Name: Ally Perkins's review of Nestlings by Nat Cassidy
Item: Nestlings
Rating: 5
Author: Ally Perkins

Nat Cassidy

Nat Cassidy is at his razor-sharp best again with his horror novel Nestlings which harnesses the creeping paranoia of Rosemary's Baby and the urban horror of Salem's Lot set in an exclusive New York City residential building. Ana and Reid needed a lucky break. The horrifically complicated birth of their first child has left Ana paralyzed, bitter, and struggling: with mobility, with her relationship with Reid, with resentment for her baby. That's about to change with the words any New Yorker would love to hear—affordable housing lottery. They've won an apartment in the Deptford, one of Manhattan's most revered buildings with beautiful vistas of Central Park and stunning architecture and disturbing gargoyles. Reid dismisses disturbing events and Ana’s deep unease and paranoia as the price of living in New York—people are odd—but he can't explain the needle-like bite marks on the baby. Other Books by Nat Cassidy: Mary: An Awakening of Terror

Nestlings

Essence

This book has everything: Motherhood! Trauma! Gargoyles! Landlords!

Ally Perkins

tori 👻

"Know your home, he thought... and this time it felt like a warning."

Nat Cassidy does it again. I had high expectations for this novel after reading Mary and let me tell you: He delivered it.
Ana and Reid have been under extreme stress for almost a year. Ana is paralyzed after the birth of their first kid, Charlie. Reid has taken over the role of the caretaker and main provider for his family. It seems like everything is about to go their way when they win an apartment lottery and move to the famous Deptford building. They find themselves around beautiful architecture, facing a beautiful Central Park view and the promise of better things to come.
But the Deptford building has secrets of its own and that includes the luxurious residents. Moving is hard but Ana and Reid might find out that settling down is ten times harder when you're living in a place like this.

Let me just start by saying how much I loved Ana. She felt real in all her complexity and I found myself rooting for her the entire time. The way her resentment and love towards Charlie is written is quite honestly beautiful and so rich in feelings that I crave to see more of in horror media. She was a delight to read about and her relationship with Charlie was fascinating. Nat Cassidy does an amazing job at "showing, not telling", in a way it's like knowing his readers can interpret what actually goes on between the two of them without having to use exposition to exemplify it. I absolutely love that.
The relationship between Ana and Reid also felt real and I was moved by the way it developed throughout the novel. Again, you can see what's happening without the author pointing it out to your face. You can root for them or not, but it's hard not to get emotional by the way the so called tragedies in their lives have impacted them both as individuals and as a couple.
Also, I can assure you Charlie is a delight to read about.
I don't want to go into the horror territory in this review in fear of spoiling anything, but the horror is ever so present, as well as unique and, well, it works really well.

I'd recommend Nestlings even to those who are not familiar with the horror genre, I feel like this could be a great gateway to get to know it a bit. If you are in any way interested by this book, this is your sign to pick it up and give it a read, you won't regret it.

Cassandra Campbell did a great job with the audio, giving life to each character and the horrors that follow. 

A lottery pick they never thought they’d win, Ana and Reid just won a spot at the Deptford. The affordable apartment seems too good to be true, and even after the birth of their first child left Ana paralyzed from the waist down, they decide to accept, regardless of the single elevator and high floor. Moving isn’t easy on anyone, but harbored resentments, a nearly one year old, and perhaps some evilness, all culminate into one wicked transition. 

For me, with the old building, the famous, richer inhabitants, and the down-on-their-luck newbies, this had reminiscent notes of Sager’s Lock Every Door. And while I have not read Salem’s Lot or Rosemary’s Baby (yet), I can tell that those comparison titles are where Cassidy imbues his horror elements over Sager’s thriller feels. And I really enjoyed how the author bleeds anxiety and paranoia into his characters differently. Ana takes on the more literal approach, with her suspecting something is wrong and trying to get away. And then Reid is the slower, irritability that permeates over time. His job, his wife, his friends, the littlest things start to tip him over, and I feel like the author handles that very well. 

This sort of slow burn infestation of fear works really well for this novel. Reid just wants to provide and do what’s best for his family. A few things going terrible wrong? Well that can just be chalked up to the moving stress, can’t it?

While trying to stay as spoiler free as possible, the twist in the end with how each parent differed, did surprise me in the best way and I’m glad I rooted for who I did. I enjoyed this take on the Jewish ‘vampire’ and the inclusion definitely made it something unique. 

Old buildings and history are the heart of NYC, just make sure the ones you move to don’t have a literal heart… 

C. J. Daley 

Cassandra Campbell did a great job with the audio, giving life to each character and the horrors that follow. 

A lottery pick they never thought they’d win, Ana and Reid just won a spot at the Deptford. The affordable apartment seems too good to be true, and even after the birth of their first child left Ana paralyzed from the waist down, they decide to accept, regardless of the single elevator and high floor. Moving isn’t easy on anyone, but harbored resentments, a nearly one year old, and perhaps some evilness, all culminate into one wicked transition. 

For me, with the old building, the famous, richer inhabitants, and the down-on-their-luck newbies, this had reminiscent notes of Sager’s Lock Every Door. And while I have not read Salem’s Lot or Rosemary’s Baby (yet), I can tell that those comparison titles are where Cassidy imbues his horror elements over Sager’s thriller feels. And I really enjoyed how the author bleeds anxiety and paranoia into his characters differently. Ana takes on the more literal approach, with her suspecting something is wrong and trying to get away. And then Reid is the slower, irritability that permeates over time. His job, his wife, his friends, the littlest things start to tip him over, and I feel like the author handles that very well. 

This sort of slow burn infestation of fear works really well for this novel. Reid just wants to provide and do what’s best for his family. A few things going terrible wrong? Well that can just be chalked up to the moving stress, can’t it?

While trying to stay as spoiler free as possible, the twist in the end with how each parent differed, did surprise me in the best way and I’m glad I rooted for who I did. I enjoyed this take on the Jewish ‘vampire’ and the inclusion definitely made it something unique. 

Old buildings and history are the heart of NYC, just make sure the ones you move to don’t have a literal heart… 

kelsey

*4.5 

an insane book from start to finish

Ellie M.

“Know your home. Know you’re home.”

4.5 ⭐️ 

When I tell you nothing could have seriously prepared me for this book. I am so fucking amazed at how Nestlings is a horror story that also teaches the bitter, painful realization of grief and heartbreak. Eerily so, this story begins when a couple with their baby daughter moves into the Deptford, a luxurious high-rise building from winning the lottery. Things have been fine till they start noticing creepy shit going on inside the building and when their baby starts showing up with bite marks, they later realize that the Deptford is hiding something. The plot escalated from there and it’s just so mindfucking. You’d think this was simply a book about vampires, but it really isn’t. This book will truly leave you speechless. It’s about how beautiful and scary motherhood can be and that it can truly fuck you up. It was an emotionally challenging read for me and 
I think I’ll be suffering because of this book days from now. I’ve loved horror & slasher films since I was a kid but reading this was truly an unforgettable experience.

Emily Perkovich

I am just so amazed at how well Nat Cassidy can write a female MC and not make me cringe and eye roll. Loved the way this was not a stereotypical ‘use Christianity to fight the monsters’ type of story. Made it so fresh and tackled the issue of how often Christianity seems to be the only religion or option acknowledged (everywhere but especially in horror). 

Thanks to Tor and NetGalley for the ARC

Essence &
Nestlings by Nat Cassidy

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