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340 pages, Paperback
First published September 7, 2021



The intruder looms closer, rising even higher above me. The doors groan. The band of light grows narrower, tightening into a ribbon, and then a sliver, and then nothing at all as the doors snap closed. It is inside the closet with me.
If it’s hoping to frighten me out of my own home, it will be surprised by how resilient I can be… and how little I have to lose.
“Please.” I do not know who I am begging, only that I am willing to plead with anyone who will listen. There is no one, though. Only me. And the walls are growing tighter.
This novel gripped me with horror from the very first sentence. Coates combines metaphors and grotesque imagery in a way that immediately sets the reader on edge.
The haunting of Leigh Harker is creepy in part because of its uniqueness. The strange occurrences that are happening in Leigh's house are unlike your typical haunting. I can’t go into specifics without spoilers, but the way that the “something” that appears in her doorway looks and acts is all so peculiar, and because of that, there’s a fresh level of terror associated with it.
All this said, the terror grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go. It’s one horrifying scene after another, and there came a point where I became a little numb to it all. I started to notice not-so-minor plot holes. But then, there was the twist.
I can’t say much about the twist without spoiling everything. But it’s a twist that simultaneously slowed the horror and added a new level of horror. The twist explained away the plot holes that I’d been rigorously making note of. A novel that was once just straight up chills and thrills without much depth beyond that became much more intriguing, the twist adding a layer of mystery to the plot.
Unfortunately, the very final twist wasn’t as good as the twist that happened fairly early on in the novel. It came somewhat out of left field, and wasn’t as well supported by the rest of the storyline.
All this said, this is a creepy and beautifully written novel, worth reading for the immersive writing style and that first massive, jaw-dropping reveal that forced me stay up all night reading until I reached the last page.
*Thank you to the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for the ebook to review*
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