*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.
Publication Date: September 3, 2024
Publisher: Tor Nightfire
Pages: 208
Genre: Horror
Trigger Warning: animal cruelty, animal death
Rating: 4/5
The Night Guest is a translated Icelandic horror novella following Iðunn who has been battling crippling fatigue and unexplained bruising. Of course the various doctors she sees have no real answers for her and friends and family try to give her advice that showcases the fact that they have no clue how truly devastating the fatigue is. However, Iðunn does decide to try out an activity watch and is horrified to realize that she walked 40,000 steps while she thought she was sleeping. She then tries everything she can to figure out where she is going at night and why her night time injuries are getting worse.
This was an atmospheric and increasingly creepy read. The idea of not having control of your body while you think you are sleeping is a horrifying idea and Knútsdóttir truly brought the ick factor. She paced this story so perfectly that the suspense and disturbing events start unfolding slowly but then build up to an intense, yet not fully satisfying ending.
I never at any point in the story had any idea of what was going to happen next to the point where I could not put this book down until I finished at 2 in the morning. Sadly, I think this is the only work of Knútsdóttir’s that has been translated because I would love to read more from her.
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