(Thank you to NetGalley and Creature Publishing for the ARC. All opinions are my own)

"We didn't know if it was the whole house or just The Children's Wing, but there was an unsettled feeling to the air inside that made us not want to be along."

I finished this novella two days ago and it's been haunting me ever since. I needed to sit with my thoughts to figure out how in the world to write this review.

Here's my recommendation: Skip this review, put on the 'Melancholic Instrumentals' playlist on Spotify and just dive into 'Root Rot'. It's unlike anything you've ever read. You'll especially enjoy this if you're a fan of psychological horror and Shirley Jackson!

Now for the actual review:

Root Rot is a fever nightmare that leaves you feeling vulnerable, emotional and exposed. Nine children join their family on a visit to their grandfather's property. More concerned with playing with their cousins at first, they find themselves slowly questioning what is real and what is not.

The children are unnamed, but are given titles such as The Liar, The Oldest, The Crybaby, etc. This may be confusing at first, but the more you read, the more you start recognizing their voices, their quirks and their inner thoughts. You start to feel their emotions, learn glimpses of their lives and question their titles. The plot explores their family dynamics and themes like boundaries, family vs individual, toxic parenting and self-acceptance.

The story is told from a strange, oddly-inclusive POV through scenes that at times bleed together. This leaves you wondering whether something is actually happening or not. Especially when you compare them with later scenes. Was X actually with the group? Where did Y go? Why is Z acting this way now? I enjoyed trying to decipher what was being unraveled and this writing choice definitely added to the tension and creepiness. Especially as your brain starts seeing the patterns and connecting the dots (shudders).

It's really hard for me to explain this without spoilers, but by the end of the book, I found myself experiencing many emotions including grief and release. I admit I ended up crying a bit after the last page and just staring at the wall. If that's not 5-star worthy, not sure what is.

I seriously applaud the author and Creature Publishing for this novella and can't wait to discover more works from them both.

Now excuse me while I go and try to forget about Devil's Tooth Mushrooms. Nature can be both impressive and traumatizing. So is 'Root Rot'.