Metal Blonde Books and NetGalley - you guys are awesome! Thanks for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book deserves more than 5 stars! If you don’t have triggers, go in completely blind. If you do have triggers, only read the trigger list and if you feel comfortable, skip the synopsis and go in blind as well!

Want spicy scenes? It has the perfect amount of them, with the perfect amount of details!

Want some horror? Yep, it has that too!

Want a book you simply can’t put down? This is it!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a free e-book copy of this book for review.

If you’re in the mood for a spicy romance wrapped up in a dark, haunting mystery-thriller, Grave Matter by Karina Halle is the book you want to pick up. It’s got a little bit of everything: forbidden passion, eerie supernatural vibes, and twists that’ll have you staring at the wall trying to piece it all together. Plus, it gives off The Last of Us vibes.

The book kicks off with a ton of info being thrown at you. There’s tragedy, trauma, and lots of character backstory that feels messy at first—like you’re trying to connect the dots without all the pieces of the puzzle. It’s intentional, though. Did it throw me off and set a weird tone for me for most of the book, yes, but the ending helped alleviate that.

Overall, I enjoyed it. I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it. The twist saved it for me.

3.75⭐️

I'm having a hard time rating this book...I was so intrigued by the book cover and then the description on NetGalley and immediately requested an arc. I was approved and began reading, I was enthralled...and then I wasn't...it was like so much of nothing was happening and I was getting drilled over and over about fungi and her obsession with her teacher. I got about half way and I just couldn't do it anymore. I had to take a break. Since this was an arc, I felt compelled to finish and write a review. I skim read a vast majority of the middle and then at chapter 27 everything got crazy and amazingly good and I read it word for word to the end from that point on!! I was blown away with how it ended and that's why I'm sitting here confused on how to rate it 🤔 I loved Mexican Gothic and this had similar vibes, but Mexican Gothic had me in a chokehold the whole time while this book fell flat in parts.

I honestly don't know if I would refer this book to a friend because it was so slow in the middle and I understand there was some build up needed for the twist at the end, but it was just too much filler in the middle for me to tell a friend to read it. I think if the intrigue at the beginning would have held through into the middle and then continued to the end I would have given this a 5 star because it knocked it out of the park with the ending, but I just can't do that because I got so bored in the middle.

The ending absolutely makes this book, so read at your own risk of possibly being bored in the middle. I will be checking out other books by the author because the ending was *chef's kiss* so I have hope for other books by her.

Thanks to NetGalley, Karina Halle, and Metal Blonde Books for a copy to review.

The setting and atmosphere were on point for this mysterious read. I've been reading Karina Halle since her Experiment in Terror series and I'm so glad she's gotten back to her spooky roots. She is able to blend romance with suspense seamlessly. What a great October read!

Sydney Denik is looking for a second chance. When she gets a dream opportunity, she jumps at the chance. Once there, things begin to unravel. people disappear, ghosts are walking the halls, and so much more. This was a great book and it made me want to read more from this author!

Dark dark and darker romance yes please! The plot is immaculate and the characters are so hot and relatable

Grave Matter was an absolute rollercoaster of a read and I haven't been able to stop thinking about! Karina always manages to take you on an adventure and this didn't disappoints!!!

For a solid portion of this book, I was mentally preparing to slap it with a pretty low rating. Why, you ask? Oh, because it kicked things off with one of my least favorite tropes—insta-love. Like, seriously, can we stop pretending strangers can fall madly in love after making eye contact in .05 seconds? And don't even get me started on a few plotlines that were doing cartwheels off the logic cliff. I was confused, babes.

But just as I was ready to write it off, Halle pulled a full-blown Houdini move. Out of nowhere, she dropped a MASSIVE plot twist near the end that made me stop, reread, and go, "Hold up, WHAT?!" Suddenly, all those messy little breadcrumbs made sense, and I found myself grudgingly giving her a mental standing ovation. I was shocked, I was impressed, and yes, I was eating crow for doubting her.

And can we talk about the spice? Halle, girl, you delivered. My metaphorical hat is off to you because those scenes were 🔥 fire without being cringe.

Now, let’s address the big questions: Would I read her work again? Heck yes, I would! Would I recommend this book? That’s another yes—but with a side of, “You gotta be patient with this one.”

Big thanks to NetGalley and Metal Blonde Books for the ARC. It’s a solid 3 stars for me, but Halle, you definitely left me intrigued for the next one!

This book was so unpredictable, and I genuinely had no idea on the twist the book took. It’s a good story, but I think this falls into just not for me category. That being said, I really enjoyed the atmosphere and setting of this novel.


Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of the book!

This was a total WTF book! It was slow yet addictive.
I loved the twists this book had. The evolution of Sydney was brilliant, I really liked her.
This book had it all, academia, sci-fi, romance, bit of spice, mystery and fungus!

I don't know what I was expecting for this book, but it definitely exceed my expectations! It was so sexy and thrilling, I would definitely recommend this for any dark romance reader.

