Cackle by Rachel Harrison #bookreview #horror #paranormal #fantasy #humor
Title: Cackle
Author: Rachel Harrison
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: October 5, 2021
Page Count: 299
My rating: 5 stars
About the book:
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?
While Cackle by Rachel Harrison is technically a paranormal horror novel this one is not overly scary horror but more on the humorous side. There are a few moments that could give a reader chills but this is more like a chicklit paranormal. Think of what a cozy mystery does with a murder instead of a darker thriller and then you’ll be more on the right track of what you may find in Cackle.
At only thirty Annie has spent the last ten years of her life with the man she thought she would be with forever living in Manhattan. Now though Annie finds herself alone and packing her things to move upstate and begin her life again. Annie has taken a teaching position in a charming little town and is moving in a quaint little apartment on her on for the first time in years.
After arriving in the town the only thing Annie can complain about are the spiders she has to keep shooing away. The residents are all so welcoming wherever she goes in the new town but Annie does find herself a little lonely. Then Annie meets the mysterious Sophie. Sophie just has the personality that draws Annie into her world and makes her feel special, so what if the others in town seem a little afraid of her and she lives in that spooky old mansion.
Being someone that absolutely adores books that are just a little bit out of the ordinary and don’t fall into the same old mold following a singular genre Cackle was right up my alley. This one has a little bit of several genres thrown in and mixed together, perhaps in a witches cauldron, and I loved every minute of it. I will certainly never look at a spider the same way again or think twice about that quick swim. At the core of this one though was character growth and discovery magically molded in a humorous but slightly spooky package just in time for the Halloween season.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
Find this book online:
Goodreads / Amazon*
About the author:
Carries Book Reviews 
Nice review Carrie. Perhaps a good Halloween story??
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Carla! It is the perfect time of year for this one.🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
This sounds wonderful Carrie. Nothing like having a good ‘cackle’ when we’re reading. ❤📚
LikeLiked by 1 person
One of my favorite things to find in books!!😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow! I love the emotional mix!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Definitely a favorite of mine too!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Cackle sounds so good. I love an off beat story too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was a good one, and the way I read I don’t mind a book that is hard to label as far as genres goes.😃
LikeLiked by 1 person