Author: Ania Ahlborn
Publisher: Gallery Books
Date To Be Published: August 19, 2025
This was the first book I’ve read by Ania Ahlborn, although I know her by reputation.
A mother is grieving the loss of her child, and a little child walks out of the forest. Could he take the place of her child Adam? And will her family of five kids accept him? One thing is for sure…the dogs are freaked out by him, and dogs know! Just sayin’.
Even though I went into this book blind (no pun intended), I felt like I knew where it was headed. I wanted to scream “what the heck are you waiting for, give that kid back!”. The writing was atmospheric, and you could picture the house, its isolation, and the woods behind it. There is a scene with wasps that had me squirming, and a few scenes where there is so much noise I could almost hear it. I did have some trouble distinguishing between the younger kids when they presented their points of view, but it didn’t detract from the story. Unlike some others, I didn’t have a problem with the ending, although again, it was predictable to me.
So even though it wasn’t my style of horror, I’m rounding up from 3.5 for the creepy kid factor, the atmospheric writing, and the uniqueness of the setting.
Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for an advance reader’s copy!
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