The Rotting Room by Viggy Parr Hampton (2025)

The Rotting Room by Viggy Parr Hampton (2025)

A gruesome historical horror novel centered on a troubled nun.

Laura’s Rating: 1/5 Stars

Plot: Sister Rafaela is sent to a new religious order to start anew after a bad incident. Shortly after her arrival, a mysterious stranger arrives and soon dies. When the stranger’s body resists decomposition, the sisters claim a potential saint in their midst. 

Opinion: This book was all tell and no show. The narrator reiterates what is going on over and over again, adding nothing but her own uncertainty to the situation.

The concept of a religious order falling into something sinister was interesting to me, but the execution of the idea fell short. (Also, what is the likelihood that not one, but two orders of nuns became corrupt? Come on.) The religious elements are incredibly basic and I didn’t really feel the holy convictions that were supposedly motivating the characters.

A lot of time is spent with Father Bruno, despite him not adding much to the plot. His connection to Sister Rafaela is based on him thinking she’s hot and her having literally no one else to talk to in the abbey.

There’s no tension or suspense, just the slow plodding of Sister Rafaela’s days filled with repetitive internal monologues. Once the main conflict is established, it barely evolves and is simply repeated over and over. And then….Are you kidding me? I read all of that for THAT ending? Ugh.