DREAD THE NIGHT Book Review

Dread the Night (Dear Celeste book 3) by J.R. Erickson, eBook, 378 pages

Synopsis from GoodReads: A year ago, a hit-and-run nearly killed Celeste Cleary. Instead, it left her with a chilling the ability to see the dead. She uses her new power to unravel the mysteries behind the missing and murdered. But now it's time for her to return home to West Virginia, where her own life began, and where her mother abandoned her family decades before. Celeste is about to confront her darkest fears. And some of them might lead her right to the truth about her own past—a truth buried deep, waiting to be unearthed.

BOOK REVIEW: Where on earth do I begin...I do long that I am familiar with a few of the towns/cities that are mentioned in this book. Gives me a visual which I enjoy a lot. Morgantown is a place I've been to a few times. It's a drive from where I used to live in Virginia but it was a cute little town. Side note, Morgantown is only mentioned a couple of times but isn't the main location.

If you've read the first two books (see the related posts) then you might have wondered about the connection Celeste has with ravens. I know I have. I felt like I got to learn why in this book. We get to see what connections Celeste has to her mother before she does thanks to the second POV being Nettie, Celeste's mother. That was a turn I wasn't expecting but absolutely loved. So far, the dual POVs in this series have worked seamlessly and I have loved them all, this one the most by far. I think it might be because I am a mother...I don't know.

Solid 5 stars. There were the twists and turns. I kept questioning if the dots I were connecting were accurate and my guilty verdict kept bouncing around and to say my jaw dropped and I was stunned is an understatement. I love that we pick up right where book 2 left off without any time gaps and I'm excited to see what is in store for Celeste next! Definitely recommend this book if you're read the others in the series. This is not a stand alone type of series. While each book has it's own main focus (finding Katie in book 1, River's parents in book 2, Celeste's mom in book 3) there are parts that are crucial in each book that build upon another storyline.

5/5 Stars

2025 Reading Challenge: 19/50 complete