Review: Cackle
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Genre: Cozy Horror | Publication Date: 10/5/2021 | Pages: 291 | Month read: September 2024
What made me pick this up?
After seeing a few trusted Bookstagrammers rave about this book, I knew there was a good chance I would enjoy it. I’ve been in a particularly witchy mood with my reading picks this fall, so it made this year’s fall TBR cut!
“It’s astonishing what you’ll accept when you want love. When you need it. You’ll welcome it in any form, from anyone, anything, regardless of circumstance, however peculiar. However fantastical.”
GoodReads synopsis: A darkly funny, frightening novel about a young woman learning how to take what she wants from a witch who may be too good to be true, from the author of The Return.
All her life, Annie has played it nice and safe. After being unceremoniously dumped by her longtime boyfriend, Annie seeks a fresh start. She accepts a teaching position that moves her from Manhattan to a small village upstate. She’s stunned by how perfect and picturesque the town is. The people are all friendly and warm. Her new apartment is dreamy too, minus the oddly persistent spider infestation.
Then Annie meets Sophie. Beautiful, charming, magnetic Sophie, who takes a special interest in Annie, who wants to be her friend. More importantly, she wants Annie to stop apologizing and start living for herself. That’s how Sophie lives. Annie can’t help but gravitate toward the self-possessed Sophie, wanting to spend more and more time with her, despite the fact that the rest of the townsfolk seem…a little afraid of her. And like, okay. There are some things. Sophie’s appearance is uncanny and ageless, her mansion in the middle of the woods feels a little unearthly, and she does seem to wield a certain power…but she couldn’t be…could she?
My Thoughts
I’m officially a cozy horror stan. This book felt like a mix of Bunny (though, admittedly, less weird) meets The Craft (with less of a sinister undertone) set in Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls. It was weird, mysterious, yet oddly endearing, and I found myself wanting to read it in any free moment I had.
I enjoyed both Annie and Sophie as characters- Annie for her relatability (we’ve all had that break-up we can’t shake, girl) and Sophie for her enigmatic mysteriousness. I also have to award Ralph with Best Supporting Character™. I adored him!
The plot of Annie and Sophie’s budding friendship and whether Annie can truly trust Sophie is intermixed with themes exploring codependence and feminism, which made the story feel both entertaining and smart. The plot itself is more of a slow burn while the writing style is easily digestible; I’m not always a fan of sarcasm in fiction writing but I thought it suited this story well!
I will forewarn: Don’t go into this expecting traditional horror! I’d almost say this is more of a cozy mystery with horror elements. The scarier scenes did genuinely spook me but weren’t so terrifying that I couldn’t read this at night (my personal spook-ometer metric!). And I appreciated that these scenes, and the horror elements in general, felt original and unlike anything I’ve read before. This book would be a great first step into horror for readers who are interested in the genre but don’t want to be too scared or disturbed.
Overall, highly recommend this book for your fall TBR, especially if you’re looking for a witchy read that leans a little darker than your typical Practical Magic-esque story.
My rating: ★★★★
Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org
For more horror, thriller, and spooky book recommendations, check out my Books that trick post!
