Delicious Monsters
“A haunted house thriller packed with cryptic mystery, dark humor, and bone-chilling twists.” —Ryan Douglass, New York Times bestselling author of The Taking of Jake Livingston
The Haunting of Hill House meets Sadie in this “genuinely terrifying” (School Library Journal, starred review) psychological thriller following two teen girls navigating the treacherous past of a mysterious mansion ten years apart.
Daisy sees dead people—something impossible to forget in bustling, ghost-packed Toronto. She usually manages to deal with her unwanted ability, but she’s completely unprepared to be dumped by her boyfriend. So when her mother inherits a secluded mansion in northern Ontario where she spent her childhood summers, Daisy jumps at the chance to escape. But the house is nothing like Daisy expects, and she begins to realize that her experience with the supernatural might be no match for her mother’s secrets, nor what lurks within these walls…
A decade later, Brittney is desperate to get out from under the thumb of her abusive mother, a bestselling author who claims her stay at “Miracle Mansion” allowed her to see the error of her ways. But Brittney knows that’s nothing but a sham. She decides the new season of her popular Haunted web series will uncover what happened to a young Black girl in the mansion ten years prior and finally expose her mother’s lies. But as she gets more wrapped up in the investigation, she’ll have to decide: if she can only bring one story to light, which one matters most—Daisy’s or her own?
As Brittney investigates the mansion in the present, Daisy’s story runs parallel in the past, both timelines propelling the girls to face the most dangerous monsters of all: those that hide in plain sight.
The Haunting of Hill House meets Sadie in this “genuinely terrifying” (School Library Journal, starred review) psychological thriller following two teen girls navigating the treacherous past of a mysterious mansion ten years apart.
Daisy sees dead people—something impossible to forget in bustling, ghost-packed Toronto. She usually manages to deal with her unwanted ability, but she’s completely unprepared to be dumped by her boyfriend. So when her mother inherits a secluded mansion in northern Ontario where she spent her childhood summers, Daisy jumps at the chance to escape. But the house is nothing like Daisy expects, and she begins to realize that her experience with the supernatural might be no match for her mother’s secrets, nor what lurks within these walls…
A decade later, Brittney is desperate to get out from under the thumb of her abusive mother, a bestselling author who claims her stay at “Miracle Mansion” allowed her to see the error of her ways. But Brittney knows that’s nothing but a sham. She decides the new season of her popular Haunted web series will uncover what happened to a young Black girl in the mansion ten years prior and finally expose her mother’s lies. But as she gets more wrapped up in the investigation, she’ll have to decide: if she can only bring one story to light, which one matters most—Daisy’s or her own?
As Brittney investigates the mansion in the present, Daisy’s story runs parallel in the past, both timelines propelling the girls to face the most dangerous monsters of all: those that hide in plain sight.
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Community Reviews
Originally reviewed on Cyn's Workshop
Delicious Monsters is a complex and chilling tale that addresses trauma in all its forms, forcing people to face their trauma and reveal the monsters that live in the past and present.
Gripping Story
Delicious Monsters is a story split into two POVs. One follows Daisy, reeling over the breakup with her much older boyfriend, when her mother gets a letter informing her that her brother-in-law has passed, leaving her his estate on an island off the coast of Ontario.
Flash forward to ten years later, and we are following Brittney, who is determined to bring a name to the girl found dead ten years ago in the mansion her mother swears made her a better person and a better mother. But Brittney knows better.
Each storyline has to deal with the complex relationships between single mothers and their daughters. But they also deal with the cycle of abuse, physical, emotional, mental, and sexual. It is haunting and chilling and also easily moves between POVs.
I loved the ease at which the novel moved and how eerie the setting was. Instantly, you could tell that there was something wrong with the house. Daisy’s perspective focuses more on the haunting, the eerie atmosphere, and the haunting. It is more chilling to read, but it sucks the reader in.
For Brittney, her POV is more investigative journalism. We’re putting the pieces together, gripped by the present, whereas the past is still unfolding. It creates so much tension and mystery that it balances Daisy’s arc brilliantly.
