Red Rabbit Ghost

by Jen Julian

An impulsive young outcast confronts his small town’s dark secrets in this atmospheric and haunting debut horror novel from brilliant new voice Jen Julian.

The town of Blacknot is not what it appears, and a place on its desolate edge known only as The Night House is calling...

What remains of Jesse’s mother can fit inside an old jerky tin. Photos, postcards, a single, worn-out bracelet. But nothing that can explain why she was found dead eighteen years earlier on the bank of a river, her infant son left wailing by her side. When Jesse starts to receive anonymous messages promising him answers, he returns home to the regressive town of Blacknot, North Carolina so that his lifelong obsession can finally be laid to rest.

But Jesse’s investigation is stirring up trouble with the locals, including his well-armed ex-boyfriend and the mysterious daughter of a local businessman, each with their own inscrutable agendas. They will soon find that this backwater town holds a power more volatile than any of them could have imagined, and that the answers they seek might be better left buried.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, LGBT, Mystery, Queer, Audiobook, Supernatural

Audible Audio

First published July 22, 2025

Reviews

[Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars
This was a well written horror story that focused on the intimate nature of small town life. I liked the writing style and generally found the characters to be well developed. Objectively this is a solid novel but I recognize that I wasn't as connected to the story as I hoped to be.

This is still a worthwhile book to check out for anyone who loves novels that capture the feeling of small town life.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

[CarlysGrowingTBR · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 48%

An adult horror that just did not work for me on execution.

Book Stats:
📖: 384 pages
Genre: Adult Horror
Publisher: Run For It
Format: Physical ARC from publisher
Series: Standalone

Themes:
💫:
💫:

Representation:
🪽: Queer main character

Tropes:
💗:

🥵: Spice: minor suggestions of sexual encounters up into a point of DNF
Potential Triggers: **check authors page/socials for full list.

Short Synopsis:
Jesse comes back to his childhood hometown to discover the truth about his mother's mysterious death. While investigating, he comes across some very suspicious residents, as well as a mysterious person who sends him cryptic messages about the mystery surrounding his mom.

General Thoughts:
This book was definitely a miss from me on basis of lackluster execution. I could not make it any farther than the 48%.

The characters were super flat. There was almost no world building or character development throughout the story. At 48% I felt like I didn't know our main character Jesse at all. Other characters within the story acted in ways that seemingly had zero motivation. I believe this was done to create a shroud of mystery over the plot line, but it just left me confused.

This book is dual pov between Jesse and a girl named Alice. It is very clear who Alice is from the start, but I don't understand what her point of view was supposed to add to the story. It was very confusing and jumbled. There was the addition of journal entries which were short and written almost in code, which did not help my understanding or motivation to read that POV.

The entire setting felt very dull and lackluster to me overall. I assume this was intended to mimic the drudgery of small town life. However, coupled with the rambling plot line and the incoherent ways the characters were behaving, it just lent an overall sense of boredom to the book. Where was the stakes and the suspense?? The horror??

I understand that both narrators were meant to be unreliable thus furthering the mystery around the overall horror plot. But in order for something like that to work, there has to be some stakes and some tension to the story and unfortunately, there was none to keep me going forward.

The last straw for me was at 48%. I put the book down and tried to create a list within my mind of what was interesting about this novel. When I couldn't come up with anything that I knew about the novel other than what was on the synopsis on the back of the book, I decided it was time to pull the plug. At 48% if nothing particularly compelling has happened, I have to believe that at that point nothing ever will.

Unfortunately, this whole novel was just not my cup of tea. There was nothing inherently problematic or bad about the book. I just think this is a type of whore that I could not vibe with personally.

Disclaimer: I read this book as a physical ARC from the publisher. All opinions are my own. This is my honest and voluntary review.

[Kurryreads (Kerry) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars - Thank you Run for It books for an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback

Thoughts: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT6FTyqqG/

[Lilibet Bombshell · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s only so many ingredients you can throw in a cauldron before it becomes less of a spell and more of a stew. Does that make sense?

