This is a chillingly, creepy story, a part of T. Kingfisher's "Sworn Soldier" series. You really need to read the first one in the series, "What Moves the Dead" before tackling this one. We follow our main character, Alex Easton, who is a gender non-binary soldier with PTSD, a condition from their time on the battlefield. They return back to their family’s hunting lodge, and find that strange deaths are occurring at night, while people are dreaming. It goes on to be a retelling of something called the legend of the “nightmare.” This was only 160 pages but so much horror was crammed into those pages. I'm not usually a big fan of novellas but I really enjoyed this one. T. Kingfisher is always wonderful at giving us creepy and unsettling images to play on our vivid imaginations. I have a friend and a son with PTSD and she handled this subject so very carefully. I was appreciative of that. As with the first book, the story was atmospheric and wonderfully eerie...in short, a really good read. This series mises the wry sense of humor and weird, quirky writing that some of her other books did but overall, a tale that will chill you to the bone. Just what a horror story enthusiast could ask for. ( )

Is it pneumonia or a creepy woman sitting on your chest sucking you dry… ( )

I enjoyed this just as much as What Moves the Dead. Perhaps a bit less going on but still fantastically written and completely engaging. I hope there’s a third in the series. And a fourth, and so on. ( )

A continuation from What Moves the Dead with three of it's main characters included but narrates a completely different story. A quick fun read. Creepy and gothic. ( )

I just love a good horror fairy tale, and T Kingfisher never disappoints. Creepy when it needs to be and captivating throughout. ( )