Contrary to what I said recently about novellas not adding much to a series, this one completely surprised me. While I could easily imagine this story stretched into a full-length novel, it felt perfectly wrapped up as a short read. I got all the answers I was looking for—without the plot feeling rushed or leaving big gaps.
✨ Final Takeaway: If you’re already a fan of the Stillhouse Lake series, this novella is a must-read 🔪📖. I’d recommend reading it in order though, since it does reference events from earlier books.
Identity was such an amazing short story. I absolutely loved it!
This novella is a short story in the Stillhouse Lake series. I read it after Bitter Falls. But it can be read before or after book four.
The narrator is Gwen. A woman calls her asking a question about Melvin. This leads to a really strong and meaningful story. It didn't feel like it was too short. It was really enjoyable.
Rachel Caine lo volvio a hacer, me absorbio totalmente y me tuvo con el corazon en la garganta, y eso que Identity es una novella muy muy breve ( por desgracia ), ahora tengo aun mas ganas de continuar con el siguiente.
En resumen, Identity me supo a poco, sin embargo, extrañaba a estos personajes y fue increible volver a leer sobre ellos.
The Story: I didn’t realize this short was a thing until recently. I found it to be okay but too quick. About a chapter more oh the hunt would have been a more satisfying adventure/mystery but we got what we got and I’m grateful for a little dip back into Gwen’s world.
i have been psyching myself to read this book for over a year and now that i have read it, i am so confused why. it’s literally the shortest book in the series. i guess i can finally read the next book in the series but i probably won’t because i think i am a bit over her writing. it’s not that it’s bad, i just don’t think i necessarily enjoy it but tbd
It was so nice to go back to Rachel Caine’s Stillhouse Lake universe. I have one more novel left in the series, but this is the last entry written entirely by Caine before she passed away. This is a VERY short story that can be read in about 10-15 minutes. I did notice a few small errors and a plot point I think may have been left out in edits as when it was referenced I didn’t recognize it even though it supposedly happened the page prior. This was a free pre-order bonus originally, available now when signing up for Rachel Caine’s newsletter.
I’ve genuinely loved this series—Gwen’s journey has always felt layered and compelling. But this book threw me off. Elisa Rahm’s storyline feels abruptly inserted, with no real buildup or emotional tether to the rest of the series. It’s not that the themes—especially around identity—don’t matter. They do. But the way they’re introduced here feels disjointed, almost like a detour rather than a continuation. I wanted to feel connected, but instead I felt like I was reading a side story that hadn’t earned its place.
Was a good short story - first time I’ve ever read one as part of a series (you can find it on the authors website for free). The ending made me question some things as it’s not clear to me.. unfortunately too few people have read it for me to find an explanation.
Short additional story - irrelevant to the book series’ progression.
A short sweet tease of what wonderful writing Rachel Caine did. I am so grateful the team was able to release this to the public. I am forever grateful.
I was able to find it by emailing here and asking if there was a way to read the copy! We can’t share or post it, but it can be sent for individual use!
Not at all surprised that Rachel Caine managed to fit such a good twist into such a short story. I’m very grateful to her assistant for sending me this.
A quick little novella that was tense and entertaining. It introduced a whole different world that I’d love to read more about, but was also satisfying as a standalone short story.
Typical novella between books. Nothing amazing but also not horrible. 3.5 rounded up as I wasn’t expecting much but even though this was short there was oddly enough still a twist.
If you want to see if the still house lake series is for you, this free little short story on her author page is what the books are exactly like, and why I can’t help to put them down.