really enjoyed reading the Mothman Haze, this novella was full of mystery and intrigue. The ending was not at all what I expected and I loved the dynamics between the book's characters, I also loved the mystery of the Mothman and what happened to little Ronnie. this was a quick gripping read and if you love mysteries that feature legendary creatures this book is for you, Highly recommended!!!

This was a great concept in the horror novel, I loved the use of Mothman and thought it was used well. The rest of the cast worked overall in the story and I enjoyed getting to know them. E.C. Hanson has a great writing style and it worked with what I was looking for. It does a great job in writing this and left me wanting more.

This book was somehow very intense and also very horny. What a strange little novella. I really enjoyed it despite its strangeness.

A good horror novella that I enjoyed. The author did a good job and developed a fast paced and dark story that kept me on the edge.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Wow. Very good story by E C Hanson. First time reading him, and really enjoyed this story. The characters were realistic, and the story and pacing were great. And a great twist at the end. And of course who doesn't love a story about the Mothman. Can't wait to read more from E C Hanson. #MothmanHaze #NetGalley

This was a quick read about a graduate student returning home to her parents to help them find her missing nephew that her father believes was taken by Mothman.

This novella was fast paced and interesting from start to finish! Though I found the ending to be predictable, the way it got there was engaging enough to keep me reading!

I didn’t really care for the main character, I found her childish and overly perverted. Her motivations are selfish and aspects of her personality don’t totally make sense with the direction this story takes. Still, it was a good quick read with a satisfying ending.

If you’re looking for a Mothman story that subverts your expectation, then Mothman Haze comes out January 2nd!

Really enjoyed the book from start to finish. Author wrote this with great pace. This book is now one of my top books of the year for sure. Loved every second of this book.

Mothman Haze, by E.C. Hanson, is a tightly packed novella with a secret at the heart of it.

Ronnie goes missing. His aunt Caroline, our narrator, returns home to help in any way she can. She has her work cut out for her though because Bud, her father, is saying that Mothman took Ronnie.

This isn't the first time he has seen Mothman, and Bud is hoping it won't be the last. He's on a manic hunt for the elusive cryptid and when he finds it he's going to kill it.

When you're searching for Ronnie and hunting the Mothman, you should be careful what you're looking for because you might just find it.

As always Hanson knows how to give you chills. Such an awesome, creepy cryptid tale. A must read for every horror fan to add to their to be read stack. Seriously spooky and truly well written. E.C. Hanson is taking horror to new heights and we are all for it!

E.C. Hanson's new novella, 'Mothman Haze,' is an excellent story drawing on the urban legend of Mothman in a way that's original, deep, and captivating! It's an easy read, character-driven, with a strong true crime or mockumentary feel, all done deftly in less than a hundred pages. The central figure, film school graduate Caroline, is a great narrator choice, shining with intelligence and self-awareness; still, she's not your standard type of female character in such stories, and this made all the difference for me. I liked the sense of freedom and self-criticism she punctuated everything with, her way of thinking through her problems (the brilliant idea of presenting alternative ways she'd preferred things might have gone made her feel real and alive!), and her merciless acknowledgment of her own bad decisions. Hanson knows how to tell a story with very few resources, and this is a classic case of simplicity exploding into a rich assortment of complexities throughout: family issues, clashes of personalities, contradictions of reality and desires. Plus, the incredible ending! The resolution of the mystery was sheer genius. This is not your run-of-the-mill cryptid story; it's a fast-paced novella highly recommended to everyone!

Posted on Goodreads.

4.5/5⭐️

This faced paced novella follows Caroline who’s got major second child syndrome. Living in her sister’s shadow has made her starved for affection and not making the best decision. She’s also never cried, at least as far as she can remember. She’s an aspiring playwright writer who passes her free time boozing and enjoying the flesh. However, a call from her mother has her going back home where she needs to confront her family life issues and figure out what happened to her nephew Little Ronnie. All while her father’s obsession with mothman has taken him down a spiral.

Caroline is a great character and her growth in the span of 82 pages was excellent. Could there have been more development in the other characters? Maybe but I don’t think it affects the story. Her father’s obsession with Mothman is permeated within every inch of him and the way it’s displayed within the story is both haunting and gut wrenching. And you’re really wondering if the Mothman took Little Ronnie as punishment to her father escaping him those many years prior?

