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The Rotting Room
"I am ready to join the Sisterhood of Viggy after reading The Rotting Room. Time to take my vows, now that I've novitiated on this awe-inspiring novel, and commit myself to a lifelong calling of reading whatever Parr Hampton writes." —Clay McLeod Chapman, author of Wake Up and Open Your EyesSister Rafaela, a newcomer to the cloistered Sisters of Divine Innocence, yearns for redemption from her horrific past. However, her new abbey, bound by a vow of silence and a disturbing burial ritual, hides its own sinister secrets.
When a mysterious stranger arrives and dies soon after, her body resists decomposition, sparking fevered claims of sainthood among the nuns… but Rafaela suspects something far darker.
As the abbey teeters on the edge of madness, Rafaela and local priest Father Bruno race to uncover whether the Sisters of Divine Innocence are graced by a divine miracle—or consumed by unspeakable evil.
"Hampton delivers a masterclass in narrative restraint, yet refuses to pull her punches. By taking its vows alongside The First Omen, Immaculate, and Suspiria, The Rotting Room ascends to horror literature heaven." —Nick Roberts, author of The Exorcist's House and Mean Spirited“Dreadfully atmospheric and alluringly oppressive, The Rotting Room is a testament to the heart of religious horror, Viggy Parr Hampton’s writing irresistibly smooth like gothic butter.” —Mona Kabbani, author of The Color of Blood
When a mysterious stranger arrives and dies soon after, her body resists decomposition, sparking fevered claims of sainthood among the nuns… but Rafaela suspects something far darker.
As the abbey teeters on the edge of madness, Rafaela and local priest Father Bruno race to uncover whether the Sisters of Divine Innocence are graced by a divine miracle—or consumed by unspeakable evil.
"Hampton delivers a masterclass in narrative restraint, yet refuses to pull her punches. By taking its vows alongside The First Omen, Immaculate, and Suspiria, The Rotting Room ascends to horror literature heaven." —Nick Roberts, author of The Exorcist's House and Mean Spirited“Dreadfully atmospheric and alluringly oppressive, The Rotting Room is a testament to the heart of religious horror, Viggy Parr Hampton’s writing irresistibly smooth like gothic butter.” —Mona Kabbani, author of The Color of Blood
290 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 23, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 231 reviews
May 20, 2025
Title/Author: The Rotting Room by Viggy Parr Hampton
Page Count: 290 pages
Publisher: Horror Humor Hunger Press
Format: Digital
Other Books I Enjoyed by This Author: first time
Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/7576/979898987...
Kindle: https://a.co/d/5xXJDY1
Release Date: April 23rd, 2025
General Genre: Horror
Sub-Genre/Themes: Religious, Nuns, redemption, secret past, rural abbey, burial rituals, death/dying/decay, body horror, madness, cult behavior
Writing Style: Atmospheric, slow-burn, underlying dread, "narrative restraint", dual narratives
What You Need to Know: Sister Rafaela, a newcomer to the cloistered Sisters of Divine Innocence, yearns for redemption from her horrific past. However, her new abbey, bound by a vow of silence and a disturbing burial ritual, hides its own sinister secrets. When a mysterious stranger arrives and dies soon after, her body resists decomposition, sparking fevered claims of sainthood among the nuns… but Rafaela suspects something far darker.
As the abbey teeters on the edge of madness, Rafaela and local priest Father Bruno race to uncover whether the Sisters of Divine Innocence are graced by a divine miracle—or consumed by unspeakable evil.
My Reading Experience: I was not prepared for how much I was going to enjoy this book. A very similar flavor to Bazterrica's The Unworthy but with an intricately plotted story instead of a dystopian fever dream style.
I enjoyed the dark and disturbing lifestyle of the nuns in these convents. Sister Rafaela is an interesting character who keeps her cards close, both from other characters and from readers--the way the author reveals her backstory a little at a time is ingenious. The last 30-50 pages are so good--honestly, this truly is a one-sitting read even though it took me a few days to read due to "life"
Final Recommendation: This book is for fans of religious horror and trauma. Horror readers who are not too squeamish about descriptive body horror (death & decaying). Patient readers who enjoy feeling unsettled by a prevailing sense of dread building slowly over time instead of frenetic horror energy. A subtle terror that blindsides you with a couple gut punches when you least expect it. Taut tension, characters to invest in and an unputdownable storyline that kept me invested.
Comps: The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica, Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling
Page Count: 290 pages
Publisher: Horror Humor Hunger Press
Format: Digital
Other Books I Enjoyed by This Author: first time
Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/7576/979898987...
Kindle: https://a.co/d/5xXJDY1
Release Date: April 23rd, 2025
General Genre: Horror
Sub-Genre/Themes: Religious, Nuns, redemption, secret past, rural abbey, burial rituals, death/dying/decay, body horror, madness, cult behavior
Writing Style: Atmospheric, slow-burn, underlying dread, "narrative restraint", dual narratives
What You Need to Know: Sister Rafaela, a newcomer to the cloistered Sisters of Divine Innocence, yearns for redemption from her horrific past. However, her new abbey, bound by a vow of silence and a disturbing burial ritual, hides its own sinister secrets. When a mysterious stranger arrives and dies soon after, her body resists decomposition, sparking fevered claims of sainthood among the nuns… but Rafaela suspects something far darker.
As the abbey teeters on the edge of madness, Rafaela and local priest Father Bruno race to uncover whether the Sisters of Divine Innocence are graced by a divine miracle—or consumed by unspeakable evil.
My Reading Experience: I was not prepared for how much I was going to enjoy this book. A very similar flavor to Bazterrica's The Unworthy but with an intricately plotted story instead of a dystopian fever dream style.
