Just when I think I have the heart of my top books of the year situated, Jenny Kiefer shoves a knitting needle right into it with Crafting for Sinners. This book at times made me laugh with absolute shock, cringe in horror and disgust, and cry for the plight that this wonderful FMC goes through.

I wanted to start by saying Ruth is one of my favorite characters in a book ever. She is so smart and capable, but not infallible, and she just never, ever stops fighting. There are moments in this book that I was in so much suspense and fear for this character both physically and emotionally, Kiefer really has created a fully formed breathing character that takes the final girl, Kevin from Home Alone and John McClane from Die Hard and makes it all her own.

Ruth is a queer woman living in Kill Devil, Kentucky, a town pretty much owned by the New Creationists, a Westboro Baptist style hate church that also owns the Hobby Lobby inspired crafting shop that Ruth was fired from for having a girlfriend and now shoplifts from to make ends meet through her crafting work.

One day she goes in and the store is suspiciously empty. She grabs the yarn she needs but when she tries to leave she is approached by an employee out of nowhere and she realizes in quick succession that she has been locked inside the store and she is in mortal danger.

Where the book goes from there is both an absolute survival horror thrill ride, and a brilliant social commentary perfect for the times we find ourselves in. There is not a dull moment in this book, you will not catch your breath for more than a moment and the ending to this one is so completely earned. Preorder now, it comes out October 7th and everyone is going to be talking about it, because it’s that good.

I honestly don’t think I can finish this one. This story could have been a novella. It’s so repetitive and overly descriptive and I’m finding myself getting lost and losing focus to what I’m reading. I loved the concept so much and had no doubt I wouldn’t love this but yeah it’s not great. And since it’s basically a locked room survival horror it just comes off super repetitive where you feel like the story isn’t progressing.

Rounding up from 2.5 stars. DNF'ed at 50%.

I was absolutely here for the set up of the book - a not-so-subtle take down of Hobby Lobby in which a religious cult attempts to kidnap a bi woman in the knitting department for some clearly bad stuff? Sign me up. And there were some parts of the book that were at least interesting, including the many ways in which crafting gear can be used as violent and fatal instruments. (A little side story featuring a true crime podcast was also a little interesting at first, although I lost interest in even that).

The story was gorier than I like, but that's a personal preference. What bothered me more was a lack of sophistication in the writing and story telling. It could be quite clunky at times, with some rather obvious and ridiculous chunks of info dumping. And Ruth, our MC, was frustratingly dumb to spend time with. She often made silly choices or was just bad at making decisions. I wanted to root for her, but she made it hard.

Well, that was exceedingly gory. Nothing wrong with that, but I wasn't expecting it. What I didn't love was the lack of characterization and repetition; this book could've been a lot stronger.

Crafting for Sinners by Jenny Kiefer is creepy, chaotic, and SO hard to put down. It’s like cozy crafting gone totally off the rails—with blood. The vibe starts chill but gets real dark, real fast, and you’re just stuck there flipping pages like “wait… WHAT?!” The main character is messy in the best way, and watching her get pulled deeper into this twisted world of secrets and sinister hobbies is addictive. Think weird vibes, murdery tension, and a story that spirals in all the right ways. It’s like if your Pinterest board turned evil. Loved every unhinged second.

when i saw this book on Netgalley, i requested it right away as it seemed right up my alley. i love fun horror books and have a strange fascination with mega churches. plus, i’d read Jenny Kiefer’s debut, This Wretched Valley, last year and thought it was ok.

overall, i think Crafting for Sinners was a decent horror comedy. it was a truly unique, wacky, and wild ride filled with tons of blood and gore, creepy cult rituals, and revenge.

however, i do have a few gripes hence the 3 star rating.

the first 60% was honestly kind of boring and mostly consists of Ruth fighting her way through the store and hiding in tight places while her pursuers conveniently speak in exposition right within her earshot. i understand that the craft store element was the hook for the story but i think this section could’ve been cut down as it started to feel dragging repetitive.

the writing style was also very telling instead of showing. for instance, we’re told over and over again by Ruth how much she loves her girlfriend Abigail and is doing everything just so she can return to her. however, imo we didn’t get to know Abigail and see her and Ruth together enough to make me be invested in their relationship.

