This is a story about trauma, forgotten black girls, and forgiveness Daisy can see dead people, which is unwanted and hard to forget. She and her mother move to another city when her mother inherits a home. The mansion is nothing Daisy expects, and it holds the secrets of her mother's past... Ten years later, Brittany, a host of a web series about haunted places, wants to focus on forgotten black girls. Brittanny's first episode is Daisy's tragic story at the mansion. She does this, not only, to uncover Daisy's story but also to expose her mother's lies at the mansion. As Brittany does her investigation in the present, Daisy's story in the past runs parallel. This was an interesting and engaging read from start to finish. However, look up the trigger warnings before starting the book. The writer is amazing and I look forward to more of her works. ( )

Delicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury is an enthralling young adult read that had me hooked from start to finish. Despite its classification as a young adult novel, the horror elements are tastefully restrained yet effectively executed. This chilling and atmospheric tale delves into the intertwining lives of two teenage Black girls, Daisy and Brittney, across two different timelines.

Daisy, burdened with the ability to see the departed, finds herself relocating with her overbearing mother to an eerie, secluded mansion with a dark history, following the end of a toxic relationship. Meanwhile, ten years later, Brittney is determined to carve out a successful haunted house series to break free from her own abusive mother. Her list includes the very mansion that had altered her own mother's life.

One of the most striking aspects of the book is the author's portrayal of Daisy and Brittney's raw, unfiltered emotions as they grapple with the enduring trauma inflicted by their mothers. The characters are allowed to be messy, brimming with anger and resistance, as they navigate their paths to survival. Witnessing their struggles, particularly Daisy's, evoked an urge within me to intervene, a testament to the authenticity of the narrative.

If you haven't yet considered adding this gem to your reading list, I urge you to do so. My review merely scratches the surface of the brilliance captured within these pages. With hopes for more thrilling works from the author in the same vein, I encourage you to explore this captivating piece. Head to your preferred bookseller or online platform to embark on this haunting journey alongside Daisy and Brittney. ( )

This isn’t my type of book. It focuses a lot on abuse - emotional, sexual, and physical. I finished the book, but I strongly considered not doing so. ( )

It is incredibly difficult to avoid ghosts in Toronto, a skill Daisy is well versed in. However, she was not prepared for a breakup. Her grief is like a beacon for ghosts, creating even more discomfort in her life. Maybe, just maybe the House her mother inherits will offer the opportunity to escape. Ten years later, Brittney receives an anonymous tip suggesting the very same House be investigated for the show Haunted. The progression of the investigation leaves more questions than answers.

Delicious Monsters bewitches readers with the rhythms of horror, suspense, and paranormal. Liselle Sambury has produced an invigorating young adult read filled with friends, food, and ghosts. This standalone book reaches a magnitude of character development with its curated themes of mortality, identity, and forgiveness.

Delicious Monsters starts with an authors note which doubles as a trigger warning (child abuse, child molestation, and rape to name a few). Some resources include:
Suicide & Crisis Lifeline- text/ call 988 or online at https://988lifeline.org/
National Domestic Violence Hotline call 800-799-7233, text “Start” to 88788, or online at https://www.thehotline.org/
Michigan Sexual Assault- call 855-864-2374, text 866-238-1454, or https://www.thehotline.org/ ( )

I was talking to a co-worker and described this book as "a book about a house that is attracting ghosts, psychic neighbours, and a teenage girl that only wants to find out why her mother won't let her go in the house but brought them to the property to live in the guest house. So, you know, it is a paranormal mystery with some weird stuff going down in a freaky house, written by a Canadian author, and the story takes place in Toronto and Timmins." My co-worker was very excited and will be looking to borrow this book in the future. This is the third book of Liselle's that I have read and they have all been great reads. I am looking forward to reading more of her books in the future. ( )