I enjoyed the dark and disturbing lifestyle of the nuns in these convents. Sister Rafaela is an interesting character who keeps her cards close, both from other characters and from readers--the way the author reveals her backstory a little at a time is ingenious. The last 30-50 pages are so good--honestly, this truly is a one-sitting read even though it took me a few days to read due to "life"
Final Recommendation: This book is for fans of religious horror and trauma. Horror readers who are not too squeamish about descriptive body horror (death & decaying). Patient readers who enjoy feeling unsettled by a prevailing sense of dread building slowly over time instead of frenetic horror energy. A subtle terror that blindsides you with a couple gut punches when you least expect it. Taut tension, characters to invest in and an unputdownable storyline that kept me invested.
Comps: The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica, Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling
April 8, 2025
Madness or true evil? This is the question Viggy Parr Hampton poses in The Rotting Room. This novel will have the reader vacillating between the two, questioning if Sister Rafaela is undergoing a complete mental breakdown or if what she is experiencing is truly evil.
I was fortunate to receive an advance review copy for free from Booksirens, the author and publisher. I am voluntarily leaving this honest review without spoilers.
Hampton's writing pulls you in and then slowly builds the tension. As Sister Rafaela begins to make the connections between her suspicious and the reality of what is really happening in the abby her inner monologs border on hysteria. Rafaela's indecision is maddening! I wanted to physically shake her and yell at her to make a decision and act on it. A reaction like this from a reader is a sure sign that the reader has connected with the character. However the ups and downs of Rafaela's thoughts and feelings do begin to wear thin after time.
The mind is an extremely powerful tool. The reader is constantly questioning if there is true evil or if Rafaela's mind is the source of her terror, delusions and physical ailments. The reader is left with deciding which it is until the very end.
I was fortunate to receive an advance review copy for free from Booksirens, the author and publisher. I am voluntarily leaving this honest review without spoilers.
Hampton's writing pulls you in and then slowly builds the tension. As Sister Rafaela begins to make the connections between her suspicious and the reality of what is really happening in the abby her inner monologs border on hysteria. Rafaela's indecision is maddening! I wanted to physically shake her and yell at her to make a decision and act on it. A reaction like this from a reader is a sure sign that the reader has connected with the character. However the ups and downs of Rafaela's thoughts and feelings do begin to wear thin after time.
The mind is an extremely powerful tool. The reader is constantly questioning if there is true evil or if Rafaela's mind is the source of her terror, delusions and physical ailments. The reader is left with deciding which it is until the very end.
August 6, 2025
this certainly had its creepy moments, and i’m always an enjoyer of religious horror. makes you question everything, the line between imagination and reality. but wow was some of this writing incredibly wordy and drawn out, the pace was actually snail slow at times!!
May 25, 2025
4.5 / 5
I have been converted .... I'm here to worship at the altar of Viggy Parr Hampton. ⛪🩸🎚️
I have been converted .... I'm here to worship at the altar of Viggy Parr Hampton. ⛪🩸🎚️
June 22, 2025
2.75 stars
The premise of this sounds great and when I was summarizing it to my husband I was like damn this sounds like a great story. Except, the execution of it was a miss for me.
This felt so long and it was very slow paced, which made it seem longer than the 298 pages it was. I honestly think that it could’ve been 50-100 pages shorter and had a better impact.
You spend a lot of time in theRafaela’s head and it got repetitive. I needed her to solve the mystery of The Rotting Room faster.
I also didn’t like that we were introduced to Sister Rafaela’s childhood but weren’t given clarification on whether that was true or “in her head.” Did it add to the unreliable narrator vibe? Yes, but I didn’t like it.
Also why was Father Bruno always horny for Rafaela if it didn’t do anything for the plot?
Talking about Father Bruno, his chapters were my favorite.
The ending was a bit rushed and underwhelming in my opinion and I feel like it would’ve had a bigger impact if we had gotten more hints in the beginning/middle of the novel. I feel like it came out of nowhere. I figure that I’m probably not understanding the meaning of what the nuns experienced once they gave into Bertha, but I feel like it went in a whole other direction than what the beginning of the novel was giving.
Disclaimer: It’s a shame I even have to say this, but with the recent uptick in indie authors and their fans attacking reviewers for their opinions, it has to be said. I don’t give anyone permission to post my personal thoughts on a work of art I read. I do not give anyone permission to post my review. Don’t do it. Writing is art, and will be interpreted differently by those who read it. Don’t let your ego get the best of you.
The premise of this sounds great and when I was summarizing it to my husband I was like damn this sounds like a great story. Except, the execution of it was a miss for me.
This felt so long and it was very slow paced, which made it seem longer than the 298 pages it was. I honestly think that it could’ve been 50-100 pages shorter and had a better impact.
You spend a lot of time in theRafaela’s head and it got repetitive. I needed her to solve the mystery of The Rotting Room faster.
I also didn’t like that we were introduced to Sister Rafaela’s childhood but weren’t given clarification on whether that was true or “in her head.” Did it add to the unreliable narrator vibe? Yes, but I didn’t like it.
Also why was Father Bruno always horny for Rafaela if it didn’t do anything for the plot?
Talking about Father Bruno, his chapters were my favorite.
The ending was a bit rushed and underwhelming in my opinion and I feel like it would’ve had a bigger impact if we had gotten more hints in the beginning/middle of the novel. I feel like it came out of nowhere. I figure that I’m probably not understanding the meaning of what the nuns experienced once they gave into Bertha, but I feel like it went in a whole other direction than what the beginning of the novel was giving.
Disclaimer: It’s a shame I even have to say this, but with the recent uptick in indie authors and their fans attacking reviewers for their opinions, it has to be said. I don’t give anyone permission to post my personal thoughts on a work of art I read. I do not give anyone permission to post my review. Don’t do it. Writing is art, and will be interpreted differently by those who read it. Don’t let your ego get the best of you.
March 15, 2025
This historical horror novel is not only based on some events which took place but features a 17th century religious horror with some terrifying vibes.
A devoutly religious woman enters a new Abby after the one she was previously assigned resulted in some ungodly sacrifices. Her new home has very strict rules including a vow of silence for twenty three hours of the day. But they also have a room where they collect their dead, allowing the corpses to rot and decompose into the a bucket.
