The whole book was amazing. It kept me on my toes, the ending was perfect. I hope there's another book to it. I'm so blown away!

When your therapist says to personify your mental health struggles, this isn't what they meant. Pretty decent horror story.

Sadly this wasn’t for me. I had to put it down and dnf it. The synopsis was great, I was looking forward to a horror dystopian novel! But sadly I didn’t feel a connection to any of the main characters and was missing a certain spark.

This was not a book for me. The description sounds so intriguing but I could not manage the execution. Repetitive and not as creepy as I thought it would be.

Thanks to Netgalley and Book Whisperer for this ARC.

Your own personal monster....

A century after “the great consumption” , Anthem works as a “Exilist.” His job is to trap shivers and banish them outside the walls in the deadlands. He, like many of those living in the city, has his very own shiver. Shivers are ravenous monsters/creatures that latch onto their hosts and follow them around until they consume them. People can see them but act as if they cannot. What must it be like to have your own personal monster? One that you carry around with you for others to see.

Anthem is given a harrowing task. One that takes him away from his young daughter and beyond the walls and into the deadlands. It is not an easy task, in fact it is extremely dangerous, unnerving, dark, and unpredictable. There are not many characters in this book which puts the full focus on Anthem, the shivers, the supporting characters, and the plot.

This is a dystopian book with a message about our own personal "monsters." There is action and some creepy and scary scenes. It shows both the best and worst of humanity. I found this book to be unique, horrific, thought provoking, and enjoyable. I enjoyed the vivid descriptions, tension, and action in this book. This book is a nice merging of several genres - horror, science fiction, paranormal, dystopian, and even mystery. The Monsters in our Shadows played out like a movie in my mind. Anthem is a character to root for and I enjoyed how his character gained insight and grew over the course of this book.

Original, creepy, dark, horrific and thought provoking!

Up there with all of the best extinction level event books, bringing drama,tension and fear all into one text. I really enjoyed this read

An excellent horror. Well written with good, solid characters. Anthem, the Exilist, about to be replaced, discovers all is not quite as it seems. He journey through the Deadlands to find Felixidrine and encounters much more than he bargained for. His determination to save his daughter and others from  their Shivers is commendable and he pushes himself to the limit. I couldn't read it quick enough and the ending leaves it open for more. Highly recommended.

Sadly, to me, this is one of those "intriguing premise but mediocre execution" cases.
The synopsis really appeals to me (dystopian horror? Yes, sir!) but I didn't care for the characters, the dystopian elements didn't clique with me and the writing was too clunky and repetitive for my taste.
I apologise to the author and to the publisher, but I actually DNFed this book.
It's a *me* thing. This book did not work with me at all, but I'm sure it will to other readers.
If you like sci-fi-y, dystopian horror consider giving this book a chance.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me this ARC.
What a great book! I loved it!
I really recommend it to anyone who is looking for a book with a "dark" vibe. It is a perfect read for Halloween, or winter/autumn.

DNF at 30%

I was really looking forward to picking this book up. The cover gave off creepy vibes and the synopsis had me sold but unfortunately, the content just didn't hold up.

I went into this book expecting to be scared and for the reading experience to be tension filled, especially considering this is marketed as horror; and the atmosphere of the book and the pacing fell flat for me. There was a lot happening but at no point did I feel scared or tense in any way; therefore the plot just felt rushed and I wasn't immersed enough to care about what has happening on the page.

The writing was also a major hurdle for me; it was repetitive to the point of the character repeating action several time of two or three pages (this is something that should have been picked up in editing) and the author kept trying to make use of phrases and metaphors to add a creep factor but they just ended up falling flat.

Overall it was just a lackluster experience, but I do believe that the plot of some passages of writing showed promise and the book overall just needed better editing.

I have never read anything in the horror genre, not even Stephen King! But the dystopian element of this book appealed to me. Once I delved into it, I was reminded somewhat of the South Korean TV series "Hellbound," of which I was a fan. I'm going to skip the obvious symbolism and just say that this was a cracking good story, complete with edge-of-your seat thrills and suspense. Imagine being in the future, where nearly everyone has an actual monster following them around, and there is no way to get rid of it. Chilling, right? For the would-be hero of this tale, who wants to help find a solution to save himself, his daughter, and the town he lives in, his path is perilous and exciting. Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advanced Reader Copy.

I loved this book! The Monsters in Our Shadows by Edward J. Cembal is brilliantly written and unexpectedly deep and emotional. It's a fresh take on the dystopian genre and so much more. I was fully engaged from the first page. Few books linger in the mind long after the last page is turned, but this one does. The novel challenges readers to reflect on their lives and the monsters they may face. It’s ultimately a profoundly hopeful message. What an incredible debut novel! I look forward to reading Cembal’s next novel! Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and author, for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

The Monsters in our Shadows by Edward J Cembal was a great apocalyptic horror novel!
The character development, the world-building, and the amazing atmosphere; I was constantly on the edge of my seat.
The writing style and the character development as well as the storytelling made this story that much more intriguing.

Thank You NetGalley and Book Whisperer for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This didn't work for me, and I tried to like it, I really tried. The idea of the book/story appealed to me, but once I started reading, the appeal dropped away. I just couldn't connect with the style of writing, and I couldn't get any visual images from the printed words.

I get where the story could be appealing -- it just didn't appeal to me in the slightest.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being left freely.

Anthem is an Exilist. It is his horrifying job to escort the afflicted out of the walled city of Atlas. Their sickness? The monster that came from their own shadows. Why cast them out? Once their time is up and the monster eats them, it will eat everything else after. Anthem is desperate to find a solution for the afflicted and when he is given a mission to find that solution in the Deadlands beyond the wall he is reluctant, frightened, but also determined to find it.

A wonderful book. I finished it in 2 days. The descriptions of the monsters, the horrifying situations, the loneliness of the afflicted, and the hope that Anthem has are engaging and sometimes even emotional. Even though it is set is a dystopian world, you still recognize things we have today. The worldbuilding is remarkable and not too extensive, which leaves room for your own imagination. You can sense that there are metaphors on depression, but it is subtle and fits right in.

4/5 stars ✨

Thanks to Netgalley and Book Whisperer for this ARC. This is all full of dystopian spooky horror. We learn very quickly that Shivers are what shadows are but they feed off of the last people of humankind and there’s a Exilist named Anthem and we follow him on his journey to get past the wall. Very fast paced and adventurous and action packed for sure! Anthem is a grim reaper of some sorts and at the 50% mark he’s throw into the deadlands with an outsider and he has to make a journey to get as much of a drug to save Atlas as he can before the Shivers kill the remaining population of Earth. This is a little horrid and descriptive but not bloody gore. I was also kinda rolling my eyes sometimes about the weather always being thunder, I’m like really? It could have been something else or better described. That part was just boring to me but everything else so fun and I enjoyed from start to finish. To me it’s a pretty unique story

A fun fast paced apocalyptic horror novel. Introduces an original and horrifying new monster, the Shiver. Races from one terrible situation to another, this one keeps you on the edge of your seat!

This book ends up being too slow and drawn out for me. Maybe it will be good for someone but definitely not me. A slow burn can sometimes be good but when it's this long it gets a tad annoying.