This was such a spooky, gripping & fun time! There were moments I was genuinely scared!!

Written beautifully, I had to highlight some sentences as they were extremely meaningful even if written unintentionally!

A fantastic adventure!

The music we listen too has a profound ability to speak to us, connect with us and help shape us into the people we are. But what if the music decided to consume us, infiltrate our every being and take over our souls? Well, that is what happened to the lead singer of metal band Queen Carrion, Brynn Werner and ultimately, the rest of the band members.

Mainly focusing on the story of the band’s drummer, Harlow, we’re introduced to the rest of Queen Carrion (plus an additional groupie) staying together in a cabin in the woods (always a bad idea!), a year after the disappearance of their lead singer Brynn Werner (who just so happened to go missing in the same woods they’re staying in).

Wanting to understand what happened to Brynn the previous year, the band members gain more than just answers. They gain clarity and an insight into the person that Brynn is/was, or should I say, who Queen Carrion was.

This story is everything you could want from a horror story, fast-paced, intense, anxiety-inducing and generally just a scary read. The chapters in this book are split between the main events of the story in the woods, events that transpired before and after the main story, articles about the band (both before and after the main story) and reports which make more sense as you progress through the story. It can take a bit of getting used to the flip-flopping between timelines and different writing styles, but once you get used to it, it really helps immerse you into the story and learn more about Brynn through the perspective of everyone in her life.

After each (main) chapter, there’s a new revelation with some of these honestly having me sitting there with my mouth hanging open and one in particular I remember exclaiming ‘WTF’!

If you’re looking for a horror story to truly keep you on your toes, pick up The Midnight Muse when it releases on the 10th March 2026!

Many thanks to @clashbooks, Jo Kaplan and NetGalley for this ARC 💖

This book was a horrific delight! Supernatural elements, horror, eerie plots, genuine surprises throughout, offered a great read with unsettling themes that mixed with humour. Stalker obsession vibes and lots of vivid descriptions to make you jump! Really enjoyed this!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.

It was a very nice read which reminded me a lot of « We sold our souls » by grady Hendrix, a band, supernatural, time jumps etc.
I really like those settings which start very realistic and then have a bit of horror supernatural with it. I enjoyed the pages as well about all the effects of specific mushrooms or parasites.
I thought that maybe 50 pages less would be good, some relationships lacked depth as in how did everyone really meet and did they even have fun as a band any memorable moment ?
How did some characters meet the supernatural or was it predestined etc.

But it was a pleasant read. I would 100% recommend it

The first half of The Midnight Muse is equal parts gripping suspense and grotesque thriller. Not for those with weak stomachs.

I thought Kaplan did a great job jumping between the past and present of the storyline. When moments were to intense it was nice to have a break and switch settings.

As much as I enjoyed the premise, I have to be honest, I didn’t finish the book, it was too scary and gross for me. I have camping trips planned this summer and I didn’t need this story in the back of my mind, so I can’t speak to the ending. There also wasn’t a character that I bonded with enough to make it worth riding out to the conclusion.

Dive into a hauntingly crafted tale with "The Midnight Muse," where the eerie atmosphere and a cursed band set the stage for a spine-tingling experience. What sets this book apart is its unique blend of mystery and horror, all wrapped up in the chilling backdrop of a cabin in the woods.

The plot centers around a band whose music seems to carry an unsettling curse, drawing readers into a web of suspense that keeps you guessing. Kaplan does an exceptional job of building tension, with each page turning up the intrigue while skillfully revealing just enough to keep you hooked without spoiling the twists.

The vivid descriptions of the ominous woods and the band’s eerie journey create an immersive experience that feels like a campfire horror story come to life. The unexpected twist at the end is a masterstroke, making this thriller not just another run-of-the-mill read but a standout in the genre.

Overall, "The Midnight Muse" is a thrilling ride that will captivate both horror aficionados and those new to the genre. If you're looking for a fresh and terrifying experience, this book should be next on your list. Just remember to keep the lights on!

There are so many awesome things about this book I almost don’t even know where to start. Heavy Metal meets found footage meets Evil Dead meets X-Files meets one of my new favorite books. Kaplan has written a book that joins familiar (and wonderful) parts to make a completely original and thrilling whole.

There are so many points where this book just goes one step further that it becomes almost giddy reading what’s going to happen next. It’s gross, it’s scary, it’s sad, it’s incredible. The writing is great, the pacing is fantastic, the way it skips around in time and type of media, and all of the characters are so well drawn. This is a fantastic, must read horror novel.

Midnight Muse is a chilling dive into floral terror—equal parts mesmerizing and deeply disturbing. It’s the kind of story that nestles itself into your mind like a seed, then festers. The imagery is lush and macabre, a mix of elegance and decay that’s hard to look away from.

This isn't a read for the squeamish—its visceral, skin-crawling detail will test your limits. But if you're drawn to horror that invades your senses and leaves a mark long after the final page, you’ll be right at home.

