I had the wonderful opportunity to read **Grave Matters** by Karina Hale and I absolutely loved it! The story was packed with twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat. Hale masterfully crafted a unique narrative that kept me guessing until the very end, and I don’t want to spoil any of the surprises for future readers.

One aspect that stood out was the character of Sydney. She was as much in the dark about the unfolding events as I was, making her journey all the more entertaining and relatable. Her relentless questioning and determination added depth to the story and kept me thoroughly engaged.

This was a very unique story in a genre I wasn’t sure I would enjoy, but Hale’s writing proved captivating and immersive. I highly recommend **Grave Matters** to anyone looking for a thrilling and unpredictable read. Karina Hale has truly outdone herself with this one!

What I love about Karina Halle's books is that they take you on a dark and twisted journey. The journey is always spicy, full of angst, lust and often violence. But ultimately, it leaves you going, "What the hell did I just read...I need more".
Grave Matter was all of this and more. A dark academic mystery leads you to a secluded island where they are studying all things mushrooms. Sydney, Our FMC, finds herself drawn to her Professor and Psychologist, Dr Kincaid (who seems like a fungi...get it...mushroom joke). This book gave me serious Shutter Island vibes where you constantly question every character and their motives and, ultimately, the truth: a true mind bender and the perfect spooky season reason. I love Karina Halle's writing, and this book reminded me that I need to read everything she has ever created!

What to expect:
Professor X Student
Forced Proximity
Only one tent
Isolated PNW setting
BDSM elements
Slow burn
Degradation kink
Dark Cottagecore
Stalker
WTF did I just read
Haunted Forest
Morally grey characters
He falls first
Women in STEM

Thank you so much, Karina, for my ARC copy.

I am writing this review immediately upon finishing the book, and I am having difficulty wrapping my head around what I just read. One thing I know with certainty is that this book and the writing completely captured the essence of Vancouver Island: the mystery and ethereal nature, the feeling of being dwarfed by the wilderness around you, the mist and spirituality.

Setting aside, the plot of this book was excellent completed. It is one that you feel the need to immediately re-read, knowing what you now know. I will admit, there were times in the first 15-20% that I considered DNFing it. I felt the characterization was off-putting, a sense of immaturity. And while this may be partially true, some of this was certainly intentional on the author's part. So if you were like me and thought "I dunno if this is for me", just keep with it.

I can't speak much about certain aspects of the book and the (many) notes I made, as now I see that they would be spoilers. I can make one solid recommendation - go into this as blind as you can. Suppose the description of "Horror Romance meets Science Fiction in this dark and delicious gothic psychological thriller" appeals to you, and you find the synopsis intriguing. In that case, I recommend you don't search any further and just dive in. While the spice-related trigger warnings are indeed necessary, I did not find those scenes to be heavy-handed or exorbitant.

Thank you to NetGalley and Metal Blonde Books for a digital advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I have never been more appalled nor intrigued by such a romance before! Grave Matter is the perfect blend of Crimson Peak meets Annihilation. As Sydney battles the mysteries of the Madrona Foundation, she's also battling her obsession and fixation on the resident teacher and psychologist Wes. With dark erotic dreams soon becoming reality, Sydney has to wage her heart against her mind, in a literal sense, as she fears she's going insane.

The atmosphere Halle writes in for GM is STEEPED in fog; even from the moment our FMC arrives to the remote Madrona Foundation, with her hopes of a dream opportunity, there are mysteries that leave the reader thinking "what was that?!"

As more morsels of spooky are unveiled (there are ghosts, there are beasts, there are villains) I LOVE the way Halle wrote as she leaves the reader just as blind as Sydney. Every page you turn, you'll be thinking "that can't be what I think it is?" only the find that the truth is somehow WORSE and more entertaining! I found myself yelling at my book as I went as I feared for Sydney as she began to dig into the truth behind Madrona Foundation and the walls collapsing in her mind.