Red Rabbit Ghost started off as interesting, with some lovely prose and sentence structure to show off the naturally mystical atmosphere of the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plains and the tortured inner narratives of author Jenn Julian’s two protagonists. As the book progressed and more supernatural, horror, folk, and even cosmic elements are added; as a result, less and less room was left for that lovely prose and the book veered from interesting and atmospheric to feeling cramped and rushed.

It was worth the read, but it’s not something I can say I’d recommend if you’re looking for something gothic (I don’t get gothic feels from it) or something closer to straightforward folk horror. If you’re someone who wants to try a horror novel filled with a potpourri of horror tropes with a LGBTQ protagonist, then this will do you. (TW for homophobia and racism).


I was provided a copy of this title by the author and publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. All reviews three stars and under will not appear on my main social media channels. Thank you.

[Aubrei K (earlgreypls) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Red Rabbit Ghost by Jen Julian is a small town/folk queer horror set in North Carolina.

Our MC is Jesse Calloway - a college student returning home to his small town after receiving some mysterious messages from someone claiming to have information about his deceased mother of 18 years.

We also follow Alice Catherine, the daughter of a wealthy pork manufacturer who has an obsession with Jesse.

There are lots of weird things occuring in the town when Jesse returns and he is on a hunt to figure out who is messaging him and what happened to his mother.

We get secret languages, witches, journal entries, small town drama/history, time warping magic, and more.

Overall I had a great time with this!

*Thank you to Orbit and Netgalley for the free digital arc in exchange for an honest review

[Yvonne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The synopsis had me excited, but I ended up DNFing at 54%. The pacing was just too slow—I kept waiting for something to happen. I did enjoy the gothic horror vibes, but I couldn’t connect with the characters or the story. This one just wasn’t for me, but if you love a slow-burn with eerie atmosphere, it might work better for you!

Thanks to Hachette Audio for the ALC!

[Abby]

I am not quite sure how to rate this or if I want to. And that’s not to imply this was a bad book or that I didn’t enjoy it because I did! I don’t think it was entirely what I was (sort of) expecting it to be, but that’s not really a bad thing either. It’s giving me the same kind of feeling as when I read The Library and Mount Char. It’s a weird little book!

[Christina Faris (books_by_the_bottle) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Run for It and Jen Julian for the ARC!

Almost two decades ago, infant Jesse Calloway was found on the bank of a river next to the body of his mother. Her mysterious death and the fact that he never got answers have plagued him his entire life. Now someone has contacted him promising answers, so he returns to his hometown of Blacknot in search of the truth. But he quickly learns that some secrets are better kept buried.

The vibe of this story drew me in immediately! It was creepy and the atmosphere felt tense right from the beginning. Blacknot was such a mysterious town, and its residents were not who they seemed. I did feel like I got lost for a bit, like the middle of the book wasn’t connecting anymore to Jesse being there to find out more about his mother. But I still couldn’t put it down, and the eeriness of the atmosphere held up throughout. It gave me June Farrow vibes (which is one of my favorites!) I would definitely check out what this author comes up with next.

“Red Rabbit Ghost” will be released July 22, 2025. This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

[Ky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Red Rabbit Ghost- Jesse is called back to his backwoods hometown, Blacknot, NC, when a mysterious person begins messaging him details about his mothers death when he was a toddler. Thrown back into the toxicity of his past, he digs to find answers about himself, his family, and the person who brought him back here.

There is a good amount of mystery and mayhem in this to keep readers engaged. I enjoyed the characters of Jesse and Alice, the two who you jump back and forth between, even though Jesse is a hard to like protagonist at times with his many (and repeated) flaws. I enjoyed how their stories started and later intertwined. It is otherworldly and atmospheric, witchy and time-warpy.

I feel like I would have liked more horror. It is classified as an Adult Horror on Goodreads, General Fiction Adult on NetGalley, but it definitely felt like more of a YA horror to me. While I enjoyed the diary entries, I wish that they actually culminated into something that effected the story more. I felt that way about a lot of elements in the story, including The Night House. I was waiting for it to all come together at then end in a big way, and some small pieces did satisfactorily, but overall I felt like I was left wanting a bit.
I rated it 3.5/5 rounded up to 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for the ARC!

