Rating: 4.5/5

Horrid by Katrina Leno surprised me by how much it creeped me out and unsettled me! I knew this was a book that I was going to fall in love with, but after finishing it my love has been solidified!

Horrid follows Jane as she moves from California to Maine with her mom to go live in an old family home. As you may expect, creepy things start going down and Jane doesn't know what to believe.

This book starts off with such weird vibes from the first sentence...

"She couldn't remember the first book she had eaten."

Like, is that not the best first sentence in existence and does it not make you immediately want to go out and read this book??

The progression, the suspense, the atmosphere, this YA mystery/horror has it all! Haunted house? Ghosts? Small towns? Big secrets? Friendship groups? Ambiguous endings? Horrid delivers them all perfectly!

Jane's character arc is probably one of my favorites to have ever read! Her flaws are such a huge aspect of this book, but they manage to be both creepy and realistic without overdoing it. And I love seeing parents actually be present in YA books! Jane and Ruth (Jane's Mom) had such a close relationship that felt like an authentic mom and daughter relationship which I loved reading!

Why have I not been picking up Katrina Leno's books before this?