Eerie. Apprehensive. Brave. 

🇺🇸 Set in a gothic-style Art Deco apartment across from Central Park in New York, USA 

POV: Told in third-person narration, we mainly follow a married couple grappling with the challenges of new parenthood and post-birth trauma. 

 

Mood Reading Match Up: 

-Infusions of grown-up Goosebumps vibes set against a gothic Manhattan backdrop. 

-Integrating folklore horror and mythological creatures into urban life 

-Strong, complex character studies (including the monsters) with gradually evolving atmospheric plots 

-Exploring themes and social commentary on luck, heritage, Jewish identity, the rawness of parenthood, birth trauma, and struggling with new parent identities. 

 

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🐺 Growls, Howls, and Tail Wags 🐕 

✏️ Writing: The writing style is direct and to the point, immediately drawing me in. 

 

🫥 Characters: The narrative provides a ‘fly on the wall’ perspective, mainly from Ana and Reid’s points of view, but also includes other characters when relevant. 

 

🗺️ Worldbuilding: The setting in Manhattan feels authentic and immersive, with sensory details that create a parallel universe feel. The lore around the building adds an extra layer of intrigue. 

 

🔥 Fuel: Suspense is masterfully built through scenes that lack context, keeping me guessing and engaged. 

 

🐇 Pacing: The pacing is well-executed, maintaining momentum even through intense scenes. 

 

🎬 Scenes: The novel has a cinematic quality, I want a movie/mini-series adaptation! 

 

💭 Random Thoughts: The portrayal of a parent struggling with bonding and resentment towards their child is handled with depth and realism, exploring the complexities and often unspoken aspects of parenthood. I love how this veers away from the typical mother-child bond, momma bear worship. 

 

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Content Heads-Up: Medical (birth injury). Disability (inaccessibility, paralysis). Ableism. Covid-19 (recall). Racist character (antisemitism). Anxiety, panic attacks (experienced, triggered). Toxic parent. Sexual content (consenting, relationship). Post-partum depression (recalled, insinuated). Unemployment. Suicidal thoughts, attempt. Sleep deprivation. Loss of a parent (recall, grief). Body horror (mutation, feeding, body fluids). 

Rep includes: Jewish American, differently-abled (wheelchair mobility) and White characters, delving into their experiences and traditions. 

 

Format: Library Digital via Libby. 

 

🤩 This was one of my Favourite Books of 2023

 

“Reviews are my musings 💖 powered by puppy snuggles 🐶 refined by my AI Bestie ✨”