I did not know reading this that there was a prior novel that related heavily on prior events in this novel. I wanted to enjoy this and thought the curse cast to do horrifying acts was interesting but the pacing of the book was also not great IMO. Plus it had a few predictable plot points. I really wanted to like this but I could not get there.

I think other readers may get more out of this book than me. It is obvious you have to read the first book to enjoy this one. I did not know there was a prior book. I cannot recommend this as a good standalone book because the prior book relates to this one. Example: reading Breaking Dawn first without reading Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse.

I did like the cover and the overall concept.

Thanks to Megan Shepard, Netgalley and Hyperion Avenue for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Already available

My first warning is this: I did not realize this was the second book in a series before I started reading. So, other than searching the book on Goodreads, reading the blurb, and then scrolling until I found a solid review, I have no first hand knowledge of Book #1. I don't know if that matters or not, but felt like it needed to be said. I may have missed something from the first installment and that's on me.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review which you can find below.

Genre-blending is one of my favorite things, especially when it's done with skill. I'm a reader with many likes, most of them dark or dark-adjacent. It was nice to see several genres represented here in a way that was cohesive and made sense. Fantasy and horror readers alike may be attracted to this series.

The story starts with two sisters (one's I've gathered aren't familiar with one another or were estranged) on the road. One seems a little unhinged and the other a bit more rational. They're searching for something and maybe running from something as well and they have an foe, a salesman named Arnold with the power to persuade anyone to do anything. The book is full of monsters and while not terribly scary does have nods to horror ages gone by. At it's heart, though, the story is about two sisters. I'm not sure I liked either one and I'm not sure I'm supposed to but I think this was a solid exploration of family relationships.

Megan Shepherd continues her Malice Compendium with Midnight Showing. Make no mistake, however. Midnight Showing is not a sequel you can pick up and understand without reading the first book. Not only does Ms. Shepherd refer to scenes from the first book, she does not recap what happened. Therefore, you need to know who Haven is, what happened at Malice House, and why she is on the run.

Don't let that prevent you from checking out this series, however. The first book, Malice House, is a fascinating mix of horror and fantasy, and Midnight Showing continues that trend. This time, instead of exploring Haven's prowess, we follow alongside Haven and her sister as they seek to uncover more about their lineage and the curse that dogs their family.

As any good horror story enthusiast knows, sometimes the scariest monsters are the ones we create with our imaginations. This is a fact Haven learns the hard way in the first book. This time, however, the monsters she faces aren't her own making, upping the stakes as she seeks to minimize the damage these creations wrought.

Like any good sequel, we get the answers to some lingering questions while Ms. Shepherd raises even more. There continues to be a good blend of horror and fantasy, and the addition of Haven's sister allows for some much-needed dry humor to ease the tension. Midnight Showing is a fantastic spooky read for the season and worthy of any horror lovers' attention.

I love this sort of niche genre of children discovering books/writings/films/etc from a deceased relative and it takes them on a journey. This reminded me of Night Film and Silver Nitrate, which I also read recently. I was especially excited about this because I loved Malice House. This has so many other things that are firmly in my personal wheelhouse, as well - horror, monsters, a secret, family drama, and mystery. Megan Shepherd has become a must-read for me.

Perfect for fans of Grady Hendrix's How To Sell A Haunted House! To get the full effect, please read "Malice House" first as this is the second book in the series and you need to read the first to understand the plot of this one.

This series is a perfect light horror, where there are moments that can be unnerving but not overwhelming. In this next book, we are again exposed to the mystery behind the family name and how Haven and her sister, Kylie, powers work in the creation of creatures. This book mainly follows this idea behind finding out the truth about the mysteries in their life. Yet again, this leads the girls to interact with Uncle Arnold and the horrors he has decided to hunt down.

If you like light horror books, and books about creations coming to life, I fully recommend this book for something enjoyable. Thank you for the chance to read and review this next installment in Shepherd's series!

This series is refreshingly brilliant. Following Malice House, this was an incredibly strong sequel just as compelling. What happens when the monsters from horror films make their way off screen and the monsters from pages meet, absolute chaos. You encounter Haven and Kylie embarking on a journey to discover more about their family and more about the curse that has ensnared their family, creating a legacy of darkness and death. They soon encounter an article that sounds remarkably similar to what they had encountered back at Malice House, but this time it’s an old film company that whose monsters had walked off the screen and murdered a few people. When the author of the story ends up death and the body count starts to climb, it’s up to Haven, Kylie, Rob, and Rafe to find some answers, including trying to locate Uncle Arnold who seems hell bent on trying to revamp the world. What twists and turns will this story wield, you’ll truly have to check it out, but maybe Urban Legends aren’t such a stretch of the imagination after all.

This is the perfect fall read, it's dark and spooky and filled with people and things that go bump in the night.

Now this is book two, and while it could be read as a standalone, reading book one first will enhance your reading experience.