nonetheless, there were many elements to this book that i really enjoyed.

the premise and setting were super fun. i loved seeing Ruth being creative with her choice of weaponry amongst the crafty wares. plus, New Creations being a pseudo Hobby Lobby (down to the details about barcodes being the sign of the devil) was so funny.

the book definitely began picking up steam once the weird culty stuff started happening. the cult itself was very interesting in how it combines both the stereotypical kind of cult (blood rituals and sacrifices etc.) with the modern version of cults (mega churches and weaponized christianity etc.).

i liked the bits of mixed media interspersed throughout. it was like a fun puzzle trying to work out how it all fit together.

Ruth was a likeable mc. i related to her a lot as someone who was also raised religious but then became disillusioned by and then left the church after developing critical thinking skills. i also appreciated her commitment to being a tote bag baddie lol.

I loved the premise of this book. It was so campy and I really appreciate the advocation of crafting stores being a great location for any future apocalyptic/fight for your life scenario. Honestly, its a genre I didn't know I needed more of. That said, I wish the book had just a little bit more. I think it built up and any revelations happened a little too quickly at the end, but simultaneously too slowly for the entirety of the book. It is definitely worth the read, especially if you aren't too squeamish. I definitely had to close my eyes at some points just to remind myself I wasn't trapped in the store as well. Great job!

This book is like Hobby Lobby got possessed by Satan and decided to go full Texas Chainsaw Massacre—and I mean that as a compliment. Jenny Kiefer spins a survival horror tale that’s bloody, biting, and somehow still queerly affirming, even as it drenches you in fluorescent-lit dread and polyester yarn.

Ruth is stuck in a small Kentucky town that weaponizes faith like a knife. After being outed and fired from her church-run job, she tries to take a little revenge in the form of stolen yarn. Big mistake. The punishment? Less “don’t do it again” and more “ritual sacrifice for your sins.” What follows is a tense, gore-laced game of cat-and-mouse inside a craft store turned sanctified torture chamber. Think glue guns, knitting needles, and glitter-coated survival instinct.

The horror here is literal - limbs, blood, traps—but it’s also ideological. This isn’t just about survival; it’s about what it means to be queer in a place where the very infrastructure is out to purify you. The New Creationists aren’t just villains are a mirror of every real-world system that disguises cruelty as divine order. And yet, Kiefer doesn’t wallow. Ruth isn’t just a victim. She’s furious, messy, and fighting like hell to stay alive.

Some readers might find the level of gore intense, and the portrayal of church as a cult might feel heavy-handed if you're coming from a place of personal faith. But horror has always been about pushing boundaries, and Crafting for Sinners pushes with intention.

Grim, gripping, and surprisingly cathartic, this is not a comfort read, but if you like your horror sharp, queer, and soaked in rage, you’ll feel right at home. Just don’t trust the employees.

“She could be a sinner if it meant she was a survivor, too.”

Crafting for Sinners is a fun, campy novel about a queer woman named Ruth who lives in the uber-religious town of Kill Devil, Kentucky. After being fired from her job at the local craft store because of her sexuality, Ruth begins to shoplift as revenge. At the beginning of the novel, she’s caught — but instead of being brought to the police, she is trapped in the store and hunted down by the employees and members of the local mega church. Ruth has no idea why, but she knows deep down that something sinister is going on, and if they catch her, she won’t be making it out alive.

I had a lot of fun reading this! It got repetitive and predictable at times, but overall it was a gripping, fast-paced story. I really loved the mixed media elements like podcast transcripts and newspaper excerpts and I wish those had been utilized throughout the story more frequently to help build up more lore surrounding the mega church in town.

For how silly and goofy this was, it was also fairly grotesque and had a perfect amount of horror for me. There were a lot of moments that made me wince and squirm — some scenes were GROSS (in the best way for a horror novel!)

Overall, I had a fun time with this. It highlights the hate disguised as love that impacts many queer individuals who grow up in small religious towns. The horrors at the heart of this novel are sadly relatable to many, but I think a lot of readers will appreciate the way that the conversations and themes were handled in this novel.

Thank you to Quirk Books and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Review posted to Goodreads 7/6/25.

