"I’d like to thank Netgalley and Celadon Books for graciously giving me the opportunity to read this book before publishing. All views are my own.

Wow. This book had it all. Suspense. Horror. Mystery. Grief. Parent/child relationships. Mental health representation. This book makes you feel the things you WANT to fell while reading a horror story.

Daniel is a psychologist working in the prison system, trying to figure out what makes serial killers tick. This book goes back in forth in time and is in the POV of three characters - Daniel, John (Daniel’s father), and James (a child abducted by a serial killer with the nickname of The Pied Piper). We follow the journeys these characters experience while dealing with trauma, grief, and guilt.

This book touches on the importance of parent/child relationships and the way humans react to others� trauma. There’s a form of survivor’s guilt in this book, which I thought lead to a very interesting perspective.

The Man Made of Smoke is a story of courage, determination, healing, and introspection. This book had me feeling sad, mad, and anxious (sometimes all at the same time). Alex North doesn’t disappoint. If you loved The Whisper Man, you will love this. I had the same feeling reading this as I did The Whisper Man and The Whisper Man is one of my favorite books (ironically the same author).

I highly recommend this book for those looking for a creepy read with deep-rooted emotional elements. If you like to be scared and get your anxiety raised (in a good way), read this. You won’t regret it."

"Thank you to NetGalley and Quill & Crow Publishing House for providing me a complimentary copy of this book.

Veronica is a struggling, albeit stubborn, single-mother to a 12-year old and an antiques seller. The book begins with an eerie scene back in time where a specific, special tree is being cut down by a young man who is desperate to make money to feed his family. Fast-forward to the present and Veronica's grandmother has passed away and she has inherited an antique credenza that's been in the family for years and a box of her grandmother's belongings. After she brings the items home, she begins to experience strange occurrences in her home and life. She realizes that the credenza might be the common denominator for these strange happenings and she is set on finding out more information about this credenza and the creepy green-clothed covered book she finds in a hidden compartment in one of the drawers.

Okay, I *really* enjoyed this. I devoured this in a whole 24 hours and I am not complaining. Even though the book was on the shorter side, I felt like the pace of the story wasn't rushed, but it unraveled at a good speed. The mystery and the weird occurrences were actually pretty creepy. I love the idea of a haunted piece of furniture that is filled full of suspicious history and suspected evil. My only "complaint," which really isn't a complaint, it's just more unrealistic in my eyes, is how honest Veronica is with her 12-year old Star - I feel like the honesty and the amount of information Veronica shared with Star was a little too much. There were things that Star definitely didn't need to know about and I feel like at her age, Veronica was a little TOO honest and open with her; but I also understand that Veronica didn't have anyone else, what with her mother disappearing when she was young, having a non-existent father figure in her life, no friends, and no family around.

The ending was super satisfying, but I feel like it left off on a cliffhanger, maybe? If so, I am totally looking forward to the next one because I need to know what happens next!"