Hands down one of the most unpredictable reads I've had in years. The best of horror and dark romance with a dash of science fiction that just leaves you satisfied.

This book blew my mind! Exactly the kind of psychological thriller I have been searching for this spooky season! Karina Halle knocked it out of the park! This story was so compelling that I finished it in under 24 hours! I started questioning everything right away, and that plot twist left me stunned.To be honest, I wasn't expecting a HEA. But I was pleasantly surprised. You can tell Halle put a lot of research into mycology. When the classes were described, I became a clueless college student again. 😂
I do have to say that this book is marketed as a "Gothic psychological thriller," and there really was nothing gothic about it. I was a bit disappointed in that as I was expecting more gothic vibes, but it was still a satisfying psychological thriller. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a read that will keep you guessing. Fair warning, though, you will get sucked in. And as always, mind your trigger warnings.

Thank you to Netgalley and Metal Blonde Books for the e-arc. My view and opinions are entirely my own.

THE HOOK/APPEAL: a gothic psychological thriller. A dream opportunity with terrible secrets attached.

THE REVIEW: I've been a fan of Halle for a lonnggggggg time, and yet, it had been a while since I had read her. Was I worried she wouldn't be as good as I remembered? Yes. Was I worried for no reason? YES. I don't want to spoil things. Try to go in blind.

THE RATING: 5, duh.

Let me tell you what sold me on this; "Horror Romance meets Science Fiction in this dark and delicious gothic psychological thriller." I mean?! Talk about an epic combination of genres, I just knew I had to read it asap. I went into it blind beyond that one sense and wow wow wow. What a ride. From the jump the vibes are so eerie and as more questions were raised I just had to know what the heck was going on. In the middle I started to lose it and get really aggravated by what I *thought* was going on but I stuck it out and I'm glad I did because it all made sense. But also made no sense cause WHAT?! Truly could not have predicted those plot twists if I tried. At one point, my heart was racing and I was looking over my shoulder while reading in the dark. Loved the eerie vibes so much!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the early access.

This book gives off so many creepy and spooky vibes. You only have the POV of the FMC, so you only know what she does, and that is just so perfect. Trying to figure it all out as she does.

The author does an incredible job of describing the setting and making everything feel so dark and cryptic. I was constantly on the edge of my seat waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Wes is perfection personified. What an incredible book boyfriend. I was floored by this man. I wish I could say more but I don’t want to give any spoilers.

The author says she hopes you read it and think wtf. She has succeeded. Just read this book. Be creeped out. Be shocked. Enjoy.

𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴:
✰ 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘹 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳
✰ 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘣𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯
✰ 𝘨𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘤 & 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳
✰ 𝘶𝘯𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳
✰ 𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘱

This book was phenomenal! Karina managed to deliver such a unique, cool, spooky and atmospheric world.
Madrona is scary and intriguing and keeps you guessing all the time.
And our main characters Wes and Sydney are so great together! Their chemistry was esplosive and the twist in the end made me adore their romance even more.
Definetely a great read for the Fall and October. I highly recommend it!

*arc kindly provided in exchange of an honest review

Sci-fi, gothic horror, romance, secrets, ghosts, and a remote location? Just the description alone had me sold. The twists and turns in this book were fantastic! Fair warning, this is a slow burn horror, however I am a patient person. Once you get about halfway in, the real craziness begins. I absolutely loved this book and its buildup to the ending. I recommend this to anyone who likes a bit of strangeness.

umm what did I just read?
Hands down one of the weirdest, wackiest, unputdownable reads I’ve ever read!
The whole book you’re wondering what the hell is happening and why, it makes you want to keep reading till you hit the twist and that twist is twisty!
If you love Karina Halle’s books you’ll love this psychological thriller slash horror about the dark world of fungi science/research, and why not chuck a bit of smutty romance in Karina style!
I definitely enjoyed this book to the point of getting anxious reading it at night before bed 😅 although not sure horror genre is for me! Loved the Vancouver setting!
4/5 stars

gorgeously spooky/gothic work with a lot of awesome ideas and some very fun fungal themes. i'm VERY into the whole mushroom/mycelium aesthetic and this one pulls it off in such darkly cool ways. You will be surprised by the twists in this work and the entire way the setting works. 5 stars, tysm for the arc.