So, with that atmosphere to start things out, it's no wonder this book has a creepy feeling throughout. It's what they do with these corpse drippings which really gives you the goosebumps. You probably don't want to eat while reading!
As we learn more about our protagonist and a priest who delivers daily mass and confessions, there's doubt as to whether this is an unreliable narrator or not. Her past is interesting and is filled with traumas which even she isn't sure about.
But the presence of a sick nun from England unexpectedly is going to change things and this book gets even more dreadful. There are scenes in here which will make you shiver.
I loved this one and highly recommend it. I received an ARC of this book through Booksirens. This review is voluntary and is my own personal opinion.
A devoutly religious woman enters a new Abby after the one she was previously assigned resulted in some ungodly sacrifices. Her new home has very strict rules including a vow of silence for twenty three hours of the day. But they also have a room where they collect their dead, allowing the corpses to rot and decompose into the a bucket.
So, with that atmosphere to start things out, it's no wonder this book has a creepy feeling throughout. It's what they do with these corpse drippings which really gives you the goosebumps. You probably don't want to eat while reading!
As we learn more about our protagonist and a priest who delivers daily mass and confessions, there's doubt as to whether this is an unreliable narrator or not. Her past is interesting and is filled with traumas which even she isn't sure about.
But the presence of a sick nun from England unexpectedly is going to change things and this book gets even more dreadful. There are scenes in here which will make you shiver.
I loved this one and highly recommend it. I received an ARC of this book through Booksirens. This review is voluntary and is my own personal opinion.
June 14, 2025
I was verily intrigued by the premise but reading this novel in the same season as The Starving Saints and The Unworthy, two brilliant and bloodily subversive nun-centric novel, highlighted everything lacking in The Rotting Room. The language was irritatingly modern for a supposed period piece and the characters were so flatly insipid I did not care what happened to any of them.
April 14, 2025
“I needed to place my trust in those who knew better.”
We follow Sister Rafaela, a deeply broken woman seeking redemption by joining the Sisters of Divine Innocence. But this isn’t just a story about guilt and faith—this is about power, control, and what happens when obedience becomes something far more dangerous.
The setting: an abbey with a vow of silence, a chamber called Divine Decomposition (yes, DECOMPOSITION), and a burial ritual that already feels wrong even before things start to rot—literally and metaphorically. Then a mysterious woman arrives, dies, and doesn’t decompose… yeah, MIRACLE.
This book is soaked in dread. There are clear critiques here: on power, wealth, blind faith, and the role of women within highly structured (and deeply flawed) religious systems.
The horror here isn’t just supernatural—it’s organizational. These women are soldiers in a machine. Some are fully brainwashed, others just surviving, and Rafaela? She’s trying to find herself in a system that never gave her a real choice to begin with.
She’s also… frustrating at times. Naïve. In denial. But that’s part of what makes her so painfully real. Her internal world is full of bruises—mentally and spiritually. And even when she begins to wake up, the question isn’t just what’s real—it’s what she’ll do about it.
We follow Sister Rafaela, a deeply broken woman seeking redemption by joining the Sisters of Divine Innocence. But this isn’t just a story about guilt and faith—this is about power, control, and what happens when obedience becomes something far more dangerous.
The setting: an abbey with a vow of silence, a chamber called Divine Decomposition (yes, DECOMPOSITION), and a burial ritual that already feels wrong even before things start to rot—literally and metaphorically. Then a mysterious woman arrives, dies, and doesn’t decompose… yeah, MIRACLE.
This book is soaked in dread. There are clear critiques here: on power, wealth, blind faith, and the role of women within highly structured (and deeply flawed) religious systems.
The horror here isn’t just supernatural—it’s organizational. These women are soldiers in a machine. Some are fully brainwashed, others just surviving, and Rafaela? She’s trying to find herself in a system that never gave her a real choice to begin with.
She’s also… frustrating at times. Naïve. In denial. But that’s part of what makes her so painfully real. Her internal world is full of bruises—mentally and spiritually. And even when she begins to wake up, the question isn’t just what’s real—it’s what she’ll do about it.
September 19, 2025
i did not enjoy this book. the characters were flat, the religious speak got repetitive and exasperating, i wished for more involvement from father bruno other than "wow, is she crazy? either way i'm hard now". not for me i guess.
October 2, 2025
Author got an idea from a little bit of history trivia. Clicks copy and paste on some Catholic prayers for authenticity (TM). Then immediately turns around and bungles Confession and calls it "performing" the Mass. The main characters futz around thinking juvenilely about what they should probably do, then fumble and do zilch.
I won't even get into the priest who develops an auto-boner for the super smexxxy ingenue (indecisive, idiotic) new nun who arrives on the scene.
They get what they deserve, I GUESS. I could not figure out what the plot of this was. I guess the nuns make corpse-dripping sludge and feed it to others, and voila, it turns them vampire-style into Luciferians?
I'll say it again: to all authors who want to dabble in Catholicism as a trapping for either shock value or for aesthetic - my religion is not your fun little playground to fuck with.
I won't even get into the priest who develops an auto-boner for the super smexxxy ingenue (indecisive, idiotic) new nun who arrives on the scene.
They get what they deserve, I GUESS. I could not figure out what the plot of this was. I guess the nuns make corpse-dripping sludge and feed it to others, and voila, it turns them vampire-style into Luciferians?
I'll say it again: to all authors who want to dabble in Catholicism as a trapping for either shock value or for aesthetic - my religion is not your fun little playground to fuck with.
April 9, 2025
This book was unexpectedly hair-raising horrific historical horror novel. “The Rotting Room” will make you have uncomfortable moments, cringey moments, and an odor you can smell without ever actually smelling it. This book definitely plays with your senses and I felt nauseous the whole time reading this novel.
This book is in a duel person perspective with Sister Rafaela perspective giving us a glimpse into the young nuns thoughts and feelings of what is going on in the Sisters of the Devine Innocence. The second point of view comes from Father Bruno, a young priest who ministers to the sisters of the Devine Innocence. He comes upon many things that have him weary and unsettled by some of their unorthodox practices.
