She Isn't Herself Tonight by Hailey Piper

 When Rabbit was ten years old, she was abducted by aliens. Then, it happened again when she was twenty. Now thirty, she’s ready for their next visit. What she isn’t prepared for is her boyfriend callously ending their long-term relationship and ejecting her from their shared home.

As her birthday approaches, the aliens still haven’t arrived. Rabbit descends into a spiral of growing paranoia and bizarre bodily transformations, until soon it seems that even her reflection has a mind of its own. With her only refuge being the chaos of strangers who might not have her best interests at heart, Rabbit worries that her ex’s abandonment not only severed her from his life, but also from her own. Struggling to orient herself within a world growing more topsy-turvy by the day, Rabbit must regain control before her aliens at last return.

Brittany, who prefers to be known as Rabbit, the nickname she was taunted with as a child, has been dumped by her boyfriend and put out of her home. Friendless and alone, she rents a room from a couple she barely knows.

In between stalking her ex and watching him walk the dog that she used to think of as hers, she waits with increasing anxiety for the aliens to come and take her. The anxiety is not fear that they will come; it is fear that they no longer want her. They came for her when she was 10 years old, and again when she was 20. It's nearly her 31st birthday, and she is still waiting. Have they abandoned her too? Rabbit feels no acceptance from anyone, including herself. Even her own reflection in the mirror hates her.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. This was my first read by Hailey Piper. Are they all this surreal and poignant? This is a story of trauma, body horror, and a desperation for love in a time of profound loneliness. I flew through this mind-blowing, genre-bending read with a mix of dread and hope for how it would end for Rabbit. 

My thanks to S&S/Saga Press for the e-ARC

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The Memory Tree by Heather Davey

A sinister Gothic folk horror from the bestselling author of The Ghosts of Merry Hall, in which a family in modern day England find their new home beset by the terrifying ghosts of the past. Ideal for lovers of gothic chillers by Laura Purcell, Susan Hill and Rebecca Netley.

When her husband, Ben, takes on his first parish in the rural community of Hope-Upon-Barrow, Kate Greenway feels like it could be a fresh start for the family. But from the moment they arrive, something just feels… off. It could be the mysterious housekeeper, Mrs Butterworth, so demanding and controlling of the family. It could be the locals, with their strange rituals and rites. Or it could be the yew tree which stands in their garden, whose presence brings headaches, visions and disturbing, unfamiliar memories that do not belong to Kate. 

As she investigates the strange things happening to her, Kate begins to delve into the history and memories of Hope-upon-Barrow, and the more she uncovers, the more she risks losing herself to something deadly and ancient. 

Told on two timelines, the present day and the 1800s, this is a story of grief, guilt, strange customs, and how they came to be.

 In the 1800s, we have best friends Octavia, the vicar's daughter, and Alice, whose family owns the nearby farm. When these friends are witness to a strange occurrence at the ancient yew tree and share this information with Octavia's father, tragedy and deception ensues which still, to this day has a hold over the community of Hope Upon Barrow.

In the present day, we have Kate, her young son Noah, and her husband Ben, who has just been appointed his first parish. As they move into the old vicarage by that same yew tree, Noah and Kate are both disturbed by memories that could not possibly be their own. 

That is all I will say about the plot. 

I liked the small community setting with their unnerving superstitions, but I preferred the characters from the past over the present day goings on. I had a lot of empathy towards Octavia and Alice and the gradual reveal of what they endured all those years ago. The climax near the end wasn't the shocking twist it was probably meant to be, because it was too easily inferred long before it was exposed.

My thanks to Titan Books for the e-ARC

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Rooted by Leopoldo Gout

Aurora, a successful art lawyer, has returned to Mexico to celebrate a recent campaign for the repatriation of stolen artifacts. In particular, a mysterious statue of an Aztec god.

There’s nothing wrong with Aurora.

But Mexico City isn’t as she remembered, and as she cares for her ailing mother, home isn’t as she remembered either. Nothing is as she remembered. Elements of her past hint at darkness and power, and reality begins to crack and warp the streets.

There’s nothing wrong with Aurora.

But some sicknesses can’t be healed. As Aurora’s sanity unravels, she must pry apart her family’s secrets and accept the simplest of The Flayed One cannot stay buried.

A quick review of what felt like a very long book for me.

Aurora has been away from Mexico for quite some time, so maybe it's not that unusual that things are markedly changed from her memories. But how can she have memories from before she was born? What mysterious illness is her mother suffering? And is she having some sort of breakdown, or are these dreams and hallucinations real?

I loved the prologue, but it gave away most of the plot.

"Mothers always hide things from their children. It's what we do. We carry burdens so our children don't have to."

History, folklore, body horror, mystery, it's all here if you can wait it out. The pace is very slow. I don't mean slow burn horror; I mean slow as molasses, especially compared to the prologue, which pulled me in right away. I wanted to love this as much as the author's previous book, Pinata, but it was just an ok read for me.

My thanks to Tor Nightfire for the paperback.

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