Hi everyone! I hope you are all just living your best lives right now. It can be hard to do that sometimes, though. We all deserve a break now and then. There is no shame in taking a little bit of time for yourself. Spooky season is still afoot and I am still working my way through all of the horror novels in my pile. Some of them may roll into November, but that is totally fine. Let’s continue Spook-tober with This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno.

Trigger Warning: Loss of a Loved One, Mourning and Grief, Some Strong Language, Animal Death, Gore, Self-harm, Drug Use

Vera and Thiago, a young couple, finally move into their condo and decide to buy an Itza, a smart speaker that can answer and do just about anything. Things grow strange very quickly as their Itza seems to respond to no one and orders bizarre items that neither of them requested. Neither Vera nor Thiago think much of it, assuming it’s just a glitch. Everything changes, however, when Vera is killed in a freak accident. Deep in grief, Thiago moves from Chicago to rural Colorado. Thiago, though, can’t escape his sorrow and guilt. He finds himself fighting against a strange, evil presence that is feeding off all of his pain and using it to find a way into this world.

This book was a wild ride. Short but frightening, Moreno eloquently and honestly portrays grief while also delivering a unique and chilling narrative. I have not read a ton of possession stories in the past and have always found the idea to be truly scary. Moreno certainly delivers on just how truly terrifying such an experience would be. The added element of technology being an active part of the haunting makes it all the more interesting. (Itza is this novel’s version of an Echo Dot/Alexa). I enjoyed how creative this novel is and would love to read more unique horror like this. Definitely go ahead and give This Thing Between Us if you want to read a horror novel unlike any other.