Book Review: All the Hearts You Eat by Hailey Piper
Genre: Gothic Horror
Age: Adult
Format: Paperback
Hailey Piper is a fantastic writer, and through the years since she’s been active I’ve had the pleasure of seeing her go from strength to strength. Despite that, and despite her impressive output, this is the first full length work of hers I’ve read (I know, I know – shame on me!). And with that, I can confidently say not only is Piper a master of the short form, but incredibly skilled at longer works.
Ivory didn’t know Cabrina in life, but when she discovers the poor girl’s body on the sand of Cape Morning, she’s drawn to this young woman and to unearthing what really happened to her. But Ivory isn’t the only one searching for the truth behind Cabrina’s death, and as she follows in the young girl’s footsteps, unlocking something she doesn’t fully understand, Cabrina’s friends look for answers, toying with the occult as they try to unravel the mystery behind the apparition haunting them.
With this book, Piper puts her own stamp on vampires, creating monsters that emerge from places unknown to inhabit our world, and characters who must wrestle with the events around them, straying down dangerous paths without understanding the consequences they’ll end up facing. It’s a fascinating book that really carries you through the difficulties these characters face, and shows how Cabrina is used in death for some as little more than a symbol.
It’s an element I really appreciated, how Piper uses this story to reflect how death can take away someone’s agency, especially when they are marginalised, and how the dead person is then used as a symbol or rallying cry, with assumptions made about their thoughts and feelings. While Ivory sets out on her own path, she uses Cabrina as an excuse, overriding Cabrina’s actual friends and ignoring the dangers opening up before her.
The characters are flawed, but this doesn’t make the challenges and difficulties they face any lesser. Characters make mistakes, base decisions on selfish reasons, and, as this is horror, put others in danger by doing so. And it works so, so well.
Hailey Piper has already proven herself within horror time and time again, but I definitely think All the Hearts You Eat is a brilliant, standout novel from a horror author who has nothing else to prove. This might be the first full length Hailey Piper novel I’ve read, but it definitely won’t be the last.
I read All the Hearts You Eat for the ‘Written by an author who isn't cis, het and white’ prompt in our DHR Reading Challenge – check out our Challenge page to find out more and see how you can take part.
Review by Elle Turpitt
Twitter: @elleturpitt
Bluesky: @elleturpitt.bsky.social
I received this paperback from Titan Books for review consideration.