Review to be posted to Instagram closer to release date.

Thank you to Netgally and Quirk Books for providing the ARC of Jenny Kiefer’s Crafting for Sinners!

I’m notorious for never reading books that are fun and silly - but the premise of Crafting for Sinners was just my niche. I loved the crafting supplies, the gore, and the zealousness of the New Creationists that pushed to the edge of unbelievable insanity. As a person who grew up queer in the South, it felt refreshing to have cartoonishly evil megachurch worshippers as the villains - especially in the current political climate when these things feel like they happen around every corner (except the cannibalism, I hope).

The only drawbacks of the novel is that the pacing was a bit drawn out and repetitive at points. Some scenes could have been shortened to move along the plot. It also felt that there were several repeating sentences or sentiments - but I also devoured this book in 3 days, so that may have been the reason.

I also felt that the plot held my hand quite a bit in regards to piecing together clues that were a bit elementary. I liked Ruth as a character, but she felt quite slow in coming to conclusions or realizations that made me skim the text at points when I already knew the answer to some of the big reveals. This goes back to the only drawback of the novel with the plot being a bit too long and scenes drawn out.

Overall, this was a very fun read - again, from someone who NEVER reads a book meant to be fun, this is a big compliment!! I agree with the publisher that this is a good book recommendation for fans of Camp Damascus, with its similar elements of mixing satire of religion and gore.

I hope to see more works from Kiefer in the future!

Ruth and her girlfriend Abigail live in religious Kill Devil, Kentucky, having to hide their relationship from the town. Ruth being fired from her job at the church owned craft store, New Creations, frequently shoplifts in revenge. Unbeknownst to Ruth there is something far more sinister about the craft store and church than she knows. Will Ruth make it out alive from a night trapped in the craft store with crazy cultists?
Jenny Kiefer is great at writing survival horror. In her debut novel This Wretched Valley she tells the tale of ambitious rock climbers stuck in the Kentucky wilderness. Both novels will have you at the edge of your seat and feeling the same terror that the characters are feeling as they fight for their lives.

Thank you to Quirk Books for the ARC!

Was really excited to get a copy of this from netgalley as the premise sounded very up my alley. Unfortunately it was pretty poorly written. The protagonist begins killing people before there is even any sign she’s in actual danger, which is weird and feels super unclear; the entire “plot” is given through a series of overheard info dumps; any attempt at surprises are telecast from page 1; and there’s an entire scene that is just like “rats are horrible vicious creatures,” which is not only patently false but easily researchable..? Felt really first draft, here’s hoping it goes back in the oven before pub day.

Ruth did a lot of murdering for someone who had never murdered before. Crafting for Sinners is a fun read. There were parts that were a little gruesome, but not excessively gory. The story itself is entertaining and fairly original. The characters are interesting and somewhat relatable. I say somewhat because sometimes Ruth's thoughts, especially in regard to leaving Devil Kill, made no sense, considering the discrimination she had already faced in that town.
This is a good read, and I would recommend for anyone who likes gruesome kills and witty internal banter.
This book was provided to me at no charge by the publisher and NetGalley. My opinions are honestly and freely given.

Thanks for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.

My POV:
I think this is my first time reading this author. Solid 4-stars: it’s not for everyone, but should find an audience who’ll love it. I think this would be fairly considered LGBTQ horror. There’s a fair amount of gore, so sensitive readers and/or readers who aren’t horror fans might want to look elsewhere.

It’s worth mention that the perpetuator of the horror is a small town evangelical church that’s veered into cult terrirtory with occultic human sacrifice rituals,. The church takes a dim view of women generally, non-church goers specfically, and especially gay/lesbian/bi.. If the idea of the church perpetuating horror and violence in the name of the “Creator” is offensive to you, youprobably want to look for something else to read.

On the flip, if the idea of LGBTQ-friendly horror gives you heart-eyes or at least not Xs-over-eyes, this is for you.

A brief spoiler-free synopsis follows:

The story follows Ruth, a young-seeming (20-something?) woman in a committed relationship with Abigail. They live in a small town called Kill Devil in which there is deeply rooted evangelical church that RELENTLESSLY pursues sinnners to atone to their “Creator.” The church has strong tentacles throughout the town - either people worship here (and most of the town does) or they’re “sinners” who don’t worship at all and everyone knows who’s whom.

