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Night of Madness
Teen influencers compete in a horror movie–themed overnight competition, only to realize the real test is staying alive in this chilling, blood-soaked horror novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Taking of Jake Livingston and the production company behind Clown in a Cornfield.
Mara is a horror buff whose only fond memories of her dad are bonding over movies by Jack Stanley—the producer of the eighties. Stanley’s campy slasher movies may have kept Mara’s fraught parental relationship on life support and gained a cult following, but the man himself has faded from the public eye…until he announces a contest centered around Asylum, his most terrifying film. Five teen influencers will be invited to spend the night on the fully constructed set; whoever sticks it out until morning wins a hundred thousand dollars.
Stuck in a dead-end job, Mara seriously needs that cash. She may not be a famous influencer, but there has to be a way to manufacture an online presence that will capture Stanley’s attention. With the help of her brother and best friend, Mara finds some creative solutions to her dilemma and lands herself onto the roster of the lucky chosen few by way of her engaging authenticity.
When Mara and the other contestants arrive on set, it’s a horror fan’s dream being immersed in the asylum setting, but as the night wears on, they realize the danger is more than movie magic… They’re not there to win or lose but to live or die. As Mara fights to survive, she discovers an inner ruthlessness she didn’t know she had. Just how far will she go to see the sunrise—and will she still recognize herself by the end?
Mara is a horror buff whose only fond memories of her dad are bonding over movies by Jack Stanley—the producer of the eighties. Stanley’s campy slasher movies may have kept Mara’s fraught parental relationship on life support and gained a cult following, but the man himself has faded from the public eye…until he announces a contest centered around Asylum, his most terrifying film. Five teen influencers will be invited to spend the night on the fully constructed set; whoever sticks it out until morning wins a hundred thousand dollars.
Stuck in a dead-end job, Mara seriously needs that cash. She may not be a famous influencer, but there has to be a way to manufacture an online presence that will capture Stanley’s attention. With the help of her brother and best friend, Mara finds some creative solutions to her dilemma and lands herself onto the roster of the lucky chosen few by way of her engaging authenticity.
When Mara and the other contestants arrive on set, it’s a horror fan’s dream being immersed in the asylum setting, but as the night wears on, they realize the danger is more than movie magic… They’re not there to win or lose but to live or die. As Mara fights to survive, she discovers an inner ruthlessness she didn’t know she had. Just how far will she go to see the sunrise—and will she still recognize herself by the end?
304 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 29, 2026
About the author
Ryan Douglass
11 books740 followersRyan Douglass is a queer author and poet from Atlanta, Georgia. He is the New York Times bestselling author of The Taking of Jake Livingston, and his short fiction appears in All These Sunken Souls and Night of the Living Queers. His poetry is featured in Poemhood: Our Black Revival and He/She/They/Us. When he’s not writing, he’s probably baking something sweet or making a playlist for a story he hasn’t written yet.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
November 1, 2026
The entry requirements fit on one phone screen: national only, eighteen or older, a verified platform, and a willingness to die on camera. Mara Jacobs, who plays an asylum patient for fifteen dollars an hour at a scrappy Houston haunt, meets three of the four. The fourth is solved by fine print. Tags inside the director's official merch carry codes that push an unknown entrant's audition to the top of the site, so Mara and her younger brother lift a bin bag of T-shirts from the gift shop, harvest the codes in the back of their grandfather's van, and post a video of her making out with a zombie mannequin. Night of Madness by Ryan Douglass opens with a heist so small and so desperate that the rest of the book never quite lets you forget it.
How It Works
Jack Stanley made four cult horror films before his reputation curdled into scandal, and his theme park is losing its audience. His comeback is a reality show filmed at the asylum where his best film, Madness, was shot. Five contestants, picked half by fan votes and half by the production team, will face challenges drawn from the film. The prize is one hundred thousand dollars for the last one standing.
The rules are simple. Phones are confiscated at the door, a wristband carries a red quit button, and pressing it ends your game with nothing. The waiver promises lacerations, restraint and no medics. Each room is built around one of the film's patients, so knowing the movie helps, which is why Mara's best friend Storm, a superfan, keeps narrating the plot like a tour guide. The other three are a rich lifestyle influencer, her actor boyfriend who plays a cheerful gym-bro on camera, and a quiet singer-songwriter. The blurb says the stakes become real. How the book gets there is the fun.
The structure is tidy. Thirteen chapters and an epilogue, all narrated by Mara in a quick first-person present tense, split roughly into a third of setup in Houston and two thirds inside the building. Each level opens with a scene from the film, sometimes in screenplay format, so that Night of Madness by Ryan Douglass runs two horror stories side by side: the one the contestants studied and the one being improvised around them. Comparing the two becomes a survival skill, and the gap between them is where the suspense lives.
The Asylum Runs on Attention
What the machinery of Night of Madness by Ryan Douglass is really doing is pricing things. Before a single trap fires, the first third shows Mara learning what each kind of exposure is worth: a stunt video earns mockery, a joint fan reel sinks, but a story-time confession about a frightening ride home goes viral within hours, and she feels sick at how neatly she has packaged her fear. Douglass understands that the audition is already the first challenge.
Inside, the set extends the argument. A candy room sponsored by invented confectioners serves sweets that do exactly what their names promise, so a taffy forces uncontrollable laughter and a cinnamon stick cooks the boy who ate it. A trivia round on a lighting rig asks the group to identify which of them faked their brand, with trapdoors waiting for wrong answers, and every secret it exposes is one the cameras can sell. The Wonka echoes are deliberate, with crew in black jumpsuits drifting about like sinister Oompa-Loompas, and they suit a book about a showman who rewards greed and punishes appetite.
What Works
Mara's voice. Dry, guarded and very funny, she narrates horror the way someone who has worked in it would, pricing the props and clocking the cheap lighting even while she runs.
Money as the engine. Hospital bills, food-bank groceries and a broken-down van make the prize feel necessary rather than greedy, which keeps her choices sympathetic.
Set-piece invention. Rooms that loop back on themselves, a swipe app that asks how you would like to die and a hall of mirrors give the middle of Night of Madness by Ryan Douglass a theme-park momentum.
Genre literacy. Mara and Storm know the rules of the final girl, and the book has fun deciding which of those rules still hold.
Where Night of Madness Gives Ground
The rules never settle. Drugged crew, hallucinogenic sweets, hints of something technological and a magic numbing gumball all coexist, and the novel never decides what kind of world it is in, so the danger feels arbitrary rather than designed.
Rescues on cue. One character survives an injury that looked fatal and arrives at exactly the right moment twice, which drains tension from the climax.
Answers by document. The backstory that explains why Mara was chosen arrives late and all at once, through found materials rather than scenes, and its logic is thin.
A villain who talks too much. Stanley's long rants about loyalty and art sap his menace, and the aftermath shifts into brisk summary just when it should breathe.
Worth Your Shelf
Night of Madness by Ryan Douglass is at its best before anyone dies, when it is a sharp, funny novel about a girl working out what her story is worth to strangers. Once the traps start, the invention stays high and Mara stays excellent company, but the rules wobble and the explanations come in a heap. It is a smart Halloween read for teens who know their slashers, with a final act that wants a little more care.
The show wanted a final girl. Mara mostly wanted the bills paid.
How It Works
Jack Stanley made four cult horror films before his reputation curdled into scandal, and his theme park is losing its audience. His comeback is a reality show filmed at the asylum where his best film, Madness, was shot. Five contestants, picked half by fan votes and half by the production team, will face challenges drawn from the film. The prize is one hundred thousand dollars for the last one standing.
The rules are simple. Phones are confiscated at the door, a wristband carries a red quit button, and pressing it ends your game with nothing. The waiver promises lacerations, restraint and no medics. Each room is built around one of the film's patients, so knowing the movie helps, which is why Mara's best friend Storm, a superfan, keeps narrating the plot like a tour guide. The other three are a rich lifestyle influencer, her actor boyfriend who plays a cheerful gym-bro on camera, and a quiet singer-songwriter. The blurb says the stakes become real. How the book gets there is the fun.
The structure is tidy. Thirteen chapters and an epilogue, all narrated by Mara in a quick first-person present tense, split roughly into a third of setup in Houston and two thirds inside the building. Each level opens with a scene from the film, sometimes in screenplay format, so that Night of Madness by Ryan Douglass runs two horror stories side by side: the one the contestants studied and the one being improvised around them. Comparing the two becomes a survival skill, and the gap between them is where the suspense lives.
The Asylum Runs on Attention
What the machinery of Night of Madness by Ryan Douglass is really doing is pricing things. Before a single trap fires, the first third shows Mara learning what each kind of exposure is worth: a stunt video earns mockery, a joint fan reel sinks, but a story-time confession about a frightening ride home goes viral within hours, and she feels sick at how neatly she has packaged her fear. Douglass understands that the audition is already the first challenge.
Inside, the set extends the argument. A candy room sponsored by invented confectioners serves sweets that do exactly what their names promise, so a taffy forces uncontrollable laughter and a cinnamon stick cooks the boy who ate it. A trivia round on a lighting rig asks the group to identify which of them faked their brand, with trapdoors waiting for wrong answers, and every secret it exposes is one the cameras can sell. The Wonka echoes are deliberate, with crew in black jumpsuits drifting about like sinister Oompa-Loompas, and they suit a book about a showman who rewards greed and punishes appetite.
What Works
Mara's voice. Dry, guarded and very funny, she narrates horror the way someone who has worked in it would, pricing the props and clocking the cheap lighting even while she runs.
Money as the engine. Hospital bills, food-bank groceries and a broken-down van make the prize feel necessary rather than greedy, which keeps her choices sympathetic.
Set-piece invention. Rooms that loop back on themselves, a swipe app that asks how you would like to die and a hall of mirrors give the middle of Night of Madness by Ryan Douglass a theme-park momentum.
Genre literacy. Mara and Storm know the rules of the final girl, and the book has fun deciding which of those rules still hold.
Where Night of Madness Gives Ground
The rules never settle. Drugged crew, hallucinogenic sweets, hints of something technological and a magic numbing gumball all coexist, and the novel never decides what kind of world it is in, so the danger feels arbitrary rather than designed.
Rescues on cue. One character survives an injury that looked fatal and arrives at exactly the right moment twice, which drains tension from the climax.
Answers by document. The backstory that explains why Mara was chosen arrives late and all at once, through found materials rather than scenes, and its logic is thin.
A villain who talks too much. Stanley's long rants about loyalty and art sap his menace, and the aftermath shifts into brisk summary just when it should breathe.
