I am so impressed by this author. he wrote what felt like a full length novel, with a proper beginning, plot drive, great story-arcs, character development and a satisfying yet open ending, all within 74 pages. This story is spectacular, I’ll definitely be on the hunt for his other books. ( )

This is a fun, fast horror novella that I sped through in one sitting. The images are creepy, the story is engaging, and there's just enough build-up to make the final climax and pay-off all the more powerful. And yet... all that said, I have to admit that I've enjoyed Burke's short stories quite a bit more than I enjoyed this novella. Part of it was feeling like it was too clear where the book was going, because of its set-up--to the extent that even once I realized there was more to it, enough of the tension had been lessened that I still wasn't all that surprised.

Novellas are a tricky beast, and I used to avoid them because I always ended up feeling as if they were either over-extended short stories that would have been better off shorter, or else under-developed novels that would have been better off as novels. More than once, I've felt that a novella could have been better off as either a novel or a short, but ended up in some no-man's-land where it almost worked for me, but didn't quite. Since avoiding novellas for this reason, I've been pulled back in and discovered quite a few that I love... Unfortunately, though, this novella reminded me of why I used to avoid them. I could see arguments for this being much shorter or much longer...but as is, I just didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to, especially after already being a fan of the author from other works. ( )

I don't think I will ever look at sour candy the same way again...

This is a super fun and shocking ride. At just 74 pages I kept wondering if the story would have worked better cut down to short story length, but then I was like "why am I trying to find something wrong with this?". I loved every page as I was reading and I feel like it has the perfect pacing of events. Slightly slow build up in the first half, and then a flood of weird, unsettling terrors in the second half. It widens to a pretty epic scale by the end and on the whole is full of creepy cult horror shenanigans.

I was truly enraptured as I read. I couldn't look away. I had to know what was going to happen next to Phil. The young boy is seriously creepy, and I was legitimately worried about what was going to happen. And speaking of, there are numerous twists and turns that I did not expect. In fact, it's the type of story that is best read with your expectations at the door. Just buckle in and enjoy the ride! ( )

A fascinating short story that gets to the point and leaves you wondering. It had self-awareness that wasn't annoying and a continuing uneasiness that persisted to the last line. If you have an hour of your day to spend, definitely check this out. ( )

At this point it should be pretty clear that Kealan Patrick Burke's horror is right up my alley. He's had me in the palm of his hand since I picked up Sour Candy a few years back, and Guests is no exception.

While a bit of a slow-burner, he unleashes plenty of blood and existential terror within these pages. Couple that with a hotel setting, a sudden snowstorm, and some eerie older, well, guests, and you can see the recipe for good horror being brewed.

And, as he often does, Burke leaves us wanting more. ( )