The Body by Bethany C. Morrow: A brutal supernatural horror about marriage, faith, and who really owns your soul

Bethany C. Morrow’s The Body is a pulse-pounding supernatural horror novel that turns marriage, faith, and family obligation into a living nightmare—and it doesn’t flinch. Centered on a woman who has spent her entire life being told she will never be good enough, this is a story about what happens when the expectations placed on women become violent, literal, and inescapable.

Mavis Carson broke away from her family’s church years ago, but the damage is permanent. Her mother, Marie Carson, presides over the congregation with an iron grip, demanding impossible perfection and absolute obedience. Mavis has internalized those rules so completely that even as an adult, she’s riddled with anxiety and convinced she’s one mistake away from losing everything. Her one perceived victory is her marriage to Jerrod, a man everyone—including Mavis herself—believes she doesn’t deserve. When the seven-year itch sets in and a freak car accident kicks off a string of increasingly disturbing incidents, Mavis begins to realize that the congregation she escaped may never have truly let her go.

What starts as unsettling quickly becomes deeply bizarre. The attacks escalate in both cruelty and symbolism, and Mavis notices a chilling pattern: everyone involved was present at her wedding. A wedding where the congregation was asked to take a vow—one that, it turns out, may only be undone by death. From there, The Body leans hard into supernatural horror, blending bodily danger with psychological terror in a way that feels relentless and intentional.

This novel was a genuinely fun, fast-paced ride, even when it was unsettling. There were moments where I wished Morrow had slowed down to offer a bit more clarity or detail; occasionally, I found myself slightly confused about what exactly was happening or how certain events fit together. Still, the emotional and thematic throughline was strong enough that I stayed fully onboard. When the book wants to disturb you, it succeeds—there were scenes involving gore that made me physically look away from the page—but those moments are brief and purposeful rather than constant or gratuitous.

At its heart, The Body is about Mavis reclaiming her power from her mother’s suffocating control. But it’s also about the system that allows Marie Carson to thrive: a congregation that enforces obedience, excuses male behavior, and punishes women for existing imperfectly. Morrow draws a sharp line between sin and control, asking whether the horror Mavis faces is spiritual punishment or something far more human and institutional. Is this a battle for Mavis’s soul—or simply another way to keep her in line?

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Sharp, vicious, and thematically rich, The Body uses supernatural horror to expose how patriarchy and religious authority can hollow a woman out from the inside. It’s uncomfortable in the way good horror should be, and it lingers long after the final page.

Have you read Bethany C. Morrow before, or are cult-centered horror stories your thing? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

The Body by Bethany C. Morrow releases on February 10, 2026. An advance reader copy of this book (ARC) was provided to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Related Content

• Bethany C. Morrow writes social horror (Feminist Book Club)
• Interview with Bethany C. Morrow (Pine Reads Review)
• An interview with Bethany C. Morrow, author of So Many Beginnings (Fierce Reads)
• VISIBLE: Women writers of color: Bethany C. Morrow (The Rumpus)

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