Worth Your Shelf
Night of Madness by Ryan Douglass is at its best before anyone dies, when it is a sharp, funny novel about a girl working out what her story is worth to strangers. Once the traps start, the invention stays high and Mara stays excellent company, but the rules wobble and the explanations come in a heap. It is a smart Halloween read for teens who know their slashers, with a final act that wants a little more care.
The show wanted a final girl. Mara mostly wanted the bills paid.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Characters: 3.75⭐️
Setting: 4.00⭐️
Plot: 3.50⭐️
Themes: 3.00⭐️
Personal enjoyment: 3.25⭐️
Emotional Impact: 3.00⭐️
Overall rating: 3.50⭐️
When a famed horror movie producer from the 80s announces an overnight competition for teen influencers to survive in a location that is similar to one of his scariest movies, Mara leaps at the chance since she is desperate for the $100,000 prize. Mara submits a video to garner the attention of Jack to solidify her spot to compete with other popular influencers. But when Mara arrives she is starting to realize that not only are they competing for the cash prize, but they are competing for their lives.
I was really intrigued by the concept of this story, but I felt the execution was a bit lack luster. The story did take a while to get going and there was a lot of focus on what Mara did to get into the competition, but then when she finally arrives to the Asylum, everything speeds up with fast pacing that felt choppy and not full developed. The side characters are unforgettable with the stereotypical influencer personas, and the events happening felt a little too far-fetched to make the story semi-believable. It definitely felt like if Willy Wonka and Saw became best friends and made this event.
The ending was very rushed and there was a slight twist. I felt myself questioning a lot more than I expected only because there was too many things going on in this short book.
Would I recommend this book? Unfortunately, probably not. There was a lot of potential, but the execution was not there.
Thank you to Simon Teen for the finished copy for an honest review.
Setting: 4.00⭐️
Plot: 3.50⭐️
Themes: 3.00⭐️
Personal enjoyment: 3.25⭐️
Emotional Impact: 3.00⭐️
Overall rating: 3.50⭐️
When a famed horror movie producer from the 80s announces an overnight competition for teen influencers to survive in a location that is similar to one of his scariest movies, Mara leaps at the chance since she is desperate for the $100,000 prize. Mara submits a video to garner the attention of Jack to solidify her spot to compete with other popular influencers. But when Mara arrives she is starting to realize that not only are they competing for the cash prize, but they are competing for their lives.
I was really intrigued by the concept of this story, but I felt the execution was a bit lack luster. The story did take a while to get going and there was a lot of focus on what Mara did to get into the competition, but then when she finally arrives to the Asylum, everything speeds up with fast pacing that felt choppy and not full developed. The side characters are unforgettable with the stereotypical influencer personas, and the events happening felt a little too far-fetched to make the story semi-believable. It definitely felt like if Willy Wonka and Saw became best friends and made this event.
The ending was very rushed and there was a slight twist. I felt myself questioning a lot more than I expected only because there was too many things going on in this short book.
Would I recommend this book? Unfortunately, probably not. There was a lot of potential, but the execution was not there.
Thank you to Simon Teen for the finished copy for an honest review.
September 11, 2026
Got an arc through libro.fm
While I loved Ryan Douglass' Gatsby retelling, I'm so excited to see him return to horror and knew this would HIT. It's Willy Wonka by way of SAW (So...regular Willy Wonka?) for the AI Deepfake age and I slammed through it in about two days because I was desperate to know what happened next. The ending still managed to surprise me, and was absolutely worth wrecking my sleep schedule for. If you need a fast paced horror story to dropkick you into the 'Ber months, look no further!
While I loved Ryan Douglass' Gatsby retelling, I'm so excited to see him return to horror and knew this would HIT. It's Willy Wonka by way of SAW (So...regular Willy Wonka?) for the AI Deepfake age and I slammed through it in about two days because I was desperate to know what happened next. The ending still managed to surprise me, and was absolutely worth wrecking my sleep schedule for. If you need a fast paced horror story to dropkick you into the 'Ber months, look no further!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Night of Madness by Ryan Douglass is about five teen influencers competing in a horror-themed overnight competition with a dark and twisted motive.
Mara loves horror movies, and her only fond memories of her dad involve bonding over movies made by horror maestro Jack Stanley. Stanley was known for his campy slasher movies in the 1980s, but he has since faded from the public eye. That changes when he announces a contest centered around his most popular and terrifying film, Asylum. Five influencers are invited to spend the night on a fully constructed set, and whoever survives until morning wins $100,000.
Mara is stuck in a dead-end job, so when she hears about the grand prize, she is excited about how much the money could change her life. She isn’t a famous influencer, so she has to find a way to manipulate the contest in her favor and capture Stanley’s attention.
When Mara’s efforts pay off and she is chosen, she is excited to discover that her best friend, Storm, will be joining her in the competition. However, as the night wears on, Mara realizes that something is wrong. She begins to fear that the competition might be much more deadly than she expected. Will Mara be able to survive the night?
I love horror movies, so I was excited to read this book. However, I ended up being on the fence about it. While the story was interesting, I found the writing and storyline convoluted and choppy. I felt like the author hinted at a lot of things but never fully explored them. For example, there were mentions of Jack’s odd appearance, his history with Mara’s father, her parents’ drama, and a script she discovered. I felt like parts of the story were left out, or the author introduced too many plot threads without fully exploring or explaining them.
I also felt like the story had an unrealistic feel. Some of the things Jack did didn’t feel believable or explained. I never really felt like we got enough time to bond with or care about the other contestants. I also found some of the descriptions of the competition confusing, particularly the scenes involving the props Jack used to target specific contestants, such as the photographs of the contestants and the bedroom furniture setup. I found my eyes glazing over and getting confused.
I think this book would have benefited from additional editing and more time spent developing some of the plot threads that were introduced. I had a hard time connecting with the story, which was disappointing because I thought the premise had a lot of potential.
Mara loves horror movies, and her only fond memories of her dad involve bonding over movies made by horror maestro Jack Stanley. Stanley was known for his campy slasher movies in the 1980s, but he has since faded from the public eye. That changes when he announces a contest centered around his most popular and terrifying film, Asylum. Five influencers are invited to spend the night on a fully constructed set, and whoever survives until morning wins $100,000.
Mara is stuck in a dead-end job, so when she hears about the grand prize, she is excited about how much the money could change her life. She isn’t a famous influencer, so she has to find a way to manipulate the contest in her favor and capture Stanley’s attention.
When Mara’s efforts pay off and she is chosen, she is excited to discover that her best friend, Storm, will be joining her in the competition. However, as the night wears on, Mara realizes that something is wrong. She begins to fear that the competition might be much more deadly than she expected. Will Mara be able to survive the night?
I love horror movies, so I was excited to read this book. However, I ended up being on the fence about it. While the story was interesting, I found the writing and storyline convoluted and choppy. I felt like the author hinted at a lot of things but never fully explored them. For example, there were mentions of Jack’s odd appearance, his history with Mara’s father, her parents’ drama, and a script she discovered. I felt like parts of the story were left out, or the author introduced too many plot threads without fully exploring or explaining them.
I also felt like the story had an unrealistic feel. Some of the things Jack did didn’t feel believable or explained. I never really felt like we got enough time to bond with or care about the other contestants. I also found some of the descriptions of the competition confusing, particularly the scenes involving the props Jack used to target specific contestants, such as the photographs of the contestants and the bedroom furniture setup. I found my eyes glazing over and getting confused.
I think this book would have benefited from additional editing and more time spent developing some of the plot threads that were introduced. I had a hard time connecting with the story, which was disappointing because I thought the premise had a lot of potential.
October 5, 2026
"It's just a movie set."
"I wouldn't put it past the competition and I wouldn't past society craving for sick entertainment that's always existed."
Big thanks to Simon Teen for the ARC! This was such a quick fast paced mystery thriller within an Asylum. I was hooked and locked in from the first page to the very last page. This is a great book to read for October spooky reads for sure! I was so intrigued with the story and its creepy and peculiar elements as the story was being told. Some scenes were bone chillingly frightening and I loved the descriptive writing to set the scene of the disastrous and unfamiliar games the teenagers were playing. The author provided just enough bread crumbs to plant in the mind of the reader that something was wrong with the competition in the Asylum.
I think the author did a phenomenal job with establishing very real situations and themes in this story when it comes to young adults being aware of family complications and tense relationships with their family; to the point they not only grow up faster to help the family but taking on a lot more than they bargained for, for the sake of family.
"I wouldn't put it past the competition and I wouldn't past society craving for sick entertainment that's always existed."
Big thanks to Simon Teen for the ARC! This was such a quick fast paced mystery thriller within an Asylum. I was hooked and locked in from the first page to the very last page. This is a great book to read for October spooky reads for sure! I was so intrigued with the story and its creepy and peculiar elements as the story was being told. Some scenes were bone chillingly frightening and I loved the descriptive writing to set the scene of the disastrous and unfamiliar games the teenagers were playing. The author provided just enough bread crumbs to plant in the mind of the reader that something was wrong with the competition in the Asylum.
I think the author did a phenomenal job with establishing very real situations and themes in this story when it comes to young adults being aware of family complications and tense relationships with their family; to the point they not only grow up faster to help the family but taking on a lot more than they bargained for, for the sake of family.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Thank you Simon Teen and Ryan for the gifted copy to review! All thoughts are my own.
As a horror fan, I was very interested in this story because five participants are chosen to compete in a horror movie themed competition overnight. When it turns deadly, I got chills!!! I loved the way Ryan created the imagery in this book and his storytelling made the competition feel very real. I couldn’t put this book down (but sadly had to because of life lol) and I can’t wait to read more from him! It’s a must read for spooky season.
As a horror fan, I was very interested in this story because five participants are chosen to compete in a horror movie themed competition overnight. When it turns deadly, I got chills!!! I loved the way Ryan created the imagery in this book and his storytelling made the competition feel very real. I couldn’t put this book down (but sadly had to because of life lol) and I can’t wait to read more from him! It’s a must read for spooky season.
June 11, 2026
The thriller and horror vibes of this book were written so well. All the contestants had a good backstory and the plot was fast-paced as they made their way through the abandoned asylum where the challenge was set to take place at.
The twists in this book are written so vividly and it had an eerie atmosphere that is perfect for the gruesome storyline.
(Note: I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher/author for the opportunity.)
