Hotel Akrasia: A Gothic Folk Horror Novella

by Evangeline Landon

In this debut quiet horror novella written and illustrated by Evangeline Landon, Hotel Akrasia is perfect for fans of subtle, creeping dread. It is an atmospheric cautionary tale about the horror of staying the same, with a complex character-driven plot told through multiple perspectives.

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At the isolated Hotel Akrasia, time itself seems to hesitate.

The guests arrive with their secrets; the staff remain with theirs. For as long as anyone can remember, the curse has governed life at the Hotel Akrasia, casting a bleary fog over anyone awake enough to notice. When a quiet young man from the enigmatic Marchetti family steps ashore, his presence disturbs the fragile balance of the hotel. As a superstitious sculptor, a jaded concierge, a concerned contractor and other stagnant souls cross paths with the mysterious Marchetti, they uncover a dark secret that may not let them go.

Each person holds a fragment of the truth.

Only you can piece it together.

153 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 30, 2026

About the author

Evangeline Landon is a writer and illustrator who grew up reading thrillers, horror novels, and stories with bizarre, magical worlds. She lives in Florida and writes alongside a giant, fluffy Goldendoodle who is unabashedly afraid of everything.

Reviews

[She’s Stranger Than Fiction · Rating 3 out of 5]

Akrasia is the state of acting against one’s own better judgement. The characters in the novella certainly do that. Hotel Akrasia is a luxury resort on a sunny island owned by the Abbott family and has a complex relationship with the powerful Marchetti family on the mainland. The families have not been friendly in a while, but the scions of both houses have brought all of the players to the hotel. The book reminds me a little of Alma Katsu’s Fiend but without that novel’s depth. There is an intense psychological buildup while the reader struggles to figure out what is actually going on. This plot is very character-driven, and the story has really good bones. Sadly, they were scantily fleshed out, and the novella turned out very underbaked. I would love to see Evangeline Landon take this story back and concentrate on adding depth. As it is, the ideas behind it are so loosely held together that I’m still not sure what the point of the whole thing is. Please, please, please don’t stop working on this book. Instead, feed it, love it, and give us more of it.

My thanks to Evangeline Landon, Victory Editing Co-op, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ARC. My opinions are 100% my own.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, spooky novella. Very gothic, all about the vibes.
The timeline of the story gets muddled and is sometimes hard to follow, but that kind of adds to the weirdness. Like, it fits and I ended up not minding it so much. I also liked the ambiguity/secrecy. If you like every little thing explained and to make sense, you won’t like this. But if you don’t mind that, it’s worth the ride.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

[Soups P.M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

You think you go to a beautiful hotel for a romantic getaway, but it turns out once you’re there, you don’t want to leave. Or is it that you can’t leave?

Either way, it was a refreshing summer read :)

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm surprised this is a debut. For being a short story, the author really managed to pack a whole lot into it. The whole thing is so well paced, every vignette grants more and more context without ever slowing the creeping dread. I really enjoy horror that never reaches a true climax. Not a slowburn so much as the unease just oozes from one page to the next until you suddenly realize you're on the last page, and now you're stuck just sitting quietly with your thoughts for a bit.

The book's blurb described it as complex and character-driven, but at no point did it say I was going to get all misty eyed, or that there would be twists that made me audibly gasp. I didn't even know a twist could be worked into such steady pacing without causing so much as a ripple. The presentation of different characters' neuroses was similar; such a slow, careful unfolding of each person's flavor of "not ok" that left my heart feeling a bit ragged for all that it made them seem more real.

This was a quick, enjoyable, bittersweet read that was really well written. The illustrations were a nice touch as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity.