A review by illtakethenightshiftx
Your Shadow Half Remains by Sunny Moraine

dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Your Shadow Half Remains is blurbed as “Bird Box” meets “The Last of Us” and it definitely lives up to both of those comparisons! The story follows Riley, a woman living alone by a lake while a pandemic, violence, and uncertainty unfolds around her. We meet Riley 2 years into this ‘new world’ and she has adjusted to life on her own…or has she? Things change when Ellis moves in down the street…

Moraine builds suspense and tension from page 1 in a way I haven’t felt since reading The Shining for the first time a few years ago. There are also strategically placed scenes and instances of visceral violence that really bring the reader into Riley’s world and help root the reader in her reality. There were several times reading this where my notes said “EW GROSS I LOVE IT” so body horror fans, this may be for you 😉

This novella is eerie, dark, and unsettling with an unstable and unreliable main character which adds to the creepy atmosphere Moraine builds throughout the story. I found myself thinking of this novella before falling asleep last night whenever I heard a strange noise in the house or outside.

At times, the dialogue between Riley and Ellis and Riley’s internal monologue got a bit confusing for me but I loved the unreliability of Riley as a narrator. It was a little slow to start, but once things started happening, I was invested and read it over the course of an afternoon/morning. 

I cannot recommend this enough for horror fans and I hope that everyone checks it out on February 6!!!
Expand filter menu Content Warnings