POV: First Person
Sad Level: 💧💧
Would I Recommend? Yes
Favorite Character(s): Mara
Emojis Based on Vibes: 💵📱🏥
⚠️ CONTENT WARNINGS
Minor: Death, Injury/Injury detail
The twists in this book are written so vividly and it had an eerie atmosphere that is perfect for the gruesome storyline.
(Note: I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher/author for the opportunity.)
POV: First Person
Sad Level: 💧💧
Would I Recommend? Yes
Favorite Character(s): Mara
Emojis Based on Vibes: 💵📱🏥
⚠️ CONTENT WARNINGS
Minor: Death, Injury/Injury detail
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I was lucky enough to have Ryan Douglass Guest-feature on the blog a few days ago, and after reading Night Of Madness, I am even more in awe of how the book came to be such a spotlight on strength and survival. When we meet Mara, she’s working at Shadow Ward, a low-scale horror-house type of experience, with her friend Storm. Mara is a horror fanatic through and through, especially of Jack Stanley—the icon of horror productions, slasher-movies and high-octane thrills. It’s an experience Mara used to bond over with her Dad, who was also a fan. So when Jack Stanley announces a new experience to rival traditional horror houses called Night Of Madness, set in an asylum, Mara and Storm know they want to be chosen. Only, it’s an influencers game, and getting a head start is almost impossible. But after a whirlwind, viral moment advances their popularity and they are both chosen, alongside Victoria, Tanner and Sydney, it’s game on.
The five begin the elusive game with high hopes of prize money and puzzle solving, yet their aspirations of a horror-fan’s dream are dashed when Night Of Madness is nothing like any of them expected in Jack’s asylum. Mara told herself that she wouldn’t quit easily—and between her and Storm, they know one of them must go on—to win the prize money, which would change her life. But the influencers soon come to realise that their panic is more than televised pain for Jack, and more about causing real trauma. Jack’s using them as his own personal experiments, and when one of them doesn’t pass his tests, instead of going home, they’re straight into body bags. Real blood spilled only makes Mara more paranoid of Jack’s motive, especially when she learns of a connection between him and her estranged Dad. But as players fall, the game only intensifies. Soon, it’s clear that Jack isn’t willing to let his playthings go without a fight to the death. Mara had no intentions of being his final girl, or losing her will trying to survive the night—but letting the twisted man’s visions come to life is something she won’t give up without her own battle in return, because being the biggest Jack Stanley fan might just come in handy to survive.
Piercing and terrifying yet laced with a soft tenderness, Mara’s story in Night of Madness pushes past the traditional slasher-style of teen horror stories and opts for something thoroughly inventive, whilst still conjuring that lingering, psychological ambiance that makes for shedding reality and escaping into for the night. The story was a truly twisted wonderland that cuts deep, unnerving you one moment and moving you the next with Mara’s deep ache of battling to stay alive. I felt like I was inside a movie reading this! (Or a Netflix eight-episode series.) Ryan Douglass delivers a page-turning tale that is less about fear (although there are many scenes that’ll have you rattled and wide-eyed at) and more about the art of survival through the eyes of a young girl who wanted to turn her vulnerabilities into an opportunity, but instead ends up using those wounds as her ultimate power of the upper hand when forces battle against her. It was impossible to put down and equally as impossible to not root for Mara from the start. I also had a soft-spot for Tanner, and deeply loved Storm. This is by far one of my favourite YA horrors I’ve read in years, and I can see it being a firm, re-read favourite for years to come. (Another book to come, perhaps?)
The five begin the elusive game with high hopes of prize money and puzzle solving, yet their aspirations of a horror-fan’s dream are dashed when Night Of Madness is nothing like any of them expected in Jack’s asylum. Mara told herself that she wouldn’t quit easily—and between her and Storm, they know one of them must go on—to win the prize money, which would change her life. But the influencers soon come to realise that their panic is more than televised pain for Jack, and more about causing real trauma. Jack’s using them as his own personal experiments, and when one of them doesn’t pass his tests, instead of going home, they’re straight into body bags. Real blood spilled only makes Mara more paranoid of Jack’s motive, especially when she learns of a connection between him and her estranged Dad. But as players fall, the game only intensifies. Soon, it’s clear that Jack isn’t willing to let his playthings go without a fight to the death. Mara had no intentions of being his final girl, or losing her will trying to survive the night—but letting the twisted man’s visions come to life is something she won’t give up without her own battle in return, because being the biggest Jack Stanley fan might just come in handy to survive.
Piercing and terrifying yet laced with a soft tenderness, Mara’s story in Night of Madness pushes past the traditional slasher-style of teen horror stories and opts for something thoroughly inventive, whilst still conjuring that lingering, psychological ambiance that makes for shedding reality and escaping into for the night. The story was a truly twisted wonderland that cuts deep, unnerving you one moment and moving you the next with Mara’s deep ache of battling to stay alive. I felt like I was inside a movie reading this! (Or a Netflix eight-episode series.) Ryan Douglass delivers a page-turning tale that is less about fear (although there are many scenes that’ll have you rattled and wide-eyed at) and more about the art of survival through the eyes of a young girl who wanted to turn her vulnerabilities into an opportunity, but instead ends up using those wounds as her ultimate power of the upper hand when forces battle against her. It was impossible to put down and equally as impossible to not root for Mara from the start. I also had a soft-spot for Tanner, and deeply loved Storm. This is by far one of my favourite YA horrors I’ve read in years, and I can see it being a firm, re-read favourite for years to come. (Another book to come, perhaps?)
October 11, 2026
#ad much love for my finished copy @simon.teen #partner
Night of Madness
< @
Available Now
Oooooof! What a wild ride. Buckle up. So fun! Welcome to the asylum. Welcome to the show. Do you have what it takes to be the winner? The only rules are simple: you must be 18+, must have a verified social media account creating content, and the last but most important, must be willing to possibly die on camera.
It’s the Noght of Madness survival show - do you have what it takes to win it all? You only need to be willing to be terrorized for a night while being recorded and try to stay alive. The prize of $100,000 is a big motivator. Easy peasy. You have only a couple of weeks to make your content - then viewers will decide who plays and who doesn’t. Only five contestants will be chosen.
Night of Madness by Ryan Douglass is a final girl, medium-paced thrill-ride of a read that I wish had been longer, because I enjoyed it so much. I loved the game master and how everything leading up to the game built the suspense for us. All the warnings, all the small print, everything on the line and the contestants still chose to compete. It goes to show how each of their motives played a hand in them wanting to participate.
I also really love Douglass’s writing. Man, he can really get you to feel that dread and anxiety from words alone. I also enjoyed the influencer angle as it made this book even more fun to read. Then there was the asylum itself which felt exactly like a hallucination straight from hell. The trivia part was especially noteworthy.
This book was liked an escape room only it takes that theme to the max and adds in all the horror. Perfect book for October.
My only complaint is that the game doesn’t start until 100 pages in. I know building the character’s background is crucial in any book, but it felt like too much time was spent doing it. I still loved the book as a whole though so I do still recommend it. Obv. It’s a psychological read as much as it is a horror.
Who will survive? … but that ending tho?! 👀 haha
Night of Madness
< @
Available Now
Oooooof! What a wild ride. Buckle up. So fun! Welcome to the asylum. Welcome to the show. Do you have what it takes to be the winner? The only rules are simple: you must be 18+, must have a verified social media account creating content, and the last but most important, must be willing to possibly die on camera.
It’s the Noght of Madness survival show - do you have what it takes to win it all? You only need to be willing to be terrorized for a night while being recorded and try to stay alive. The prize of $100,000 is a big motivator. Easy peasy. You have only a couple of weeks to make your content - then viewers will decide who plays and who doesn’t. Only five contestants will be chosen.
Night of Madness by Ryan Douglass is a final girl, medium-paced thrill-ride of a read that I wish had been longer, because I enjoyed it so much. I loved the game master and how everything leading up to the game built the suspense for us. All the warnings, all the small print, everything on the line and the contestants still chose to compete. It goes to show how each of their motives played a hand in them wanting to participate.
I also really love Douglass’s writing. Man, he can really get you to feel that dread and anxiety from words alone. I also enjoyed the influencer angle as it made this book even more fun to read. Then there was the asylum itself which felt exactly like a hallucination straight from hell. The trivia part was especially noteworthy.
This book was liked an escape room only it takes that theme to the max and adds in all the horror. Perfect book for October.
My only complaint is that the game doesn’t start until 100 pages in. I know building the character’s background is crucial in any book, but it felt like too much time was spent doing it. I still loved the book as a whole though so I do still recommend it. Obv. It’s a psychological read as much as it is a horror.
Who will survive? … but that ending tho?! 👀 haha
September 26, 2026
This should have been exactly my kind of book. YA horror? Check. Influencers? Check. A competition? Check. And then throw in if a haunted house, a ghost hunt, and an escape room had a baby and make it a frightening bloody mess and somehow you have Night of Madness. On paper, this was basically screaming my name.
So I applied and received the eARC from Simon Teen via NetGalley to read ahead of publication and I specifically waited until spooky season reading commenced to read it.
Unfortunately, it took way too long to get to the part I was actually there for. I understand that some setup is necessary, especially in a YA horror, but there was a LOT of setup here that didn’t feel necessary or like it added much to the overall story for me. honestly, the first third felt like it could have been an entirely different book and actually one I would have liked by itself. However, once we finally got to the asylum and the competition, the story had completely shifted gears, which made the whole thing feel a little like two different books had been slapped together.
That being said, once the action finally started, I was IN. I loved the atmosphere of the asylum and really enjoyed going along for the ride with Mara. This was the part of the book that delivered the creepy, chaotic horror experience I had been hoping for.
My bigger issue was the other contestants. I just didn’t care what happened to them. I don’t need to like every character to enjoy a book, but the influencers felt pretty cookie-cutter and predictable to me. I never really connected with them in a meaningful way, and that made it easy for me to check out whenever the focus shifted away from Mara.
There are definitely some other things I could talk about, both positive and challenging, but getting into them would venture pretty firmly into spoiler territory, and I’d rather let readers experience those things for themselves.
Overall, I had some genuinely fun moments with this one, and once we got to the asylum, I was having a MUCH better time. It just didn’t quite live up to my expectations based on the premise. Still, if you’re looking for an interesting YA horror to add to your spooky-season TBR, I think this one is worth checking out. Just be prepared to wait a bit for the haunted-house-ghost-hunt-escape-room chaos to actually begin.
So I applied and received the eARC from Simon Teen via NetGalley to read ahead of publication and I specifically waited until spooky season reading commenced to read it.
