Review and Rating - The Unknown by Riley Sager
The Unknown
Riley Sager
Copyright 2026
349 Pages
Nothing screams Hello Spooky Season like mysterious vanishings, midnight séances, and enough paranormal nonsense to make your porch pumpkin file a complaint. And The Unknown delivers all of that with a wink and a threat.
Enter Marin: aspiring actress, newly crowned breakout star, and proud owner of the worst job perk imaginable. Her new role? Playing one of five women who disappeared a century ago on New Avalon Island — a place now famous for ghosts, curses, and vibes so bad even your Ouija board would say “absolutely not.” The catch? Marin and her co‑stars have to live on the island for a week to “absorb the atmosphere.” Because apparently method acting now includes “risking possession.”
With Ronan — the director who radiates “I have too many secrets and not enough boundaries” — guiding her, Marin slips into 1926 life and becomes Daisy, her character. On night one, they perform a séance. Of course they do. Why ease into the haunting when you can immediately poke the spirits with a stick?
Soon, the actresses’ days start mirroring the doomed women they’re portraying. And by “mirroring,” I mean they start disappearing one by one like it’s a paranormal game of musical chairs. Marin, being the only one with a functioning survival instinct, digs into the past to avoid becoming the island’s next cautionary tale. Is a vengeful spirit back for round two?
SPOILER ALERT: No, the ghost is not clocking overtime. It’s just the actresses staging a revenge plot to take down Ronan — who turns out to be the most cliché brand of sleazy director imaginable. Honestly, the supernatural entities should unionize; they’re being upstaged by petty human vengeance.
Now, I love a spooky story with demons, spirits, and the occasional “did something just breathe on me?” moment. I also love a revenge plot that snaps like a glow stick at a haunted rave. Riley Sager said, “Why not both?” and I respect that.
I won’t spoil everything, but the ending? A full‑speed sprint into secrets, chaos, and characters going gloriously rogue. The plot jerked me around like a haunted carnival ride, and the horror never let up — because why would it, on an island where even the air feels like it’s judging you?
If I had to critique, it’s that the other actresses basically evaporate after the final séance. It becomes the Violet‑and‑Marin show, while the rest of the cast drops out of the narrative like Ronan did off that cliff. Gone. Poof. Not even a ghost cameo.
Overall: 4 stars. The perfect read for a crisp fall morning on your porch, next to your carved pumpkin and your Ouija board. Just… be careful what you stir up. If you start hearing scratching or thuds? Maybe put the Ouija board away and stick to the pumpkins. They’re less likely to summon anything with teeth.
Affiliate link ahead. If you purchase through it, I earn a little money — not enough to hire a paranormal investigator, but enough to buy snacks for when the haunting begins.
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