"Grave Matter by Karina Halle is an absolute gem! This book has everything I crave in a dark romance—intense emotions, gripping suspense, and characters that feel so real they practically jump off the page. Halle’s storytelling is hauntingly beautiful, weaving a tale of love and redemption with a dark edge that kept me hooked from the very first page. The chemistry between the characters is electric, and the twists are perfectly timed. If you're looking for a read that’s both thrilling and deeply heartfelt, Grave Matter will not disappoint. Highly recommend!"

Grave Matter is a fabulous gothic twist of genres. It's 2 parts science fiction, 1 part horror, 1 part dark romance.

The vibes I loved about this book and why you should read it:
- foggy west coast island
- spooky forest
- creepy wild animals
- science fiction mystery
- sketchy research
- 'can't escape' genre horror
- great plot twists
- fungal horror
- stormy atmosphere

The first third is a slower pace and then it ramps up. I found myself mostly driven to know what was going on with the mushroom research. I HAD to know. I was not as motivated by the horror and even less so by the dark romance between Sydney and Kincaid. I found the relationship unconvincing, which is explained later in the book. But until those last few chapters, the two had no chemistry. So I wouldn't consider this a romance. The horror does pick up the pace towards the middle of the book. I was nail bitingly nervous for Syd! It might be more 2 parts horror, 1 part science fiction though. Because I didn't think the plot twist was as well explained as it might have been in, leaving me feeling there were plot holes.

Overall, four stars! I enjoyed it and I didn't see the plot twist coming!

I went into this book completely blind and suggest you do the same! At no point did I know how the book was going to end. The plot twist completely took me by surprise. That rarely happens for me! I was confused right alongside Sydney. I’m still reeling quite honestly. The mystery of the gloomy Madrona Foundation was broken up by extremely hot scenes of Sydney and Dr. Kincaid. I was getting whiplash. Sometimes, I wanted to shake Sydney. Focus, girl! What’s going on?! This book kept me engaged and on my toes. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a mystery that is also a spicy romance story.

This book had me SWEATING for more reasons than one. 🔥

This was such a wonderful mash-up of genres. It's a creepy, atmospheric - and at times downright weird - blend of sci-fi, horror, thriller, and romance... that is also unmistakably hot.

Sydney arrives on Vancouver Island at Madrona Lodge with pretty much nowhere else to go. As a poor student with no remaining family, she's seized what seems like a lifetime opportunity to study at the tight-lipped research facility.

Early on, you can tell that our FMC is a bit of an unreliable narrator. She's a little bit in the dark, but what she does know is that she has an intense and insatiable desire for Professor Kincaid... the hot neurosurgeon and resident psychologist.

Professor Kincaid is just *fans self*.... Karina Halle sure can write a MMC. The steamy scenes are perfect and throughout the entire book, there are no dull moments.

Some of the happenings are a little bit far-fetched, but the author writes it in a way that you don't question what is happening (although I had a lot of OMG & WTF moments). I would've finished this one sooner if I wasn't too scared to read it after dark.

Overall I thought this story felt reminiscent of "What Moves The Dead" by T. Kingfisher but with a sexy student × professor trope and set in the modern day on Vancouver Island. Also - fungal Horror is quickly becoming one of my favourite story elements.

𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓴 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓽𝓸 𝓝𝓮𝓽𝓰𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝔂 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓚𝓪𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓪 𝓗𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓪𝓷 𝓐𝓡𝓒 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓫𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓲𝓷 𝓮𝔁𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓮 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓶𝔂 𝓱𝓸𝓷𝓮𝓼𝓽 𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀.

