quite a bit throughout the story but her reasons were valid.

Some issues I had with the book was I noticed some grammar mistakes and some awkward wording. There were also times where I wasn’t sure who exactly was talking.

Other than that I enjoyed this book! It was dark, bloody, and I really liked the ending. Thank you to the author for a copy of this book! It was enjoyable read!

[Alyssa L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eliza is a monster blood, part witch/part vampire. She lives in Vallatin, a home for monster bloods & some humans. Life is good, she has a tight knit group of friends, and even may even be experiencing love for the first time. That all changes when her world is turned upside down and the only home she’s ever known lays in ruins. After she escapes, Eliza is determined not to let her spared life be in vain. She travels the countryside (along with her trust human sidekick she picked up along the way) looking for monster bloods that she can help. She soon realizes that her people are being eliminated faster than she can find them. What happens when you have nothing left to lose? Absolute destruction.

Howie, the sidekick was a lot of fun. I would love to see his story next.

[Ella Droste · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Decay" unfolds in a diverse realm inhabited by witches, vampires, merfolk, and hybrid monsters. Eliza, part vampire, leads a mission to vindicate her kind against humans, who are driven by fear of the unknown and are threatening her fellow monsters.

Matisko weaves a captivating narrative. The novella's rich tapestry of supernatural entities adds an intriguing layer to this dark fantasy, making it a compelling read for those who appreciate tales that challenge societal norms within the supernatural realm. 🧛‍♀️🔮📖

I'd like to express my gratitude for having received an online copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Benjamin M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

In addition to the usual things you get with Matisko--dark themes broken up with witty dialogue and strong banter--Decay has a really cool set-piece siege. It's downright harrowing. Nobody feels safe. It kicks off the novella so well, establishing a serious tone that Matisko is then free to break up and subvert with her unique brand of humor. Not too scary, not too silly, Decay combines the harrowing and the hilarious. It's her best work yet.

[Michel McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great supernatural story

I won this Kindle book in a Goodreads giveaway, and I'm glad I read it because this was a really good book. I didn't have a difficult time picturing the story being played in my head as I read. My heart breaks for Howie and for Eliza for all they have lost. I would love to read more of their story if it ever exists because I really want to see how things will play out for both characters.

[Audrey · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm very conflicted with this one. I didn't mind diving straight into the action and I was liking it but it started off really strong and then just slowly decayed ironically. I just think Eliza got worse and worse as the book went on and eventually it felt like just an excuse to write gore. It was too short to redeem itself and I wouldn't read it again. I was neutral on it but I think after the ending I just straight up dislike it.

[Taylor West Fullerton · Rating 4 out of 5]

All I can critique is that I wanted MORE!
More of the world, more detailed fight scenes, more info about the characters. Of course understanding that it was a novella.. I know I can’t complain. The author did a great job of getting you right into the world of her monsters. This is such a quick & easy read. Perfect for that YA spooky season read.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an interesting novella with witches, wereman, merman, golems, fairies, etc. Written from a single POV, we watch Eliza take off on her own after the siege of her city. The more she sees of her beloved monsters being killed and mutilated, she eventually comes to a breaking point. Sometimes, the innocent are collateral damage in the act of revenge.

[Aurora Lane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had so many different creatures lurking in the pages. It made me want to learn more about each character. I love the plot and the characters and the way the book was written. Not to mention the cover is very beautiful. I’d have to say this in the first time I’ve read a book like this and it didn’t disappoint

[Jess Conley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. I found it to have, I hate to say it, a generic story. I feel like I've read this story before and I was not entirely impressed. 3 stars because I did appreciate the end of the book.

[Kimberly Gooley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wasn’t really the best.

[Marissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an enjoyable read. I rated it 3 stars because it’s not my favorite genre. But a good book for the fantasy. I like that it’s written differently than other fantasy stories.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Story was ok, I just feel like it was written by a 12 year old

[Sandy B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

That quote couldn’t be truer for Decay. The characters were well intertwined and for a novella, it gave enough punch. There were fighting scenes sprinkled with the author’s sense of humor. While I wish there was more world building and character development, it’s understandable that you can’t have all that in a novella. Overall a quick, easy and enjoyable read.