Oh I loved this tale of faeries! Are they real, aren't they real? The faeries in this book are the ones I love. They were dark, folksy, mysterious and all sorts of wrong. The combination of those elements along with the psychological impact this had on our main protagonist was enthralling. The ending was ambiguous, but so was the rest of the story, so don't let that put you off. I had written this author off after I had DNF'd another of her books, just goes to show that second chances are worth taking.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

This is a book you'll either love or hate, and it's difficult to describe it without going into too much detail and giving things away.

You Let Me In is a dark and atmospheric novel that blends elements of horror, fantasy, and mystery. While the book has its strengths, it also has some flaws that I couldn't ignore.

One of the strengths of this novel is the author's ability to create a haunting and unsettling atmosphere. The story takes place in a remote Scottish village, and the author does an excellent job of evoking a sense of isolation and foreboding. The supernatural elements of the story are also well-done, with the faerie lore adding an eerie and otherworldly feel to the narrative.

However, the novel is also weighed down by other elements. The pacing is slow, with the story taking a long time to build momentum. The protagonist, Cassandra Tipp, is also difficult to sympathize with. While the author clearly intended for her to be a complex and flawed character, she often comes across as selfish and manipulative, making it difficult to root for her.

Additionally, the novel suffers from a lack of clarity. The narrative jumps back and forth in time, which can be confusing, and the ending feels rushed and unsatisfying. The resolution of the mystery at the heart of the story is also underwhelming, leaving the reader feeling somewhat unsatisfied.

Overall, You Let Me In is a mixed bag. While it has its strengths, such as the haunting atmosphere and supernatural elements, it is also weighed down by slow pacing, an unsympathetic protagonist, and a lack of clarity. I would give this book a rating of 3 stars out of 5, and recommend it to readers who enjoy this genre and aren't put off by the things I have pointed out above.

A strange, haunting, unsettling tale that paints a compelling visual picture - rather like reading a film - complete with scary faeries. Rather unnerving in places ... .

I understood what Camilla Bruce was trying to do, but that doesn't mean I liked it. In any way, shape or form. The inclusion of the magical realism in what could have been a simultaneously hard-hitting and horrendous story line of abuse and the dark places that it can create in a person, pushed it back to a fairy story: empty, hollow, devoid of all substance. For an overarching narrative that held so much potential, this one fell more than a little flat.

When I started reading "You Let Me In", I was expecting a strange and faintly creepy book, and a well-written one too if the rave reviews were to be believed. My only fear was that I was going to end up disappointed - it sounded SO up my alley, and SO perfect, that I was sure I was going to be dissatisfied with the actual thing.

What unfolded was one of the most gorgeously told, genuinely eerie stories I have ever had the privilege of reading. Like CJ Cooke's "The Nesting", which I read (and adored) recently, this novel cleverly plays with the supernatural elements of the story so that the reader can almost be reading two different stories - one in which the boogeymen are real and the narrator truthful, and another where either a self-serving, calculated liar or a disturbed mind are at work and the narration is controlled completely by that, and rendered unreliable as a result.

I loved the writing style, and the matter of factness of the narrator, and I enjoyed too how the story was set up - what we are reading is a manuscript written by our protagonist, Cassie, to be read by her potential heirs in the event of her going missing before they can inherit her estate.

I don't want to say much more as I don't want to give too much away - part of what I enjoyed about the novel was that it felt so fresh and unexpected -but if you're looking for something dark, eerie, beautiful and disturbing, this novel with its elements of gothic horror, folklore, and murder is the one for you.

Cannot recommend this highly enough - I'll be gifting this one A LOT this Christmas! Five easy stars from me, and I cannot wait to read more from this author. Just brilliant.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Cassandra Trip is dead... isn't she? She has left behind no body, just her fortune and one final manuscript. A strange and bold book, piquing the interest immediately and never releasing you. A visual, original feast.

This was a fascinating and riveting read that caught me completely off guard. I absolutely loved the dark, fantastical elements and how everything played out. Just great!

