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Repression
We fear what goes bump in the night, but the real monster is what creeps inside.
Fifteen years after the tragic accident that took her brother, Nat returns to her small hometown, haunted by the ghosts of her past and the memories she thought she had left behind. What she hoped would be a chance for closure turns into a nightmare when a brutal act of violence leaves her reeling. In the midst of this chaos, Nat discovers an unsettling connection to a tormented teenage spirit—a restless soul whose tragic fate is deeply intertwined with her own.
As the spirit's haunting presence grows more insistent, Nat is thrust into a harrowing race against time to uncover the identity of a killer who seems to operate with a sinister purpose. The line between the living and the dead blurs as she encounters supernatural forces beyond her understanding, including malevolent apparitions and eerie manifestations that defy explanation. With every clue, Nat’s reality becomes more distorted, revealing hidden truths about her own suppressed memories.
In Repression, Morrigan Ellis crafts a spine-chilling narrative where the true horrors are not just the malevolent entities that lurk in the dark but also the monsters of the mind—secrets and repressed fears that come to life with terrifying consequences. This supernatural whodunnit plunges readers into a world where the past refuses to stay buried, and the dead have unfinished business that could cost Nat everything she holds dear.
Fifteen years after the tragic accident that took her brother, Nat returns to her small hometown, haunted by the ghosts of her past and the memories she thought she had left behind. What she hoped would be a chance for closure turns into a nightmare when a brutal act of violence leaves her reeling. In the midst of this chaos, Nat discovers an unsettling connection to a tormented teenage spirit—a restless soul whose tragic fate is deeply intertwined with her own.
As the spirit's haunting presence grows more insistent, Nat is thrust into a harrowing race against time to uncover the identity of a killer who seems to operate with a sinister purpose. The line between the living and the dead blurs as she encounters supernatural forces beyond her understanding, including malevolent apparitions and eerie manifestations that defy explanation. With every clue, Nat’s reality becomes more distorted, revealing hidden truths about her own suppressed memories.
In Repression, Morrigan Ellis crafts a spine-chilling narrative where the true horrors are not just the malevolent entities that lurk in the dark but also the monsters of the mind—secrets and repressed fears that come to life with terrifying consequences. This supernatural whodunnit plunges readers into a world where the past refuses to stay buried, and the dead have unfinished business that could cost Nat everything she holds dear.
532 pages, Paperback
Published October 31, 2025
1 person is currently reading
13 people want to read
About the author
Morrigan Ellis
1 book5 followersMorrigan Ellis is a horror author from Western Canada with a lifelong passion for unsettling tales. Her writing defies genre conventions, blending elements from various subgenres to create innovative and thrilling narratives. Morrigan thrives on the unpredictability of her characters, allowing them to lead her stories to surprising and disturbing places. When not writing, she enjoys reading, discussing horror films, and playing board games. A fan of slasher movies, Morrigan has mastered the art of typing with cats draped across her arms and legs.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 4, 2025
I have had the chance to read "Repression" by Morrigan Ellis and here are my comments
In "Repression", the reader is thrown into a world very much like ours, where death is not the end and where the soul does not leave this Earth so easily.
This "Ghost Simulator" brings us along for a ride between multiple states of consciousness where reality, dreams, memories and nostalgia all blend into one another. But all is not angels and crystals, beware, this is a horror story, unnamed evil lurks in the netherworld, ready to take a bite out of vulnerable individuals, dead or alive.
What I enjoyed the most in "Repression" is its down to earth prose where the world feels tangible and where the characters are real and raw with human emotions. In my opinion, for a piece of horror to work effectively, it needs to be believable or else the horror loses its appeal and becomes fantasy. In this case Morrigan was up to the task and gave us a glimpse inside her world, in a town with no name, that I am sure exists somewhere on the West Coast. Another strength of the book was its spectral pace. It took me a few chapters to "get it" but once I stopped trying to anchor to each setting and let the world parade in front of me, it made much more sense. I haven't died yet, but after reading "Repression" I feel like I got a preview of what might await.
On the optimisation side, as much as the changing of scenes felt original, it sometimes turned out to be confusing, maybe a little more clues at the beginning of some of the chapters would have been welcomed. Another aspect that bugged me a bit and became difficult to follow as the story unfolded is the -SPOILER- parasite that has no name or form and that slips inside people's bodies. It was not always obvious and a telling clue of its presence or a name would have helped clear out this confusion.
Morrigan Ellis should feel proud of her first novel and I'm eager to read more from her
In "Repression", the reader is thrown into a world very much like ours, where death is not the end and where the soul does not leave this Earth so easily.
