Follow the Rites…
Nothing less than the survival of humanity is at stake.
From Marcus Kliewer, a new “titan of the macabre and unsettling” (Erin A. Craig, #1 New York Times bestselling author), comes a supernatural horror about a young woman who accepts a caretaking job from Craigslist, only to discover the position has consequences far greater—and more dangerous—than she ever could have imagined.
The Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer
Published by Atria Books | Atria/Emily Bestler Books/12:01 Books; April 21, 2026
Genres: Horror | Thriller | Mystery | Fiction | Adult | Paranormal | Suspense
Pages: 320 pages
Format: Kindle
Source: NetGalley
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Buy on Amazon: Canada | USA
T/W: Grief, Depression, OCD, Mental Illness, Suicidal Thoughts/Attempts, Panic Attacks, Self Loathing, Self Harm, Body Horror, Strong Language, Violence, Blood, Maggots
Rated: Adult
★★★☆☆ | 3 / 5
Summary
EXCITING OPPORTUNITY:
Caretaker urgently needed. Three days of work. Competitive pay. Serious applicants ONLY.Macy Mullins can’t say why the job posting grabbed her attention—it had the pull of a fisherman’s lure, barbed hook and all—vaguely ominous. But after an endless string of failed job interviews, she’s not exactly in the position to be picky. She has rent to pay, groceries to buy, and a younger sister to provide for.
Besides, it’s only three days’ work…
Three days, cooped up in a stranger’s house, surrounded by Oregon Coast wilderness.
What starts as a peculiar side gig soon becomes a waking nightmare. An incomprehensible evil may dwell on this property—and Macy Mullins might just be the only thing standing between it, and the rest of humanity.
Follow the Rites…
Follow the Rites…
Follow the Rites…
..— / ….. / —..
My Review
Thank you, Netgalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books/12:01 Books, for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was a rollercoaster of a read. It started slowly, and I immediately hated Macy. Perhaps the reader is meant to hate her and her self-loathing personality. She never gets anything right and is stuck caring for her younger sister. She needs money. She’ll do anything to provide for her. Yet at the same time, because of these negative traits, we learn to feel sympathy for her, for everything she’s had to face. And I get it. When so much has gone wrong in your life, it’s difficult to find the light after all of that. To find that ray of hope, that things are looking up for the better.
I didn’t enjoy the writing from the start. Somewhere past the 60% mark, it picked up, and it became a page-turner, engrossing me with every page. It is fast-paced and gave me chills. Yet in the end, the story is left on a literal cliffhanger. Do what you like with the ending. Create a happy one for yourself or a devastating one.
One thing is for sure, though, that Macy had it tough, and perhaps this was her wake-up call to come back to reality and out of her depressive state of mind.
The author could have improved several parts of the story. There were moments when random tidbits of information were thrown into the story for no apparent reason, or a flashback that had nothing to do with the plot. The constant voices inside her mind I can understand, but at times it got confusing to what exactly was going on and difficult to determine between her own thoughts and the made-up ones (Schizophrenia?). Again, in the end, there is no real confirmation or conclusion as to what was really going on on the property.
Please read the trigger warnings. Understand that there is so much going on in this novel before reading it. There are no hidden surprises here – there are a lot of difficult subject matters that are dealt with.
★★★☆☆ | 3 / 5
