This isn’t an abundance of modern horror writers who completely captivate readers of all genders, but throughout her seven novels, Rachel Harrison has perfected a style that resonates with readers across the board. Since receiving a Bram Stoker Award nomination for her first novel, The Return, Harrison has gone deeper (and scarier) with each release. Harrison generally picks a central horror theme for her novels; Black Sheep is centered around cults, and Such Sharp Teeth is a werewolf story. Her newest release, Kiss Slay Replay tackles one of the most difficult and often frustrating subgenres: time-loop horror, and she does so wonderfully.
Writing and publishing seven books in six years is no minor feat, and even with such prolificness, Harrison creates engaging, thoughtful stories that reflect the horrors that people face every day within themselves, as well as the fun subgenre stuff that brings horror fans in the door. Like last year’s Play Nice, Kiss Slay Replay finds a perfect balance between the two.
Kiss Slay Replay Is Anything but Cozy Horror
Sometimes, Harrison’s work is unfairly and incorrectly shoved into the “cozy horror” category, due to her deep character development and focus on the emotional price of trauma and the tribulations of her characters. It’s not always about the blood and guts, and while I admittedly haven’t read every one of her novels, I’ve yet to find anything cozy about her stories. If anything, her realistic and often erratic character personalities throughout horrific experiences are unsettling.
Kiss Slay Replay is no different, as it follows Willa, a depressed woman grieving over a bad breakup with her ex-fiancée, on the day of her best friend’s wedding, where she’ll see her ex for the first time in months. Willa pulls it together enough to travel upstate to the wedding, where she meets a potential love interest, and things don’t seem as bad anymore.
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That is, until a masked killer unleashes hell on Willa, her friends, and the entire wedding reception. One might think Willa will survive the night, but she’s not so lucky, as she’s butchered along with the rest.
However, rather than going into the great beyond, Willa awakens in her bed, again at the start of the day, damned to repeat the wedding massacre over and over, with each time ramping up the deadly circumstances. As Willa repeatedly tries to decipher the cause of the time loop, she learns a little more about herself and what she’s capable of getting through.
If You’re Looking for Fun Horror, Kiss Slay Replay Is a Great Place to Start
Although Kiss Slay Replay does plenty of digging into Willa’s character and moves around its supporting characters in a balanced and introspective way, it leaves plenty of room for fun. Its general theme allows it to bounce between different horror subgenres within the time-loop story, which offers satisfying shoutouts to slashers, zombies, aliens, and more.
Historically, time-loop horror tends to go one of two ways: it either gets extremely repetitive, or it gets extremely convoluted. As a reader, I could tell Harrison worked extremely hard to make the story as clear-cut and linear as possible, while still fully supporting the time-loop backdrop.
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There’s a reason films like Happy Death Day and Exit 8 are so much more successful with viewers than In the Tall Grass or You Should Have Left. You have to get the time system nailed down first, and then you can fill in the rest with the fun stuff.
Regarding Harrison’s bibliography, I didn’t love Kiss Slay Replay as much as Play Nice, but it comes from my individual love for diving into character history and trauma, which I feel is better explored in that story. However, I will say that regardless of the potential for convolution, Kiss Slay Replay is probably the most fun I’ve had with a Harrison book. The pacing is excellent, and the story irons itself out nicely. These factors are gold when it comes to time-loop tales.
I highly recommend picking this one up. Kiss Slay Replay is published by Berkley and available at all major booksellers.
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