Thank you to Net Galley, Creature Publishing, and Grace Daly for providing a digital ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Scald-Crow is a novel where we follow Brigid (pronounced Breej) as she moves back into her childhood house after her mother's disappearance- hoping to inherit and make a home in the paid off property since she has been out of work on disability for over half a year now. Brigid is cripplingly disabled by pain that rips through her body, yet all her recent medical scans have come back clear. As she fights the physical pain and her childhood traumas rearing their ugly head, strange things start happening around her and a specter of her youth returns to haunt her in full force.

This book is tackling many topics, and some are very well executed while others fall flat for me. I'm going to try and break this review into sections to discuss it *and* attempt to keep it spoiler free.

1.) Disability rep - I really felt like the conversational style of prose and first person narration shined the brightest here, and the writing was clearly informed by the authors personal history which added a layer of earnestness to the narrative. I am someone who personally deals with a level of chronic pain, and while it pales in comparison to Brigid's struggles, it was very satisfying to read and feel seen and reflected in the story.

2.) Psychological horror elements - This one is 50/50, I really enjoyed them despite being able to pretty transparently see through the "mystery" from very early on in the novel. There were a few moments I was like "oh my GOD Brigid" but I do believe that this annoyance and dramatic irony is intentional on some level. We know that her internalized doubt and self-criticism is not acceptable and therefore we as the audience trust what she's experiencing more than she does (for better and for worse).

3.) Folklore elements - This was the part I found deeply disappointing if I'm being honest. I was so excited at the start of this novel and as it built up I was so excited to see how the folklore elements that are hinted at would be woven into the climax. But then the climax came and it was just.... blah? There are some really decent visuals but the dialogue is so casual and even humorous that it completely deflates any and all tension out of the scene. We are talking "Mean Girls" level of dialogue. It absolutely ruined any immersion I had in the story and it's world. I also am never a fan of a big "lore dump" explaining the entire mystery to me through dialogue in the second to last chapter.

4.) Writing Style - I feel the need to mention this because it is EXTREMELY casual. It is the way you talk to your best friend on the phone. It's your inner monologue as you bumble around your home. The prose is very simplistic and again, often humorous! This didn't bother me much because, as I mentioned in point 1, I think it works well for most of the novel to give us a feeling of closeness and fondness for Brigid. However, I will say I was consistently irritated by the insistence of the narrative that she says "feck" instead of "fuck." It wouldn't have stuck out as much if it was less frequent, but the casual style = lots of swearing. She's from the American midwest I don't care how many Irish folklore books she read growing up, it is patently ridiculous that she has an affectation on <i>only</i> that word.

Overall, I liked it well enough and think Grace Daly has a lot to offer from her unique point of view. I think she has a lot of room to grow as a writer but this is a very good showing for a debut! It is not quite my cup of tea because I would've ratcheted the horror meter up another like, 40%, but I do think it will be very enjoyable to others. Especially the kinds of readers who enjoy more irreverent horror like Chuck Tingle, Grady Hendrix, and C.J. Leede.

A short *synopsis*
Brigid—that’s the Irish Breej, not “Bridge-id,” though it’s not like she’d correct you—has had a rough go of it. Her mother abused her when she was little, her best friend (and secret crush) is too busy chasing some blonde to answer Brigid’s calls, and she lost her job thanks to chronic pelvic pain with no identifiable cause. As a self-doubting, disabled adult, she’s certain that everything that has happened to her is her fault.

This book is very proactive in terms of narration, humour, and the representation of living with chronic condition with the focus Irish folklore. It's a 4 ⭐ read for me and a quick read for me.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for ARC.

I will be honest and say I had no idea what this book was going to be about. I basically went into it thinking "great cover, intriguing title, and Irish Folklore." Good news, the book did not disappoint!

Grace Daly has written an entertaining horror book dealing with a young woman who has a debilitating illness that cannot be solved, along with a lifetime of 'not good enough' trauma. Brigid (Bree-j) has moved back into her childhood home after her mother's disappearance. The problem is there are forces at play trying to traumatize her further than the past she tried so hard to forget. Brigid swiftly becomes an unreliable narrator to her own horrors, but in the end finds the help and courage she needs to overcome. My only criticism is what happens to the bones?

This is a perfect novel for spooky season and sure to be a great addition to your library.

Thank you to Creature Publishing and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Loved this one! It was funny, creepy, and had unapologetic disability & queer representation. This debut novel had me so invested to keep reading so I could find out the truth. I just had to know what was really going on!

This book contains themes of Irish folklore, a chronic invisible disability that can't be explained, self deprecating thoughts due to childhood abuse, and a woman who is afraid she may be losing her mind.