The “chamber of divine decomposition” was literally having me gaging and saying to myself, What the absolute fuck!! The Rotting Room has a visceral and a creepiness feel throughout the book.
I want to thank NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.
June 8, 2025
Tedious and eventually boring
I had a horrible time trying to finish this novel. The novel starts strong but then devolves into paragraph after paragraph of the protagonist repeating herself over and over again. I had to skim the last quarter of the novel because of the tedium.
In addition, little to no detail or description of anything other than the internal workings of the protagonist’s mind repeated over and over again. So many lost opportunities to describe context, characters, locations. All in all, I rarely take the time to review a book, but this one was truly a waste of time.
I had a horrible time trying to finish this novel. The novel starts strong but then devolves into paragraph after paragraph of the protagonist repeating herself over and over again. I had to skim the last quarter of the novel because of the tedium.
In addition, little to no detail or description of anything other than the internal workings of the protagonist’s mind repeated over and over again. So many lost opportunities to describe context, characters, locations. All in all, I rarely take the time to review a book, but this one was truly a waste of time.
July 31, 2025
i was really excited for another religious/nun focused horror book but this got really tedious to read. rafaela’s thoughts are so repetitive and it was definitely too long for what it was. i’m okay with a slow pace as long as it’s done well but the entire first half of the book takes place in just under 3 days and it’s like walking in a circle for hours.
the actual horror plot is really interesting but man i got tired of reading this because of the pacing.
the actual horror plot is really interesting but man i got tired of reading this because of the pacing.
July 8, 2025
I can’t even. Plot: Nun with tragic past finds home in new abbey. Abbey does a lot of weird shit. A random visitor shows up, then dies in the cell next to the new nun – chaos ensues.
If you’re looking for a mystery solved, nope. Pretty much from minute one of this book, you’ll know precisely what’s going on with those bottles of ‘holy essence’. Do not expect a shocking thunderclap of revelation. At any stage.
Sister Rafaela, ultimately kind of a pain in the ass as far as MCs go, is pretty much Cassandra made Spanish and a nun in the 16th century - there are no timestamps here, but Berta makes a reference to the religious orders being expelled from England, which is a Henry VIII dealio that pretty much dates us to 1536-1541. I waited (prayed? 😇) to be surprised by anything in this book and was not. I kept expecting some twist to make this anything other than predictably unrelenting misery. But it’s not scary. I mean, if you find golden-red eyes spooky, I guess? And one can’t help but draw parallels to a really bad horror film, The Nun.
So, I guess if the idea of just reading a book where nothing is remotely surprising and no one ever believes or trusts the MC (but she just keeps on interior monologuing in a most irritating fashion) sounds top notch, this book could be for you! If you’re religious and dig a godly narrative, this might not suit – and the ending might not be for you. If you’re at that DNF stage but vaguely curious about what actually happened, spoilers here. Think of it as I read it so you didn’t have to!
If you’re looking for a mystery solved, nope. Pretty much from minute one of this book, you’ll know precisely what’s going on with those bottles of ‘holy essence’. Do not expect a shocking thunderclap of revelation. At any stage.
Sister Rafaela, ultimately kind of a pain in the ass as far as MCs go, is pretty much Cassandra made Spanish and a nun in the 16th century - there are no timestamps here, but Berta makes a reference to the religious orders being expelled from England, which is a Henry VIII dealio that pretty much dates us to 1536-1541. I waited (prayed? 😇) to be surprised by anything in this book and was not. I kept expecting some twist to make this anything other than predictably unrelenting misery. But it’s not scary. I mean, if you find golden-red eyes spooky, I guess? And one can’t help but draw parallels to a really bad horror film, The Nun.
So, I guess if the idea of just reading a book where nothing is remotely surprising and no one ever believes or trusts the MC (but she just keeps on interior monologuing in a most irritating fashion) sounds top notch, this book could be for you! If you’re religious and dig a godly narrative, this might not suit – and the ending might not be for you. If you’re at that DNF stage but vaguely curious about what actually happened, spoilers here. Think of it as I read it so you didn’t have to!
April 22, 2025
I loved how this book built on dread and ambiguity! Set in 17th Century Spain and inspired by real events, a young Sister finds herself in a new convent, after having been messed up by a traumatic experience in a previous one. Almost immediately, Sister Rafaela realizes this convent is a deeply evil place as well (talk about bad luck!), and soon she has to face the threat herself or perish.
Perhaps, however, she's not entirely on her own: Father Bruno, the priest visiting the convent regularly for Mass, Holy Communion, and Confession, also joins the fray and seems to be a fine ally to have on one's side. Father Bruno, an Albanian with his own childhood trauma to carry, hears confessions and can't believe what Rafaela's telling him!
But can Sister Rafaela trust her senses? Is she merely paranoid? Is she going insane, perhaps? Or is she a budding conspiracy theorist, as we might label her today? After all, she keeps hearing the voice of a dead woman, and having strange visions that make her fear her fellow Sisters.
Plus there's something of a miracle happening in the abbey, amidst weird rituals in the Rotting Room (yep, that's a real place!), and apparently supernatural events popping literally out of nowhere. The tension escalates, and then... the truth comes out! And what an ending!
If there's one horror book with creepy nuns and disgusting rituals you need to read this year, this is it!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Perhaps, however, she's not entirely on her own: Father Bruno, the priest visiting the convent regularly for Mass, Holy Communion, and Confession, also joins the fray and seems to be a fine ally to have on one's side. Father Bruno, an Albanian with his own childhood trauma to carry, hears confessions and can't believe what Rafaela's telling him!
But can Sister Rafaela trust her senses? Is she merely paranoid? Is she going insane, perhaps? Or is she a budding conspiracy theorist, as we might label her today? After all, she keeps hearing the voice of a dead woman, and having strange visions that make her fear her fellow Sisters.
