Knock Knock, Open Wide

Pretty fantastic piece of folk horror based in Irish mythology and packed with gooshy and squishy bits. Also, one of the best riffs on the Candle Cove creepypasta I've encountered. Also, a lovely queer coming-of-age story set in an undergraduate theater group in the late 90s/early 2000s. If that sounds perfect for you, it's because it probably is. God knows it was for me.

Sharpson is an expert storyteller, entangling you in an Irish countryside occult conspiracy brimming with folklore. The writing is atmospheric, sharp and beautiful, creating beautiful bleak landscapes and bloody messes. This also features a sapphic romance sub-plot that I’m always a fan of.
The progression of the story jumped around the timelines building a fantastic dread and had me checking back for clues. Anything with Irish folklore makes me giddy and this was a fever dream spin that was delightful. The ending was AMAZING and weird in all the right ways.
I will note that at times I felt like the queer women represented were very…‘stereotypical’ 90s queer which stood out to me quite a bit in a negative way and took away from show more the characters which in of themselves were fantastic already. While some things were inherently true and funny to look back on, others were just off kilter stereotypes that was just media induced. show less

Very creepy story just in time for the fall season. I love stories based on folklore of the country and this did not disappoint. The story did jump around by years and the ending left me with a few questions as well. Overall thoroughly enjoyed the book.

Generational trauma ✔️
Creepy kids show ✔️
Unsettling unseen evil force ✔️
Sapphic romance ✔️
Mommy issues ✔️
Completely and utterly terror-inducing ✔️

Check, check, check please!

Such a fun, page turning read that focuses on all of the above. It was everything I wanted and more, and I would kill for a prequel novella or something that focuses on the beginnings of how "it" all started with Puckeen.

✳ I recieved an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review ✳

Loved the atmosphere and really everything about the first few chapters. They were so gripping and tense. But the middle dragged and didn't have any of the folklore or horror I loved in the beginning, we spent a lot of time with characters who didn't feel like they were that important until much later. The ending picked back up a little bit but mostly it was just weird and unsatisfying.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

It was great to learn more about Irish folklore, so that really drew me in further to the story as it went along. It dragged here and there, but over all it was a quick, spooky story, that makes me want to learn more Irish heritage!

DNF @page 48/15%

Just couldn’t get into it and some of the reviews mentioned an unnecessary romance, which is a hard pass for me.