Desperate Creatures

by Mallory Cywinski

They say grief makes desperate creatures of us all . . .


Successful, confident, young author Mara Cooke has always gone her own way, in her career, in her eccentric interests, and in her sexual appetites. But in a matter of minutes one summer evening, she suffered a devastating blow that ripped her from her life as she knew it. Years later, feeling alone and directionless, and laden with the weight of endless guilt on her shoulders, she tried to escape her pain. She fled to the Adirondack Mountains in Upstate New York, but the beautiful lakeside cabin isn’t as peaceful as she’d anticipated.

Phantom footsteps, missing time, and the watchful gaze of unsettling paintings threaten to send her spiraling again.

Despite the chills creeping down her spine, she begins to heal, and even find comfort and community again. However, Mara discovers that grief isn’t linear, and that the choices we make can change our path when we least expect it. And sometimes, we have to dig much deeper to conquer what scares us.


This chilling, touching, sexy ghost story will keep yourself

what makes someone a villain in someone else’s eyes?

. . . And is vengeance ever really worth it?

239 pages, Hardcover

Published December 18, 2023

About the author

Mallory Cywinski is an author of literary horror and weird girl fiction. Her writing is evocative, emotionally strange, and dark, though she loves a hard-won happy ending.

Her years as a bookseller and time directing a small indie press, producing her own titles—writing, editing, and cover design included—strengthened her knowledge of the publishing industry before returning full-time to her own writing. She writes for the reader who always gravitates toward the strange corners of the bookstore.

Mallory is a mom of 2, lives near Philadelphia, PA, (Go Phillies!), and has a soft spot for well-made mushroom pizza.

Follow her on Instagram @author.malloryc.

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the kind of story that leads you through a journey - not a long and arduous one, a journey that gives you the details you need and the revelations for the FMC at precisely the right times. There's deeply personal emotions and scenarios for the characters that pull your own emotions forward, and it's an achievement of the author to do that so well consistently through the book. The story unfolds unexpectedly, with flashbacks that tie together neatly as the story moves along, giving clues as to how the MC reacts and what brings her to the dire situation of the plot. The way the paranormal itself is represented is fully realized in a way that doesn't distract from the story, it pulls the reader in further to the building suspense and mystery. You, reader, will not see the ending coming and unfolding as it does because Cywinski can weave a story with peril, emotion, unexplainable forces and believability that most newer authors can't pull off. She. Pulls. It. Off!

[Gabrielle Branch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great story with horror, romance, found family, and a little bit of spice thrown in! Highly recommend!

[Susie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read an ARC and absolutely loved it. It was scary and sexy and sweet all at the same time.

[A.D. Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes “choke me, daddy” will get someone killed, but it’s not always who you think.

I absolutely love me some isolated “cabin in the middle of nowhere” fiction. Please make me focus on how lonely and unsettling that can be while also triggering the jealousy of how very full my own brain is with having to deal with people.
I also love a broken protagonist who is doing their best to reclaim their life…. The self-destruction is all part of the process and I am fully here for it.

Mara is a wonderful character, whose grief is battling against her attempts to get her life back on track….. one page or *ahem* at a time. Taking herself off the grid seems like the best way to do that and it’s working - until things begin to get weird.
Mallory has written a stunning book about grief, rebirth, spooky shit and more(that would be spoilers, calm yourself!) and it’s laid out at a perfect pace and build. It’s quite broad in its genre specificity I would say, and honestly think it’s an approachable read for anyone, regardless of what their genre faves are.

Even containing elements I don’t generally enjoy in a book, it managed to knock my socks off.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. It is a paranormal horror mixed with a bit of romance. Yet, it is more than just that; as it is about heartache, loyalty, desperation, redemption, and second chances. Once, I started reading, I could not stop or would not stop.

It took a while for Mara's past to be revealed. Which I will tell you just added to the allure of what was happening to Mara. There were so many scenarios running through my head. I will only semi right in my conclusion. Back to Mara's past. Which was a very tragic event and I felt it as well.

The last third of the story is where everything really comes together. So many emotions felt but there is a HEA. I need more books by Mallory. You hooked me and have a reader for life.

Through the storm we endure, we are reborn again stronger!

[Chhaya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Desperate Creatures by Mallory Cywinski
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
First of all, Thank you author for providing me an ARC copy and Sorry for delayed review.
I absolutely loved this book. It was a cozy paranormal romance book filled with pain, loyalty, desperation and healing. There was also little bit of Romance in the story but main focus of the story was on healing and loss.
Author's writing was captivating.The writing was so good that you can feel every chilling sensation, phantom footsteps and every emotion. Mara was an interesting character but her past was heartbreaking and I felt every moment of it.
I was little confused in the middle but at the end everything comes together and it makes sense..I loved that it was a HEA instead of tragic ending.
You should go for it if you love cozy paranormal romance book.

[Riss 🫶🏻☕️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Desperate Creatures is a historical fiction book with paranormal elements written by an indie author. I had the absolute pleasure of reading this in a day, the lake and mountain setting was perfect for this kind of story. There’s a bit of romance but the focus is more on healing and loss in a paranormal setting. Mara was such an interesting character, every time I thought I had her figured out something else would be revealed! I loved getting to know the character, and the author’s words really captivated my imagination.

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing! The amount of detail Mallory wrote on each page made you feel like you were actually there because you could picture everything. I finished this book and was angry with myself because I read it to fast and kept wanting to read more! I would definitely recommend to give this book a read.

[Jen B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was not my usual kind of read, but I was not disappointed. Ir was a bit of a difficult start as the lead character was clearly quite disturbed; the story telling and world building was so compelling that I couldn't put it down.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[m.t_spaces · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cywinski says this is a mix of THE OTHERS and P.S. I LOVE YOU. I have to agree. This was fantastic! It had me crying one minute then scared to sleep with the lights off the next. A whirlwind of emotions! Definitely worth the read!

[Anthony Piemonte · Rating 5 out of 5]

There was so much I loved about this book! There was on chapter that I was literally holding my breath reading it! I don’t want to give it away but this was a book that was impossible to put down !