My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Genre: Horror
Release Date: June 25th, 2024
Pages: 384
Synopsis:
“To eight-year-old Bela, her family is her world. There’s Mommy, Daddo, and Grandma Ruth. But there is also Other Mommy, a malevolent entity who asks her every day: “Can I go inside your heart?”
When horrifying incidents around the house signal that Other Mommy is growing tired of asking Bela the same question, over and over . . . Bela understands that unless she says yes, soon her family must pay.
Other Mommy is getting restless, stronger, bolder. Only the bonds of family can keep Bela safe but other incidents show cracks in her parents’ marriage. The safety Bela relies on is on the brink of unraveling.
But Other Mommy needs an answer.”
Review:
There were parts of this story that gave me goosebumps.
I was reading at night and sometimes had to put it down because I just couldn’t take the feelings of dread. There are scenes that are truly terrifying.
Reading from the child’s POV didn’t bother me as much as I expected it to, in fact, I thought it was really the best way to tell this story.
However, the parts where the parents were ranting and venting while she was “asleep” simply so that we, as readers, could get more details didn’t really work for me. It pulled me out of the story because it just didn’t feel very realistic to me.
I also thought that the running around frantically from house to house seemed a little ridiculous (but so were the adults) and repetitive.
The ending really pissed me off but it made sense.
This one was all about the experience for me.
The horror/paranormal aspects were done so extremely well I thought I’d have nightmares.
This would make a fantastic movie.
I felt this one, chilling to the bone.
4.5 rounded up.
Read if you like:
👻 paranormal/haunting
⏩ fast-paced
💤 not being able to sleep at night
Huge thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me an early copy of this amazing story! I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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