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a bit of a trip. I often felt confused by what was happening and found myself having to reread full pages, though this does feel like it was an intentional choice by the author. Our narrators, Jesse and Alice, both feel like outsiders in their small home town and are struggling to cope with childhood traumas. I empathized with Jesse and his search for answers and self identify, it was the people around him I found highly unlikeable. Alice included.
I did struggle to understand what the point of the book was, there was a sense of mystery and urgency but I didn’t really know what it was we were trying to find out. That said, I did enjoy the read and there were some spooky scenes along the way. If you’re someone that likes their stories wrapped in a pretty bow by the end, I’d consider skipping this one. If you’re a vibe reader like me and enjoy chilling atmospheric reads, give this a go!

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit books for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

[jlreadstoperpetuity · Rating 3 out of 5]

What remains of Jesse’s mother can fit inside an old jerky tin. Photos, postcards, a single, worn-out bracelet. But nothing that can explain why she was found dead eighteen years earlier on the bank of a river, her infant son left wailing by her side. When Jesse starts to receive anonymous messages promising him answers, he returns home to the regressive town of Blacknot, North Carolina so that his lifelong obsession can finally be laid to rest. 

This book is feral. It’s grief with fangs and glitter and Southern charm that cuts deep. The main character’s running from the past, but the past pulls up in a red rabbit costume and says, “Nah, we’re talking now.” I didn’t know whether to cry or laugh—or both—because it’s that weirdly honest. The writing? Chaotic and clever. The story? Heartbreaking in one line, hilarious in the next. Sometimes I wanted more breathing space between the wild scenes, but maybe that’s the point—it’s grief in motion. There’s queerness, ghosts, awkward family dynamics, and so much emotional sludge—and I was rooting for all of it. It’s not your typical haunting. It’s your heart that gets possessed.

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿:
👻 Grief but make it weird
🏳️‍🌈 Queer identity in haunted spaces
🫂 Found family + ghostly mess
🌾 Southern Gothic on acid
🌀 Unhinged emotional catharsis

🎉Thank you @orbitbooks_us for sending me a copy!

[Eddie]

I’m having trouble connecting with this book, so I’m DNF ing at this point 🎯
Characters of good parts, but I feel it’s not moving as good as it could be in my opinion, so I decided just to end it here, even though the cover is so, so good !

[Kaitlyn Henderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is for people who love a confusing reading experience. Alice in Wonderland meets Monster House, yet somehow boring as ever.

[Siavahda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m just bored. At 24% I was skimming whole pages, waiting for something of interest to happen. The prose is nothing special, the characters are fine, the setting is (I think purposefully) dull. Horror-wise, there’s a dodgy vibe from the local church (I’m not convinced that means anything, I’m ex-Catholic and thus nearly every church gives me dodgy vibes) and I really didn’t need the (thankfully brief) look at pigs being manhandled to slaughter. And one character is using witchcraft which really works, but at the 24% mark we’ve barely seen that character. (And the witchcraft is not very cinematic, so don’t expect impressive creepiness or anything.)

The ‘well-armed ex-boyfriend’ of the synopsis is a deputy and also at least eight years older than Jesse, which, massive ick vibes (I’m hoping they didn’t actually hook up when Jesse was 14 and that it was just a one-sided crush then, but honestly, I can’t come up with a scenario where it wouldn’t be giving me ick given that I’m not sure Jesse is 20 yet by the time the book starts). Sure hope we’re not supposed to be hoping for them to get back together! (I didn’t get the impression that we were, to be fair.)

Your prose needs to be much prettier and/or your characters way more interesting if you’re going to still be denying me plot at a quarter of the way through your book. Red Rabbit Ghost feels needlessly, pretentiously mysterious – keeping secrets Just Because. (I have no idea how to articulate the difference between a mystery that feels legit versus one that feels forced and arbitrary, but this is most definitely the latter.) There’s certainly not any kind of tension to keep you turning pages.

I simply don’t care about one single aspect of it. Too slow, too dull, too plain. No thanks!

[Rebecca Sutherland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mystifying, strange and perplexing. Enjoyable and fresh read, playing with ideas of being both here “now” and “then” at the same time.