Unfortunately, it took way too long to get to the part I was actually there for. I understand that some setup is necessary, especially in a YA horror, but there was a LOT of setup here that didn’t feel necessary or like it added much to the overall story for me. honestly, the first third felt like it could have been an entirely different book and actually one I would have liked by itself. However, once we finally got to the asylum and the competition, the story had completely shifted gears, which made the whole thing feel a little like two different books had been slapped together.
That being said, once the action finally started, I was IN. I loved the atmosphere of the asylum and really enjoyed going along for the ride with Mara. This was the part of the book that delivered the creepy, chaotic horror experience I had been hoping for.
My bigger issue was the other contestants. I just didn’t care what happened to them. I don’t need to like every character to enjoy a book, but the influencers felt pretty cookie-cutter and predictable to me. I never really connected with them in a meaningful way, and that made it easy for me to check out whenever the focus shifted away from Mara.
There are definitely some other things I could talk about, both positive and challenging, but getting into them would venture pretty firmly into spoiler territory, and I’d rather let readers experience those things for themselves.
Overall, I had some genuinely fun moments with this one, and once we got to the asylum, I was having a MUCH better time. It just didn’t quite live up to my expectations based on the premise. Still, if you’re looking for an interesting YA horror to add to your spooky-season TBR, I think this one is worth checking out. Just be prepared to wait a bit for the haunted-house-ghost-hunt-escape-room chaos to actually begin.
October 22, 2026
For slasher horror themed books, this one is right up my alley. Sure, it’s YA, but don’t let that fool you. The danger and mayhem real and intense.
The plot may not sound like a new one. Just you wait. Young influencers are selected to survive an overnight contest taking place on the set of a horror movie. Whoever lasts until morning wins a bunch of money. You expect things to go wrong, and they do. Very wrong.
What’s my bread and butter is the character driven story. You put several strangers together, place then in a life or death situation, and wait to see who survives. I enjoy trying to guess who steps up, who cracks under pressure and who is the first to lose. I sorted out who I wanted to win. But…… this is a horror thriller and nothing is guaranteed. There are no rules. And the person running the show likes that idea.
I really liked Night Of Madness. Ryan Douglas is now on my author’s list to keep an eye on.
Thanks so much to Simon Pulse and the author for a complimentary copy. My review is voluntarily given.
The plot may not sound like a new one. Just you wait. Young influencers are selected to survive an overnight contest taking place on the set of a horror movie. Whoever lasts until morning wins a bunch of money. You expect things to go wrong, and they do. Very wrong.
What’s my bread and butter is the character driven story. You put several strangers together, place then in a life or death situation, and wait to see who survives. I enjoy trying to guess who steps up, who cracks under pressure and who is the first to lose. I sorted out who I wanted to win. But…… this is a horror thriller and nothing is guaranteed. There are no rules. And the person running the show likes that idea.
I really liked Night Of Madness. Ryan Douglas is now on my author’s list to keep an eye on.
Thanks so much to Simon Pulse and the author for a complimentary copy. My review is voluntarily given.
Want to Read
July 5, 2026🎥🩸 Night of Madness 🩸🎥
📖 Bookish Thoughts
My full review will be shared closer to the publication date.
✨ What to Expect
• YA Horror
• Slasher Horror
• Survival Game
• Horror Movie Setting
• Influencer Competition
• Deadly Contest
_ _ _ _
📅 Pub Date: September 29, 2026
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, and NetGalley for the advanced copy.
📖 Bookish Thoughts
My full review will be shared closer to the publication date.
✨ What to Expect
• YA Horror
• Slasher Horror
• Survival Game
• Horror Movie Setting
• Influencer Competition
• Deadly Contest
_ _ _ _
📅 Pub Date: September 29, 2026
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, and NetGalley for the advanced copy.
October 1, 2026
This book is just further confirmation that haunted houses are NOT for me 😩
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
So when a story is pitched to me as
Saw
meets Willy Wonka there was no way I wasn't going to give
Night of Madness
a go.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
being a classic part of my childhood and Saw one of my favorite modern horror films, Ryan Douglass taking both and mashing them was a no-brainer. Douglass gives us a terrifying, yet heartfelt horror story that embodies a lot of what I love about horror.
Mara is a horror buff whose only fond memories of her dad are bonding over movies by Jack Stanley—the producer of the eighties. Stanley’s campy slasher movies may have kept Mara’s fraught parental relationship on life support and gained a cult following, but the man himself has faded from the public eye…until he announces a contest centered around Asylum, his most terrifying film. Five teen influencers will be invited to spend the night on the fully constructed set; whoever sticks it out until morning wins a hundred thousand dollars.
Stuck in a dead-end job, Mara seriously needs that cash. She may not be a famous influencer, but there has to be a way to manufacture an online presence that will capture Stanley’s attention. With the help of her brother and best friend, Mara finds some creative solutions to her dilemma and lands herself onto the roster of the lucky chosen few by way of her engaging authenticity.
When Mara and the other contestants arrive on set, it’s a horror fan’s dream being immersed in the asylum setting, but as the night wears on, they realize the danger is more than movie magic… They’re not there to win or lose but to live or die. As Mara fights to survive, she discovers an inner ruthlessness she didn’t know she had. Just how far will she go to see the sunrise—and will she still recognize herself by the end?
Night of Madness was a book that jumped up on my advance reading for multiple reasons, the Saw and Willy Wonka comparison, but also the mention of "the production company behind Clown in a Cornfield ." Adam Cesare 's Frendo series is one of my all-time favorites and anyone willing to promote their book using that saga will get my attention. Like Cornfield, Night of Madness is geared towards the young adult crowd, but can terrify the YA group, my 40-year-old butt, and even older. Sometimes I connect more with these stories, maybe because having to relive my teen years isn't as jolly as some others?
The story gets going a bit slower than I had hoped or expected, mainly setting up the reason Mara is going to film this reality television show and setting the foundation. This was a bit surprising as we kinda of got the gist of the premise in the description, but was dragged out a little bit more than needed. However, when the contest got underway the shit really hit the fan and didn't let up.
Yes, Night of Madness is filled with gruesome scenes and horrifying moments, but what Douglass created here was something more than just shock-and-awe. Ryan crafted a story that uses fear to push the book forward, but ultimately lands in an emotional and heartfelt place. The resolution was worth the frightening moments and felt even more special when I closed the book.
Mara was well crafted, being our main protagonist this is super important and done really well. Her progression from start to finish is thought out and well paced. It's the supporting characters that I felt didn't land as well for me. This doesn't take away from the overall story, as Mara is the most important and gets the most page time. I would love to read more of Mara and her family's story.
Ryan Douglass balances brutal, edge-of-your-seat terror with real emotional depth in Night of Madness . Douglass crafts a story that doesn't just scare, it also makes you care with a protagonist worth rooting for. Night of Madness blends horror and reality television in ways that are unexpected and truly frightening.
Night of Madness hits bookstores everywhere on September 29, 2026 from Simon Pulse. The audiobook, narrated by Angel Pean, is available via Libro.fm!
NOTE: We received an advance copy of Night of Madness from the publisher. Opinions are our own.
Mara is a horror buff whose only fond memories of her dad are bonding over movies by Jack Stanley—the producer of the eighties. Stanley’s campy slasher movies may have kept Mara’s fraught parental relationship on life support and gained a cult following, but the man himself has faded from the public eye…until he announces a contest centered around Asylum, his most terrifying film. Five teen influencers will be invited to spend the night on the fully constructed set; whoever sticks it out until morning wins a hundred thousand dollars.
Stuck in a dead-end job, Mara seriously needs that cash. She may not be a famous influencer, but there has to be a way to manufacture an online presence that will capture Stanley’s attention. With the help of her brother and best friend, Mara finds some creative solutions to her dilemma and lands herself onto the roster of the lucky chosen few by way of her engaging authenticity.
When Mara and the other contestants arrive on set, it’s a horror fan’s dream being immersed in the asylum setting, but as the night wears on, they realize the danger is more than movie magic… They’re not there to win or lose but to live or die. As Mara fights to survive, she discovers an inner ruthlessness she didn’t know she had. Just how far will she go to see the sunrise—and will she still recognize herself by the end?
Night of Madness was a book that jumped up on my advance reading for multiple reasons, the Saw and Willy Wonka comparison, but also the mention of "the production company behind Clown in a Cornfield ." Adam Cesare 's Frendo series is one of my all-time favorites and anyone willing to promote their book using that saga will get my attention. Like Cornfield, Night of Madness is geared towards the young adult crowd, but can terrify the YA group, my 40-year-old butt, and even older. Sometimes I connect more with these stories, maybe because having to relive my teen years isn't as jolly as some others?
The story gets going a bit slower than I had hoped or expected, mainly setting up the reason Mara is going to film this reality television show and setting the foundation. This was a bit surprising as we kinda of got the gist of the premise in the description, but was dragged out a little bit more than needed. However, when the contest got underway the shit really hit the fan and didn't let up.
Yes, Night of Madness is filled with gruesome scenes and horrifying moments, but what Douglass created here was something more than just shock-and-awe. Ryan crafted a story that uses fear to push the book forward, but ultimately lands in an emotional and heartfelt place. The resolution was worth the frightening moments and felt even more special when I closed the book.
Mara was well crafted, being our main protagonist this is super important and done really well. Her progression from start to finish is thought out and well paced. It's the supporting characters that I felt didn't land as well for me. This doesn't take away from the overall story, as Mara is the most important and gets the most page time. I would love to read more of Mara and her family's story.
Ryan Douglass balances brutal, edge-of-your-seat terror with real emotional depth in Night of Madness . Douglass crafts a story that doesn't just scare, it also makes you care with a protagonist worth rooting for. Night of Madness blends horror and reality television in ways that are unexpected and truly frightening.
Night of Madness hits bookstores everywhere on September 29, 2026 from Simon Pulse. The audiobook, narrated by Angel Pean, is available via Libro.fm!
NOTE: We received an advance copy of Night of Madness from the publisher. Opinions are our own.
October 10, 2026
Imagine being one of five influencers chosen for a reality show where you have to complete various challenges for a chance to win $100,000!
Could you imagine? Well, this is the exact situation Mara finds herself in, hoping to win this life-changing amount of money.
Boy, do things get bad REAL QUICK! Mara and the other influencers soon realize that this is no longer just a haunted house experience, but a house of pure horror. Now, they must survive this night of madness, if they can make it out alive!
