No Good Night for Gentle Beasts

by Suzanne Berget

348 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication October 1, 2026

About the author

Suzanne is a huge nerd, a writer, a bookseller, an occasional seamstress (more pockets please) and a games journalist from Norway. She has written around 4500 news pieces, articles, previews and reviews about video games, and been published in 13 countries, including Taiwan.

Two of her short stories have been published in the literary magazines Bøygen and Kamilla.

Let Slip the Beasts is her first novel.

Reviews

[Suzanne Berget]

Just popping by to say: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

I can't believe the book is almost here! It's been three years in the making, and I'm so damn proud of it. I really hope you enjoy it too <3

Some trigger warnings before you get started: Anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, graphic violence and gore, imprisonment, alcohol and drug use, s*xual content (open door consensual intercourse).

Have fun!

xoxo, Suzy

[Odd Karsten Svartaas · Rating 5 out of 5]

No Good Night for Gentle Beasts is author Suzanne Berget's second published book, and it is a delight to see her flex her penmanship unrestrained by the years of revisions and work that went into her first book. Here, we get to see just how much she has grown and developed as an author, with the result being an overall stronger story containing more fleshed-out (and interesting) characters.

The hacky-slashy gorey bits (that are becoming somewhat of a trademark) are still present! But joining them are solemn reflective sections that I enjoyed and action scenes tense to a point that it invokes imagery of held breath.

The character arc of Kalliope is perhaps of the most interest to this particular reader. The titular "monster" of the Monstermorphosis-series goes through a lot in this book. Not just physically because - holy hell - she gets more shares of abuse at the hand of the author than most protagonists . But she has to overcome challenge after personal challenge in her quest to take down VyroGen, and is forced to grow as part of it.

And so I found myself reflected in Kalliope. In her struggles with guilt and interpersonal relationships, with her trying her hardest not being enough (despite the efforts expended), the propensity to addictive behaviour and substance abuse. It made me feel deeply connected to the character, and the flaws (actual flaws) made her humanity come through with a genuinity that made me tear up at more than one occation.

I have no qualms about giving this book full marks. The pacing is good, and the storyline far more clear than in the first entry of the series. It is what a good sequel should be: An improvement on the good parts, with fewer hiccups, and a smoother experience overall.