A aspiring mycologist gets a dream opportunity to work for a prestigious foundation looking to cure Alzheimers... but on this exclusive trip to the island she soon finds herself in over her head as dead bodies begin dropping, her sanity is tested, and her connection to the mysterious professor runs deeper than she could have ever imagined. Sydney Denik just lost her scholarship to Stanford... but that's not going to stop her from going to the exclusive research trup for the Madrona Foundation she was accepted into while she had her scholarship.. she just has to hope no one finds out. Yet from the moment Sydney lands at the foundation students begin disappearing and she also finds herself strangely attracted to the extremely off limits but hot psychologist/professor, Wes. Sydney and Wes have a connection but she can't figure out why she is constantly drawn to a man who she knows she can't be with. Then theres the matter of the voices and visions Sydney has begun hearing and seeing, the dead students that appear, and the horrors that have begun to unfold around her... but is it all in her head or is the foundation doing something to her. Can Sydeny find the truth... and when she gets it can she survive it? This was definitely a really fun gothic horror romance with a fun mystery at the heart of it. I am a sucker for a horror romance and this one was such a fun read. I loved the nature horror and the gothic mystery with a mysterious island setting. The romance was also fun to read and honestly I just had a great time reading this and would absolutely recommend this book for fans of horror romances with a bit of mystery!!

Release Date: October 23,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Metal Blonde Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Because of the author, I went in assuming this was romance, but though it had a romance at the core, it was more of a thriller. And I'm not usually into gothic either, but because I have really enjoyed so many Karina Halle books, I decided to give it a try. and wow, I'm glad I did. One of the most surprising plot twists I've seen this year - unexpected, but I totally saw the clues once I knew. She really made the story thrilling. It started a little bit slow for me, in terms of my interest in reading (though I never really considered putting it down), but it gathered steam until being unputdownable by the 2nd half or last 1/3 or so. very enjoyable!

Wow, one of the best books I've read this season.
It kept me sitting in my chair so deeply into the story that any noise around it startled me. An awesome read, like everything else that comes out of Karina's hands.

"The Madrona Foundation harbors more than brilliant minds. Everyone around her is hiding a terrible secret—including the resident psychologist she’s falling in love with"

“Don’t try to change the lodge. Let the lodge change you.” 🍄


Enchanting. Lush. Moody as hell. Stepping into The Entire Compound known as Madrona Lodge, is like stepping into a Grimm fairy tale. It’s a biologist’s fever dream. And exactly why Sydney is there. Then there’s a phrase that she's heard at least three times since she's been there: 'This place can play tricks on you.'
🍄 Another spin on fungi/fungal horror. You'll enjoy this if shroomy horror doesn't give you the ick. Timely since I just recently finished Mexican Gothic and I am obsessed with it. Also loved T Kingfisher's 'What Moves The Dead' (reimagining of The Fall of The House of Usher). This also has strong Shutter Island Vibes - iykyn
Darkly sensual , atmospheric, and inventive.
Deep and complex characters. Trippy and experimental. Dripping with mystery, secrets and dread. Will have you in a chokehold.
Tropes:
🍄 Slow burn WTF did I just read
🍄 Women in STEM
🍄Research and findings on dark fungi ; mycelia
🍄 Nature VS Nurture
🍄 Neurodivergent Issues and topics / ADHD rep
🍄 Morally gray characters
🍄 Elements of Body horror / sci-fi
🍄 🌶️Cy / forbidden romance / cottagecore
🍄 Professor x student
🍄 Forced proximity / isolated PNW setting
🍄 Ghosts / haunted forest

Bonus:
I love and appreciate it when an author includes a Spotify playlist of various songs or soundtracks they listen to for inspiration whilst writing the book.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publishers and Karina Mackenzie for the arc 🖤