Audiobook Review: Fiend by Alma Katsu

I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

Fiend by Alma Katsu

Mogsy’s Rating: 2 of 5 stars

Genre: Thriller, Mystery

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Penguin Audio (September 16, 2025)

Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins

Author Information: Website | Twitter

I went into Fiend by Alma Katsu with high hopes. The author has given me some memorable reads in the past with The Hunger and The Deep, so I liked her idea of her taking on a contemporary gothic horror. However, while the premise held a lot of promise, the execution didn’t quite stick the landing for me.

At the center of this novel are the members of Berisha family who have taken their business empire from their native Albania to expand their wealth in the United States. But the successes of their company had not been built on hard work alone. There are plenty of whispers about the dealings that happen behind the scenes, like how often the family’s business rivals and enemies conveniently seem to fall into misfortune, suffering untimely accidents or even mysteriously disappearing.

At the head of the household is Zef Berisha, who expects his three children to pledge their undying loyalty to him and the company—to put blood above all else. Dardan is the eldest son, and as the only boy, he is also expected to take over from his father one day. That said, it is middle child Maris who is the ambitious one, who believes herself to be more ruthless and hence better suited to the job. And then there is Nora, the youngest child who is fully aware of Zev’s disdain for her for being a second daughter and wants nothing to do with running the business besides enjoying her share of the money. Still, no matter how firmly Zef insists their family is blessed, their luck can’t last forever. Not when the true price of their success is revealed to be something far more sinister.

Many reviewers have been describing Fiend as “Succession but with demons,” and on paper, that is exactly what the set up is like. But what should have been awesome story instead fails to reach its potential, mainly because it never seems to rise beyond being yet another family drama full of bickering relatives. Attempting to see the positive side is also an uphill battle, because make no mistake, the Berishas are awful people. Zev with his old-fashioned bigoted and sexist ideals is someone you just want to punch hard in the face. His children are little better—selfish, entitled, and morally corrupt. The only one to have any redeeming qualities at all is probably Dardan, but even he doesn’t make the best first impression, given that in the flashback chapters he’s introduced as a bit of a brat.

Which brings me to the book’s format. The shifting perspectives are tough to navigate, making the narrative jumps between POVs as well as back and forth from past to present feel disjointed. Perhaps that is also why I felt so detached from the characters, as those constant breaks in the tension kept stalling the momentum and made it difficult to fully invest in anyone’s arc.

But the horror element was perhaps the biggest letdown. For one, it doesn’t really creep in until much later in the book, and even then it’s only in dribs and drabs. Curses and demonic entities don’t fully come into play until the final stretch, and by then the story is practically over. The ending was particularly frustrating for me, stopping so abruptly it felt as if the book was cut off mid-stride, leaving too many threads dangling without the payoff I was hoping for. I can’t help but think another chapter or two are sorely needed to bring things full circle. After spending so much time with the Berishas and their twisted legacy, I wanted more, except the horror never reaches the level I know Katsu is capable of. I kept waiting for that big moment, the one that ties everything together, but it’s as though the story pulled back just when it should have charged head on into the darker and more unsettling places the premise promised.

In the end, Fiend didn’t quite work for me the way I’d hoped it would. The setup had so much potential, and while some of the good ideas came through, the execution never fully captured the atmosphere or a real sense of dread. That said, I still appreciate Alma Katsu’s willingness to try something different with a contemporary gothic, and even though this one felt a little flat, I’d still be interested in whatever she writes next. Ultimately, I’d call this one a mixed bag: it’s not without its moments, but not likely to leave much of a lasting impression.