Mothman is such a fascinating cryptid and is nicely used by Hanson. But that ending….I really didn’t expect that.

Thank you netgalley, big Swede publishing and EC Hanson for the opportunity to read an arc. Best wishes for release day.

Mothman Haze was a suck-you-in, can’t put down novella. One of Hanson’s best stories yet! And let’s talk about that ending for a second…BOY, did that throw me for a loop! I was NOT expecting that outcome. I’ve been thinking about this for the last few days. Kudos on another fantastic story!!

I love this book so much! I was hooked from the first word. What an opening! You know how I love books where someone has to come home to help family, like Hallmark movies but not. Well our girl is slutty, funny, and self centered but she comes home after her little nephew goes missing. Her father believes Mothman took him. I laughed so many times. I just am an absolute fan of this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Big Swede Publishing for this opportunity to read rate and review this arc which is available January 2,2024!

A mothman tale in Connecticut. It’s a mystery horror book but honestly I could t get into it. I didn’t really connect with Caroline the main character. Nor did I really care about the plot.

Though she hasn't been home in over a year, Caroline returns to her Connecticut town when her mother calls her, telling her to come home ASAP. There, she discovers that her six-year old nephew, whom her parents were raising, went missing after being dropped off at day care. Her father, who believes he witnessed seeing the infamous Mothman at the 1967 Silver Bridge collapse, claims that Mothman has taken the boy in revenge for him escaping the bridge unharmed. Caroline must now figure out what happened to her nephew, what's wrong with her father, and is there really such a thing as the Mothman.
The premise of the story itself was pretty good, and I am a sucker for Mothman stories. However, the character of Caroline was one of the worst written ones I've ever read. While she may be someone who is emotionally void (though she insists not psychopathic), her thoughts and actions are like those some teenage boy would fantasize out and then put to paper. Upon seeing the cop who she always had a crush on, all she can think about is "boning him"; she states this numerous times, despite the fact that their interactions are revolve around the nephew's disappearance. And her over-sexualized thoughts and dialogue were just cringe-worthy. This is definitely a case of a male writer who has no clue how to write female characters well. 2.5/5*

Mothman Haze by E.C. Hansen

A quick little mystery!
Caroline is a sociopath (even though she won't admit it). She has no empathy towards anyone and hasn't shed a tear since she was very young. She is also very confident in her sexuality and likes to play the field. But when her nephew suddenly goes missing, with her father saying that he saw the Mothman carry him off, her mother asks her to come home. And so ensues the mystery.

I really enjoyed the dark humor and Caroline's witty dialogue. I found myself laughing out loud quite a lot. Obviously you have to suspend your disbelief while reading a story about a cryptid, but unfortunately I found I had no empathy for any of the characters. I felt like they weren't fleshed out enough for my taste. I'm also not sure why this is considered to be in the horror genre because it's definitely a mystery.

I think this would appeal to someone who enjoys fun, short mysteries laced with dark humor.

TW: Profanity, sexuality, suicide

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Quick novella with a twist. Easy read that sucked me in. Psychological with a little mystery involving the Mothman lore. Narrated by our lead Caroline we see tiny glimpses into her past and her hopes for her future. We follow her along as she is in search for her nephew, a young boy who grandpa is positive was taken by the Mothman. It was sometimes hard to follow, but with its length you don’t get very lost.

Thank you to the author for the free eARC for my honest review.

A breezy novella with a compelling voice. Narrator Caroline carries us through the opening pages with aplomb, and the small town of Monrovia, Connecticut is drawn in evocative broad strokes. Like all good horror stories set in small towns, there’s plenty of intrigue to be found; one parent is battling mental illness and another might just have seen something supernatural. The disappearance of nephew Little Ronnie is just the push she and the family need to start unravelling completely.

The writing is at its strongest when it leans into its main character’s voice and her twisty dialogue. At times narration veers away into the more clinical, the more obvious, in order to advance a scene. In any case, the story is so short that there’s not much time to nitpick! We’re dragged along for the ride with Caroline, her loves and loathings, her unbridled sexuality and her guilt-ridden dreams. And if nothing else, it’s an experience.

I received an ARC via NetGalley.