Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

I read this based on one of my favorite horror booktokkers recommendations and was pleasantly surprised! I read it in one sitting. It was really well written and the plot really didn't stop til the very last second. ( )

I don't think this is my brand of horror, but it wasn't awful. I haven't read American Psycho so I'm probably not picking up on all the references here, but I can feel it trying to emulate a lot of horror that's come before. ( )

Honestly super disappointed by this book considering how well-received it is. I read it in two days and it helped me get out of a bit of a graphic novel slump (love graphic novels and starting to enjoy manga, just missed being able to read an entire "regular" book), so that absolutely counts for something, but as I texted my boyfriend while I was reading, "if i wanted to read about someones slow drift towards insanity i could have read my own journal imma be real." It all felt either pointless or I was repulsed just because I was grossed out. This was my first horror novel so maybe that's what the genre is all about, but I guess I was hoping for something else. Also, I predicted every plot twist. Seriously. Every one. And I typically suck at that sort of thing. Oh well. I would still say maybe it's just that the genre is just not for me, thus the (I would say) generous three stars. ( )

Based on the cover alone, I knew that this book was going to be amazing. I wasn’t sure if it would be amazingly good or amazingly bad so I am quite pleased to report that it definitely falls into the good category for me. Now, this is not going to be a book for everyone but I really enjoyed it. I had hoped that it would be a little different when I picked it up and it was just that. It is gory, violent, and disturbing all rolled into one neat little package. I just couldn’t stop listening once I started.

Maeve spends her days working as a princess at Disneyland but her time away from work is often a bit more depraved. I don’t think that there is much that Maeve is unwilling to do and I really enjoyed just sitting back and waiting to see what she might do next. When she meets her best friend’s brother, Gideon, they seem to have an instant connection. I just loved the fact that basically, anything could happen within the pages of this novel.

This is the first time that I have had the opportunity to listen to Sosia Bacon’s work as a narrator and I must say that I was quite impressed. She really brought this story to life and added a layer of excitement through her reading. She had a very pleasant voice that was easy to listen to for hours at a time. I do believe that her narration added to my enjoyment of this story.

I would recommend this book to horror fans. I loved that this was a different kind of story that ended up being full of surprises. Maeve was not a nice character but I found that I liked her anyway. I will be on the lookout for future works by this talented author.

I received a review copy of this book from Macmillan Audio and Tor Nightfire. ( )

I'm really unsure how to review this and frankly I had a hard time finishing it.

The first 75% is pretty standard for a horror book in terms of violence/dark thoughts etc. Maeve has always known she was different but tries to bury it deep inside, after being advised by her grandmother that people won't like the "wolf" in her. She works at Disneyland, a place she has always loved, as one of the people in costumes greeting guests. But then she meets her friend's brother Gideon, and finally thinks she has found a kindred spirit. Together they start to act out in increasingly disturbing ways, unleashing the real Maeve.

But then it really crossed a line for me in the last 25% to the point that I had to skip entire chapters because listening to the scenes play out was making me nauseated. I'm sure some people are fine with this level of violence but to me it was basically torture porn and it's the reason I can't give this more than 3 stars.

Thank you netgalley and Macmillan audio for giving me an advanced review copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. ( )