This book was intriguing, a really well written, dark thriller like nothing I've ever read before. It has a strong theme of make believe running through it in the land of the faeries, together with some other fairly disturbing stuff. But having said that, I really enjoyed the book. It left me wondering what I'd just read, and which bits maybe weren't quite what they seemed. Very clever!

This is a twisted, dark faerie tale unlike anything I've read before.
Cassandra lives with faeries, her friend Pepper-Man loves her.
Cassandra is an abused child.
Cassandra is the only person who can see the faeries, they take her into the mound and become her friends.
Cassandra is delusional.
She accidentally killed a man, so Pepper Man becomes him and they live as a married couple for 12 years.
She murders her husband in cold blood.

It's taken me a couple of days to write this review as I honestly don't know what I read. I loved the dark, twisted tale. I love how it raises so many more questions than it answers.
I think I need to reread a couple of times to fully appreciate this book, but for now, it's a 4* and please can someone talk to me about it!

I enjoyed this title so much! I thought the plot was so intriguing, and the characterization very strong! The description used by the author was so evocative I felt transported, and I kept turning until the very last page. I think the cover is very cute - I'll be sure to purchase this for my store!

This was certainly an interesting read. I don't think I have ever come across anything like it. From the first page I was intrigued, not hooked. Hooked is a far too violent term for the subtle magic of the narration.
From the start we are unsure who to believe. Having Cassie openly portrayed as an unreliable narrator, yet swear her story is the truth gives the whole thing a strangely misty quality that I think fits beautifully with the faerie elements.
The exploration of trauma, mental illness, magic and murder is confused and meshed in such a way that you as a reader can't quite decide what has or hasn't happened. Which is what I think is truly wonderful about this book. You are allowed to pick your own truth.
I believe, like Cassie, that her childhood trauma was both magical and man-made. To another this book could be a dark and devilish fantasy, and to the last a morbid exploration of denial and mental instability. It is for you as a reader to choose.
The longer I think about it the more impressive I find it. A fascinating read and a real staple for those who love a book you can really DISCUSS.

This book was creepy and disturbing, abstract and very dark in places. I enjoyed the overall concept but it didn't quite hit the mark for me - whilst I really wanted to get on board with the concept of the book I found myself tiring of the fairy themes and I started to find it repetitive and just a little too odd for me. I enjoyed the moments when the storyline linked back to the main character and her family but found myself losing interest at the extended sections that were more fantasy-like.

This was a really unique mystery thriller - finally something a little bit different. I enjoyed the story a lot, found it thrilling and enthralling. Well worth picking up and reading.

The story takes place a year after writer Cassandra Tipp has gone missing. Her nephews receive notification that they are her only heirs, and that they may have access to her entire fortune on one condition: they must read the novel she left for them because it contains the password they must give to Cassandra's solicitor, so that they can receive the money. What follows is a tale that caught me completely off guard.

What an engaging read. From the first pages I was enthralled. And when Cassie started talking about her Pepper-man, things just gained an entirely new dimension. Soon I was swept away to a world where faeries are real, but not nice fairies, and not necessarily bad either, just needy.

If you let yourself be swept away by the story of Cassie and her Pepper-man as I did, it will disturb you, disgust you even, but it will most definitely not leave you indifferent. I recommend this if you want to read something different, something that defines your perspective on reality. You will definitely need to keep an open mind, though!

Great frantasy read for adults, especially considering it is a debut. Well done!

Disclaimer: I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Bantam Press/Random House UK, Transworld Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this book. The premise sounded so amazing that I knew I wanted to read it, even though I wasn't necessarily sure if it was more fantasy or horror. You Let Me In falls directly into the dark fantasy category, and more specifically this is a book about fae. Had I known that going in then I might not have requested it but I am so glad I did because this book is phenomenal.

Cassandra Tipp is an author with a dark past. When she vanishes mysteriously, her niece and nephew must provide her lawyer with a password in order to inherit her estate, a password which can only be found in one last story she had left. This though is the true story of her life. Chosen at a young age to be the property of a fae being, she explains how all the dark deeds she has been accused of doing were really the work of fantasy beings. But which story is real?