Plus there's something of a miracle happening in the abbey, amidst weird rituals in the Rotting Room (yep, that's a real place!), and apparently supernatural events popping literally out of nowhere. The tension escalates, and then... the truth comes out! And what an ending!
If there's one horror book with creepy nuns and disgusting rituals you need to read this year, this is it!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
April 10, 2025
Cloistered with the Sisters of Divine Innocence, Rafaela hopes to find a second chance. God has been absent too long in her life. She was too concerned with following orders to notice He had slipped away from her. But is divine grace really to be found praying beside a decomposing corpse, a bucket beneath the body to collect what falls away?
I read Viggy Parr Hampton's debut, A Cold Night for Alligators, and immediately knew she'd be one to watch. I am not at all surprised to find how she's grown in strength as a writer in this, her third novel. From the outset, Parr Hampton has excelled at body horror. In The Rotting Room, the pages are smeared with her trademark noxious fluids and phlegmy, gelatinous drippings. Her character work is great. I feel like we've all known an indecisive Rafaela - although hopefully not in such dire circumstances; someone who has such a weak sense of self, she can barely decide what to eat for breakfast. Although she drove me crazy with some of her (non)decisions, her choices felt very true to type and had me on the edge of my seat, hoping she'd finally hit on the correct answers.
I received this book for free through BookSirens.
I read Viggy Parr Hampton's debut, A Cold Night for Alligators, and immediately knew she'd be one to watch. I am not at all surprised to find how she's grown in strength as a writer in this, her third novel. From the outset, Parr Hampton has excelled at body horror. In The Rotting Room, the pages are smeared with her trademark noxious fluids and phlegmy, gelatinous drippings. Her character work is great. I feel like we've all known an indecisive Rafaela - although hopefully not in such dire circumstances; someone who has such a weak sense of self, she can barely decide what to eat for breakfast. Although she drove me crazy with some of her (non)decisions, her choices felt very true to type and had me on the edge of my seat, hoping she'd finally hit on the correct answers.
I received this book for free through BookSirens.
October 10, 2025
Adding this one to my favorites list!
Creepy, moribund suspense begins with the first paragraph. Tension exists through the entire novel. And I am 100% here for it.
Having discovered a tragedy in her own home, young Rafaela is sent to a nunnery to protect the families secrets. As even darker horror is discovered she is ushered to a more cloistered convent as a final opportunity for redemption and salvation. But evil seems to follow Rafaela regardless of her locale. Enter Berta: A wayfaring sister seeking sanctuary as an English immigrant in Spain’s Catholic convent. But Berta expires shortly after arrival, and the nuns place her in the grotto of Divine Decomposition, and the sisters see sainthood in Berta’s miracles.
There is no shock-and-awe horror here, just a delicious unfolding of fear and doom. The writing is a masterclass of suspense. One of the best thrillers I’ve experienced.
Can enthusiastically recommend.
Creepy, moribund suspense begins with the first paragraph. Tension exists through the entire novel. And I am 100% here for it.
Having discovered a tragedy in her own home, young Rafaela is sent to a nunnery to protect the families secrets. As even darker horror is discovered she is ushered to a more cloistered convent as a final opportunity for redemption and salvation. But evil seems to follow Rafaela regardless of her locale. Enter Berta: A wayfaring sister seeking sanctuary as an English immigrant in Spain’s Catholic convent. But Berta expires shortly after arrival, and the nuns place her in the grotto of Divine Decomposition, and the sisters see sainthood in Berta’s miracles.
There is no shock-and-awe horror here, just a delicious unfolding of fear and doom. The writing is a masterclass of suspense. One of the best thrillers I’ve experienced.
Can enthusiastically recommend.
April 18, 2025
✨The Rotting Room by Viggy Parr Hampton ✨
Let’s talk about The Rotting Room! I was kindly gifted this advanced readers copy by the author! Be sure to check it out when it releases on April 23rd, 2025.
The book follows Sister Rafaela as she joins a new Abbey—The Sisters of Divine Innocence. There, the sisters spend 23 hours in a vow of silence. The sisters also partake in an unusual burial ritual, collecting and selling “holy essence” to the village below. When a mysterious stranger arrives one night at the abbey and shortly dies thereafter, things start to become more and more sinister. Is this Abbey experiencing a divine miracle or unspeakable evil?
I really enjoyed this one. There were so many secrets in this one. Every revelation grew more and more sinister. I also loved the unreliable narrator aspect. Once we get insight into Sister Rafaela’s past, it’s hard to distinguish what’s truly happening and what is possibly in her head. My only complaint is that the plot felt a little repetitive at times. Instead of propelling forward, I feel like we were at a stand still sometimes.
Be sure to pick this one up if you’re looking for:
✨Religious Horror
✨Demons/Witches
✨Unreliable Narrators
✨The Nun Vibes
✨Historical Horror
Preorder Link: https://bookshop.org/a/79577/97989898...
Let’s talk about The Rotting Room! I was kindly gifted this advanced readers copy by the author! Be sure to check it out when it releases on April 23rd, 2025.
The book follows Sister Rafaela as she joins a new Abbey—The Sisters of Divine Innocence. There, the sisters spend 23 hours in a vow of silence. The sisters also partake in an unusual burial ritual, collecting and selling “holy essence” to the village below. When a mysterious stranger arrives one night at the abbey and shortly dies thereafter, things start to become more and more sinister. Is this Abbey experiencing a divine miracle or unspeakable evil?
I really enjoyed this one. There were so many secrets in this one. Every revelation grew more and more sinister. I also loved the unreliable narrator aspect. Once we get insight into Sister Rafaela’s past, it’s hard to distinguish what’s truly happening and what is possibly in her head. My only complaint is that the plot felt a little repetitive at times. Instead of propelling forward, I feel like we were at a stand still sometimes.
Be sure to pick this one up if you’re looking for:
✨Religious Horror
✨Demons/Witches
✨Unreliable Narrators
✨The Nun Vibes
✨Historical Horror
Preorder Link: https://bookshop.org/a/79577/97989898...
October 13, 2025
An unbelievably atmospheric, grim, slow burn book that truly asks the question; is it madness or truly evil?
One of the easiest five stars I will give a book this year, the way Viggy Parr Hampton builds this tension and intense feeling of unease as evil that has budded at The Sister’s Of Divine Innocence starts to flourish.
Prose that kept me on the edge of my seat and a main character that felt so REAL. This book was magnetic and captivating while being gritty, bleak, and overall grim.
One of the easiest five stars I will give a book this year, the way Viggy Parr Hampton builds this tension and intense feeling of unease as evil that has budded at The Sister’s Of Divine Innocence starts to flourish.
Prose that kept me on the edge of my seat and a main character that felt so REAL. This book was magnetic and captivating while being gritty, bleak, and overall grim.
March 31, 2025
This was an unexpectedly delightfully horrific story. I’m not into historical horror, nor religious horror. But this book is a game changer. I actually liked the religious vibe to the story, it complimented the evil very well. I mean, who doesn’t love a tale about a nunnery getting taken over by the devil? Yup, it was great.
Through the entire book, Sister Rafaela is struggling with her devotion, sense of reality, and the horrific discovery of what really happens in the chamber of divine decomposition. It’s a slow unraveling of fear that quickly settles into your soul. I couldn’t put the book down. Every chapter I was waiting to see what direction the story would take.
This is not a totally graphic horror novel, so I feel it will appeal to a lot of horror readers. It most definitely has uncomfortable moments, cringey moments, and an odor you can smell without ever actually smelling it lol it plays with your senses, which is quite nauseating. So when I say it appeals to most horror readers, I do want to express my hope that you have a strong stomach. Seriously, the smell…
Through the entire book, Sister Rafaela is struggling with her devotion, sense of reality, and the horrific discovery of what really happens in the chamber of divine decomposition. It’s a slow unraveling of fear that quickly settles into your soul. I couldn’t put the book down. Every chapter I was waiting to see what direction the story would take.
This is not a totally graphic horror novel, so I feel it will appeal to a lot of horror readers. It most definitely has uncomfortable moments, cringey moments, and an odor you can smell without ever actually smelling it lol it plays with your senses, which is quite nauseating. So when I say it appeals to most horror readers, I do want to express my hope that you have a strong stomach. Seriously, the smell…
May 28, 2025
Religious horror is one of my favorite tropes, and The Rotting Room doesn't disappoint. Viggy Parr Hampton has done her research, and this particular novel is based on a true room that exists in history. Not a lot spooks me when it comes to horror, but there are some genuinely creepy scenes in this novel. I really enjoyed the plot and can honestly say I've not read another story like this. I'm giving this novel three stars because although the story was great, I felt that the main character's inner monologue became a bit repetitive in the middle of the book.
April 24, 2025
Review originally on JamReads
The Rotting Room is a historical horror novel, written by Viggy Parr Hampton. A book that smartly plays with the figure of an unreliable narrator to deliver an incredible experience of religious horror set in an abbey in the 17th century Spain, following a broken woman seeking for redemption in a new place, and that points how blind obedience can lead to danger and madness, perfect for people looking for religious horror.
Sister Rafaela hopes to find a second chance among the Sisters of Divine Innocence after a previous traumatic experience in another congregation. The sisters take part in an unusual burial ritual, collecting and selling the exudates as holy essence to the village; but when a mysterious stranger arrives and shortly after dies, things start becoming weirder and more sinister, starting from the body of the stranger avoiding decomposition. Rafaela soon perceives it as a threat engrained in the evil of this convent, but can she trust her senses? Is she merely becoming paranoid or going insane due to the previous trauma?
Rafaela is a magnificent main character, acting as our unreliable narrator, mixing together reality and second guessings; her previous traumatic experience makes us a bit more reluctant to believe in what might just be the product of her imagination, and so the rest of characters act around this circumstance, adding to the isolation feeling that she's suffering. Her firm religious beliefs will be the anchor that will keep her trying to fight the perceived evil; and in a second layer, we have father Bruno, an Albanian priest that officiates at the Abbey. He had his own trauma as child, and that marks how he acts when the Sister Rafaela trusts him with her suspicions. While it is less fleshed than Rafaela, as we spend a lot of time with the Sister, Parr Hampton manages to give us a great second main character with the father.
The setting is the perfect choice for this kind of religious horror, inspired by a true historical fact; it gives you The Nun vibes, and the atmosphere grows to be more sinister and oppressive by the moments. Parr Hampton takes the opportunity to introduce many Christian iconography and rituals, reinforcing that religious sensation at the center of the abbey. It is true that the pacing can suffer at the middle of our story, but it is a relatively short book, so it is not too notable.
The Rotting Room is a great religious horror novel, an experience that smartly plays with the atmosphere and the figure of an unreliable narrator, perfect for those looking for The Nun vibes. It's my first book by Viggy Parr Hampton, but won't be the last.
The Rotting Room is a historical horror novel, written by Viggy Parr Hampton. A book that smartly plays with the figure of an unreliable narrator to deliver an incredible experience of religious horror set in an abbey in the 17th century Spain, following a broken woman seeking for redemption in a new place, and that points how blind obedience can lead to danger and madness, perfect for people looking for religious horror.
Sister Rafaela hopes to find a second chance among the Sisters of Divine Innocence after a previous traumatic experience in another congregation. The sisters take part in an unusual burial ritual, collecting and selling the exudates as holy essence to the village; but when a mysterious stranger arrives and shortly after dies, things start becoming weirder and more sinister, starting from the body of the stranger avoiding decomposition. Rafaela soon perceives it as a threat engrained in the evil of this convent, but can she trust her senses? Is she merely becoming paranoid or going insane due to the previous trauma?
