Reviews with content warning for Medical content - This Wretched Valley

Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

This Wretched Valley by Jenny Kiefer

3 reviews

birdieex's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I'm not a rock climber by any means, so this wasn't a book I could relate to in that way, but I still enjoyed it, even when the lingo flew over my head.

The spook factor deserves 2 stars at least. I'm a sucker for spooky places where people go and don't return or return absolutely traumatized. A trope I can never get enough of, even when we never figure out the mystery to why the environment is hostile. It's just that sense of danger and mystery!

The detail was absolutely engrossing. The description of the environment was gorgeous. The horror was written in a way that made me physically recoil and look away from the book in some cases. (Bugs! Bugs get me!) Every line about the forest was chilling.

I liked the opening telling us immediately that our characters die because it gave the whole journey a sense of dread. As I read, I was constantly attempting to pick up pieces of the puzzle and put it together. I'm also fond of sweary narration, especially if it showcases character personality, so the beginning was amusing to me.
(Examples:

The very first line of this book is "Fucking finally". It adds spice to the character thoughts if they swear and you're adding that to your normal narration.
"He'd only managed to become a slightly above-average climber, never having the skills or luck to climb the hard shit-"
"So he'd spend the fall inside this cramped, cold-as-fuck, single-engine plane,"

I think you get the idea. It isn't overdone, but it's nicely peppered in there.)

However, as much as I enjoyed all of those elements, there are cons.

One petty thing that nagged me was when Sylvia, who had a basic medical background, when assessing an ankle and wrist injury said it was "likely fractured, if not broken." Those are synonymous. Though, I'm putting that down to the fact her medical experience was limited to "an emergency first aid course" as she said.

Also why was Dylan's the only phone to get signal? Maybe I missed it, but it was like she was chosen. Is this simply because she was

final girl?

Possibly.

Not a con, but a spoiler alert for the dog living or dying for those who need to know before going in:

We are led to believe at first that the dog, Slade, is dead, but eventually is revealed to be alive.

Overall, thoroughly enjoyed the fear factor in this book!

Content Warnings

beersbooksandbooos's review against another edition

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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

minimicropup's review

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

The Energy: Resentful. Hostile. Carnivorous.

The Scene: 🇺🇸 Camping near Daniel Boone National Park, Kentucky, USA

The POVs: We follow a group of four who know each other from climbing recreationally or as grad students: a climber looking to become a paid influencer and their boyfriend and his dog, a PhD student and former recreational climber, and their PhD student colleague.

🎬 Tale-Telling: Third person narrative in an overseeing/observing way. The writing is descriptive and vivid with a lot of metaphors and similes to help you relate to the horrors but got lost in the comparisons in the second half (tar blood and synapses everywhere). I’d rather too many than too little, but I was mentally giggling at every mention. The first half felt peppered with realism I was jumpy and couldn't put it down.

👥 Characters: If you thrive on character connection, this will suck. At first, the distant portrayal of the characters worked for me since we know this won’t end well and are not meant to get too close to the characters knowing their fates. The second half the story suddenly wanted us to care for them as the high stakes action dragged on. There were scenes where there is shock over strange behaviour, but to us, it was meaningless because from our perspective most of these characters were selfishly motivated and distant from each other to start.

🤓 Reader Role: Silent observer, camouflaged among the trees with the narrator.

🗺️ Ambiance: The setting built up atmospheric horror, was vivid and immersive, and conveyed the unease and the unknown lurking beyond the campfire light. My only gripe was the spatial inconsistencies – sometimes characters wandered off then turned around and they were steps from their friends at a rock base or eavesdropping in plain sight. Either way, I want to stream this and have it capture all the vibes on screen.

🔥 Fuel: Mainly psychological. Knowing who makes it out alive (or doesn't) shifts the typical survival narrative to inevitable doom. We aren’t wondering if they'll survive, but how they'll meet their end in such strange conditions and places. Lots of dread and anticipation, with a small mystery around one character’s unknown fate.

🚙 Journey: The pacing was steady and on the slower side, with moments of sheer panic as night falls. The horror was more psychological, with the characters' fears and visions playing a significant role. The switch near the 60% mark to a deep dive into their thoughts and relationships didn’t work because we didn’t know these characters beforehand, so the suspense dropped at that point. It made the gore and body horror feel boring and…long winded?

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🐺 Growls: Gratuitous attempt at heart wrenching horror aka Why with the dog? 😅

the dog survives

, but seriously, outside of cathartic literary fiction has anyone ever enjoyed a dead (or potentially dead) pet trope? I hated reading all the ways a dog may be tortured while scared and alone 😭

🐕 Howls: Being asked to care and root for characters we barely know. The drawn-out ending of escape + gore + injuries.

🐩 Tail Wags: The plot and premise around history and earth. Revealing the ending at the beginning. The third person observational distancing from the characters (in theory).

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Mood Reading Match-Up:

Natural or supernatural Missing 411 style nature’s revenge
“Stay out of the woods” body, psychological, paranormal horror
Elements of survival thriller slasher with a whisper of cosmic dread
Light themes and concepts exploring hunger, historical trauma, nature, conservation, sacrifice, isolation, balance, ecosystems, and necessity.

Content Heads-Up: Medical (injuries, blood, head injury). Body horror (decomposition, gore, blood, vomit, body fluids; graphic, prolonged, descriptive, on page). Food horror (cannibalism). Loss of a child, loss of family, loss of friends, murder (recall; on page, graphic). Escaped pet (dog). Hallucinations, delusions. Confinement (lost/trapped in wilderness). Violence. Alcohol use/intoxication.

Rep: Heterosexual. Cisgender. White or ambiguous Americans.

👀 Format: Library Digital

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