The writing was engaging, vivid, and raw as we see the FMC adjusting to the first 13 days moving back into her childhood home after her abusive mother's disappearance.

The Scald-Crow is dripping with self-deprecating humor, Irish folklore and a dead mom who may not really be dead… Is Brigid, our main character, losing her marbles? First, a very unique crow that once harassed her reappears, basically stalking her everywhere. Her late mother’s painting of Jesus keeps coming back, despite the fact she’s thrown it out several times. Frozen (human?) body parts show up where they really shouldn’t be. And, each night, Brigid experiences the same nightmare: that her real mother is dead and decaying in the closet. But then, who raised her? Is it all in Brigid's head? Well you’ll just have to read to find out. This book was a blast and genuinely creepy. It’s witty and sharp. Thank you to Creature Publishing for the ARC! You can pick this up when it publishes October 14, 2025.

Thank you so much to net galley and the publisher for the arc! Despite some of the humor, this was a cutting commentary on what it’s like to live with a chronic illness or disability, and to have that experience not be affirmed. Dark and surprisingly emotional read.

This was a wonderful book that covers a range of real-life issues while still maintaining the feeling of a good horror story. Brigid is a woman moving into her missing mother's old house while fighting chronic pain and the darkness of her past. She does what she can to manage both, but things start taking a turn when things start moving around her house and she starts to doubt her own sanity. I found myself taken in my the story and by Brigid herself and was so excited to find out more every time I opened the book.

I finished The Scald-Crow in one day and it immediately rocketed to the top of my list of favourite books of the year. Funny, sad, horrific and hopeful, the author's easy, familliar prose and by turns heartbreaking and terrifying story hooked me from the first page. The narrrator is unreliable in the best ways, drawing you into her insecutity and uncertainty as you both get more and more stressed and confused about what is happening to her. The horror elements are expertly woven into the mundane awfulness of her life with chonic pain, and much of the time the natural becomes scarier than the supernatural. The elements of Irish mythology were great, but my one small complaint is that I would have kiked them to be explored further - although leaving them mysterious and unexplained does add to the confusion and tension. I highly reccomend this title and can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy!

Genuinely creepy and wickedly funny, Grace Daly’s “The Scald Crow,” has everything a discerning reader could possibly need- a very friendly pet cat, a heaping helping of mummy issues, and a portrait of Jesus that, much like the man himself, loves to stage a dramatic return. Chuck in an incredibly three-dimensional unreliable narrator and a house that is probably haunted- well, then you’re cooking with gas. Packed with incisive commentary upon trauma, disability, identity and women’s healthcare, Daly’s writing has a wonderful ability to tickle the funny bone, her writing liberal with “fecks,” and sardonicism, before twisting the knife. A high-wire execution of voice and vision, “The Scald Crow,” is out from Creature Publishing October 14th, and is worth the read for the cat alone.

We follow Brigid, who is having a rough time of it. She is in constant, grinding agony- specialists shrug, medication fails and the pain persists, in fact, it’s only gotten worse, and Brigid has had to leave work. It’s taken a financial toll, and she’s backed into a corner when she receives a phone call. Her estranged, abusive mother is missing, presumed dead, and as her next of kin, the house is hers if she wants it. All things considered, she does. The house is much as Mammy left it, the only room that has changed, Brigid’s own. Moving in is quite the ordeal, especially with Brigid’s chronic pain, but with the help of her therapist Carol, and a to-do list, she’s doing ok. The whole process is made much harder still though by a mysterious home invader, Mammy’s portrait of Jesus which seems to grow legs and propel itself back onto the wall each night, and the familiar scald crow that seems to be watching her.

I found Daly’s deployment of the unreliable narrator particularly devious. I’ll tell you for why. Brigid is told again and again by the healthcare system that she does not have endometriosis, thus there is no earthly reason why she should be experiencing the persistent pelvic pain that she is. Doctor after doctor dismisses her and the only real reason she continues to go is so that she can claim a meagre slice of her previous salary. It’s a casual injustice, and it’s one that I couldn’t help but feel slightly complicit in, because there are points in which we too question, never Brigid's chronic pain, but her mental state. Can we trust the account of this sick woman? Weird shit happens… is she hallucinating, hysterical, haunted? Is this simply trauma leaking out in surreal bursts? Or is there really something supernatural going on? Daly walks this line between doubt and belief perfectly, never wibbling too far one way or the other, almost until the very end.