What starts as a story about going home to face the realities of adulthood becomes a murder mystery that spans decades, filled with monsters that make you realize sometimes humans are the big bad thing in the dark.

Thank you to Hyperion Avenue and NetGalley for providing a copy of this e-book, I have read and reviewed it and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is the follow-up novel to Malice House by Megan Shepherd. While some books in a series can be enjoyed as a stand-alone, I think the reader will understand and appreciate this one more if Malice House is read first. The home, its history, and her father’s legacy are further explained in the first book, adding key elements of horror to the second book.
Haven and her newly discovered sister Kylie are in search of clues into their family’s curse. Haven can’t draw and Kylie can’t write. If either does, the curse gives life to whatever entity they’ve created. Some entities are irresistible and some are pure terror.
Megan Shepherd has an exceptional talent for creating an environment of fear and the writing prowess to breathe life into her characters. I loved Malice House and enjoyed the follow-up, but the pace was a bit slower with a little more chatter, which took away from the tense atmosphere. I highly recommend both for any horror readers.
Thanks to Hyperion Avenue for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date was October 3, 2023.

The follow-up to Shepherd’s eerie story, Malice House is filled with even more extraordinary monsters and bogeymen and an exceptionally horrifying story in which reality versus frightening villains created at an old movie studio.

As her father’s monsters in which he wrote, created and then they came to life are still lurking in all corners of the world, Haven, his daughter, a monster herself, who also has the power to draw creatures and her step-sister Kylie who has the power to write the stories are on the hunt to find their relatives who can hopefully explain to them why this happened and how to stop the killing.

They flee to Hollywood, where Haven’s former mysterious boss who use to send her horror movies from the deep dark web to review lives. There they begin to understand there was a horror film company from the early 1950’s whose logo seems to mysteriously appear on some of the dead bodies. One an actress from the era.

As they begin to get closer to finding out who her relatives are, all roads seem to point to her Uncle Arthur, a crazy monster her father created. He is wreaking havoc on not only her but is trying to kill all of her relatives so he can live forever.

But unbeknownst to them, monsters from these old movies mysteriously draw Haven and Kylie to them. But why? It’s now up to the two women to figure out how to stop these crazy monsters who seem to have so much power. Or they will all die.

Midnight Showing is filled with creative monsters both from the past and the present, an intriguing imaginative story you won’t want to stop reading, which includes a main character who herself is one of them. One thing is for sure, they must figure out how to kill Uncle Arthur and the dead movie monsters before they take over the world!

Excited to see where Haven and Kylie’s journey take them next!

Thank you #NetGalley #HyperionAvenue #MidnightShowing #MeganShepherd for the advanced copy.

Thank you Hyperion for the next book in the Malice series from Megan Shepherd. This is a solidly creepy story, filled with gothic vibes and gore. It was just what I was looking for in a month with strong haunted stories and creepy horror.... a great read to go with fans of the earlier Malice House book and for fans of Rachel Harrison and similar writers. The story is intense but satisfying, effectively paced and scary.

This is the follow-up to Malice House. The book continues with Haven and Kylie on a journey to discover where Haven was created. There is a lot of secrecy, people chasing the girls, unexpected help from others and danger around every corner. I could so empathize with the girls not be able to draw or write. They knew the consequences would be detrimental. This book was just as good as the first.

Midnight Showing is the sequel to Malice House by Megan Sheperd. It follows Haven and her half sister Kylie trying to uncover the family curse. What Haven draws comes to life and so does Kylie's writing. Together they have to remind each other to not do what they love to do while trying to solve two murders. Some of the old charcters from Malice House shows up again in Midnight Showing. Rob, the guy who sends Haven snuff horror movies to review, Rafe, the Harinbeige, Uncle Arnold, and the Witch of Went all charachers in her father's last unpublished book. This one was a fast paced read that I couldn't put down. I was on the fence about this since it was a sequel and I thought that Malice House was just ok. Midnight Showing I loved!

This book had so many aspects of what makes a great thrilling read. Magic, lore, gothic feel, darkness, and chills! I will be reading more of Megan Shepherd!!

How many books are in a compendium?! I hope it’s a lot because I could get lost in the Malice House Compendium for as long as Megan Shepherd puts them out.

Thank you Disney Hyperion and Netgalley for the egalley in exchange for an honest review.

Midnight Showing was a perfect follow up to Malice House. In this book, Haven is on the run and in a mission to find out more about the family curse after the events that unfolded in Malice House. This book centers around old horror films and there are more spooks, more creatures, more murder. I loved the haunted house and books aspect of book one and I love how the author changed up book two with film so we weren’t tired of the same story.

There’s so much more to learn about the family curse and how to stop it, which I hope means book three 🤞🏻 I am excited to see where the road takes Haven. I need more Rafe and more sisterly dynamics with Kylie. I also can’t wait to see learn how to use this curse to her advantage.

