My jaw is on the floor, dragged there by equal parts disgust and awe. Disgusted by what I just read, in awe of its dark, twisting brilliance. I went into this story completely unprepared and was taken on a shocking, thrilling ride, spit out the other side transmuted, never to be the same again. And that's exactly how I recommend you approach this novella as well.

How to review RITES OF EXTINCTION without revealing too much of its multilayered magnificence?

It's a tale of loss, obsession, possession, revenge, and madness. It's grief horror, folk horror, cult horror, and psychological horror. It's brutal, disturbing, mind-bending, hilarious, full of turns I didn't expect, and extremely well written - I couldn't put it down and eagerly ate up every word. It's all of these things and still something I can't quite put my finger on. It has a loose, dream-like quality to many of its scenes, where the characters and the reader both become unmoored from time and space. So. Good.

This was my first book by Matt Serafini, and I can't wait to read more of his work!