What a horrifying ride. Such a great book! It's unpredictable, yet well foreshadowed. Bittersweet, yet comforting end. Can't wait to read the next one.

It does jump around from present, to tales of old, to dream state, which I loved! Added a whole other element to the story being told.

Also loved the authors notes in the back, love the extra layer of insight into the writers journey with this book. ( )

They Mostly Come Out at Night

I was given this book in place of an honest review.

They Mostly Come out at Night is a story that revolves around a young man named Lonan. Lonan lives in a small village and is the outcast, he was blamed for some damages and deaths that had happened when he was a child. In this world people have skills called knacks these knacks give a person their purpose in life, every knack has its own special ability. Like healing gives you extra strength and power to help those in need. Cooking you make the most mouth watering meals etc. Lonan though is knack less which makes him being the outcast ever more so.

One day though Lonan starts having these dreams. Dreams of the forest protector for many centuries this protector is called the "Magpie King" in these dreams he sees the life of the prince Adhaly, each dream shows him something different. Lonan thinks they are of things in the present though he comes to learn different on that. These dreams however shape his course and lead him to his destiny.

This book was very well created. The story was clear and concise. The world was created beautifully. However when I first started reading this book I must say I was completely confused on what it was about. However between the folklore stories within the book and the story itself helped bring everything into fruition and it all made sense in the end. This book even had a twist that even I did not see coming. Which actually complimented Lonan's story even more. What I didn't like about this book is that once things really got going for Lonan the book felt rushed, while leading up to it at some points nuts dragged on. Otherwise the book itself as a whole is quite good and deserving of a 4 star review. ( )

They Mostly Come Out At Night is the first published Yarnsworld novel. This is a standalone novel, with the other Yarnsworld novels taking place in the same world but not as direct sequels. It is a really cool folklore-style story with elements of horror akin to the original Grimm fairy tales. The writing is polished and well-edited. Perhaps my only complaint about this book was that the dialogue sometimes came across as stilted or awkward, breaking my immersion and making me go back to reread the exchange. This happened fairly rarely, and overall the writing gave me no trouble. The world is unique and fascinating. Chapters alternate between the main story and tellings of related folktales from within the book’s world. The folktale chapters ingeniously provide both history of the world, as well as foreshadowing for the main plot.

Readers who enjoy folklore should definitely make time for this one. It has some elements of horror without getting too grim or gruesome, so it would be a good choice for those interested in something spooky but lightweight on the horror scale. In the style of folklore, the plot is simple (in a good way, i.e. not overly complex), but it certainly still provides readers with a few unexpected turns and avoids feeling predictable. I would recommend it as a good in-between or on-the-side read, as well. ( )

1.5 / 5

DNF at 52%. This was just not for me, I guess.

I had a hard time trying to connect with the characters (although I lowkey enjoyed Adahy), so while the world and premise are definitely interesting, it all fell a bit flat for me. Knacks are a cool concept and the Magpie King lore was neat as heck, but the dark/creepy aspects weren't as dark/creepy as I hoped for (probably because of that lack of connection) and so I couldn't bring myself to continue reading.

Maybe someday I'll pick it up again, but at this point I'm throwing it on my DNF shelf and trying to find something else I have a better time connecting with. ( )