With a little bit of Willy Wonka and heavy on the Saw vibes, this was such a twisted, fast-paced, high-stakes read that had me on the edge of my seat the entire time! This deadly game felt like being trapped in "a psychopath’s twisted wonderland" where no one could truly win.
Douglass paints such a vivid picture of this intense story, which unfolds over the course of a single night, that you feel like you're right there experiencing these deadly games alongside Mara.
This book was the PERFECT spooky horror read! If you're looking for something suspenseful and twisted, this is the book for you.
QOTD: Would you stay overnight in a haunted house for a chance to win $100,000?
Could you imagine? Well, this is the exact situation Mara finds herself in, hoping to win this life-changing amount of money.
Boy, do things get bad REAL QUICK! Mara and the other influencers soon realize that this is no longer just a haunted house experience, but a house of pure horror. Now, they must survive this night of madness, if they can make it out alive!
With a little bit of Willy Wonka and heavy on the Saw vibes, this was such a twisted, fast-paced, high-stakes read that had me on the edge of my seat the entire time! This deadly game felt like being trapped in "a psychopath’s twisted wonderland" where no one could truly win.
Douglass paints such a vivid picture of this intense story, which unfolds over the course of a single night, that you feel like you're right there experiencing these deadly games alongside Mara.
This book was the PERFECT spooky horror read! If you're looking for something suspenseful and twisted, this is the book for you.
QOTD: Would you stay overnight in a haunted house for a chance to win $100,000?
September 12, 2026
I’m gonna be honest… I struggled SO hard to keep reading this book. 😩 The writing was incredibly choppy, which made the story feel disconnected and difficult to follow.
Despite the fact that there WAS a real-life haunted house attraction similar to this called McKamey Manor (google it!), I just could not buy into what was happening in this book. And even when I tried to suspend disbelief and just go along for the ride, it still wasn’t cutting it for me.
There were definitely parts that were creepy, but for the most part, I found the story confusing and underwhelming. I didn’t enjoy this one at all, which is especially disappointing because I was really looking forward to it. Unfortunately, this ended up being a major letdown for me. 😬
Despite the fact that there WAS a real-life haunted house attraction similar to this called McKamey Manor (google it!), I just could not buy into what was happening in this book. And even when I tried to suspend disbelief and just go along for the ride, it still wasn’t cutting it for me.
There were definitely parts that were creepy, but for the most part, I found the story confusing and underwhelming. I didn’t enjoy this one at all, which is especially disappointing because I was really looking forward to it. Unfortunately, this ended up being a major letdown for me. 😬
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you NetGalley and Simon Pulse for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
“Night of Madness” by Ryan Douglass is basically Willy Wonka if Willy decided to build a haunted asylum instead of a chocolate factory and wanted all the contestants dead (though that’s how some people thought of Willy Wonka’s motive in the original movie).
The story follows Mara, a horror movie fanatic who's stuck in a dead-end job and desperately needs money. When legendary horror director Jack Stanley announces a nationwide contest where five teen influencers can spend the night inside the fully recreated set of his infamous film Asylum for a chance to win $100,000, Mara is determined to get in even though she's definitely not an influencer. With a little help from her best friend, she manages to fake enough online fame to land herself a spot. However, winning the contest was probably the worst thing that could've happened to her.
I'll admit the beginning takes a little while to get going. There's quite a bit of setup about how Mara earns her place in the competition before everyone actually arrives at the asylum. Since the premise is right there on the cover, I was definitely sitting there thinking, "Okay... can we get to the murder asylum already?"
Thankfully, once the competition finally begins, things go completely off the rails.
The asylum itself is easily the best part of the book. It's creepy, massive, full of bizarre rooms and increasingly deadly challenges, and honestly feels like its own character. Every new area somehow manages to be more unsettling than the last, and there's this constant feeling that absolutely nothing inside the building is playing by normal rules. At first it feels like an elaborate reality show. Then it starts feeling like an escape room. Then it becomes very obvious that this is actually just an extremely elaborate death trap.
The contestants quickly realize they aren't competing for prize money anymore; they're competing to survive the night.
The atmosphere is fantastic. Ryan Douglass absolutely nails the horror movie vibe, making the asylum feel claustrophobic, unpredictable, and genuinely dangerous. There were several moments where I had absolutely no idea whether what was happening was supernatural, science fiction, psychological manipulation, or all three at once. To be fair, I'm still not entirely sure. And honestly? I don't think Mara is either.
The book constantly keeps both Mara and the reader questioning what's real. Strange figures appear. Rooms don't always make sense. Reality seems to bend in impossible ways. At times it almost feels like wandering through someone's nightmare where the rules change every five minutes. It's weird, confusing, and intentionally disorienting. There were definitely moments where I just accepted that I wasn't supposed to fully understand what was happening and decided to enjoy the ride instead. The book was just a bit too confusing for me, especially once in the asylum, and I found I couldn't really get absorbed in the story as I just had no idea what was really going on.
Mara makes for a solid protagonist. She's easy to root for, especially as she transforms from a horror-loving fan into a full-fledged final girl. Watching her become increasingly resourceful and realizing just how ruthless she's capable of being when survival is on the line was one of my favorite parts of the book.
The supporting cast didn't stand out quite as much for me. Most of the influencer contestants fit pretty familiar stereotypes, so I wasn't overly attached to all of them. But in a slasher-style story, that's not always a bad thing.
The pacing really picks up once everyone enters the asylum. From there it's basically one deadly challenge after another, with plenty of blood, brutal deaths, and increasingly intense action. The competition slowly destroys everyone's sanity as paranoia takes over and contestants begin turning against one another. It becomes less about solving puzzles and more about figuring out who or what is really controlling the game.
The ending is packed with action as Mara fully embraces her final-girl status. While Jack Stanley's motivations are eventually explained, I did wish a few more of the stranger supernatural (or sci-fi?) elements had been fleshed out. There are still plenty of questions left unanswered by the time the credits roll, and the ending definitely leaves the door open for a sequel.
Overall, “Night of Madness” is a fast-paced, blood-soaked horror story that gets weird, confusing, and wonderfully over-the-top. If you're looking for creepy settings, deadly games, and a protagonist you can't help rooting for, this one is a seriously fun time.
“Night of Madness” by Ryan Douglass is basically Willy Wonka if Willy decided to build a haunted asylum instead of a chocolate factory and wanted all the contestants dead (though that’s how some people thought of Willy Wonka’s motive in the original movie).
The story follows Mara, a horror movie fanatic who's stuck in a dead-end job and desperately needs money. When legendary horror director Jack Stanley announces a nationwide contest where five teen influencers can spend the night inside the fully recreated set of his infamous film Asylum for a chance to win $100,000, Mara is determined to get in even though she's definitely not an influencer. With a little help from her best friend, she manages to fake enough online fame to land herself a spot. However, winning the contest was probably the worst thing that could've happened to her.
I'll admit the beginning takes a little while to get going. There's quite a bit of setup about how Mara earns her place in the competition before everyone actually arrives at the asylum. Since the premise is right there on the cover, I was definitely sitting there thinking, "Okay... can we get to the murder asylum already?"
Thankfully, once the competition finally begins, things go completely off the rails.
The asylum itself is easily the best part of the book. It's creepy, massive, full of bizarre rooms and increasingly deadly challenges, and honestly feels like its own character. Every new area somehow manages to be more unsettling than the last, and there's this constant feeling that absolutely nothing inside the building is playing by normal rules. At first it feels like an elaborate reality show. Then it starts feeling like an escape room. Then it becomes very obvious that this is actually just an extremely elaborate death trap.
The contestants quickly realize they aren't competing for prize money anymore; they're competing to survive the night.
The atmosphere is fantastic. Ryan Douglass absolutely nails the horror movie vibe, making the asylum feel claustrophobic, unpredictable, and genuinely dangerous. There were several moments where I had absolutely no idea whether what was happening was supernatural, science fiction, psychological manipulation, or all three at once. To be fair, I'm still not entirely sure. And honestly? I don't think Mara is either.
The book constantly keeps both Mara and the reader questioning what's real. Strange figures appear. Rooms don't always make sense. Reality seems to bend in impossible ways. At times it almost feels like wandering through someone's nightmare where the rules change every five minutes. It's weird, confusing, and intentionally disorienting. There were definitely moments where I just accepted that I wasn't supposed to fully understand what was happening and decided to enjoy the ride instead. The book was just a bit too confusing for me, especially once in the asylum, and I found I couldn't really get absorbed in the story as I just had no idea what was really going on.
Mara makes for a solid protagonist. She's easy to root for, especially as she transforms from a horror-loving fan into a full-fledged final girl. Watching her become increasingly resourceful and realizing just how ruthless she's capable of being when survival is on the line was one of my favorite parts of the book.
The supporting cast didn't stand out quite as much for me. Most of the influencer contestants fit pretty familiar stereotypes, so I wasn't overly attached to all of them. But in a slasher-style story, that's not always a bad thing.
The pacing really picks up once everyone enters the asylum. From there it's basically one deadly challenge after another, with plenty of blood, brutal deaths, and increasingly intense action. The competition slowly destroys everyone's sanity as paranoia takes over and contestants begin turning against one another. It becomes less about solving puzzles and more about figuring out who or what is really controlling the game.
The ending is packed with action as Mara fully embraces her final-girl status. While Jack Stanley's motivations are eventually explained, I did wish a few more of the stranger supernatural (or sci-fi?) elements had been fleshed out. There are still plenty of questions left unanswered by the time the credits roll, and the ending definitely leaves the door open for a sequel.
Overall, “Night of Madness” is a fast-paced, blood-soaked horror story that gets weird, confusing, and wonderfully over-the-top. If you're looking for creepy settings, deadly games, and a protagonist you can't help rooting for, this one is a seriously fun time.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
**The cameras are rolling. The asylum is waiting. And this time, the danger is real.**
## ✶ PRE-READING ✶
An abandoned asylum. A horror film producer. Five teen influencers. A hundred thousand dollars.
This is very much the **“influencers go somewhere terrifying and get killed”** subgenre of horror, but *Night of Madness* does something I wasn't expecting: it takes its time.
Rather than dropping the characters into the horror almost immediately, we spend the first third watching Mara try to make herself interesting enough to earn a place on the show.
And surprisingly, I think that works.
## ✶ POST-READING ✶
**As I thought...** Mara is an interesting protagonist.
She's got the familiar motivation of someone desperate to escape a dead-end life in a dead-end town, but her connection to horror producer Jack Stanley gives her something that many protagonists in this sort of story don't have: **a personal reason to care about the man behind the game**.