In The Midnight Muse, we follow the surviving members of the band Queen Carrion in the aftermath of their lead singer's disappearance. Brynn vanished the year before in the very woods that these bandmates have decided to rent a cabin in. Then things start to get strange ... Why is Brynn's voice emerging from these woods? This story is a blend of what I call "spor-ror" (mushrooms), body horror and the supernatural. Perhaps don't read this book with a full stomach. Thank you to Clash Books and NetGalley for the ARC. This is a very early review. You can check this book out when it publishes March 10, 2026!

This is one completely gory Gothic good time. I never want to go into a cabin ever again. Midnight muse gives you everything you’re looking for in a horror novel. When you are finished, you will still wonder what you just read, but in the best way possible. It starts off with a band members going to visit a cabin where their lead singer disappeared a year before and as soon as they arrive, things go out of whack immediately. This is brilliant and I cannot wait to have a physical copy.

Midnight Muse is a masterclass in botanical horror filled with grotesqueries. Equal parts beautiful and horrific, it lingers like the aftertaste of something you shouldn't have eaten. Not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach, but if you love horror that gets under your skin (literally and metaphorically), this one’s for you.

The Midnight Muse by Jo Kaplan is a chilling, surreal horror novel about the remaining members of metal band Queen Carrion, who reunite at the Oregon cabin where their singer Brynn vanished. As Brynn’s voice echoes through the woods, they descend into a nightmarish world of sentient mushrooms, body horror, and hallucinatory terror.

Original, grotesque, and unforgettable, this book blends nature horror with themes of obsession and creativity.

Rating: 5/5 – Wild, eerie, and brilliantly unhinged.

paranormal mushroom body horror following a metal band in the woods? yeah this was right up my alley.

the story/concept was so good i can’t stop thinking about it. the events of chapters 7 and 11 had my shocked, haunted, and spooked.

i do think the first three or so chapters were a bit confusing getting used to the different POVs, subtitles for the chapters POV would have helped

“Such is the delusion of the young-not that they will live forever, but that they will live long enough for it to feel forever”

I received this book through NetGalley for a review. Wow! What a wild story, but I loved it. It’s crazy and unhinged in the best way. I’ve never read a book about evil, sentient mushrooms before. So original and fun.

The remaining members of the band Queen Carrion rent a cabin in the woods where their lead singer and songwriter, Brynn, disappeared the year before. Things get weird almost immediately. Brynn’s haunting voice is coming out of the woods. While tripping on mushrooms around a bonfire, one member even thinks she sees Brynn in the forest. But she blames it on the drugs. She should’ve paid closer attention to the spectre she saw, because shortly after, things get supernatural and violent.

The Midnight Muse gave me serious The Ruins vibes, trapped with nature attacking. But Jo Kaplan takes it a step further with a shocking twist I never saw coming. Brilliantly, everything is related and made this such a fun and compelling read. If you love horror and you want to be freaked out, make sure you read this awesome book. It comes out March 10, 2026.

Have you ever finished reading a book and then just sat there wondering wtf you just read? Well….for me, that’s book, and I mean this as a compliment. However, I must say if you have experience with mold/mycotoxin illness, you may want to steer clear of this book.

This book is an absolutely brilliant read that explores several themes in the context of a horror story: consciousness, creativity, human sanity/psychology, the limitations and ethics of scientific exploration, humans at their most primal, and what happens when someone becomes obsessively driven by their craft, so be it art or science. It employs some of the typical horror tropes like a dilapidated and isolated cabin in the woods, a dash of occult, but what really makes it terrifying is its incorporation of nature and reality.

It is at times very gory, graphic, and grotesque, but it was so well-written that it didn’t deter me from continuing the read; it’s all-consuming read that will leave you wondering what the hell you just read…and what the world we live in is really capable of.

The atmosphere in this book was great especially in the forest where I could clearly picture the images.it was spooky, bloody and elements of the body horror were very creepy (in all the good ways). I struggled to emotionally connect with the characters fr most of the book, sadly. They were mostly unlikeable or not fully sketched out. Thorn was my favorite through and through. The parts where you are not sure what is real and what is not was well done. I just wanted to have a more of a connection through the characters,

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!
🍄✨
“The dead collect in low places. That’s what Brynn Werner, lead singer of metal band Queen Carrion, wrote in her notebook before she vanished while staying at a cabin in Oregon’s Umpqua National Forest.”
🍄✨
Reminiscent of the writings of Nick Cutter and Ania Ahlborn, this enthralling botanical horror story gave me chills! The book follows the remaining band members of Queen Carrion as they visit a cabin deep in the woods for closure over their lead singer’s disappearance. While there, they discover something sisnister lurking in the forest. Something that wants them ALL.
🍄✨
Midnight Muse was a wonderfully Gothic blend of body horror, the paranormal, and botanical horror. I will absolutely be watching for more of Kaplans work!

Same review posted to TikTok and Goodreads

This is a super early review, so I will keep it short. I LOVED THIS!

If you love creepy body horror, nature horror, and isolated cabin in the woods vibes- this is the book for you.

On the anniversary of the vanishing of their lead singer Brynn, the rest of her metal band Queen Carrion gather at the place she went missing. A cabin in the Oregon woods, isolated, where something lurks. Something that drew Brynn in… and they can hear her faintly singing through the woods.

If I went off vibes alone, this would be a five star, but with the story, the characters, the music, the body horror… it is just off the charts!