This was a well written, fast paced horror novel and, having just finished Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, I can more appreciate the 'cursed film' genre. I enjoyed the references to the films and that it all fits together nicely. All of that said, I did not realize, when I requested this book, that it was a sequel to 'Malice House'. It would have made more sense if I had read that one first. And THAT said, there are series of books (i.e. JD Robb's 'In Death' books) where, while the books make more sense in order, any one of them can be read alone because a little bit of background is introduced throughout the novel. If that had happened with this book it would have made a lot more sense to me. I plan to read Malice House, as I enjoy Ms. Shepherd's style, and then re-read this book.

My copy of the ARC was provided by NetGalley and the publisher. The opinions expressed herein are my own.

Midnight Showing is book 2 in the Malice Compendium series by Megan Shepherd.
I really enjoyed reading Malice House. And MS was just as great as the first.
Shepherd has written another creepy, ingenious story. With intense writing, Megan takes us on a journey full of twists and turns and the unimaginable.
What a captivating read! The storyline was excellent and the characters were great. This thrilling mystery kept me hooked right from the start.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the opportunity to read this ahead of its publication date in return for my honest review.

First, I would like to thank NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Don't Write. Don't Draw. Haven and Kylie are half sister's trying to survive in a messed up world that has been twisted because of the creations Haven's father left behind. They are hunting for the truth about Haven's family which is cursed, after finding one of her father's last manuscripts. What happens is Haven draws or Kylie writes? The novel is full of twists, turns, and unexpected monsters.

You will find bits of old Hollywood in these pages, along with some spooky old film noir. There are trips to the desert, old abandoned hotels along with someone who is hunting Haven and Kylie.

The book is taking place in modern times because there is plenty of up to date technology being used.

I'm looking forward to the next in the series, because there seems to be much more to tell in this story.

A follow up / continuance of Malice House, published Oct 2022, Midnight Showing takes the premise of the original book....... if you can draw it, it will come to life and haunt you.......a step further. This is one time I'd definitely recommend you read the first book, the story will be much clearer if you do. Our team of good guys has gained a few members and have landed in California, where the movie monsters have come to life and joined their "hot off the page" kin to terrorize the unsuspecting among us.
This is clearly a nightmare I need to wake up from. I jump at all the scary bits in the movie and will not read horror after dark, especially if I'm alone. So I'm pretty sure, this excellent book is going to keep me awake and "listening for noises" the next several nights. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did!!!!

Monsters in drawings, writings, and movies come to life? Here are reasons to read the horror book:

Sequel - In this Sequel to Malice House, Haven and her sister Kylie are on the hunt

Family Background - to find out more about their family background and the curse that seems to fall on them

Old Friends - They end up in Los Angeles where they discover old friends, some from Malice House but also her mysterious “employer” Rob.

Movies - and she is horrified to discover that the movies she used to recap might contain monsters very similar to the ones she found in Malice House and they are coming to life!

Since I thought the first book was very creative, I wanted to read the second as well. I recommend reading the first one though to get the complete context of what they are running from and some of the characters in this book. Overall the book was sometimes disturbing, very compelling, but still kind of ending up a little disjointed. There is definitely another one coming, but I feel like even in 2 books, we still aren’t getting answers about things. I do like following Haven but I am not sure it’s enough to keep reading the series for me. If you like weird horror though, I do recommend picking this up.

"Midnight Showing" by Megan Shepherd is a thrilling and Gothic tale that takes readers on a dark and mysterious journey. The story centers around Haven Marbury, who finds herself entangled in a web of mayhem and darkness after discovering her late father's enigmatic manuscript. As she delves deeper into its secrets, she realizes that the malevolent forces it describes have become a real and terrifying threat to everyone around her.

Shepherd's writing in this book is nothing short of gripping and enthralling. She masterfully blends elements of horror and the supernatural, creating a chilling atmosphere that will send shivers down your spine. The comparisons to the works of Shirley Jackson are well-deserved, as "Malice House" exudes a similar sense of creeping dread and psychological tension.

The exploration of themes such as family, legacy, magic, and curses adds depth to the narrative, making it more than just a traditional horror story. The characters, especially Haven, are well-developed, and their struggles and fears are relatable, adding an emotional dimension to the tale.

As Haven embarks on her quest to uncover the truth and confront the malevolent Uncle Arnold, the story takes readers on a journey from desert scrublands to Hollywood mansions, all while unraveling a string of murders connected to her own family. The blend of reality and fiction in the Golden Age of horror films adds an intriguing layer to the plot.

In "Midnight Showing," Megan Shepherd weaves a tale of dark secrets, supernatural forces, and the power of storytelling. If you're a fan of Gothic horror with a modern twist and a strong sense of atmosphere, this book is a must-read. It will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page, and long after you've closed the book.