This book was extremely well-written. I was instantly sucked into the world and the prose manages to be poetic and fitting of the fantasy elements without veering too far into needlessly flowery. Cassandra really draws you in as a character and the whole 'doubting whether the story is fantasy or if she is merely deluded' stuff is handled very well in my opinion. It would be easy for an author to misjudge and either make her a caricature or else too unreliable to connect with but she remains a compelling and engaging narrator throughout. The other characters who featured were also interesting, particularly the sister and therapist.

I strongly recommend this book, even to those who don't normally read dark fantasy. This is not horror in the traditional sense but it does contain horror elements. There is also a romance plotline and some sexual scenes so be aware of that. I would not recommend it to people who dislike the use of mental health for unreliable narration, but if you want a dark and mysterious story that draws you in, this is a perfect pick.

Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

Once again, I am faced with a mildly contradicting review. The writing from the very beginning of this strange book was atmospheric, and it had me on tenterhooks wondering what might happen. I was to be disappointed, but I will get to that part shortly.

The tale begins with the introduction of an enigmatic and an infamous aunt who has been missing long enough for her nephew and niece to be given access to her house. Once they enter their task is to read through a manuscript she has left behind and then use a passphrase to get their hands on the actual money. Then things got really weird, really fast. The story (about the aunt's past) was troubling and extraordinarily descriptive. If you take the story at face value, it is unsettling, but even if you look at it as hiding a more rational tale, that was torturous as well. It is a reasonably short title, meaning I got to the end fairly quickly although I was not happy to be there. I was a little shaken up even a couple of hours after reading it. I will not go into the details, but if you can focus on solely the writing, I recommend giving this a try, but the story is not something I would willingly tell anyone in its entirety.

I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is based entirely on my own reading experience.

A fascinating and creepy book- at first I thought this was a murder mystery/crime type thriller, but it is actually an amazing fantasy type novel with so many layers. The rich mythology of the fae reminded me of Neil Gaiman or Susannah Clarke, but the retelling of her youth reminded me of The Little Stranger. The main character is set up as an obviously unreliable narrator, who had been studied as an example of trauma induced fantasy, but her fantasy life is richly (and creepily) described. It is ambiguous and fascinating, and very well written. I couldn't put it down!

This was a really weird novel. I think it can become a new favorite to so many people. Unfortunately the writing style wasn't for me.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Transworld for providing me with an advanced readers copy of You Let Me In in exchange for this honest review. This review is also published on Grimdark Magazine: https://www.grimdarkmagazine.com/review-you-let-me-in-by-camilla-bruce/

Cassandra Tipp went missing a year ago. The elderly author left very specific provisions for this scenario in her will: a year after she had last been seen, her estranged niece and nephew would be let into her study and given her last manuscript, containing a password, to read. If they finished it and found the password, they would be able to claim their inheritance. But Cassie's truth might be more than they bargained for...

Told through an in-character memoir, the story is a closely reflected first-person account of Cassie's life and relationships from the time she was a child up to her disappearance late in life. Throughout, the reader is kept on their toes, as it soon becomes clear that Cassie is believed to be suffering from mental illness, while she herself tells a very different story of dark faerie companions. It is this narrative decision that makes this book so interesting: it keeps the story free of any sort of definite moral judgment on Cassie on the reader's part.

The pacing was great, and You Let Me In made for a great reading experience, especially due to its unique format. However, I do believe it would have benefited strongly from a second narrative strand - that of Cassie's niece Penelope and nephew Janus reacting to their situation. There was a hint of this through Cassie's memoir where she was narrating her expectations of their reactions, but it would have enhanced the story to have their views included, and their personalities shining through a little more.

Like them, many of the human secondary characters fell flat, which made sense in context of the storytelling choices made, so this is not a point of criticism - there merely did not merit much attention from Cassie. Her interest had always lain more with the mysterious faeries, especially the so-called Pepper-Man who had visited her since childhood. They are creepy, morbid and cruel, not properly alive, fascinating and intriguing, and we do not know much more about them by the end of the book. There is murder, magic, and more, though the exact ratio needs to be decided on by the reader based on the hints given. I've given this creepy, psychological fairy tale four of five stars, and am looking forward to seeing what Camilla Bruce comes up with next.