M.L. Rio wrote one of my all-time favorite novels, If We Were Villains, so I had high expectations for Graveyard Shift. However, I felt oddly disappointed with the ending of her newest novella.
Five people cross paths every night in the college’s historic cemetery. From a late-night bartender to an insomniac ride-share driver to the school paper’s editor-in-chief, each person has a reason to be awake at odd hours of the night. But one night they find an open grave even though the cemetery hasn’t been active in over a hundred years. When the gravedigger appears just as they begin to leave, they investigate the oddities of his behavior, discovering the truth of what’s going on behind closed doors at the college.
I love Rio’s writing style and this novella had a fun premise, great writing, and wonderful character-building. The setting of a historic cemetery in the middle of a college set the scene well for a thrilling read. With things such as dead rats and growing fungi, Rio sets the mood for the book just by looking at the cover. The way Rio writes character relationships helps readers truly feel attached to the characters without even knowing much about them. You feel like you’re included in their relationship dynamic.
While certain aspects of this novella matched my high expectations, I felt like there was so much missed potential. I didn’t feel the “horror” vibes necessarily but more of an eerie, dark thriller, which isn’t a bad thing but if Rio wrote this as a full-length novel, I would’ve enjoyed it how it’s supposed to be enjoyed. There weren’t many plot twists or climaxes other than things that made sense to the plot that needed to be done in order to keep it going. It felt like it needed to be lengthened.
I still think that Rio is a strong writer with great storytelling and character-building capabilities but, oddly enough, this novella fell short for me. Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio is a thrilling novella perfect for reading on fall nights when life feels more spooky than normal and perfect for those looking for something short and eerie.