Her memories of watching Stanley's films with her father give the whole contest another layer. She's not just chasing the prize money or trying to become famous. She's stepping into a world that's been connected to her life for years.
I also really enjoyed the first part of the book, even though it takes a while for the horror to properly begin. Watching Mara and her friends try increasingly ridiculous ways to build her social media presence is funny, revealing and useful groundwork for understanding who she is.
And then they arrive at the asylum.
**That's where the book gets tense.**
The setting is creepy almost immediately. An abandoned medical space is frightening enough without adding anything supernatural to it, and the fact that this one has been recreated as a film set adds another layer of unease. Everything is supposed to be artificial.
Except it increasingly isn't.
Once things start happening, the tension ramps up very quickly. The combination of reality TV and horror works particularly well because the characters are already accustomed to performing for an audience. The question becomes what happens when the performance stops being something they can control.
**It surprised me by...** how much of the book is really about the idea of performance.
Mara spends the beginning trying to construct an online version of herself convincing enough to get noticed. Then she enters a horror scenario where everyone is being watched, judged and filmed.
And eventually, surviving means finding out what she's actually capable of when there's no audience left to impress.
It's a solid, quick horror read, with a particularly effective setting and a good understanding of why abandoned medical spaces are so inherently unsettling.
## ✦ RECOMMENDATIONS ✦
**Book Recommendation:** *Clown in a Cornfield* by Adam Cesare, for another fast-moving horror story that understands how much fun there is to be had with modern media, small-town settings and a whole lot of people making very questionable decisions.
**TV or Movie Recommendation:** *The Blair Witch Project*, for the reality-TV-adjacent feeling of people entering a situation they believe they understand, only to discover that the rules have changed.
## ✧ VIBE CHECK ✧
**A colour palette:** sickly hospital green, fluorescent white, dirty grey and the deep black of corridors where the lights have gone out.
**A soundtrack:** camera equipment humming, footsteps echoing down empty corridors and the sudden silence when something should be making noise.
**A season:** late autumn, when darkness arrives early and abandoned buildings feel particularly hostile.
**A mood:** tense, claustrophobic, voyeuristic and increasingly desperate.
**A scent:** disinfectant that's long since faded, damp concrete and something medicinal underneath it all.
**A texture:** cold metal railings and peeling paint beneath your fingertips.
## ★ TAROT CARD PULLED ★
**Seven of Wands.**
The Seven of Wands is about holding your ground when everything is pushing against you.
Mara spends the first part of the story fighting to prove that she belongs in the competition. Once she gets there, the stakes become considerably more literal.
But there's another battle happening too: the fight to survive without becoming someone she doesn't recognise.
The question isn't simply whether Mara can make it through the night.
It's **what she'll have to become to do it.**
## Final Thoughts
*Night of Madness* publishes on the **29th of September**. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.
## ✶ PRE-READING ✶
An abandoned asylum. A horror film producer. Five teen influencers. A hundred thousand dollars.
This is very much the **“influencers go somewhere terrifying and get killed”** subgenre of horror, but *Night of Madness* does something I wasn't expecting: it takes its time.
Rather than dropping the characters into the horror almost immediately, we spend the first third watching Mara try to make herself interesting enough to earn a place on the show.
And surprisingly, I think that works.
## ✶ POST-READING ✶
**As I thought...** Mara is an interesting protagonist.
She's got the familiar motivation of someone desperate to escape a dead-end life in a dead-end town, but her connection to horror producer Jack Stanley gives her something that many protagonists in this sort of story don't have: **a personal reason to care about the man behind the game**.
Her memories of watching Stanley's films with her father give the whole contest another layer. She's not just chasing the prize money or trying to become famous. She's stepping into a world that's been connected to her life for years.
I also really enjoyed the first part of the book, even though it takes a while for the horror to properly begin. Watching Mara and her friends try increasingly ridiculous ways to build her social media presence is funny, revealing and useful groundwork for understanding who she is.
And then they arrive at the asylum.
**That's where the book gets tense.**
The setting is creepy almost immediately. An abandoned medical space is frightening enough without adding anything supernatural to it, and the fact that this one has been recreated as a film set adds another layer of unease. Everything is supposed to be artificial.
Except it increasingly isn't.
Once things start happening, the tension ramps up very quickly. The combination of reality TV and horror works particularly well because the characters are already accustomed to performing for an audience. The question becomes what happens when the performance stops being something they can control.
**It surprised me by...** how much of the book is really about the idea of performance.
Mara spends the beginning trying to construct an online version of herself convincing enough to get noticed. Then she enters a horror scenario where everyone is being watched, judged and filmed.
And eventually, surviving means finding out what she's actually capable of when there's no audience left to impress.
It's a solid, quick horror read, with a particularly effective setting and a good understanding of why abandoned medical spaces are so inherently unsettling.
## ✦ RECOMMENDATIONS ✦
**Book Recommendation:** *Clown in a Cornfield* by Adam Cesare, for another fast-moving horror story that understands how much fun there is to be had with modern media, small-town settings and a whole lot of people making very questionable decisions.
**TV or Movie Recommendation:** *The Blair Witch Project*, for the reality-TV-adjacent feeling of people entering a situation they believe they understand, only to discover that the rules have changed.
## ✧ VIBE CHECK ✧
**A colour palette:** sickly hospital green, fluorescent white, dirty grey and the deep black of corridors where the lights have gone out.
**A soundtrack:** camera equipment humming, footsteps echoing down empty corridors and the sudden silence when something should be making noise.
**A season:** late autumn, when darkness arrives early and abandoned buildings feel particularly hostile.
**A mood:** tense, claustrophobic, voyeuristic and increasingly desperate.
**A scent:** disinfectant that's long since faded, damp concrete and something medicinal underneath it all.
**A texture:** cold metal railings and peeling paint beneath your fingertips.
## ★ TAROT CARD PULLED ★
**Seven of Wands.**
The Seven of Wands is about holding your ground when everything is pushing against you.
Mara spends the first part of the story fighting to prove that she belongs in the competition. Once she gets there, the stakes become considerably more literal.
But there's another battle happening too: the fight to survive without becoming someone she doesn't recognise.
The question isn't simply whether Mara can make it through the night.
It's **what she'll have to become to do it.**
## Final Thoughts
*Night of Madness* publishes on the **29th of September**. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.
October 22, 2026
TENS. ACROSS. THE. BOARD. Ryan Douglass, WHAT WAS THAT?! I went into Night of Madness expecting a creepy competition, but this man had me questioning EVERYTHING. The setup alone had me side-eyeing everybody because why are we sending five teenagers into an asylum for a live competition, and why does the host seem like he knows way too damn much about them? I knew something wasn’t right, but I still wasn’t prepared for just how twisted things would get. The atmosphere was unsettling, the tension kept building, and every time I thought I had figured something out, another piece of the puzzle had me questioning my entire theory. I was suspicious of EVERYBODY, and honestly, I had good reason to be!
Storm quickly became one of my favorite characters. Ryan has a way of showing you who someone is through the little details, and I loved how naturally he explored Storm’s identity and his experience with being himself, especially when it came to his relationship with his father. That representation felt genuine and never like it was just thrown in for the sake of checking a box. I also appreciated the way the story explored trauma, family relationships, ambition, and the lengths people will go to for their dreams. And Mara? I was rooting for her because she had so much to work through while trying to figure out what was actually happening around her. The character dynamics kept me invested, even when I wanted to shake some sense into certain people.
What really made this book stand out was the commentary on entertainment and how easily people’s pain can become a spectacle for everyone else. There’s something especially disturbing about watching people get caught up in a situation where their trauma and personal lives are being used against them. Ryan took that idea and wrapped it in a horror story that had me glued to the pages. The mystery surrounding Mara’s family added another layer that kept me wanting answers, and I loved how the pieces eventually started coming together. This wasn’t just about surviving a terrifying situation. It was also about control, exploitation, and what happens when someone becomes so obsessed with their own ambition that they stop seeing other people as human beings.
And THAT is why this was a five-star read for me! The twists, the atmosphere, the characters, the commentary, ALL OF IT. I was suspicious, stressed, yelling at the book, and trying to figure out what the hell was going on the entire time. Ryan Douglass continues to remind me why he’s one of my favorite authors. He knows how to tell a story that entertains you while still giving you something to think about afterward. If you’re into psychological horror, unsettling mysteries, and stories that make you question how far people will go to get what they want, put this one on your list. Just know that you might need a minute when you’re done because BABYYYYY!
Storm quickly became one of my favorite characters. Ryan has a way of showing you who someone is through the little details, and I loved how naturally he explored Storm’s identity and his experience with being himself, especially when it came to his relationship with his father. That representation felt genuine and never like it was just thrown in for the sake of checking a box. I also appreciated the way the story explored trauma, family relationships, ambition, and the lengths people will go to for their dreams. And Mara? I was rooting for her because she had so much to work through while trying to figure out what was actually happening around her. The character dynamics kept me invested, even when I wanted to shake some sense into certain people.
What really made this book stand out was the commentary on entertainment and how easily people’s pain can become a spectacle for everyone else. There’s something especially disturbing about watching people get caught up in a situation where their trauma and personal lives are being used against them. Ryan took that idea and wrapped it in a horror story that had me glued to the pages. The mystery surrounding Mara’s family added another layer that kept me wanting answers, and I loved how the pieces eventually started coming together. This wasn’t just about surviving a terrifying situation. It was also about control, exploitation, and what happens when someone becomes so obsessed with their own ambition that they stop seeing other people as human beings.
And THAT is why this was a five-star read for me! The twists, the atmosphere, the characters, the commentary, ALL OF IT. I was suspicious, stressed, yelling at the book, and trying to figure out what the hell was going on the entire time. Ryan Douglass continues to remind me why he’s one of my favorite authors. He knows how to tell a story that entertains you while still giving you something to think about afterward. If you’re into psychological horror, unsettling mysteries, and stories that make you question how far people will go to get what they want, put this one on your list. Just know that you might need a minute when you’re done because BABYYYYY!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to Netgalley and Simon Pulse for providing me with a copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.
Firstly. I want to acknowledge that the premise is right up my alley. As someone obsessed with paranormal investigations and books like Shirley Jackson's the Haunting of Hill House, I'm the ideal candidate for a book like this. I am glad to have been selected to read Night of Madness by Ryan Douglass.
