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poisoned_icecream's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Four hikers go to an isolated location, not expecting the horrors awaiting them. Clay wants to explore the valley for a dissertation, Dylan is a climber and she wants to be the first to climb the wall, Luke is her boyfriend, and Sylvia is a botanist. Luke also has the not-so-bright idea to bring his dog Slade, and ignores the signs of distress Slade expresses when they all arrive at the valley. There are also brief chapters of past events that occured in the valley that emphasize how hostile it is. Even if this is fictional, it can still serve as yet another example of how nature isn't meant to be conquered or controlled.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Murder, Violence, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Vomit, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Gore
wyntrrose's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I so felt The Ruins and The Descent movies in this book. Others have mentioned The Blair Witch as well but for me I didn't see it as much. This is book follows 4 friends. The main person Clay Foster who is doing this for his graduate, his fellow classmate Sylvia Burnett who is a graduate of native plants and geology, his good friend and rock climbing friend Dylan Prescott who just signed her first climbing deal with a company. Her boyfriend and climbing partner Luke Woodhaven and his dog Slade. The first chapter does go into descriptive details on everybody's body that was found. Missing though is Dylan and the dog Slade. Great gorey and supernatural story that'll keep you on your toes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Domestic abuse, Vomit, Child death, Cannibalism, Body horror, Animal cruelty, Violence, Murder, Blood, Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Torture
beersbooksandbooos's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I have to say that I picked up the book because of the cover before even reading the synopsis. Once I read the synopsis I knew this was a book for me. Dyatlov Pass has always fascinated me and all the lore that surrounds it. I read some of the reviews as I read the book and I do agree with them saying they were getting The Ruins and As Above So Below vides. I enjoyed most of the book, then it took a turn in the last quarter. That was when it lost me and I got a little bored that it didn't feel like picking it back up. I felt a little cheated out of a better ending and it also felt a little rushed. This is Jenny Kiefer's debut novel and I can see her writing going up from here. I will pick up her other books if/when she writes them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Violence, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Murder, Body horror, Animal death, Cannibalism, Suicide, Cursing, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Domestic abuse, Gore, and Vomit
thegayestghost's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Alcoholism, Death, Gore, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Self harm, Violence, Vomit, Blood, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Cannibalism, Grief, and Toxic friendship
megandherbook's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
For those that are interested in the curious cases that have an endless amount of conspiracy theories and/or love outdoor sports this book is for you.
Four people go on a climbing expedition, all go missing, and then 3 are found dead. The 3 bodies that are found are in such condition that medical professionals and investigators are both baffled. After years there is still no explanation and the fourth person has not been found. These four people are unaware of their fate as they excitedly hike into the woods in the spring of 2019. Clay is a geology student who is working on his PhD. When he finds a cliff in the Kentucky woods that is untouched he knows it’s the perfect location for his thesis. He gets together a fellow student, Sylvia, to be his research assistant, Dylan, an old friend that just got signed with a professional climbing company, and Luke, Dylan’s boyfriend and belayer (which is basically the person that holds the rope at the bottom of the cliff for the climber for those like me that don’t know climbing lingo). The trip starts out with everyone excited and eager and soon turns into a nightmare.
This was inspired by the Dyatlov Pass incident which is endlessly fascinating to me. Unlike the Dyatlov Pass incident while the professionals and the public in the book never learn what happened to these four people us as the readers get the full, terrifying account. I loved Jenny Kiefer’s writing. I am not an outdoorsy sportsman person and have never been climbing indoors or outdoors so I’m completely unaware of any aspect of the sport. But I ended up not only knowing so much more about climbing that I did before starting the book I felt like I actually climbed a mountain. The descriptions are amazing that you can tell the author has climbing experience. While it was amazing (and a bit scary) reading about the climbing excursion this also meant that the other more sinister events of the book are very detailed as well. It was easy to feel like I was losing my mind while reading.
By the end of the book I felt like some parts were a little bit overdone in the sense they felt like they dragged on for too long. However, overall, it is a great story and a great read. Highly recommend.
Four people go on a climbing expedition, all go missing, and then 3 are found dead. The 3 bodies that are found are in such condition that medical professionals and investigators are both baffled. After years there is still no explanation and the fourth person has not been found. These four people are unaware of their fate as they excitedly hike into the woods in the spring of 2019. Clay is a geology student who is working on his PhD. When he finds a cliff in the Kentucky woods that is untouched he knows it’s the perfect location for his thesis. He gets together a fellow student, Sylvia, to be his research assistant, Dylan, an old friend that just got signed with a professional climbing company, and Luke, Dylan’s boyfriend and belayer (which is basically the person that holds the rope at the bottom of the cliff for the climber for those like me that don’t know climbing lingo). The trip starts out with everyone excited and eager and soon turns into a nightmare.
This was inspired by the Dyatlov Pass incident which is endlessly fascinating to me. Unlike the Dyatlov Pass incident while the professionals and the public in the book never learn what happened to these four people us as the readers get the full, terrifying account. I loved Jenny Kiefer’s writing. I am not an outdoorsy sportsman person and have never been climbing indoors or outdoors so I’m completely unaware of any aspect of the sport. But I ended up not only knowing so much more about climbing that I did before starting the book I felt like I actually climbed a mountain. The descriptions are amazing that you can tell the author has climbing experience. While it was amazing (and a bit scary) reading about the climbing excursion this also meant that the other more sinister events of the book are very detailed as well. It was easy to feel like I was losing my mind while reading.
By the end of the book I felt like some parts were a little bit overdone in the sense they felt like they dragged on for too long. However, overall, it is a great story and a great read. Highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Child death, Violence, Alcohol, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Blood, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Murder, Body horror, Death, and Animal death
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