Publishers Weekly
12/18/2023
Moraine (Casting the Bones) sets this sharp, tension-filled psychological thriller in a world stricken by a strange and violent pandemic that is transmitted through eye contact and triggers the urge to kill both others and, eventually, oneself. Riley has been isolated in a house in the woods by a lake for so long that time has become fluid and her connection to reality is fading. At the start of the book, she encounters the first human she’s seen in who-knows-how-long: Ellis, who seems kind and well-intentioned, but may be hiding something sinister. The rules of the eye-contact-killing disease are at times hard to grasp, with the characters just as unclear on its mechanics as the reader (the failure of technology has caused a near-total disconnection between Riley, Ellis, and whatever’s left of the world, leaving them unaware of any discoveries or mutations that may have occurred). As the bite-size novel progresses, it becomes clear that Riley, too, cannot be trusted: her version of events hides the macabre truth of her past. The result is a freaky and masterfully constructed tale, whose strength most often comes from what Moraine leaves to the imagination. Read this one with the lights on. (Feb.)
From the Publisher
Intense, atmospheric, unnerving, absolutely oozing with dread. As profoundly moving as it is terrifying, and oh hell is it terrifying.” —Rachel Harrison, national bestselling author of Cackle and Such Sharp Teeth
“A haunting dance of imaginative dread. A mesmerizing descent into a pit of isolation, fascination, and paranoia.” —Hailey Piper, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Queen of Teeth and A Light Most Hateful
“A refreshingly original take on dystopian fiction, Moraine's latest is as haunting as it is thought provoking.” —Booklist (STARRED review)
“A taut tale of fear and desire, loneliness and madness. Its thin fingers creep through your eyes into your brain and don't let go.” —Lucy A. Snyder, five-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Sister, Maiden, Monster
“Creepy from its first lines, this deceptively quiet roller-coaster of intense unease, palpable emotional trauma, and engrossing menace will appeal to a wide swath of readers.” —Library Journal
"A bleeding fever dream spun from loneliness.... With stunningly beautiful prose, this book is a must-read. Moraine will hurt you—and you will come back asking for more.” —Wendy N. Wagner, author of The Secret Skin and The Deer Kings
“A freaky and masterfully constructed tale…. Read this one with the lights on.” —Publishers Weekly
“Pulsating with danger and steeped in foreboding, Your Shadow Half Remains is an icy fingertip tracing your spine in the small hours of the night.” —Jonathan Janz, author of Marla and Children of the Dark
“Gorgeously written and impossible to put down.... Alongside the mounting dread, Moraine evokes a loneliness and an aching for simple human connection that’s so palpable you can’t not recognize it as your own.” —Nat Cassidy, author of Mary: An Awakening of Terror and Nestlings
“Tense, gripping, and deeply human. This is the kind of story that gets under your skin.” —A.C. Wise, author of Wendy, Darling and Hooked
Library Journal
10/01/2023
Riley lives alone on the shores of an isolated lake in the home that belonged to her grandparents—that is, before they murdered each other. She lives in a slowly collapsing world, where for the last two years, looking a human in the eye, be it a real person, an image, or even a reflection, will spur them to violence, causing them to killing everyone near them. Then Riley meets Ellis on the road and dares to connect with another person. Riley is an engaging narrator, recounting the "horrifyingly banal" downfall of society, drawing readers in and gaining their trust even as she slowly becomes less and less reliable. While the setup warrants comparisons to Bird Box by Josh Malerman or The Violence by Delilah S. Dawson, the reading experience of Moraine's latest (after Sword and Star), with its multiple layers of discomfort, is reminiscent of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca. VERDICT Creepy from its first lines, this deceptively quiet roller-coaster of intense unease, palpable emotional trauma, and engrossing menace will appeal to a wide swath of readers.
