GRAVE MAGGER
Author: Karina Halle
Genre: Gothic, Psychological Thriller Romance
Release Date: October 23, 2024
Horror Romance meets science fiction in this dark and delicious gothic psychological thriller by NYT bestseller Karina Halle, perfect for fans of Gothikana, Ninth House, and Mexican Gothic.
Aspiring mycologist Sydney Denik is getting a second chance. When a dream opportunity presents itself with a prestigious foundation doing promising Alzheimer’s research, Sydney leaves the shambles of her old life to join a dozen other grad students at an isolated lodge hidden away in a remote, fog-shrouded inlet on Vancouver Island.
But the Madrona Foundation harbors more than brilliant minds. Everyone around her is hiding a terrible secret—including the resident psychologist she’s falling in love with. A student disappears, and no one but Sydney seems to care. Ghosts walk the halls. Snow falls in the middle of summer. Dead animals move like the living. The more Sydney uncovers about the foundation, the more she begins to question her own sanity. And if Sydney isn’t going mad, then the horrors in the surrounding forest are real, and the Madrona Foundation may be the biggest monster of all.
NOTE: This will be a live release on Amazon for paperback, ebook and hardcover on October 23rd 2024. The paperback and ebook cover is different from the case-laminate and dustjacket hardcovers. This is a standalone novel. Check content warnings inside the book or author’s IG closer to publication.
I could never escape this. He is the undertow, his kiss pulling down me to my fate. Or maybe it’s my doom. It’s too hard to tell.
Spine tinglingly creepy, edge of your seat suspenseful, and toe curlingly erotic. Oh but what a ride this story was.
You know what I absolutely love about Karina Halle? Her range in writing is unrivaled. This woman can take any genre and trope and make it her b*tch. I genuinely had no idea what to expect when I read the blurb to this book. All that I knew is that if Karina writes it, I will read it.
This was a slow build sort of story that truth be told took me a minute to fully get into. At first I even thought it would land the book at a solid 4 stars. But considering that it has now been 4 days since I finished it and I still can’t stop thinking about it, I’ve obviously rethought my rating. Yes it’s a slow build but there’s a reason to that madness. And after the jaw dropping conclusion, I actually went back and reread the first half and appreciated it that much more.
Sydney received a dream opportunity on the tail end of almost seeing her life crumple around her. She jumps at the chance to come to prestigious Madrona Foundation for their incredible research. But the second she steps outside of the airplane, things take a sinister turn. Nothing is as it seems and Sydney doesn’t know if she’s going crazy or there’s something more to what she swears she sees.
She doesn’t know what to make sense of what she’s convinced she sees. And she also doesn’t know how to fight her undeniable attraction and chemistry with the brilliant Professor Kincaid, who also happens to the leading professor for the studies at Madrona and her psychologist.
Now I won’t give you more than that, because this story needs to be experienced absolutely blind. But what I will say is reading it after knowing the ending made it that much better and that is saying something about the cleverness of this twisty story. This is one of those reads that’s perfect for the spooky season. It’s creepy but not gross with just the right amount of romance weaved in so that it doesn’t take anything away from the suspense and mystery component. The second half of this book had me riveted and the ending left me with my jaw on the floor.
When I tell you that you need to read this, trust me, you NEED to read this.
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