There’s a lot to love about this book, namely the cat, Cú, who was done dirty by the cover I promise, and deserves his own spin-off novel, but also the fusion of the folkloric and the gothic, and, above all, Brigid herself, who leaves plenty of room for discussion on identity. First off is how that’s infringed upon by disability. It, for example, impacts how she dresses, she has a “uniform,” made up of leggings and a t-shirt. When I consider Brigid as a character, her illness is the first thing that springs to mind, despite how incredibly interesting and endearing and witty and warm she is. Daly also notes how trauma shapes and melds identity, something that we won’t get too far into, as that’s something best revealed to you by Brigid herself. There’s commentary upon sexuality, being the child of immigrants, (literally nobody can pronounce her name (Breej) it seems) and catholicism. She is one of those characters that doesn’t merely drive a novel forward, but makes the novel, anchoring it in her pain, her humour, her Irish heritage, her abject fear.

Grace Daly spins a great yarn that is by turns witty, self-deprecating and deeply unnerving. With its absurd (I’m looking at you Jesus) but also terrifying haunting, and a Mammy who will continue to creep me out for the foreseeable, “The Scald Crow,” is a novel that manages to be many things at once. As well as a gothic-y, folky story “The Scald Crow,” is a little rom and a little com, and goes to show that horror does not have to choose between making you laugh and making you squirm.

Brigid is forced to move back to her mother's house due to her mother's sudden disappearance. Immediately the house appears to resent her presence, playing tricks on her and making her doubt her own sanity. That is not the only battle Brigid is fighting, her daily life with her chronic illness makes even the best days difficult. Brigid takes on the internal fight against her own body whilst her house tries to take her down from the outside.
This is such an incredibly clever horror book. It takes you through twists and turns that are genuinely terrifying, never letting you get too comfortable before ripping the rug out from under you.
Brigid's life with her chronic illness adds a depth to this story that I haven't seen before. A haunted house story where the main victim is often bed bound initially seems difficult to pull off but Daly pulls it off perfectly.
This is such a great spooky read if you love hauntings, folklore and truly endearing main characters.

Great read that nestles some important conversations within a monster tale. For fans of Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey but with a unique folktale spin and. a perfect cat hero.

Wow! I'm speechless. What a read! Horror with great inclusiveness and cats. I really loved this ingenious and original horror story.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

The Scald-Crow was a very good read. The story built up really well with well thought out plot points and hooks, yet it left me guessing. The most unreliable of unreliable narrators, yet still very likeable and I was routing for them the whole way through. The horror elements were strong, and honestly I love how a cat can be the main hero and the only real male character.
Reading about chronic and invisible illness is important, and I’m glad the experiences were realistic. Unfortunately the author clearly has experience they are drawing from.
Also shout out to the author note where they don’t label all uterus owners as women. I love reading inclusive and thoughtful authors. A very happy reader here.

There is nothing better than curling up with a horror book in the dark - and it’s a good job I feel this way because I could not put The Scald Crow down, devouring it in one sitting - most of which was through the night with the lights off!

When Brigid moves back to her childhood home after her mother goes missing, she is apprehensive. With memories of her abusive childhood fresh in her mind, and chronic pelvic pain which makes it hard to function, clearing and sorting the house seems like a mammoth task. However, there’s a bird that’s following her and gory objects begin to appear and there may be more going on here than meets the eye, either that or it’s the pain and the drugs at work – what’s real and what is just in her mind?

As I mentioned before, I could not put this book down and it’s an astonishing debut. From the author’s notes at the end, it seems Grace Daly has lived in experience of pelvic pain and the descriptions of Brigid’s pain melded with these real experiences and felt realistic and visceral throughout. From the days where she felt productive, to those when she could barely move, the light and shade of the storytelling really draws the reader in. The crux of this is that we are unsure how much of what Brigid is experiencing is real, and how much is imagined in her head, something that she also questions throughout as well. Added to this, the downplaying of her mother’s abuse which is slowly revealed with more and more memories and stories of her childhood leave us wondering if Brigid is an unreliable narrator.

What I particularly loved about the prose is that there will be a description of an ordinary task, such as cutting some bread for dinner, for example, and then suddenly something gruesome and gory appears without any warning. The novel is perfectly paced and as a reader you are kept off-balance throughout, unsure if another horror will appear, or if it will be a normal day. The progression of Brigid’s slip from reality starts to spiral until the action-packed climax which I did not predict.

Overall, The Scald Crow is a masterclass is horror story-telling - creepy yet grounded and keeping the reader off-balance throughout – a 2025 Kindig Gem from me! Thank you to NetGalley & Creature Publishing for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

5 ★

Amazing representation of queer characters, mental trauma ánd physical disability? I feel like this book took all of the things I love to see while reading and ran with it. As someone with a physical disability as well, it always makes me a bit anxious to read about it in books, but I had nothing to worry about when reading this book. It was never an afterthought, affecting basically all of the things our main character (Brigid) goes through. Brigid feels so much like a real person. I really like following her throughout everything that happens!

I am really trying my best here to not give spoilers, so you just have to trust me that the ending is CRAZY!

The writing was very witty as well and made me chuckle multiple times. Some scenes definitely scared me a lot, which doesn’t happen a lot to me when reading. If you know you can handle some creepy, tense scenes and some gore as well, I DEFINITELY RECOMMEND this book! Be sure to pick it up when it comes out on October 14th 2025!

Brigid returns to her childhood home after her mother’s disappearance, only to be confronted by painful memories of an abusive mother and an absent father. As she struggles to clean the house and make sense of her past, she also battles with debilitating pelvic pain—something no doctor can explain. She seeks online therapy and wrestles with feelings of inadequacy, all while a mysterious black bird seems to watch her every move through the windows.

I could relate to Brigid’s feelings of not being “good enough,” and I appreciated the honesty with which Daly explores trauma and self-blame. The mysterious undertones, which rely heavily on Irish folklore tales, added an intriguing layer to the story. However, I found the narrative very slow-moving, and the constant reminders of Brigid’s physical pain became repetitive, overshadowing other aspects of the novel. While the themes are important and relatable, the pacing and heavy emphasis on her suffering made the reading experience feel weighed down.
2.5 stars

This book had great invisible disability representation especially for mentioning womens reproductive rights and womens invsible illnesses that are difficult to get diagnosed. I’m glad this important topic is getting representation and a big storyline in this book. I enjoyed the suspense of this book and the unreliable narrator. Having Irish roots I love the word feck being used a lot and was interested in the Irish folklore and way in which the plot would pan out. I was in suspense the full time and was really unsure what would happen next. The ending was well done and I really enjoyed this book overall and recommend! There is also an amazing cat in it!!

Let me start by saying that I love that this book gave such strong representation to sufferers of invisible illnesses. For so many, especially women, illnesses that don’t manifest themselves physically, or come with an easy diagnosis, are either pushed aside or deemed psychosomatic. And that is exactly what Brigid deals with. A chronic sufferer of abdominal pain, she is left to deal with the symptoms through pain management. To top all that off, she is trying to work through her childhood trauma, but minimizing the effects it has on her. Or worse, believing she deserved it.

Daly gives us a FMC who breaks our heart, while simultaneously making us chuckle-using humor as a way to ignore the real pain in her life. She is also back in her childhood home that brought nothing but pain to her. As she wrestles with where her life has taken her, she must also deal with a bird that stalks her, a nightmare that terrifies her, and a truth that is unfolding before her eyes-despite her attempts to rule it out as delusion. The crux of Brigid’s self loathing is her memories of her mother, and the way she was tormented by someone who she desperately wanted love from. And as the story progresses, she discovers she can no longer ignore the truth about her life and what is going on around her. And that the beauty of the story the author gives us. Healing can come; hope is around the corner. But what are you willing to do to make it yours? That is what Brigid has to answer for herself. What did she decide? You’ll have to read and find out for yourself.

I really enjoyed this story and its heavy subject matter/many forms horror. I definitely recommend this one. 4.5 stars

A fantastic representation of invisible disabilities and chronic pain. Brigid was a very complex, interesting character who kept me on my toes for much of the book. Is she really seeing things or is it all in her head? Can she be trusted? I was quickly consumed by her narrative trying to anticipate what happens next.

I'm not familiar with much Irish folklore or mythology, so those added elements and cultural differences were an interesting touch that I enjoyed learning about, though some might find it odd an American girl so heavily relies on Irish slang (Fek, cuppa, etc) But that was pretty easy to look past imo.

I'd recommend this story as a great spooky fall read, especially to those looking to amplify diverse voices as this was great LGBTQIA+ and disability rep.

I really enjoyed this book!!

Daly wonderfully combines horror and painfully relatable humor like Mona Awad and Rachel Yoder. There were so many moments that I found myself cringing and laughing at the same time. Brigid is a very sympathetic but also relatable protagonist.

I also loved the themes of self-advocacy and resilience. *The Scald Crow* takes its time to show Brigid's struggles and triumphs and realistic progress. As someone who is disabled, I found it very honest in its portrayal of the unpredictability of flare ups and the hundreds of coping mechanisms and plans disabled people have to get common tasks done.

The only thing that holds me back from giving it a full 5 stars is the climax. The plot starts as a slow-burn, but still intriguing. However, it speeds up before slamming the breaks. I wished that the momentum kept it moving along.

Thank you to Creature Publishing and NetGalley for providing me an advanced reader copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.