Ruth goes to the town craft store (which is owned and operated by the church) to pick up some yarn and from there, things take a dark turn. Ruth becomes a captive in the store and is pursued by men of the church to atone for her sins through sacrifice for the benefit of others. Things don’t go according to plan for Ruth or her captors and that’s putting it mildly. It quickly becomes clear that Ruth has to battle for her survival (at high cost) and the deck is stacked against her. She is outnumbered, outmatched, and has the extra burden of being diabetic (which is a point revisited with some regularity).

There is quite a bit of gore and fairly descriptive violence both done to Ruth and to those she encounters. Though the content and storylines are VERY different, it’s sort of like Saw in that the level of physical and emotional torture the character is forced to endure is almost too much. There were times when I wished Ruth would be allowed to die, not because I didn’t like the character, but because what she’s put through is beyond the limits of what most people can or should endure.

If you’re a Christian churchgoer, check your feelings about the portrayal of the evangelical church as psychotic cult. The portrayal is taken to the extreme to be sure, but also suitably creepy to pull off the author’s vision for the story. There are a lot of ‘holes’ in the traditions, teachings, and practices of this ficitional church to be sure, but at the core are at least a few mustard seeds of truth, if you will. There’s theological misunderstanding and misinterpretation of scripture and Biblical teachings that you will need to be able to read past to enjoy thiis without taking offense. Maybe it’s revealing of the author’s opinion of the church and maybe it’s just fiction—I chose to believe the latter and was able to keep myself in the story. There are a few times where you might want to slap some sense into Ruth, but there are naive people out there.

The ending satisfies the story at hand while teasing a next chapter.

loved the premise, really on the nose at points which kinda made me roll my eyes, still needs some refinement but it was a fun read

I was so excited to get this as an ARC! I’ve been wanting to read this book (honestly since hearing this author was coming out with a new novel, I loved the last one). This was so GOOD!!! I could not put it down. What an insane, action-packed terrifying ride through being trapped by a church in a craft store. I won’t say anything else that could give the plot away. Just wow. Make sure you’ve got free time when you sit down with this one, because you’re not gonna want to stop reading it till it’s over. This will be out in October 2025. I can’t wait to have this one in my hands, for real.

Crafting for Sinners follows Ruth, a queer woman living in Kill Devil, Kentucky—a town completely controlled by the New Creationists, a hateful church that also runs the local craft store where Ruth used to work.

Ruth is one of the best characters I’ve read in a long time. She’s smart, stubborn, resourceful, and so human. She makes mistakes, she doubts herself, but she never stops fighting, no matter how bad things get.

After being fired for loving another woman, Ruth has been quietly stealing from the store just to survive. But one day, when she goes in for yarn, she realizes she’s been trapped—and what the New Creationists want from her is much worse than being caught shoplifting.

What follows is a tense, brutal survival story, and also such a sharp look at small-town hate, control, and how hard it is to fight back when everything is stacked against you. This book never lets up, and the ending is so completely earned.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I dnf this one sadly. I loved the idea of it. But it just read too YA for me. I didnt like how the nain character was so needy with her girlfriend. Not wanting to move away because she might find someone else. Even though they have to pretend they're not together. And just stealing things and not caring or thinking shes above everything and everyone.

This was SUCH an entertaining read - I stayed up way too late to read it in one sitting, which was absolutely not my plan, but I literally couldn't put it down. There were a few elements that I wish had been expanded upon a little bit more (Ruth and Abigail's friendship prior to their relationship, the resolution at the end with Abigail, some of the extra podcast/forum pieces, the pamphlet that she was sure had some sort of "code") - but overall a super fun, spooky read. I loved the Hobby Lobby parallels, the cult-y aspect, and that Ruth was truly such a badass. Fans of Grady Hendrix, Mona Awad, Marcus Kliewer, etc. are sure to love this one!

I enjoyed this book and loved the cover! I will say it was more gross/disturbing than actually scary, but still the premise was good and it was entertaining. It dragged a little in the middle, but overall held my attention. I think this will be a popular read when it releases!