Secondly, however, I must acknowledge some confusion as I read the story. The book goes from being a rather grounded story about using social media to compete for a chance at $100,000 USD to a journey into a madhouse that is part Willy Wonky's Chocolate Factory and part Clockwork Orange. The end is also quite grounded but the actual meat of the story struck me as so unusual in terms of what Jack Stanley was allegedly doing to people that that I was convinced I was missing something. This combined with the throughline of Jack and Jim's past friendship, I felt as though a necessary portion of the story had been left on the cutting room floor. What was he doing with the brains? How was the script relevant? The main character's legacy? It pulled on so many threads that ultimately seemed insignificant that my experience reading the book became muddled.
I did enjoy our main character, even if sometimes she struck me as really inconsistent in terms of how she perceived events happening around her. The other characters never achieved even her degree of depth. They were clearly canon fodder to throw in front of the final girl. I love the idea of five going in and fewer coming out but I want to care about all those characters so that it matters when they suffer. In my opinion, thus story is too short to permit that.
I spent days reading this book and found I just could not connect to it despite my previous excitement. It wasn't the violence, I think this book simply did not work for me.
Two stars.
Firstly. I want to acknowledge that the premise is right up my alley. As someone obsessed with paranormal investigations and books like Shirley Jackson's the Haunting of Hill House, I'm the ideal candidate for a book like this. I am glad to have been selected to read Night of Madness by Ryan Douglass.
Secondly, however, I must acknowledge some confusion as I read the story. The book goes from being a rather grounded story about using social media to compete for a chance at $100,000 USD to a journey into a madhouse that is part Willy Wonky's Chocolate Factory and part Clockwork Orange. The end is also quite grounded but the actual meat of the story struck me as so unusual in terms of what Jack Stanley was allegedly doing to people that that I was convinced I was missing something. This combined with the throughline of Jack and Jim's past friendship, I felt as though a necessary portion of the story had been left on the cutting room floor. What was he doing with the brains? How was the script relevant? The main character's legacy? It pulled on so many threads that ultimately seemed insignificant that my experience reading the book became muddled.
I did enjoy our main character, even if sometimes she struck me as really inconsistent in terms of how she perceived events happening around her. The other characters never achieved even her degree of depth. They were clearly canon fodder to throw in front of the final girl. I love the idea of five going in and fewer coming out but I want to care about all those characters so that it matters when they suffer. In my opinion, thus story is too short to permit that.
I spent days reading this book and found I just could not connect to it despite my previous excitement. It wasn't the violence, I think this book simply did not work for me.
Two stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 29, 2026
A razor-sharp YA horror about who gets to be seen — and who gets used
I went in for the haunted-house scares, I stayed for the gut-punch about class, attention, and performance.
Douglass starts you inside the scare: "You told yourself nothing could scare you. You paid to prove it." That second-person cold open drops you straight into Shadow Ward, and then flips to Mara's POV on the other side of the glass — the actor in the vending machine, not the customer with the VIP ticket. It's such a smart reversal.
Mara is instantly my favorite kind of narrator: tired, funny, working a summer haunt for $15 an hour while her family juggles hospital bills, watching influencers like Victoria treat her wipeout as content. Storm is the chaotic best friend who actually believes they could win Night of Madness. Their banter feels real, not quippy-for-TikTok.
What makes this five stars for me:
• Horror with a brain. It's not just jump scares. Douglass is asking what happens when fear becomes a job, and when survival becomes a reality show audition.
• Social media critique that doesn't preach. Victoria isn't a cartoon villain, she's the algorithm made flesh — and Mara's ambivalence about going viral feels painfully honest for anyone who's ever watched from the sidelines.
• Pacing. The haunted-house chapters are claustrophobic and sweaty, then the competition lore kicks in and you get that delicious "would I enter?" dread.
If you loved The Taking of Jake Livingston for its voice, you'll recognize Douglass here — same sharp cultural eye, but leaner and meaner. Perfect October read, but honestly, read it now while everyone's talking about it.
Highly recommend for fans of Clown in a Cornfield, Sadie, or anyone who works a service job and fantasizes about burning the whole system down for prize money.
I went in for the haunted-house scares, I stayed for the gut-punch about class, attention, and performance.
Douglass starts you inside the scare: "You told yourself nothing could scare you. You paid to prove it." That second-person cold open drops you straight into Shadow Ward, and then flips to Mara's POV on the other side of the glass — the actor in the vending machine, not the customer with the VIP ticket. It's such a smart reversal.
Mara is instantly my favorite kind of narrator: tired, funny, working a summer haunt for $15 an hour while her family juggles hospital bills, watching influencers like Victoria treat her wipeout as content. Storm is the chaotic best friend who actually believes they could win Night of Madness. Their banter feels real, not quippy-for-TikTok.
What makes this five stars for me:
• Horror with a brain. It's not just jump scares. Douglass is asking what happens when fear becomes a job, and when survival becomes a reality show audition.
• Social media critique that doesn't preach. Victoria isn't a cartoon villain, she's the algorithm made flesh — and Mara's ambivalence about going viral feels painfully honest for anyone who's ever watched from the sidelines.
• Pacing. The haunted-house chapters are claustrophobic and sweaty, then the competition lore kicks in and you get that delicious "would I enter?" dread.
If you loved The Taking of Jake Livingston for its voice, you'll recognize Douglass here — same sharp cultural eye, but leaner and meaner. Perfect October read, but honestly, read it now while everyone's talking about it.
Highly recommend for fans of Clown in a Cornfield, Sadie, or anyone who works a service job and fantasizes about burning the whole system down for prize money.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
⭐⭐⭐⭐
NIGHT OF MADNESS by Ryan Douglass (September 29, 2026)
Thank you Netgalley and Simon Teen (Simon Pulse) for the eArc
When Jack Stanley, announces a contest centered around his most terrifying film, Mara reluctantly jumps at the opportunity. It's for influencers, and she's not one. With the help of her brother, though, manufacture an online presence in hopes of catching Jack's attention. And it works. She's one of the five chosen. Things aren't as they seem, and Mara must fight to survive.
NIGHT OF MADNESS is a YA thriller. This is the "Saw" franchise meets "No Escape Room (2018) but with influencers. It's almost like two different books in one with seeing how Mara is chosen to what happens with Mara after being chosen. I didn't mind it because Mara's lead-up to bring an "influencer" was interesting, albeit a little cringe-y. It gave me, as a reader, someone to root for in the whole "Who should win? Who should ultimately survive? scenario of things.
Once the "influencers" arrive and things really get started, that's when NIGHT OF MADNESS picks up. It really brings on the horror movie/slasher vibes from the movies I mentioned above. From there, it doesn't let up. Even when it seems like things have ended. The last sentence of the epilogue made sure of that. It sounds like a sequel may be in the future, and I am here for it.
NIGHT OF MADNESS by Ryan Douglass (September 29, 2026)
Thank you Netgalley and Simon Teen (Simon Pulse) for the eArc
When Jack Stanley, announces a contest centered around his most terrifying film, Mara reluctantly jumps at the opportunity. It's for influencers, and she's not one. With the help of her brother, though, manufacture an online presence in hopes of catching Jack's attention. And it works. She's one of the five chosen. Things aren't as they seem, and Mara must fight to survive.
NIGHT OF MADNESS is a YA thriller. This is the "Saw" franchise meets "No Escape Room (2018) but with influencers. It's almost like two different books in one with seeing how Mara is chosen to what happens with Mara after being chosen. I didn't mind it because Mara's lead-up to bring an "influencer" was interesting, albeit a little cringe-y. It gave me, as a reader, someone to root for in the whole "Who should win? Who should ultimately survive? scenario of things.
Once the "influencers" arrive and things really get started, that's when NIGHT OF MADNESS picks up. It really brings on the horror movie/slasher vibes from the movies I mentioned above. From there, it doesn't let up. Even when it seems like things have ended. The last sentence of the epilogue made sure of that. It sounds like a sequel may be in the future, and I am here for it.
October 12, 2026
This YA horror book is grosser than a lot of adult horror I have read, and I need to warn you before you pick it up.
Five teen influencers spend one night on a horror movie set for a hundred thousand dollars, and it stops being a game fast.
🔥 Reasons to Read If You Love
🎬 Horror Movie Set Settings
📱 Influencers In Danger
🩸 Hardcore Gore
🧠 Micro Synopsis
Horror fan Mara needs money badly, so she works her way into a contest hosted by Jack Stanley, the producer behind her favorite eighties slasher films. Five teen influencers get invited to spend the night on the fully built set of his most terrifying movie, and whoever lasts until morning wins a hundred thousand dollars. As the night goes on, they realize they are not there to win or lose, they are there to live or die.
I was so excited for this one because of the premise, a one night reality show based on a horror movie.
But the book veers off in a completely different direction pretty quickly.
It is chaotic, just not in the way you expect.
I wanted to know the other characters and root for them more, and I did not as much.
It is also really gross in a lot of places, especially for a YA book.
I did enjoy the ride, and I read it at a fast pace.
I just wanted to have a little more fun with it than I did.
If you like hardcore horror, this one is for you.
Could you last the night 👀
October 27, 2026
I think the main thing I got out of this book is that I kinda want to watch the movie, Asylum, that the competition was based on. I have played a computer game where something supernatural happened to the patients and they became the embodiments of the seven sins, decorating their areas according to the sin they were. And while I was reading this book, that is kind of what I pictured, at least before it went totally wacky off the rails insane (from the kitchen scene on) and got a bit too unbelievable for what supposedly happened to the camera men/ security. I think the most I can say about that, is that it did feel like being in the brain of a madman on mind altering drugs, which makes sense for Jack the mastermind.
I will say, except for Mara, most of the other contestants were interchangeable to me, even if they were supposedly internet famous influencers and such. I was interested in Mara and her story though, with the history of her dad and her own ambitions and talent.
It is a fast paced thriller of a novel though with plenty of creepiness and suspense and terrors. I would not be surprised if the survivors needed a whole lot of therapy to get through what they saw and went through in this night of madness and horror dreamt up by Jack. Great for the spooky season, if you don't mind a few plot holes and loose threads never fully realized.
I will say, except for Mara, most of the other contestants were interchangeable to me, even if they were supposedly internet famous influencers and such. I was interested in Mara and her story though, with the history of her dad and her own ambitions and talent.
