I obtained a evaluate copy from the writer. This doesn’t have an effect on the contents of my evaluate and all opinions are my very own.

Eat the Ones You Love by Sarah Maria Griffin

Mogsy’s Ranking: 3 of 5 stars

Style: Horror

Sequence: Stand Alone

Writer: Tor Books (April 22, 2025)

Size: 288 pages

Creator Data: Web site | Twitter

Recently, I appear to be arising on loads of books that begin sturdy, solely to fizzle out midway by and grow to be one thing of a slog to complete. Eat the Ones You Love by Sarah Maria Griffin is the newest to fall into this class. Whereas I nonetheless loved myself, ending this one took extra effort than I anticipated, particularly given its sturdy begin and eerie premise.

Because the story begins, we meet the protagonist Shell Pine who has discovered herself at a private low level following a devastating job loss and a breakup along with her long-time associate. Now she is again in her hometown, residing along with her mother and father. Determined for work, she impulsively enters a flower store within the rundown shopping center close by and asks concerning the HELP NEEDED signal within the window. Instantly, she senses a reference to the florist Neve, a younger girl whose charismatic aura captures her consideration. And identical to that, Shell is invited again tomorrow morning to assist open the store and be taught the ropes.

However immediately, we’re launched to a brand new voice. For you see, Neve is harboring a horrible secret, one with deep ties to the historical past of the crumbling mall and its central terrarium the place a wierd, sentient entity resides. Not only a plant, additionally it is a predator, and Neve is greater than its caregiver. The place its roots develop, it is aware of all. And it has seen Shell, the best way she is drawn to Neve, and now it needs her too.

My abstract could be obscure, however something extra I actually don’t wish to give away as a result of most of my enjoyment got here from unraveling the remainder of the story’s mysteries. Eat the Ones You Love is a horror novel, however additionally it is an unconventional one in that the majority of its style parts are extra suggestive than surprising, edging ever so barely into physique horror however primarily coping with psychological dread. And how are you going to not love an antagonist that may be a homicidal sentient plant? An enchanting creation pushed by unrelenting starvation, it additionally has an unhealthy obsession with Neve, who calls it her “child.” However in fact, of all of the POVs on this guide, the plant’s needed to be my favourite, not solely as a result of it was so distinctive but in addition due to how satisfied I used to be of its hazard and menace.

That stated, as I alluded to above, the guide does lose a few of its chunk within the center. As Shell settles into her new job and turns into accepted right into a social group made up of different staff on the mall, the general plot’s motion stalls to discover these friendships. Fairly quickly, the main focus is shifting to day-to-day office shenanigans and interpersonal drama and mall politics. Possibly the creator’s authentic intent was so as to add depth to the world and construct up the layers of context across the characters, however after some time, it simply felt like loads of filler to me. Greater than as soon as, I discovered myself wishing we may get again to the horror story. In the long run, studying about who’s sleeping with whom was merely not as attention-grabbing as the one relationship that mattered to me—the one between Neve and her parasitic plant child.

Finally, Eat the Ones You Love is an bold novel, and unapologetically bizarre in all the suitable methods with out being too over-the-top to remain in my wheelhouse. I’ve lengthy thought killer vegetation and the horror style go hand-in-hand, and Sarah Maria Griffin faucets into that wealthy custom with aptitude and originality. Past that, the story additionally weaves collectively varied themes that really feel like an ideal match, just like the bleakness of messy relationships and dying procuring malls.

However I’ve to say, the guide’s largest shortcoming lies in its lack of story stability resulting in uneven pacing. Human drama usually bought in the best way of the creator’s painstakingly crafted horror narrative, diluting the creepy rigidity constructed by the unsettling voice of the plant creature. To be sincere, I may have used a bit extra suspense, slightly extra of that worry issue. That stated, for followers of slow-burn horror and character-driven tales grounded by a wealthy and offbeat premise, it’s most likely value a glance.