4.5 stars - rounded up to 5. karina halle is amazing in every aspect. i love the different facets to her, but truly i think this might be one of my favorite books of hers.

this book was spooky in the best ways and also creepy at times, but i was literally hooked from beginning to end. there were so many points within this novel that had me saying "what?!" or "what is going to happen next!!! i need to know". truthfully, i screamed at my kindle multiple times reading this (not in bad ways!).

Sydney was a truly interesting fmc to me, i mean who specializes in fungi? but i found myself very interested and intrigued by her character. now take that fungi obsession to a secluded island where you have no connection to the outside world? very isolated? what does that do to someone's mental health? READ AND FIND OUT. i loved seeing her begin to not trust herself and then of course, go to the very same man she has been crushing on .. professor/psychologist, Dr Kincaid.. lets see where this leads ;)

& oh my.. he was stunning and i can see why Sydney was crushing. DELICIOUSLY SPICY y'all.

seriously, i thoroughly enjoyed this book. it was creepy and gave all the spooky vibes, you started to question your own mind just as Sydney's did to her. every time i thought i knew something, i was surprised in some other way.. the ending was SHOCKING, but truly i loved this book and i dont think i can say that enough.

what a wild ride this was! i went into this book blind, and it didn’t disappoint!

i didn’t see that plot twist coming at all, it completely blew my mind! the whole time reading this book, i had no idea what was coming.

amazing spice, loved the characters - including side characters! also the fungi pun shirts made me giggle 🤭🍄

the only thing for me was i found the beginning a little too slow for my liking, but the last half of the book was amazing!

thank you karina & netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

what to expect:
- gothic romance
- psychological thriller
- dark academia
- forced proximity
- doctor x patient
- teacher x student

This book was such a roller coaster. I did not know what to expect at times. The writing, the intrigue, the plot twists, they all made this book addictive.

Wow. Karina Halle is a master of diversity in her writing. She can span the scope of contemporary romance, erotica, romantasy, horror, and paranormal romance and her voice stays consistent throughout, easily identifiable and unique!

I really enjoyed this book, which surprised me just a little because I normally don’t prefer a standalone. In this case, I thought a standalone was a perfect fit for Sydney’s story. I got to meet her, find out who she is as a character and what motivates her, and ultimately sit enraptured as I devoured chapter after chapter of scary sexy horror! And I learned a lot about mycology and mushroom puns 😅

The spice was spicing, some restraint and rope play, but the thing I really enjoyed was the after care aspect. It’s amazing how often authors forget that crucial piece.

This was a 5 ⭐️ read for me.
3 🌶️ out of 4 for spice (on my scale).

I LOVED this book! Karina Halle is one of my favourite authors, so I was excited to see a new release from her. As with all of her previous books I've read, this was a fantastic read.
I was drawn in immediately, and I devoured it in one sitting. I just couldn't put it down.

I enjoyed the blend of genres: Sci-fi, fantasy, thriller, horror, and romance.
Sydney and Wes were great main characters, they were interesting, intense, and complex. Their chemistry was insane.

I love how diverse Karina is with her writing. She blends genres so seamlessly.
I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

I very highly recommend.

5 stars from me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Netgalley, Metal Blonde Books, and Karina Halle for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a little different read than the author’s usual books. The plot is unique and different while there are so many things that will freak you out. I really thought the book was dark, psychological, and filled with secrets, mystery, mental health, and romance.

Thanks to the Publisher.

Okay so the pacing starts off very slow, but stick with it!!! The pay off is amazing and blew me away. This is a fantastic blend of nasty and horror!

Grave Matter by Karina Halle

⭐️⭐️💀--I rounded up because this book gave me a nightmare but honestly it could have been the candy I ate before bed.

I wanted to love this book. Karina Halle? Yes, please. Spicy dark gothic vibes? Sign me up! But what I got was less "gripping dark tale" and more "mushroom overload with a side of mild disappointment."

Let’s get this out of the way: there’s spice. Plenty of it. If that’s all you’re after, you might enjoy yourself. But if you’re here for a gothic fantasy with actual substance, this one misses the mark. It promises “All the Things” but somehow manages to feel over the top and underwhelming at the same time.

And oh, the mushrooms. So. Many. Mushrooms. Honestly, I spent more time learning about fungi than feeling the dark, brooding atmosphere I signed up for. By the time the story finally leaned into those promised gothic vibes, I was already checked out.

There’s also a twist. But by the time we arrived, it fell so flat it might as well have been a pancake. No gasp, no shock, just...bleh.

If you’re into Dark Academia, let me save you some time: there are much better books in the subgenre. Grave Matter tries to blend dark, moody vibes with fantasy, sci-fi, and spice, but it lacks the depth and intrigue that make a story like this truly compelling.

Unless you’re specifically in the mood for mushrooms and spice, I’d say pass. And even then...proceed with caution.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this book the suspense was amazing and I totally did not see the twist coming! This book was definitely more spicy then I usually read but I am not opposed to spicy. The spicy scenes were well written. Overall good book!