It is a fast paced thriller of a novel though with plenty of creepiness and suspense and terrors. I would not be surprised if the survivors needed a whole lot of therapy to get through what they saw and went through in this night of madness and horror dreamt up by Jack. Great for the spooky season, if you don't mind a few plot holes and loose threads never fully realized.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you Simon Pulse and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. A wonderfully gruesome horror! Mara feels stuck in her life and her town, all she wants is her freedom. Then she hears about a competition that famed film director Jack Stanley is throwing on the set of one of his popular movies that focuses on an asylum. The competition will consist of 5 influencers who keep in challenges within the asylum and the last one standing will receive 100,000 dollars. Mara makes it her mission to get into the competition and does. She, along with the other four contestants, enter the asylum. But soon they realize things aren’t what they seem and this competition may be one that none of them are meant to walk away from alive. Can Mara figure out what’s going on in time to save herself? And just how well can these contestants trust each other? Ryan Douglass creates a creepy horror filled vibe with this one! The asylum gave me chills and the atmosphere was spooky! This one is gory, fast paced, filled with thrilling and deadly games, as well as the most nightmare like escape rooms! Mara is a strong protagonist that I couldn’t help but root for and I didn’t mind a few of the other contestants either! Plus I love the way that it ends, with the possibility of more!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Spooky Season is creeping in, and y’all already know this is one of my FAVORITE times of the year! Give me the eerie, the unsettling, the strange, and of course, give me a BOOK to go with it!
Night of Madness by Ryan Douglass definitely understood the assignment.
Described as Saw meets Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, this one gives us a creepy, high stakes story while exploring some very real themes underneath all that madness.
What I appreciated most is that the horror isn’t just there to scare you. We get conversations around grief, friendship, community, exploitation, inequality, self worth, and the pressure to be seen and validated, especially in a world obsessed with attention and going viral.
And THAT is where I think this book can really connect with its intended 14+ audience. There are plenty of spooky moments, but there are also some really good opportunities for young readers to think about identity, belonging, the choices we make, and what we are willing to sacrifice to feel seen.
I enjoyed this one, and if you’re building that Spooky Season TBR and want some YA horror with a little something to SAY underneath the scares, add Night of Madness to your list.
Because around TheReadingRoom444, Spooky Season is LIT!!
Night of Madness by Ryan Douglass definitely understood the assignment.
Described as Saw meets Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, this one gives us a creepy, high stakes story while exploring some very real themes underneath all that madness.
What I appreciated most is that the horror isn’t just there to scare you. We get conversations around grief, friendship, community, exploitation, inequality, self worth, and the pressure to be seen and validated, especially in a world obsessed with attention and going viral.
And THAT is where I think this book can really connect with its intended 14+ audience. There are plenty of spooky moments, but there are also some really good opportunities for young readers to think about identity, belonging, the choices we make, and what we are willing to sacrifice to feel seen.
I enjoyed this one, and if you’re building that Spooky Season TBR and want some YA horror with a little something to SAY underneath the scares, add Night of Madness to your list.
Because around TheReadingRoom444, Spooky Season is LIT!!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Thank you @simonteen #partner for the gifted copy of this book!
This was a short but very high stakes horror thriller about contestants entering an asylum for a competition where the goal is simple: play the game...win some cash of course...and be lucky to make it out alive. But let’s be real...not everyone knows that detail headed into the fun! WHEWIE. This one was so much fun...in that bloody sort of way! 😈
Ahhh truly any book that features a competition, I am so IN! And being that this one was basically play the game to survive and it made it super easy for me to grab this one and buckle up for this wild ride! This is actually a pretty short horror book but it did pack quite the punch. It almost felt like a haunted house and house of horrors got mixed with a slasher movie and then just to take up up one more notch a competition was added. What a great idea! (but of course I don’t want to participate...I’ll just watch from the safeness of my home!)
The beginning almost had this weird little Willy Wonka-ish energy to it… 😂 You’ll know exactly what I mean when you read it. And it was great to see that the contestants learn very quickly that this is a game where you shouldn’t trust anything. Or anyone. Also, I loved the fact that this whole thing takes place in an asylum. It made it super creepy to think about. I’d like to think I’m gutsy enough to sign up for something like this...but let’s be honest...if it came down too it I’m too big of a weenie to sign up. It sure was fun to read about though! Thankfully, there were contestants who apparently have significantly more courage that me because just watching this all happen was a blast! I also really liked Mara. She was this quirky/nerdy character who was just easy to love. I liked how creative she got to build that initial online presence so she could even get the opportunity to compete. She’s resourceful that’s for sure!
If you are looking for a quick and chaotic read I want heading into Spooktober then look no further. It just published on the 29th too so you can get your hands on it now! 🎃
This was a short but very high stakes horror thriller about contestants entering an asylum for a competition where the goal is simple: play the game...win some cash of course...and be lucky to make it out alive. But let’s be real...not everyone knows that detail headed into the fun! WHEWIE. This one was so much fun...in that bloody sort of way! 😈
Ahhh truly any book that features a competition, I am so IN! And being that this one was basically play the game to survive and it made it super easy for me to grab this one and buckle up for this wild ride! This is actually a pretty short horror book but it did pack quite the punch. It almost felt like a haunted house and house of horrors got mixed with a slasher movie and then just to take up up one more notch a competition was added. What a great idea! (but of course I don’t want to participate...I’ll just watch from the safeness of my home!)
The beginning almost had this weird little Willy Wonka-ish energy to it… 😂 You’ll know exactly what I mean when you read it. And it was great to see that the contestants learn very quickly that this is a game where you shouldn’t trust anything. Or anyone. Also, I loved the fact that this whole thing takes place in an asylum. It made it super creepy to think about. I’d like to think I’m gutsy enough to sign up for something like this...but let’s be honest...if it came down too it I’m too big of a weenie to sign up. It sure was fun to read about though! Thankfully, there were contestants who apparently have significantly more courage that me because just watching this all happen was a blast! I also really liked Mara. She was this quirky/nerdy character who was just easy to love. I liked how creative she got to build that initial online presence so she could even get the opportunity to compete. She’s resourceful that’s for sure!
If you are looking for a quick and chaotic read I want heading into Spooktober then look no further. It just published on the 29th too so you can get your hands on it now! 🎃
October 2, 2026
3.25 Hm... the social hyped this one too much and ruied my experience. I wanted more from it.
Fun but in many points it disappointed me. It won't disappoint the ones who are new to the genre because it wil feel kinda new, so this is a good one to recommend to those who want to try the genre.
It presents a collection of the highlights elements of a survival game, locked room thriller, haunted house, SAW, some elements of Squid Games, and even the use of AI, final girl, jump scares, slasher, mind controlling, terrifying animatronics... Influencers have to survive this horror game. I didn't have a favorite character. There is also a lot of moments that they are just pointing out the worst of each other (because social media is no longer a place of community where we can learn something usuful but of lies, exposure and drama to sell a product).
I usually stay for the villain but this one was mainly boastful and annoying and I am sad it was a missed opportunity. It felt as if the story ended then there is a lot of exposition trying to inject story at the end to make the whys and connections to the main character valid.
Sometimes in horror less is terrifying best and more, the end stretched forever.
Fun but in many points it disappointed me. It won't disappoint the ones who are new to the genre because it wil feel kinda new, so this is a good one to recommend to those who want to try the genre.
It presents a collection of the highlights elements of a survival game, locked room thriller, haunted house, SAW, some elements of Squid Games, and even the use of AI, final girl, jump scares, slasher, mind controlling, terrifying animatronics... Influencers have to survive this horror game. I didn't have a favorite character. There is also a lot of moments that they are just pointing out the worst of each other (because social media is no longer a place of community where we can learn something usuful but of lies, exposure and drama to sell a product).
I usually stay for the villain but this one was mainly boastful and annoying and I am sad it was a missed opportunity. It felt as if the story ended then there is a lot of exposition trying to inject story at the end to make the whys and connections to the main character valid.
Sometimes in horror less is terrifying best and more, the end stretched forever.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I wanted this book to be so much more. The plot is modern, it's fun and combines the modern age of influencers and game shows and the strange adoration of horror (I'm looking at you Five Nights at Freddy's and Poppy's Playtime), but it felt very half-baked (in the nicest way possible). There's a bit of a backstory for the FMC that you learn throughout the book that make some sense for why the events are happening and some idea for the other characters. I don't feel like I knew them. Everything felt super rushed despite being almost 300 pages (it didn't feel like 300 pages, it felt so much shorter).
With that being said, I'm aware this book made for teens and I think it was written well for a teenage audience. It's not super complicated and easy to grasp with minimal characters. It's full of action, mystery, and horror to keep the younger mind engaged for a quick read and an introduction to the horror genre. Even though I've read my fair share of horror books, this book got me excited to continue reading more books for the fall/halloween season.
Thank you, Simon Teen, for the ARC!
With that being said, I'm aware this book made for teens and I think it was written well for a teenage audience. It's not super complicated and easy to grasp with minimal characters. It's full of action, mystery, and horror to keep the younger mind engaged for a quick read and an introduction to the horror genre. Even though I've read my fair share of horror books, this book got me excited to continue reading more books for the fall/halloween season.
Thank you, Simon Teen, for the ARC!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Night of Madness blew my socks right off! The atmosphere was amazingly creepy and horrific and the perfect spooky season read. Mara is a force to be reckoned with and I loved her character.
This story captures a lot of interesting topics regarding social media and influencers while crafting it around a truly gory and intense horror plot. I've seen enough videos on Tik Tok of haunted houses and the extreme to fully appreciate the vibe of Jack's Asylum set where all the madness takes place. I loved all the different areas in the Asylum. It made for a super interesting setting.
I thought Douglas did a great job mixing the horror elements with the backstory with Mara's dad. It was sprinkled in enough to keep it in the back of my mind as things got connected but didn't take away from the horror plot at all.
I really enjoyed the mix of characters in the influencer group. The different personalities made the competition interesting.
Also, hello the epilogue?? I'm dying to know what's next! If you're looking for a book that gives Wilky Wonka but psycho and live streamed then this book is for you!
Thank you to Simon Teen for the ARC!!
This story captures a lot of interesting topics regarding social media and influencers while crafting it around a truly gory and intense horror plot. I've seen enough videos on Tik Tok of haunted houses and the extreme to fully appreciate the vibe of Jack's Asylum set where all the madness takes place. I loved all the different areas in the Asylum. It made for a super interesting setting.
I thought Douglas did a great job mixing the horror elements with the backstory with Mara's dad. It was sprinkled in enough to keep it in the back of my mind as things got connected but didn't take away from the horror plot at all.
I really enjoyed the mix of characters in the influencer group. The different personalities made the competition interesting.
Also, hello the epilogue?? I'm dying to know what's next! If you're looking for a book that gives Wilky Wonka but psycho and live streamed then this book is for you!
Thank you to Simon Teen for the ARC!!
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