Rafaela is a magnificent main character, acting as our unreliable narrator, mixing together reality and second guessings; her previous traumatic experience makes us a bit more reluctant to believe in what might just be the product of her imagination, and so the rest of characters act around this circumstance, adding to the isolation feeling that she's suffering. Her firm religious beliefs will be the anchor that will keep her trying to fight the perceived evil; and in a second layer, we have father Bruno, an Albanian priest that officiates at the Abbey. He had his own trauma as child, and that marks how he acts when the Sister Rafaela trusts him with her suspicions. While it is less fleshed than Rafaela, as we spend a lot of time with the Sister, Parr Hampton manages to give us a great second main character with the father.
The setting is the perfect choice for this kind of religious horror, inspired by a true historical fact; it gives you The Nun vibes, and the atmosphere grows to be more sinister and oppressive by the moments. Parr Hampton takes the opportunity to introduce many Christian iconography and rituals, reinforcing that religious sensation at the center of the abbey. It is true that the pacing can suffer at the middle of our story, but it is a relatively short book, so it is not too notable.
The Rotting Room is a great religious horror novel, an experience that smartly plays with the atmosphere and the figure of an unreliable narrator, perfect for those looking for The Nun vibes. It's my first book by Viggy Parr Hampton, but won't be the last.
October 26, 2025
2.5. How many times can someone repeat their thoughts throughout multiple chapters. lets say that is to many times to keep it even a little entertaining. I eventually started skimming the pages because there was so little new information being said that it felt as a waste of time reading everything.
July 2, 2025
This was so bad I’m not even sure what to say.
From the opening chapter you know exactly what is going on. There is no mystery here. And if it was the author’s intent to make you doubt the reality of the main character’s first person recounts of events… well, what an utter failure.
The writing was so incredibly weak. This claims to be historical horror, but it was impossible to identify what time period or even what place in the world this was supposedly happening in. There was no atmosphere because we simply didn’t have time to build it or do anything except barely describe a room now and then because we were too busy endlessly repeating the same thoughts in our character’s mind (I.e. this place is evil and these people are not following god). It was incredibly frustrating to read and re-read the same thoughts when nothing about them changed or interrogated anything either about the character or the events happening around them. It was just pure regurgitation to fill a page count.
And the characters? Who were they? They had no personalities! There was absolutely nothing to them beyond cliches. Their backstories were meant to be sad and traumatic, but, again, the writing is so poor that when you read these scenes that are built up in the narrative to supposedly be heart wrenching and despicable you just go… okay? There is simply no work put into creating believable and sympathetic characters so when tErRiBlE things happen in their stories there is no emotional impact. We don’t know these people. Why should we care? And the scenes themselves were so rudimentary and dull. I cannot overemphasize how starkly unimaginative and unskilled the story telling in this book is.
If you’ve watched any crappy evil nun horror movie then you’ve read this book.
From the opening chapter you know exactly what is going on. There is no mystery here. And if it was the author’s intent to make you doubt the reality of the main character’s first person recounts of events… well, what an utter failure.
The writing was so incredibly weak. This claims to be historical horror, but it was impossible to identify what time period or even what place in the world this was supposedly happening in. There was no atmosphere because we simply didn’t have time to build it or do anything except barely describe a room now and then because we were too busy endlessly repeating the same thoughts in our character’s mind (I.e. this place is evil and these people are not following god). It was incredibly frustrating to read and re-read the same thoughts when nothing about them changed or interrogated anything either about the character or the events happening around them. It was just pure regurgitation to fill a page count.
And the characters? Who were they? They had no personalities! There was absolutely nothing to them beyond cliches. Their backstories were meant to be sad and traumatic, but, again, the writing is so poor that when you read these scenes that are built up in the narrative to supposedly be heart wrenching and despicable you just go… okay? There is simply no work put into creating believable and sympathetic characters so when tErRiBlE things happen in their stories there is no emotional impact. We don’t know these people. Why should we care? And the scenes themselves were so rudimentary and dull. I cannot overemphasize how starkly unimaginative and unskilled the story telling in this book is.
If you’ve watched any crappy evil nun horror movie then you’ve read this book.
July 4, 2025
I wanted to like this. The idea was spot on and ticked a lot of boxes for me. But, boy oh boy, the execution did not hit the spot. The majority of the book is the inner, indecisive monologue of the MC. It was pretty repetitive. Maybe author was doing something that i just didn’t get. Despite the prolific inner will-I-won’t-I monologue, I felt like there was very little in the way of character development for the MC. Would have loved more of the atmosphere of the abbey, more development of other characters. The idea was pretty gross (good) and totally metal but the execution left me meh.
April 26, 2025
Religious horror for the win! And it comes with an unreliable narrator, too? Yes please, bring it on!
I snagged this bad boy on kindle for less than 3 bucks, which is a steal for a new release, but I would happily have spent full price on the print copy because this book was fire.
It follows Sister Rafaela as she attempts to settle in with the Sisters of the Divine Innocence. Rafaela, who has recently transferred from a disbanded Sisterhood, comes carrying some baggage, and is looking forward to a fresh start. That is, until an unexpected visitor knocks on the secluded abbey's door. She is unwell, coughing up blood, and doesn't make it through the night. Her arrival had Rafaela already feeling extremely unsettled, but when Mother Superior has the body placed into the Chamber of Divine Decomposition, a dark reeking place where the Sisters carefully collect the fluids that drip from the rotting corpses of their deceased, Rafaela begins to slowly lose her shit. And when they all notice that the body of the stranger fails to decompose like the others, and they begin to make claims of miracles and sainthood, everything Rafaela believes in comes into question.
We find ourselves questioning everything too, girl. We do too!
It was incredibly atmospheric and unsettling, and oh so fucked up. Themes of isolation, corruption, and past trauma perfectly drive the narrative forward and crank up the sense of dread.
I absolutely loved this book.
I snagged this bad boy on kindle for less than 3 bucks, which is a steal for a new release, but I would happily have spent full price on the print copy because this book was fire.
It follows Sister Rafaela as she attempts to settle in with the Sisters of the Divine Innocence. Rafaela, who has recently transferred from a disbanded Sisterhood, comes carrying some baggage, and is looking forward to a fresh start. That is, until an unexpected visitor knocks on the secluded abbey's door. She is unwell, coughing up blood, and doesn't make it through the night. Her arrival had Rafaela already feeling extremely unsettled, but when Mother Superior has the body placed into the Chamber of Divine Decomposition, a dark reeking place where the Sisters carefully collect the fluids that drip from the rotting corpses of their deceased, Rafaela begins to slowly lose her shit. And when they all notice that the body of the stranger fails to decompose like the others, and they begin to make claims of miracles and sainthood, everything Rafaela believes in comes into question.
We find ourselves questioning everything too, girl. We do too!
It was incredibly atmospheric and unsettling, and oh so fucked up. Themes of isolation, corruption, and past trauma perfectly drive the narrative forward and crank up the sense of dread.
I absolutely loved this book.
June 10, 2025
Creepy, slow-burning, and unsettling. Lost me a bit in the abstract, but the atmosphere was incredible. I’m all in on whatever Viggy writes next.
November 5, 2025
Nun horror? Corpse alchemy?
A convent bottling what leaks out of dead bodies and selling it as a holy tincture?
Yeah. We’re not in cute cottage-core cloisters anymore.
We follow Sister Rafaela, who joins a secluded abbey where the nuns are convinced they’ve discovered a miracle. Bodies are taken to a chamber called the Room of Divine Decomposition - and whatever is happening in there should absolutely not be considered holy.
The atmosphere is claustrophobic, sour, humid with rot.
Every page feels like you’re breathing the same rancid air as the characters.
It’s full of unreliable faith, questionable miracles, and forbidden desire (Father Bruno is too busy simping over Rafaela to provide anything close to spiritual advice).
Constant “is this supernatural or is everyone just losing it?” tension.
If you like your horror bleak, body-focused, and morally messy, this may be your new obsession.
Rot, fanaticism, horny priest energy, and that uneasy feeling that you probably shouldn’t be enjoying it as much as you are.
A tense, gruesome read. The story pulls you in with the terrifying momentum of a doomed penny caught in a coin spiral, accelerating toward an unavoidable drop.
These Sisters need to review their business model - currently this is the world’s worst MLM.
Maybe they should just get 👏 better 👏 hobbies 👏.
Bonus thoughts:
• Circle of life (corpse gunk ➝ bottle ➝ profit ➝ repeat)
• Questionable decision-making everywhere
• Sister Rafaela = Sister Encarnación from Nacho Libre?
• Don’t you just love the word “miasma”? If i ever write a book, il need to fit that one in somehow.
A convent bottling what leaks out of dead bodies and selling it as a holy tincture?
Yeah. We’re not in cute cottage-core cloisters anymore.
We follow Sister Rafaela, who joins a secluded abbey where the nuns are convinced they’ve discovered a miracle. Bodies are taken to a chamber called the Room of Divine Decomposition - and whatever is happening in there should absolutely not be considered holy.
The atmosphere is claustrophobic, sour, humid with rot.
Every page feels like you’re breathing the same rancid air as the characters.
It’s full of unreliable faith, questionable miracles, and forbidden desire (Father Bruno is too busy simping over Rafaela to provide anything close to spiritual advice).
Constant “is this supernatural or is everyone just losing it?” tension.
If you like your horror bleak, body-focused, and morally messy, this may be your new obsession.
Rot, fanaticism, horny priest energy, and that uneasy feeling that you probably shouldn’t be enjoying it as much as you are.
A tense, gruesome read. The story pulls you in with the terrifying momentum of a doomed penny caught in a coin spiral, accelerating toward an unavoidable drop.
These Sisters need to review their business model - currently this is the world’s worst MLM.
Maybe they should just get 👏 better 👏 hobbies 👏.
Bonus thoughts:
• Circle of life (corpse gunk ➝ bottle ➝ profit ➝ repeat)
• Questionable decision-making everywhere
• Sister Rafaela = Sister Encarnación from Nacho Libre?
• Don’t you just love the word “miasma”? If i ever write a book, il need to fit that one in somehow.
April 6, 2025
4 ⭐
Thank you so much to Viggy Parr Hamptson for the ARC I really appreciate it!
Now this is religious horror!!!
The atmosphere in this is superb and really helps bring just the sense of dread & gothic to the story that makes you feel helpless like Sister Rafaela.
Sister Rafaela is new to Sisters of Divine Innocence. But the abbey that is bound by a vow of silence has it's own dark secrets. They also let their dead rot in a room where the bodies are left to decompose as they collect it all in buckets....
YUP.
We see her witness things, some of her backstory, her thoughts and prayers, her questions. You as the reader are deep in this as well as her.
You can't help but also question if this is all part of what is really happening or is she's losing a sense of her reality.
The writing is fantastic, the way scenes that have certain moments in them making you feel gross and grimacing at what was happening.
I'm so happy to have been given the chance to read this. I honestly can't wait to read more.
THAT ENDING THOUGH!!!!!
As always, make sure to check TW if needed
October 29, 2025
I LOVE religious horror!! After escaping a demonic nunnery, Sister Rafaela joins the Sisters of Divine Innocence. She’s only there for a couple days before Sister Berta arrives, and then promptly dies. After her death, she’s placed in the Rotting Room to die, where the Sisters will then bottle her bodily drippings. The only thing is, Sister Berta doesn’ begin to decompose. Is this Sainthood, or something else? Other Sisters start falling ill and Sister Rafaela begins hearing things. What could it be?
The author wants to paint Rafaela as an unreliable narrator but one thing about me is I WILL believe a woman when she claims something demonic is happening, especially at a nunnery! The climax was so good and it all happened so fast and I was turning pages like I was burning rubber. A fun story, too!!!
The author wants to paint Rafaela as an unreliable narrator but one thing about me is I WILL believe a woman when she claims something demonic is happening, especially at a nunnery! The climax was so good and it all happened so fast and I was turning pages like I was burning rubber. A fun story, too!!!
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