This "Ghost Simulator" brings us along for a ride between multiple states of consciousness where reality, dreams, memories and nostalgia all blend into one another. But all is not angels and crystals, beware, this is a horror story, unnamed evil lurks in the netherworld, ready to take a bite out of vulnerable individuals, dead or alive.
What I enjoyed the most in "Repression" is its down to earth prose where the world feels tangible and where the characters are real and raw with human emotions. In my opinion, for a piece of horror to work effectively, it needs to be believable or else the horror loses its appeal and becomes fantasy. In this case Morrigan was up to the task and gave us a glimpse inside her world, in a town with no name, that I am sure exists somewhere on the West Coast. Another strength of the book was its spectral pace. It took me a few chapters to "get it" but once I stopped trying to anchor to each setting and let the world parade in front of me, it made much more sense. I haven't died yet, but after reading "Repression" I feel like I got a preview of what might await.
On the optimisation side, as much as the changing of scenes felt original, it sometimes turned out to be confusing, maybe a little more clues at the beginning of some of the chapters would have been welcomed. Another aspect that bugged me a bit and became difficult to follow as the story unfolded is the -SPOILER- parasite that has no name or form and that slips inside people's bodies. It was not always obvious and a telling clue of its presence or a name would have helped clear out this confusion.
Morrigan Ellis should feel proud of her first novel and I'm eager to read more from her
September 22, 2025
Repression is a great blend of supernatural horror, ghost story, and a twisty turny serial killer story. These elements combine for one exciting, tense, and sometimes gory novel.
Nat's brother died fifteen years ago and her guilt at the events has affected her entire life. She's now renting a space from a man who lives in the basement of the house and makes friends with an older neighbor who lost her son.
When Nat gets murdered inside of her home one night, she'll become a ghost and relive her past in a torturous game of cat and mouse by an entity that wants her for its own twisted purpose. But she'll have help from other ghosts and others. But how can she stop a supernaturally charged serial killer from beyond the grave?
This story isn't just about Nat. There's a slew of fantastic characters which play important roles in the story. There's a ghost teenage boy who's been dead for years, Nat's friend Meg who's looking for answers, and a woman named Eva, now also a ghost. But these characters are all connected and as we see from their perspectives from the past and present, the puzzle pieces start falling into place and we'll be there on this wildly imaginative, frightening journey along with them.
I highly recommend this one. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher. This review is voluntary and is my own personal opinion.
Nat's brother died fifteen years ago and her guilt at the events has affected her entire life. She's now renting a space from a man who lives in the basement of the house and makes friends with an older neighbor who lost her son.
When Nat gets murdered inside of her home one night, she'll become a ghost and relive her past in a torturous game of cat and mouse by an entity that wants her for its own twisted purpose. But she'll have help from other ghosts and others. But how can she stop a supernaturally charged serial killer from beyond the grave?
This story isn't just about Nat. There's a slew of fantastic characters which play important roles in the story. There's a ghost teenage boy who's been dead for years, Nat's friend Meg who's looking for answers, and a woman named Eva, now also a ghost. But these characters are all connected and as we see from their perspectives from the past and present, the puzzle pieces start falling into place and we'll be there on this wildly imaginative, frightening journey along with them.
I highly recommend this one. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher. This review is voluntary and is my own personal opinion.
October 12, 2025
Thank you so much Morrigan Ellis & Wicked Ink Publishing for entrusting me to read and review your book in advanced!
Repression.
What an absolute perfect title for this book. Repression has a multitude of supernatural and horror elements implied within. The book surrounds around Nat, whose brother died 15 years ago. The guilt of the death of her brother has been consuming her. Nat then gets murdered inside her home, and the inner torture continues; forced on my a supernatural being.
This book was twisty, and serious left me spooked. A solid read for spooky season for sure!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Repression.
What an absolute perfect title for this book. Repression has a multitude of supernatural and horror elements implied within. The book surrounds around Nat, whose brother died 15 years ago. The guilt of the death of her brother has been consuming her. Nat then gets murdered inside her home, and the inner torture continues; forced on my a supernatural being.
This book was twisty, and serious left me spooked. A solid read for spooky season for sure!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
October 28, 2025
This book masterfully weaves together supernatural horror, ghost story, and serial killer story elements, creating a thrilling narrative that is perfect for the spooky season. As I turned the pages, I found myself spooked at certain places in the story, which added to the overall sense of tension and suspense.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews