Sleep Tight - Review

Author: J.H. Markert

Genre: Horror

Format: e-Book

Pages: 336

Sleep Tight will be published on September 24, 2024!

I don't give out a lot of 5-star reviews these days, but this was deserving. First off the book hangover I have is real. My desire to pick up anything or listen to anything is so small. As always Markert's writing has messed with my head. My sleep is all screwed up with weird dreams still and I finished this book days ago. Truth be told that's why I love Markert's writing so much. His books don't scare me outright, but they linger and twist my brain in odd ways. Sleep Tight was no exception.

So a huge thank you to Net Galley and Crooked Tree Press for an early copy of Sleep Tight. 

At this point, I am still trying to figure out where to start this review. This book is so much and so much happens in it, I don't want to spoil any of it. Because the not knowing is what makes this book so good. It's what keeps you flipping page after page to figure out how all the parts fit together and, at some point, just to see if it can get any worse. It can. It does, and none of it is okay.

Sleep Tight starts out as a slow burn, but it's worth sticking through the slow chapters as it builds up the story. Because the first few chapters set everything up for all the characters. It's how you get to know Tess our main character, and when I decided no matter how the book ended, I would never be a fan of Justin. But there are so many characters in this and all of them are brilliant on their own for better or worse. And, for some, it really is for worse.

There's something about the way Markert writes his villains, and there are so many in this book. Some you felt bad for because no matter how the dice were rolled, they would never win. Others, and when you read the book you'll know which ones, I was rooting for a bloody and horrible ending. All of them were great on their own. Oskar is hands down my favorite of all the bad guys, and I adored the ending that he got. Bless Markert for that!

Sleep Tight is written in a way that at any time all the gears Markert has moving, balls in the air, and characters involved, it all could fall to pieces. One plot, one wrong move, if the pacing moves to quick, anything could make this book fall apart. At about the seventy-five percent mark, I only had a fraction of the plot figure out, no idea how all the characters were going to fit together, and was convinced that none of these pieces fit.

Well, I was wrong, it all flows together in the last maybe ten chapters as it all comes to a head. You see that everyone is connected to Father Silence, or in one case, created him. Still, the ending was great and wrapped nearly everything up with a neat little bow. There was one loose end, but I like it when a book ends with a bit of a cliffhanger. 

After all, you should beware the one that got away!

If you love trippy books that will break your brain, keep you on the edge of your seat, and are absolutely hard to put down. I cannot suggest J.H. Markert books. Sleep Tight was the second book I read by him, and while I loved Nightmare Man. This one is my favorite! I still need to read Mister Lullaby, but first I need to read something happy before jumping into another of his books. My soul needs a cleanse or something! 

HAPPY READING!!