Final Thoughts
Word of the wise, Delicious Monsters does deal with tough topics such as sexual abuse, not explicitly but by implication. However, Sambury’s storytelling, the way the characters and story evolve, is masterful and gripping.
See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Twitter | Tumblr | Spotify Podcast | YouTube | BookBub | Goodreads+ | LinkedIn
A haunting and chilling tale, Delicious Monsters takes readers into a chilling haunted house filled with ghosts, both alive and dead.
Delicious Monsters is a complex and chilling tale that addresses trauma in all its forms, forcing people to face their trauma and reveal the monsters that live in the past and present.
Gripping Story
Delicious Monsters is a story split into two POVs. One follows Daisy, reeling over the breakup with her much older boyfriend, when her mother gets a letter informing her that her brother-in-law has passed, leaving her his estate on an island off the coast of Ontario.
Flash forward to ten years later, and we are following Brittney, who is determined to bring a name to the girl found dead ten years ago in the mansion her mother swears made her a better person and a better mother. But Brittney knows better.
Each storyline has to deal with the complex relationships between single mothers and their daughters. But they also deal with the cycle of abuse, physical, emotional, mental, and sexual. It is haunting and chilling and also easily moves between POVs.
I loved the ease at which the novel moved and how eerie the setting was. Instantly, you could tell that there was something wrong with the house. Daisy’s perspective focuses more on the haunting, the eerie atmosphere, and the haunting. It is more chilling to read, but it sucks the reader in.
For Brittney, her POV is more investigative journalism. We’re putting the pieces together, gripped by the present, whereas the past is still unfolding. It creates so much tension and mystery that it balances Daisy’s arc brilliantly.
Final Thoughts
Word of the wise, Delicious Monsters does deal with tough topics such as sexual abuse, not explicitly but by implication. However, Sambury’s storytelling, the way the characters and story evolve, is masterful and gripping.
See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Twitter | Tumblr | Spotify Podcast | YouTube | BookBub | Goodreads+ | LinkedIn
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 4 stars
I grabbed this one for the cover,
I stayed for the deliciously thrilling horror story within.
The book is told in dual POV by two girls, 10 years apart, and both dealing with tragic familial relationships; especially with their mothers.
On top of the family drama there is a paranormal element that comes in to play; with thrills that have you gripping your seat and chills that leave your spine tingling, this one is for fans of the dark and disturbing.
I grabbed this one for the cover,
I stayed for the deliciously thrilling horror story within.
The book is told in dual POV by two girls, 10 years apart, and both dealing with tragic familial relationships; especially with their mothers.
On top of the family drama there is a paranormal element that comes in to play; with thrills that have you gripping your seat and chills that leave your spine tingling, this one is for fans of the dark and disturbing.
Haunting story of one family's toxicity, trauma, and abuse all wrapped up in one house. Listen, I am a romantasy girly through and through, but this story was the right amount of dark, terrifying, and real to make me love this paranormal story. I was not a fan of the characters for a good chunk of the time, mainly Grace (mom). I thought she was manipulative, emotionally abusive, and controlling. I knew exactly who Noah and Peter were from the get-go. I was captivated by the writing and how the story unfolded. But what got me was how Liselle was able to unfold the multiple characters stories at once and display how childhood trauma whether it be physical abuse, neglect, psychological, or CSA, affects a person's life for years to come/well into adulthood. The themes throughout this book are haunting and a painful reality too many people suffer from. One final word: f*ck you Noah, F***CK YOU PETER, and f*ck you Dione.
World building: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ending: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
World building: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ending: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I went into this book blind, and it blew my mind. I didn't know what I expected, but this book was well-written!
This book includes diversity. There are BIPOC characters, and there is side character lesbian representation, and there is gay representation.
This is not a happy book; you can find:
This book includes diversity. There are BIPOC characters, and there is side character lesbian representation, and there is gay representation.
This is not a happy book; you can find:
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