A review by selenotropic
Below by Laurel Hightower

inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

4.0

This novella was a really nice little surprise. It's a short and extremely fast-paced read, creepy without being terribly disturbing. The central narrator is a really likable anxious mess and I think the way the story essentially ends up as a nightmare that teaches her to trust herself is really cool. Early on I felt the writing was a little awkward, but that fell out as things got going, and there's some really potent prose, particularly in her description of the suffocating darkness and of one rather Clive Barker-y gore scene.

I also really appreciate that this book engages with Mothman lore, particularly the Mothman Prophecies, in a pretty meaningful way - similar to how folk horror functions. I would like to see more stories that engage with cryptids in a folk horror way, as opposed to just kind of as a generic monster!

Will definitely check out more by Hightower.