Hollow Folk

Title: Hollow Folk

Author: Andrew K. Clark

Rating: 3.5/5

Info: 260 pages, first published by Quill & Crow Publishing House 09/29/2026

Genre: Sci Fi, Romance, Horror

Trying to come up with a summary of what this book is like is difficult. Ethan Ray, Kal, and Teresa all work the night shift at the Holloway hotel. During one of their shifts, the clock strikes 3 a.m. and then stops. With me so far? Good, because that’s about as far as I can go with a summary. What follows feels like a fever dream, and I’m still not entirely sure what I read. From there, the characters dive headfirst into the weird. They meet… people? They have visions. They experience emotions that may or may not be their own. There is body horror, and parts are genuinely gross, so keep that in mind before picking this one up. It didn’t bother me, but it was weird. Trypophobia sufferers should probably stay away. Overall, this was a trippy horror story that reveled in the weird. If that sounds like your kind of horror, I think you’ll enjoy the ride.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Quill & Crow for providing me the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A History of Malpractice

Title: A History of Malpractice

Author: Clarice Montgomery

Rating: 4/5

Info: 280 pages, first published by Köehler Books 09/15/2026

Genre: Fiction, Horror, Mystery

Thank you to NetGalley and Köehler Books for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.  

A History of Malpractice follows Abigail, who is less than thrilled when she and her boyfriend, Garrett, are forced to move from Chicago to hole-in-the-wall Harperfield, Illinois. From a comfy condo to an old abandoned office building, Abigail couldn’t think of a worse situation. She is so convinced they won't be there long that she doesn't even bother unpacking. A few days, maybe a few weeks. Two months, tops. Then, on their first night, Abigail learns the building has a ghost.

I can honestly say this might be the best-written new book I’ve read so far this year. Montgomery crafted a fun mystery that follows Abigail trying to figure out who the ghost is and why it’s there rather than settling into her new life. She ends up fitting in thanks to small-town hospitality, which apparently comes with a complimentary couch. The story is split between chapters following Abigail, Abigail’s childhood in the foster care system, and Dr. Carlson, the man who left Abigail the old downtown office building despite never having met her.

As Abigail digs into the mystery, we learn that her relationship with Garrett is pretty one-sided. He seems much more invested in her than she is in him. As more of Abigail’s past comes to light, her reactions to Garrett make more sense. I really enjoyed the brother and sister who became Abigail’s new friends. They, especially Kennedy, brought the funny, which added some levity to a story with so many heavy elements.

There isn’t much negative for me to say. I had a genuinely enjoyable reading experience. What really stood out to me was how well everything was constructed. Abigail’s choices make sense once we learn about her past. The mystery of Dr. Carlson makes sense. The haunting makes sense. Why he left Abigail the building ends up making sense. I do question why horror was one of the genres chosen for this book. General fiction and mystery, yes. Horror, no. The publisher might want to rethink that.

I also appreciated that Abigail is allowed to be imperfect. She isn’t very nice to most people in the story. At one point she’s straight-up a jerk to someone and gets called out on her behavior. She apologizes. The person accepts the apology but acknowledges Abigail was in the wrong. I’ve read too many books that have the main character do something wrong only for everyone to tell them they have nothing to feel bad about. It was refreshing to read a book where the main character can actually be wrong and not have the story bend over backward to justify her. 

I’d recommend this story to anyone looking for a mystery novel with some spooky ghost elements, but also a story about a lost little girl trying to find her place in the world. 

The Infested

Title: The Infested

Author: Renee Lake

Rating: 3.75/5

Info: 265 pages, first published by  Victory Editing 06/23/2026

Genre: Horror, YA

The Infested is a story about Desdemona and her family set in a 1900 alternate-history U.S.A. The first few paragraphs give the specifics of the danger zone that stretches across the middle of the country. This area is already inhospitable because of the land itself, but it is also home to creatures, ghosts, monsters, demons, spirits. Whatever you want to call them, they are not friends to regular human beings.

Desdemona lives with her family on their homestead, Ash Hollow, in Nebraska. Ash Hollow is protected by magic wards and they do their best to provide travelers with a safe place to rest and fix up their wagons. The story begins with Desdemona and her siblings dealing with a death and some new guests while their father is away guiding a caravan through the Infested. 

The story splits between the siblings at home and the first-person POV of their father as he travels with the caravan. I found the father’s chapters more exciting than the siblings’ storyline, although I was interested in both. The world building was probably my favorite part and I would love to spend more time in it. 

The Ash Hollow drama didn’t hold my attention quite as well as it probably should have, but I don’t really fault the author for that. A lot of it revolves around YA relationship drama, and that just isn’t my favorite thing to read. I was much more drawn into the father’s storyline, especially the challenges that he was facing. That’s a personal taste thing more than an actual criticism of the writing.

There are some good twists and turns, along with some truly creepy scenes, and enough action for me to speed through the book. My favorite parts were all the ones that involved people dealing with the Infested land. I especially loved seeing the creatures that live there. Some of them are wonderfully unsettling. 

A much bigger story is taking place that this book is just a part of. It definitely feels like the beginning of a series. If it doesn’t get follow-up books, that would be a shame. Fortunately, the story wraps up nicely while leaving enough for me to want more. 

I’d recommend this to anyone interested in YA horror or spooky books in general, especially if you like the idea of mixing horror with westward expansion.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for providing this ARC.