[The Void Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Red Rabbit Ghost by Jen Julian
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5)

A Southern Gothic horror debut that simmers with atmosphere but doesn’t quite boil over.

Jen Julian’s Red Rabbit Ghost introduces us to Jesse, a haunted young man returning to the town of Blacknot, North Carolina—a place steeped in grief, repression, and something far stranger. The setup is compelling: a mother’s mysterious death, a tin of relics, and cryptic messages that lead Jesse back to the Night House, a locus of buried truths and supernatural volatility.

Julian’s prose is evocative, especially when conjuring Blacknot’s decaying charm and the eerie pull of its landscape. The novel thrives on mood—foggy roads, flickering memories, and the slow unraveling of Jesse’s past. But while the atmosphere is rich, the pacing falters. The narrative leans heavily on suggestion, and some emotional beats—particularly Jesse’s relationships—feel underdeveloped or obscured by the novel’s dreamlike tone.

There are flashes of brilliance: the jerky tin as a symbol of grief, the town’s regressive hostility, and the way trauma echoes through generations. But the story’s supernatural elements, while intriguing, never fully coalesce into something satisfying or terrifying.

Recommended for fans of The Only Good Indians who enjoy horror that’s more haunted than horrifying. Just don’t expect all the ghosts to speak clearly.

Happy reading 👻📚

[b00krabbit · Rating 1 out of 5]

It felt like the author's main goal was to confuse the hell out of me. The vagueness wasn’t clever, it was lazy. I don’t mind ambiguity when it pays off, but here it was just endless pages of nonsense. There’s Jesse, his stalker/sister Alice, and cryptic journal entries in a completely made-up language. Not fun nor deep, just annoying. I was constantly muttering "what the f***" to myself throughout the book. I wanted to give up. But my lovely boyfriend surprised me with this after he remembered me telling him I wanted this book (because I liked the cover art lol). So instead of it getting added to my virtual pile of DNFs, I trudged through. I wanted to throw my book across the room after I flipped the last page, but that’d be disrespectful to the trees whose pages the book is comprised of.

[Lauren]

What a fun debut! The story felt like a syrupy summer day, slow-paced and strange. While there were some plot threads left dangling at the end of the story I still left satisfied. Much of the story's message is that there are things you my never understand and you have to learn to live with that: the dangling threads felt acceptable with that theme in a way they wouldn't have otherwise. The pacing did get a bit odd at the very end, and I had some issues telling if Jesse's erratic actions were supposed to be an inherent character trait or a symptom of the buried place, but overall I enjoyed this book and I look forward to seeing what the author does next.

Thank you to Hachette/Run For It for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is so twisty turvy, I'm at a loss for words. Think creepy, southern, gothic, back woods, alieneque, murder mystery, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Thing From The Black Lagoon blend. Well, maybe not. That's just my brain after reading it and trying to make sense of it all, but in a good way. Maybe if Lovecraft had an LSD trip or if Cthulhu had a lovechild with a peace loving alien? I think this is one book that was beyond my thinking capabilities, but as confused as I was, I actually enjoyed myself. Go into this with an open mind, snacks, and a whatever attitude because around every corner there's another wait a minute station where you're gonna get to pick up a what? coin. I now have enough to buy my own sanitorium on Pluto. Got to love it. Thanks Jen!

[Ashton Ahart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Desperate to find out about his mother's death, Jesse Calloway returns to his hometown for summer break. While back, he comes face-to-face with past traumas, toxic relationships, and horrors he can't comprehend. Throughout all this, he routinely receives messages from someone who claims to know the secret behind his mother's death. Secrets that link back to old-time witchcraft.

Told in dual perspectives, this novel is fast-paced and gruesome. Depicting both the struggles of being queer in a small Southern town and a haunting mystery.

[Steve Sanders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written, but occasionally feels like it’s trying to mix one too many genres (coming of age/mystery/horror/fantasy/etc) and one too many plot threads (I feel like a lot could have been gained by cutting the journal entries). But small town is exquisitely rendered) and the prose is gorgeous throughout. Equal parts Stephen King and Kelly Link

It didn’t affect my book rating, but I do have to note that the audiobook reader mispronounces Lynyrd Skynyrd, an offense that should get them blacklisted from any future such giga.

[Therearenobadbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 A great night read with some scare jumps, I have a thing for being scared of quiet windows and then seeing a shadow there starting back. That always makes me feel very, and it's super creepy. I wasn't expecting some elements in this novel that take it into the paranormal realm. I thought it wasn't going to be a discovering past kind of novel, but it has some small-town horrors to unveil as well.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of Red Rabbit Ghost by Jen Julian in exchange for an honest review. Wow, this book was a head trip. It was a sci-fi/horror/I'm not sure what. I think this is a book I might have to reread a few times to see all the layers. I did enjoy it and recommend it to anyone who likes twisty, turny, time travelish type books.

[Ethan Walters · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t think I “liked” this, but it kept my interest and was well written. There were about 1000 pages of ideas crammed into a 350ish page book, leaving me confused about what the ultimate goal was and ultimately a bit disappointed in the conclusion. But it was fine enough.

[Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're looking for a book that feels like stepping into a fever dream of folklore, mystery, and eerie small-town secrets, Red Rabbit Ghost by Jen Julian delivers that and more

First off, huge thanks to Orbit Publishing for the gifted copy! Jen Julian crafts an atmospheric and haunting story that lingers long after the last page. The writing is mesmerizing, filled with unsettling imagery and moments that genuinely sent shivers down my spine. The plot is layered, weaving past and present together in ways that make you question everything.

That said, while the book had moments of brilliance, I found myself wanting a bit more clarity in some of the twists, there were points where the ambiguity felt more frustrating than intriguing. The characters are complex, but a few could’ve been fleshed out more to fully immerse the reader in their motivations. Still, the unique blend of supernatural elements and psychological suspense kept me hooked until the end.

If you’re into unsettling, dreamlike horror that leans heavily into myth and mystery, this one is worth picking up. Three stars for a hauntingly beautiful read that almost—but not quite—left me completely satisfied!

[Angela Carlson · Rating 4 out of 5]

More like a 3.5. Not really scary but a bit surreal. Jesse was like able and Alice was pretty twisted! The lines between reality and a third dimension were unclear but intriguing. .

[Danny (ghoulfriends) · Rating 5 out of 5]

My roots as a reader in adulthood stem from horror novels, I’ve since become a big fantasy and science fiction reader effectively abandoning horror though not consciously. My journey into reading Red Rabbit Ghost is serendipitous. I received the email of its release from orbit books on my way to vacation in the outer banks, visited a bookstore on the island, and found a stack of copies staring me down. I had to get it, I picked up a copy and nestled it close to me without a second thought. I had a very vague idea of the plot of the story but I didn’t care, seeing the email then seeing it in the island book store weren’t coincidences to me.

Being in North Carolina and reading a story that took place in the same state only added to the serendipity and added an element altogether unique to my reading experience. But setting aside, this is one of the smartest books I’ve read in years. It was like watching a seasoned fighter slowly working on their opponent, wearing them down, throwing and pulling the right punches until the fight reaches its logical end. I told my wife that this book was like a work out, setting up plates for a bench press, constant time under tension. You can feel the sense of unease, the dread, the longing of understanding something that could hurt you in the end and not caring. The book omits so much information at first, giving you meager teaspoonfuls. By the end nearly every loose end is tied. I found myself saying “ooooohhhhh” multiple times as I pieced together for myself how different elements of the story are tied together.

I don’t think I’ve ever read a story quite like this. Some have said dark fantasy, some have said horror, it reads like an incredibly tense thriller. What I do know is that this story feels apocalyptic, as if the earth itself would swallow the small town it takes place in.

Yeah 5 stars it was excellent.

[Josh Epp]

DNF @ 37%. This wasn’t for me. The writing choice was not something I was enjoying at all. The pacing seemed very off right in the beginning and didn’t seem to be getting any better either. Also, nothing happened up until the 37% point.

[Lupo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible story as well as writing , deeply flawed characters , but I still loved all of them.
A well rounded narration, looking forward to read more of this author

[Malia Little · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very spooky and unsettling vibes. I hope to read more by Jen Julian soon :)