Reviews with content warning for Fire/Fire injury - This Wretched Valley

Reviews tagging 'Fire/Fire injury'

This Wretched Valley by Jenny Kiefer

20 reviews

thiscryptidreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

I went into this story expecting a totally different scenario based on the synopsis. This was a surprise mix of haunting and hallucinations that slowly fill you with dread until the very end. Several other reviews said the ending was a surprise or didn't make sense but if you pay attention to the small details I think the story wraps up very nicely and makes complete sense for the narrative they're trying to tell.

Cws: gore, body horror, violence, self harm, injury, blood, panic attacks, suicide, murder, death of a child, animal death, vomit, hallucinations, fire/ injury and death by fire, cannibalism.

You can find more of my reviews on all social platforms under the username ThisCryptidReads.

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chainsawheartbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-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? Yes

4.5

I’m never going hiking in the wilderness again! ⛰️

That was something else. Truly. I don’t think any words I can come up with would be able to describe the horror I felt reading some of that, and the utter fear I felt for the characters.

I’m going to be completely honest and say that I didn’t like Dylan at the start; I thought she was so well-written and felt so real that I genuinely didn’t care for her, especially when she was so dismissive to Luke (and yes I’m aware that the valley probably had a big part to do with that), but she made me angry.
Yet, by the end, I was routing for her.

There were moments when I forgot I wasn’t in the Kentucky wilderness, and I honestly gripped this book as hard as Dylan gripped that rock face.

I can’t wait to read the next thing Jenny Kiefer releases cause damn!

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poisoned_icecream's review against another edition

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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.

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birdieex's review against another edition

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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

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!

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saccharinewoe's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

loved the descriptive writing in this which really heightened the immersiveness and turned up the dread for me (which i felt growing as i kept reading). i have crippling anxiety and a fear of the dark + of getting lost in nature so naturally any kind of description of that made my stomach drop just imagining myself in the same position as the MCs. solid horror that kept me on my toes despite already having inklings of where it was going to go.

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wyntrrose's review against another edition

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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.

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loonaglow's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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? Yes

4.0

the story telling and descriptive writing in this was phenomenal the only area where it fell flat for me was the characters. they seemed very under developed and one dimensional and at times not likeable.

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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?

----

🐺 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).

----

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

My musings 💖 powered by puppy snuggles 🐶 refined by my AI bookworm bestie ✨

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babyfacedoldsoul's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

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randiofborg's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark sad 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? It's complicated

2.5

I picked up this novel based on a random recommendation. I wasn't surprised to learn it was the author's debut—the hook is interesting if flimsy, and the writing was occasionally clumsy. Every human in the novel, and a couple of objects, all "pitch forward" at some point.

The premise: four young adults (Clay, Sylvia, Luke, and Dylan) go to a newly discovered rock wall in the wilderness of Kentucky. Clay had discovered the wall using LiDAR technology. He is writing his dissertation on geology and LiDAR, and believes he can create a method to discover new locations for climbing and hiking tourism. He enlists the help of Sylvia, another PhD student, as well as Dylan, a up-and-coming climbing influencer, and Luke, Dylan's boyfriend and belayer. Joining the gang is Luke's dog, Slade. Spoiler: Slade is the smartest of them.

The group hikes to the newly discovered rockface so Dylan can climb it and they can determine whether it would make a good tourist spot. Everything quickly goes south. Sylvia, the group's botanist, notices that the foliage in the area is largely poisonous, and some of the plants are non-native to Kentucky (she also mis-describes a fungus as a plant, but whatever). Luke notices Slade is panicked during their hike to the rock face, and Clay seems immediately out of it. Dylan also finds herself drawn to taking risks while climbing, which she initially attributes to her desire to impress her new corporate sponsor.

The plot meanders from there. Tragedy befalls the group quickly, with Slade disappearing and Luke ending up grievously injured. Clay begins to lose his mind, while Sylvia and Dylan care of Luke. I found myself struggling to get through much of the "scary" material. The author, Jenny Keifer, is comfortable describing gore, which I know many readers enjoy, but I found it was underwhelming without a threat I was personally frightened of. There is a supernatural presence in the novel that I found underdeveloped, but some readers may enjoy. The first chapter makes it clear who will survive and who won't, and while it was an interesting narrative choice, I think it undercut Keifer's use of gore. The idea of a character being stalked isn't scary when the reader knows that character is dead already.

What I like about this novel: there are consistent themes about what we owe nature v. what nature owes us. A driving point of the novel seems to be we can care about the outdoors, but Mother Nature isn't kind. Keifer also makes clever use of the common hiking/camping wisdom "take only pictures and leave only footprints." Dylan, who emerges as the protagonist, has moments of success where she achieves something great while knowing she'll never be acknowledged for it—a pain many women know.

I also appreciated this about Dylan:

Dylan is the only person whose body isn't discovered in the first chapter, which takes place a few months after the events of the rest of the novel. A few times, it's suggested she may be the Final Girl. Her full name is Dylan Prescott, reminiscent of famous Final Girl from the Scream franchise, Sydney Prescott. But Dylan doesn't make it. Her only success is she dies on her terms instead of on the terms of the monsters who are stalking her and her friends. It was a nice inversion of expectations.

I would recommend this novel to some of my friends who climb, and I'll definitely keep an eye on the author's future work.

Oh, and about the dog:

the dog lives, because he's the only one who is smart enough to run away when he's scared.

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