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All Dears May Die
Robin Hatchett has broken her legs twice in her life. Yet there is no way she would ever be able to prove it. They mended almost instantly. Which is likely what scares her the most.
In the quaint midwest town of Greenville, Robin, a reclusive writer, has little connection to the outside world. Her few ties being Daphne, a dotting antique shop owner, and the unanswered letters written to her mother delivered by a silent postal worker. But even in her isolation, a wicked presence closes around her. Needles from nowhere. Deer watching her. A typewriter writing by itself. Something is brewing in the shadows, like a boiling pot being kept at bay, and it's only a matter of time until the heat is turned up, the smoke alarms sound, and it’s far too late to escape.
What began as a carefully isolated life quickly unveils the grief and nightmares hidden beneath. The threads of Robin’s forgotten past begin to unwind. In a desperate search for answers, it’s soon found how each note of time seems to be intricately woven together in a harrowing kaleidoscope of starlight and the fragile glass of many human lives. It’s only so long that the karma of the dead and buried can remain asleep.
The world is far more soul-stirring than anyone had ever warned her it would be. It takes something as strong as the human spirit just to survive it… or fall into despair trying to.
In the quaint midwest town of Greenville, Robin, a reclusive writer, has little connection to the outside world. Her few ties being Daphne, a dotting antique shop owner, and the unanswered letters written to her mother delivered by a silent postal worker. But even in her isolation, a wicked presence closes around her. Needles from nowhere. Deer watching her. A typewriter writing by itself. Something is brewing in the shadows, like a boiling pot being kept at bay, and it's only a matter of time until the heat is turned up, the smoke alarms sound, and it’s far too late to escape.
What began as a carefully isolated life quickly unveils the grief and nightmares hidden beneath. The threads of Robin’s forgotten past begin to unwind. In a desperate search for answers, it’s soon found how each note of time seems to be intricately woven together in a harrowing kaleidoscope of starlight and the fragile glass of many human lives. It’s only so long that the karma of the dead and buried can remain asleep.
The world is far more soul-stirring than anyone had ever warned her it would be. It takes something as strong as the human spirit just to survive it… or fall into despair trying to.
419 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 4, 2025
11 people want to read
About the author
Tehya Metzinger
1 bookWith a lifelong ambition for storytelling, Tehya Metzinger has spent the last few years engrossed in narrative-making, with writing a novel always being the natural “next step”. And with All Dears May Die, that finally became a reality! She has always felt attached to the darker and more macabre topics that drew her to writing a mystic paranormal thriller full of grief and deceit, but that doesn’t make her work a downer to read. Tehya’s goal in creating has always been to make something that means just as much to her audience as it does to her, so whatever emotions her writing might stir up inside someone, she is grateful for every one of them. To Tehya, writing her debut novel has been a wondrous experience, and hopes to write her next story soon. If she could stop crying over other people’s books, anyway.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 15, 2025
I had the great privilege of beta-reading this project, and I think the story Metzinger tells within this novel is fantastic! Reading the released version was very fun, and something about it was almost comforting, from revisiting the characters to stepping back into the aesthetic of Greenville. The tone of the story reminds me of an Ethel Cain album (will that make sense to anyone other than me? who knows…) and Metzinger is great at carrying tone and theme throughout a work.
While I wouldn't say very many of the characters are objectively "good" or without fault, I love imperfect casts, and I think that makes the story all the more real and visceral. I have different reasons for loving each member of the cast — villains included (mostly). A lot of them are victims of circumstance and, sometimes, lack of understanding done in a non-tropey way.
Without including spoilers, there were some things within the plot that made more sense upon a reread. I know Metzinger made some edits between the versions, but I think the reread potential stands outside of them and it made the book more enjoyable the second time around! I was also able to pick up on some extra things that I missed the last time, which is always a good thing.
My biggest criticism would simply be based around grammatical edits. Typos usually don't bother me, but I ran across enough that they started to affect my flow of reading. They were the kind, though, that if this was an audiobook, one wouldn't even know; in short, it was still understandable. I also noticed that there were some tense inconsistencies within scenes. I don't know how much others would notice those things or be bothered by them, though, as I'm a writer and am more "sensitive" to those things, for lack of a better term at the moment.
Some characters' relationships also felt a bit lackluster for what we were "supposed" to feel as a reader in (usually) Robin's shoes. Robin feeling certain ways is all well and good, but without more "air time" for some of the cast, it didn't always translate. I don't think there's anything to lose there in terms of plot and understanding! It is possible to miss out on some of the emotional investment we're supposed to get, though.
That being said, this book has a place of pride on my bookshelf. I hope to eventually reread this book again (once my TBR gets shorter); I just genuinely enjoy it! It's definitely now a comfort read for me, and I love the vibes of little Greenville. Can't wait to see where Tehya's work takes her next!! 🦌
While I wouldn't say very many of the characters are objectively "good" or without fault, I love imperfect casts, and I think that makes the story all the more real and visceral. I have different reasons for loving each member of the cast — villains included (mostly). A lot of them are victims of circumstance and, sometimes, lack of understanding done in a non-tropey way.
Without including spoilers, there were some things within the plot that made more sense upon a reread. I know Metzinger made some edits between the versions, but I think the reread potential stands outside of them and it made the book more enjoyable the second time around! I was also able to pick up on some extra things that I missed the last time, which is always a good thing.
My biggest criticism would simply be based around grammatical edits. Typos usually don't bother me, but I ran across enough that they started to affect my flow of reading. They were the kind, though, that if this was an audiobook, one wouldn't even know; in short, it was still understandable. I also noticed that there were some tense inconsistencies within scenes. I don't know how much others would notice those things or be bothered by them, though, as I'm a writer and am more "sensitive" to those things, for lack of a better term at the moment.
Some characters' relationships also felt a bit lackluster for what we were "supposed" to feel as a reader in (usually) Robin's shoes. Robin feeling certain ways is all well and good, but without more "air time" for some of the cast, it didn't always translate. I don't think there's anything to lose there in terms of plot and understanding! It is possible to miss out on some of the emotional investment we're supposed to get, though.
That being said, this book has a place of pride on my bookshelf. I hope to eventually reread this book again (once my TBR gets shorter); I just genuinely enjoy it! It's definitely now a comfort read for me, and I love the vibes of little Greenville. Can't wait to see where Tehya's work takes her next!! 🦌
June 18, 2025
AAAAA this was such a dark, delicious, and comforting read. The author weaves a gripping, captivating tale; I enjoyed how the flashbacks to when the characters were children all came together in the end. I loved Daphne & Robin's relationship & how it evolved & blossomed throughout. Daphne is awesome <33.
The psychological distress kept me on tenterhooks, and overall the characters felt very real. I wish we had more of Jophiel tho.
Some grammar errors throughout, and it tends to shift between past & present tense at times. At first I thought it was a creative choice but as the book progressed it felt unintentional.
4 stars <3
The psychological distress kept me on tenterhooks, and overall the characters felt very real. I wish we had more of Jophiel tho.
Some grammar errors throughout, and it tends to shift between past & present tense at times. At first I thought it was a creative choice but as the book progressed it felt unintentional.
4 stars <3
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews