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Just a Bite

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I feel them moving and crawling inside of me....

When I left the house that day, I never expected to find myself in this kind of situation. A day like any other–work, casual conversation, then an exciting date with her long-time crush. What could possibly go wrong? Well, nothing much if you stay away from stray dogs and their bites, but I didn’t.

So much pain. So many weird occurrences. What was with all these strange cravings?

I'm trying to go through my days, as usual, ignoring what was happening to me as best I can. Will I ever figure out what is happening to me? Surely, I will find something or someone to help me before it's too late–not just for me, but for everyone around me. I don’t know how much longer I can pretend I am okay....

Will someone save me before it’s too late?

Audible Audio

First published January 1, 2022

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About the author

Boris Bacic

55 books491 followers
"Boris is my favorite author on Nosleep, he's always killing it with his stories!"
"The security guard series is the best one ever!!"
"I love the subtle connection between each story."
"Like R.L. Stine, but better."
"I want to see this book as a Netflix mini-series!"
"No one can scare me like Boris."

Both traditionally and self-published, Boris is a prolific writer whose horror novels often find themselves on the #1 bestselling ranks. With the books he has published, he is quickly becoming a big name in the horror community.

His stories have been narrated by famous YouTube and podcast narrators, including MrCreepypasta, CreepsMcPasta, DrCreepen, etc. His book, Tales of a Security Guard, is currently in the works to become a short film.

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5 stars
17 (26%)
4 stars
22 (34%)
3 stars
16 (25%)
2 stars
8 (12%)
1 star
0 (0%)
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
Profile Image for LIsa Noell "Rocking the chutzpah!".
743 reviews601 followers
February 27, 2022
My thanks to Butterdragons. Boris Bacic and Netgallley.
Truth is that I managed to make it to 45%. Even that was a long haul! I just didn't care.
This sounded like it would rock my footies off! It didnt. Heck. It was more like a wet sock that someone is forcing me to wear on a cold Montana night! Not a fan.

.
Profile Image for Luvtoread (Trying to catch up).
582 reviews460 followers
January 25, 2024
Melanie is an upbeat and positive person but when she finds herself bitten by a stray dog on a first date she is simply mortified. After her embarrassment subsides she finds the bite very painful even after getting treatment for her injury. Every day brings more symptoms which she doesn't understand but the doctor says she is fine and not to worry since she tested negative for rabies and there was no signs of infection.

Melanie's symptoms are now getting out of control along with her strange cravings and she can't hide her changes too much longer. Eventually the CDC will be contacted but will Melanie still be alive for them to find a cure or was she doomed from day one and also from the ineptitude of the doctor who treated her who said she would be fine and not to worry!



Oh, this was a creepy horror story with great characters and awesome storytelling and writing! The tension builds slow and steady until the forty percent mark and then really takes off with unexpected story sidelines and other essential characters who will possibly meet up with Melanie for better or worse. The horror was downright creepy, disgusting, terrifying, bloody, gory, sad, enjoyable, entertaining with some great dark humor added in just the right places.

Just a fare, cautionary warning, some readers may want to think twice about reading this book while they are eating or even right before a meal (lol). Unexpected twists will take place near the end of the book which made this novella a very satisfying and terrifying read!

I'm definitely looking forward to read more material from this author so I have purchased quite a few of Boris Bacic's books for future reading.



Many thanks to the publisher "Butterdragons Publishing" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this story and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I have given a rating of 4 HORRIFYING AND ENTERTAINING 🌟🌟🌟🌟 STARS!!
Profile Image for Kirsty Carson.
718 reviews45 followers
April 15, 2022
I feel them moving and crawling inside of me….

When I left the house that day, I never expected to find myself in this kind of situation. A day like any other – work, casual conversation, then an exciting date with her long-time crush. What could possibly go wrong? Well, nothing much if you stay away from stray dogs and their bites, but I didn’t.

So much pain. So many weird occurrences. What was with all these strange cravings?
Trying to go through my days, as usual, ignoring what was happening to me as best I can. Will I ever figure out what is happening to me? Surely, I will find something or someone to help me before it's too late – not just for me, but for everyone around me. I don’t know how much longer I can pretend I am okay...

Will someone save me before it’s too late?

Okay first of all let me put out a warning that this book is DISGUSTINGLY visceral in its body horror, so it is not for the faint hearted or squeamish.

I enjoyed this wee short story and there were times I had to set it down and take a moment because it was making my skin crawl, but I found the writing style lacking in flair and finesse.

I wanted to love it more. But… alongside the juvenile style there wasn’t enough character development so I found it hard to relate to and empathise with the characters which would have added another layer of depth to this story. The flicking between character perspectives further disengaged me and left me not really caring what happened to any of them.

Sadly a great concept that was poorly executed.
Profile Image for Bren.
36 reviews
February 23, 2022
Firstly I want to thank Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
MY SKIN. IS SO. ITCHY.
That was a wild ride. I went into this book blind, I don’t know what I expected. Judging by the cover I expected a Zombie book. But BOY was I off. This book focuses on a parasite living in a host and OHHH man. The way the author explains each thing in detail is skin crawling yet amazing, it almost felt like you were going through the same things to character was going through. My head STILL itches and I feel this book is going to stick with me for a long long time. If you enjoy skin crawling, disgusting in a good way horror. Then this book is 100% made for you.
Profile Image for Spooky Mama.
91 reviews13 followers
April 21, 2022
I got this book from NetGalley as an arc. I really enjoyed this book. This book was fast paced and had me hooked from the beginning. The body horror was well written and had me squirming.
Profile Image for greta.
506 reviews442 followers
June 24, 2022
man this book had much potential, at first i was even reminded of the book “The Troop” which i really loved, but then this one flopped the farther i went in :/
anyway, i’ll talk about the good things first:

« i really loved the general idea—people getting infected with a parasite, although it wasn’t really original.
« the gory scenes (only really a few of them) were also quite good.
« i didn’t expect that ending !

« now what i didn’t really vibe with was the writing style. lots of the text was repetitive, i found myself being a bit frustrated bc i just wanted to get on with it lmao.
« it also took up to 64% of the book for things to actually start becoming grotesque.
« for the most part this book was anything but horror.
« i also didn’t care about Melanie’s and Darren’s relationship nor her friendship with Catherine. the relationship aspect could be scratched entirely, imo.
« overall, nothing AT ALL happened for the most part of the book. only the ending was slightly gory.
« i was also not a fan of “t. gondii” invention in the book. i found it just too ridiculous tbh 😂 (if you read a book, you’ll know what i mean)

i would recommend this probably only for horror genre beginners. avid horror readers wouldn’t find anything interesting in this 🤷🏻‍♀️
Profile Image for Susan.
357 reviews34 followers
March 16, 2022
Warning: Just a Bite is gory, gruesome, and not for the faint of heart. Trust me this will make your skin crawl!

Now, that you have been warned, I shall move on. I will start at the beginning, Jesse, is out on a date, where she sees a stray dog. Being the kind and loving gal she is, she approaches the dog to show it kindness, however, in return the stray bites her. She fluffs it off, forgiving the dog for the nasty bite.

Jesse moves on with her day, until she notices the bite is not healing. At this point and at her nagging roommate's suggestion, she gives in and sees her doctor. Good ole doc, determines it is indeed Just A Bite. From here, the story just takes off into a direction, I did not see coming!

This novel is a quick, fast paced read that kept me wanting me more than Just a Bite. I loved the cliff hangar of an ending and it got me asking myself, since when does Just a Bite, open up a can of worms? Enough said, get your hands on this book and judge for yourself.

One more note, this amazing novel is creative, brilliant, gory and very entertaining.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC for a honest review.






A creative, brilliant, gory and entertaining read
Profile Image for ame.
154 reviews3 followers
February 22, 2022
It's been a while since I finished a book in one sitting, but that is exactly what happened with this one.

The story starts out quite normal, but after a dog bites the main character things go absolutely crazy.

The characters were all relatable and "normal", what I mean by that is they felt like normal human beings, they weren't the chosen one, or "not like the other girls" which I did appreciate and it really made the book better.

The whole virus/parasite thing reminded me of Resident Evil, and I loved everything about that. I've been looking for books that have the same vibes, and this one was exactly that (although I must mention that when I say it has resi vibes, I mean evil scientists and a virus, not zombie apocalypse).

The descriptions were really gross, even to the point that while I was reading it I became really nauseous, and at this one scene, I literally had to get up from bed and shake my pillows and blanket out because of the stuff I read. It definitely got a reaction out of me while reading, and I think that it's awesome and it shows how great of a book it is.

I pretty much loved everything about this book, but I wasn't a huge fan of the ending. I think it was a little rushed, and fell a bit flat. I was waiting for something bigger to happen, but I do understand that the ending was the way it was in order to get a plot point across.

This was my first book written by the author, but I'm pretty sure that I will check out some of his other works in the future.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves horror, and who is okay with gore. I think if you like zombies you will appreciate this book too, although it isn't a zombie apocalypse book.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Profile Image for Danae.
584 reviews4 followers
May 16, 2022
Thank you to Butterdragon Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy of Just a Bite in exchange for an honest review.

The description and the cover are perfectly creepy and horrifying. It dragged me in and made me want to read the book. Too bad the book itself could not do the same. I found Melanie way too immature and the writing felt rushed like the author had a checklist and needed to make sure certain things happened at a certain point whether it flowed or not.
I tried to continue reading it I really did but I didn't find the book terrifying and I was laughing because of course the book would go in that direction. I shouldn't be laughing and rolling my eyes at a character being bit by a dog. Of course she was more worried about what the date thought than the bite from the rabid stray dog. I semi liked the date because he was concerned and had a healthy dose of self preservation (something the mc sorely lacked). My main problem was I could see where the book was going long before it got there and I don't want to feel that for a horror book.
If you have a high tolerance for horror books, I would recommend.
2.5⭐️
4💧
Profile Image for Krista's Crooked Bookshelf.
23 reviews37 followers
April 3, 2022
"I feel them moving
Crawling inside me
Decaying
Rotting
Devouring my organs
Weakening me
My mind is crumbling
Hope is far away."

-Helle Gade

Just A Bite is a fast-paced, stomach churning, have you itching, awesome quick read! The book includes two plotlines that ultimately affect each other.

Plot one tells the story of Jesse who gets bitten by a stray dog while out on a date. What seems like a minimal injury that will heal quickly, instead, becomes anyone's worst nightmare.

"I stared at the black piece of whatever it was that fell out of my wound. Specifically, I focused on the tiny yellow rice-like grain. I blinked. The yellow thing wiggled."

Plot two tells the story of a lab where they are testing a parasite they developed known as PT-104. It is here that we start to learn what this parasite can do once it has found a host.

"If the PT-104 got into the wrong hands, it could be the end of civilization as they knew it."

Each plotline advances quickly. I found myself eager to get back to each one as quickly as possible in order to learn more about PT-104 and to find out what would end up happening to Jesse. The author did an astounding job pulling the reader in and making you empathize and feel what was happening to Jesse, so much so, I still itch and squirm just thinking about it. The way the storylines converged, although executed perfectly, did feel a bit rushed. This is could be a result of me being selfish and not wanting the story to end!

Thank you Netgalley, Butterdragons Publishing, and Boris Bacic for this ARC in return for an honest review.

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1,327 reviews60 followers
November 9, 2022
The company has released a dog infected with something dangerous. After it bites Melanie she starts having strange side effects. What is moving under her skin? Bloody awesome read.
Profile Image for Tara Losacano.
Author 14 books86 followers
May 4, 2023
It's official, Boris Bacic can do no wrong! This was my fourth book by this author and I've yet to be disappointed. This read is centered around a woman who gets bit by a stray dog one evening and then watches as her bite slowly descends into a rotting, maggot infested wound. What did that dog do to her? Why won't the bite heal? And why does she feel so strange all of a sudden? The truth is far worse than anything you can imagine! 4/5 skulls 💀
Profile Image for Emily.
631 reviews11 followers
March 15, 2022
Just a Bite - 5/5
By Boris Bacic

This book was absolutely disgusting - it made me itchy and I swear I can feel things crawling everywhere. Certain points in this book did make me feel a little bit sick - and I would highly recommend NOT eating whilst reading this book.

This was a read in one sitter book and was full of doing instead of describing. This was a perfect book to get me out of a book hangover!

If you like creature features and quick reads - this is for you!
Profile Image for Elke.
1,959 reviews42 followers
June 13, 2022
The book was told on two different levels: one was showing what was going on in a scientific lab, the other was telling the story of Jesse dealing with the gruesome aftermath of being bitten by a stray dog. While the second story-line took up most of the book's space, I'm sad to say it was the weaker part. The idea behind the book was exciting, with a cruel and mean outcome. However, the way Jesse's story was told left me disappointed and glad when I finally finished this book, which even in its novella size was much too long. My main point of criticism is Jesse herself, which stumbled from one dumb decision to the next. Her ignorance of her painful and visible injury, paired with the negligent behavior of her doctor, was unbelievable. Also, a lot of things she did made her tell a story of some or other person she knew who had a similar experience "oh I had a friend of a friend who did the same thing, blah blah", filling the book with pages of nonessential stuff that was neither interesting nor important for the story in any way. Asking me for a concrete example, I shamelessly have to admit I already forgot about those indifferent topics.
So while I liked the concept behind the book, I disliked its sometimes repetitive and, honestly, boring implementation.

(thanks to netgalley, the author, and the publisher for a copy of the book, all opinions are my own)
Profile Image for Cassandra Liu.
82 reviews3 followers
March 21, 2022
I’d like to thank NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

This was the first time I’ve ever heard of this author. I was in the mood for a horror book and read many reviews that described this book as filled with gore, so I was willing to give it a shot.

It definitely delivered in terms of gore. It was descriptive in all of the right ways and made me physically squirm during some parts. With that being said, the story didn’t quite hit the mark for me. I didn’t care for the main character at all; I didn’t have any emotions at all surrounding what was happening to her. The side characters seemed to be an after-thought and may not have been necessary in my opinion.

Overall, I read this for the gore and was satisfied on that front. The plot was just ok. It was a fast read with very short chapters.
Profile Image for Dorothy.
414 reviews12 followers
June 27, 2022
I got this book though Netgalley for an honest review. Just a bite from Boris Bacic is a story you don't want to eat while reading Bacic has disturbing imagery within this book so if your trigger by bugs, rotting flesh and the like maybe stay away from this book. Just a bite made my skin crawl i physically felt sick at point reading what was happen to our Main character it just horrifying and creepy. Now with that said i did fine the end kind of wrap everything up to convincedly in a way. I don't want to get in to much of a spoiler here so just know i gave this 4 stars for the writing alone and the story was decent it just the ending and i will be looking in to what else this author has written.
Profile Image for Sheila.
222 reviews2 followers
January 13, 2025
***Thank you Netgalley for the E- arc in exchange for an honest review.***


I got this book thinking it was going to be about zombies, which was not the case( not complaining). Just a bite is a story you don't want to read while eating, unless you have a strong stomach. Bacic has disturbing descriptions within this book so if your triggered by bugs and rotting flesh stay away from this book. Just a bite made my skin crawl. At some point while reading what was happening to our main character which was just horrifying I had to stop reading for a bit. The end kind of wrap everything up in a way.
Profile Image for Tammy Bertrand.
266 reviews17 followers
May 22, 2022
I wasn't quite sure what I was going to get from this book as I decided to read it just based off of title and cover alone. Boy was I glad I did! Boris Bacic's writing was amazing! The descriptive depictions of the parasite infections was grotesque and gory but I just could not stop reading it. The cliffhanger at the end of the book made me wishing for more! I can't wait to see if there will be a book two. Overall, I will say if you are a fan of very gory detailed horror books, this book is 100% for you!

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
Profile Image for Carolina.
197 reviews
March 17, 2022
I got this book thrue netgalley and here's my review.

This one is totally gruesome, gory and cring worthy... 👀👀👀
I first thought it was a zombie book, but boy was I wrong. Its focus is on a parasite living in a host and... 🤢🤢🤢

Reading this made everyting crawl and itch like crazy 😂
The author really did a great job describing every jucky bit extremly vividly.

This book is disgusting, and not for faint hearted. So if you're into the gory bit of a book. Go for it!
Profile Image for Francisco Johnson.
56 reviews1 follower
July 7, 2023
This book... Wow! What can I say? Well, it was certainly an entertaining read. It falls into the horror genre, no doubt about it. However, it's a horror that delves into the realms of the grotesque and the nauseating. Nevertheless, it still qualifies as horror. So, if you have a strong stomach, it might be worth giving it a shot. Personally, though, that's precisely why I gave it three stars. It's just not my cup of tea, you know?
28 reviews1 follower
February 27, 2022
When a stray dog that looks harmless bites Melanie, her life takes a drastic turn. Not for the squeamish. A page turner for sure
Profile Image for Natalie.
103 reviews2 followers
Want to Read
October 24, 2022
Unfortunately, I thought this book would be right up my alley. Vampires? Always. That being said, I didn't make it past 40% to be honest. I just lost interest and couldn't get back into it.
Profile Image for Linda ( Clary_Starfall ).
768 reviews5 followers
February 15, 2025
One bite, pandemic in the making, maggots, rotting process, crazy ass scientists 😵‍💫, gruesome

Thriller genre, a 4 star 🌟 read for me
36 reviews
February 23, 2025
Binnen minder dan een halve dag uitgelezen. Top boek. Heel veel gore en gross details, maar ik wist gelukkig waar ik aan begon.
Profile Image for Kate Victoria RescueandReading.
2,072 reviews123 followers
September 14, 2022
A lot of potential in this one, but it was a long haul to get to the “horror” part of it, and I wasn’t a huge fan of the characters. The writing felt a bit off to me also, kind of stilted and repetitive.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author & publisher for a copy.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews