Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What a great addition to the slasher genre!
A group of friends attend an isolated desert healing retreat. The land has a blood soaked history and is rumoured to be haunted. When people start disappearing and a figure dressed in historic mining clothes attacks, it begs the question whether this is a supernatural or human attacker. Could it be a maleficent spirit or psychopathic person?
I was wholly invested and the farther I got into the story the wilder my theories got. The ending/reveal itself was a bit of a bummer compared to what the lead up was giving readers.
Definitely an enthralling and bloody book that is not to be missed.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Poisoned Pen Press for a copy!
A group of friends attend an isolated desert healing retreat. The land has a blood soaked history and is rumoured to be haunted. When people start disappearing and a figure dressed in historic mining clothes attacks, it begs the question whether this is a supernatural or human attacker. Could it be a maleficent spirit or psychopathic person?
I was wholly invested and the farther I got into the story the wilder my theories got. The ending/reveal itself was a bit of a bummer compared to what the lead up was giving readers.
Definitely an enthralling and bloody book that is not to be missed.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Poisoned Pen Press for a copy!
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Hannah’s fiancé Ben was killed in a tragic accident. Now her life is spiraling. Hooked on Xanax and drowning her sorrow in fast food and alcohol, she hesitantly agrees to go on a wellness retreat when her spiral causes her to nearly kill someone at work. But something more sinister is happening at the retreat… can she figure it out before the past catches up with her?
I was completely hooked from the beginning with this one! I kept wanting to know what really happened in Hannah’s past and what was going on at the retreat that I couldn’t put it down! I honestly had no clue who was behind everything until the very end when it was finally revealed and I love that!
Definitely more of a lowkey horror read and this is going to be the perfect fall book! Highly recommend picking this up!
I was completely hooked from the beginning with this one! I kept wanting to know what really happened in Hannah’s past and what was going on at the retreat that I couldn’t put it down! I honestly had no clue who was behind everything until the very end when it was finally revealed and I love that!
Definitely more of a lowkey horror read and this is going to be the perfect fall book! Highly recommend picking this up!
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you NetGalley for the arc!
After a harrowing winter trip to the mountains, Hannah walks away with an engagement ring, but no fiancé. A year later, she is dependent on her meds, her psychiatrist, and virtually has isolated herself from all friends and family. When her best friend invites her to a group retreat and won’t take no for an answer, Hannah reluctantly agrees to tag along. But what is meant to be a spiritual fresh start turns into something much more sinister.
BREATHE IN, BLEED OUT by Brian McAuley is a snappy, gruesome slasher that was ultimately very fun! The first chapter has a great hook and immediately lets you know that our main character is quite an unreliable narrator. It makes her and the reader doubt everything she’s seeing, and makes things a lot more tense. McAuley did a great job depicting someone who is dealing with major trauma and grief.
The majority of the book takes place in Joshua Tree and discusses the displacement of the Native people in that area during and after the arrival of the gold rush. I think McAuley did a great job discussing this history without taking me out of the fast-paced plot.
I will say, I did have some issues with a writing choice that ultimately took a lot of suspense out of the reading experience. But ultimately I had a great time with this one and will be reading more from this author!
BREATHE IN, BLEED OUT comes out September 2nd!
After a harrowing winter trip to the mountains, Hannah walks away with an engagement ring, but no fiancé. A year later, she is dependent on her meds, her psychiatrist, and virtually has isolated herself from all friends and family. When her best friend invites her to a group retreat and won’t take no for an answer, Hannah reluctantly agrees to tag along. But what is meant to be a spiritual fresh start turns into something much more sinister.
BREATHE IN, BLEED OUT by Brian McAuley is a snappy, gruesome slasher that was ultimately very fun! The first chapter has a great hook and immediately lets you know that our main character is quite an unreliable narrator. It makes her and the reader doubt everything she’s seeing, and makes things a lot more tense. McAuley did a great job depicting someone who is dealing with major trauma and grief.
The majority of the book takes place in Joshua Tree and discusses the displacement of the Native people in that area during and after the arrival of the gold rush. I think McAuley did a great job discussing this history without taking me out of the fast-paced plot.
I will say, I did have some issues with a writing choice that ultimately took a lot of suspense out of the reading experience. But ultimately I had a great time with this one and will be reading more from this author!
BREATHE IN, BLEED OUT comes out September 2nd!
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A fun slasher with a disappointing ending.
We follow Hannah, a woman trying to get over witnessing her fiancé's untimely death. When she's invited to a health retreat in Joshua Tree with her friends, things are not quite what they seem. Guru Pax is unsettling, the retreat is built near the infamous Dead Man's Due Mine, and Hannah's starting to see more ghosts than just her fiancé...
I really enjoyed the first half of this book. It read like a b-slasher movie in the best way, despite the "spiritual retreat is actually sinister" plot being relatively overdone. However, the ending felt rushed and quite honestly, the reveal of the slasher's identity was disappointing. The motive was weak and there were many other characters that would have made more sense. I hate when horror novels try so hard to make a twist unpredictable that it just becomes flimsy.
We follow Hannah, a woman trying to get over witnessing her fiancé's untimely death. When she's invited to a health retreat in Joshua Tree with her friends, things are not quite what they seem. Guru Pax is unsettling, the retreat is built near the infamous Dead Man's Due Mine, and Hannah's starting to see more ghosts than just her fiancé...
I really enjoyed the first half of this book. It read like a b-slasher movie in the best way, despite the "spiritual retreat is actually sinister" plot being relatively overdone. However, the ending felt rushed and quite honestly, the reveal of the slasher's identity was disappointing. The motive was weak and there were many other characters that would have made more sense. I hate when horror novels try so hard to make a twist unpredictable that it just becomes flimsy.
"In the dark of Dead Man's Due,
Waylon Barlow waits for you.
He'll hack you up without a trace,
pick your bones and steal your face."
Hannah hasn't been the same since she returned from the mountains without her fiancé. When her friend Tess invites her to an off-grid spiritual retreat, she sees it as a way to finally let things go. But when it seems like her friends are getting picked off one by one, Hannah has to grapple with if it's all in her head, or if there's really a killer on the loose.
BREATHE IN, BLEED OUT by Brian McAuley is the mother of all things wellness retreat horror!
He sets us up with a strong opening that only strengthens as we're introduced to this rag tag group of friends and a Guru set on taking them on the spiritual journey of their lives.
The characters are raw and real - our main girl Hannah, especially, feels incredibly flawed and human - making it so you can't help but root for (most of) them (lol). And the killer caught me fully by surprise!
This is a slasher, so the kills were gorey and insane and won't have me booking myself into a wellness retreat anytime soon, but the ending earned the biggest fist pump from me.
If you pick this one up, be sure to read the author's note and acknowledgements because Brian's journey to this point makes this book and story feel all the more special!
Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the early copy for review - out September 2!
Waylon Barlow waits for you.
He'll hack you up without a trace,
pick your bones and steal your face."
Hannah hasn't been the same since she returned from the mountains without her fiancé. When her friend Tess invites her to an off-grid spiritual retreat, she sees it as a way to finally let things go. But when it seems like her friends are getting picked off one by one, Hannah has to grapple with if it's all in her head, or if there's really a killer on the loose.
BREATHE IN, BLEED OUT by Brian McAuley is the mother of all things wellness retreat horror!
He sets us up with a strong opening that only strengthens as we're introduced to this rag tag group of friends and a Guru set on taking them on the spiritual journey of their lives.
The characters are raw and real - our main girl Hannah, especially, feels incredibly flawed and human - making it so you can't help but root for (most of) them (lol). And the killer caught me fully by surprise!
This is a slasher, so the kills were gorey and insane and won't have me booking myself into a wellness retreat anytime soon, but the ending earned the biggest fist pump from me.
If you pick this one up, be sure to read the author's note and acknowledgements because Brian's journey to this point makes this book and story feel all the more special!
Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the early copy for review - out September 2!
dark
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is so fun and gory. I also liked the deeper meanings as well that were buried a little bit. This is a good slasher for anyone who likes them. I do feel like the ending seemed rushed. The reveal/twist happened and then the book ended very quickly. I still very much enjoyed reading this.
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Do you love slasher movies? How about in book form? Breathe In, Bleed Out by Brian McAuley follows a classic slasher formula while still managing to feel original. A story that pulls you in and easy to breeze through in a weekend.
Our main character, Hannah, is grieving her fiancé when her best friend invites her on a wellness retreat in the desert. When they arrive with a group of lovable side characters things start to go wrong fast. Is Hannah going crazy from grief? Is there something sus with Guru Pax?
Setting this at a wellness retreat was such a cool choice that made for some great unique gory scenes. The writing style always felt fun and perfectly captured the feel of a retreat. Some really excellent characters that felt like the kinds of people you’d meet at one of these types of desert retreats.
Unfortunately, my favorite character didn’t make it. I was unable to guess the killer and was surprised by the ending. Overall this was a fun and fast read. Perfect for spooky season or a poolside summer thriller.
Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the digital ARC copy!
Our main character, Hannah, is grieving her fiancé when her best friend invites her on a wellness retreat in the desert. When they arrive with a group of lovable side characters things start to go wrong fast. Is Hannah going crazy from grief? Is there something sus with Guru Pax?
Setting this at a wellness retreat was such a cool choice that made for some great unique gory scenes. The writing style always felt fun and perfectly captured the feel of a retreat. Some really excellent characters that felt like the kinds of people you’d meet at one of these types of desert retreats.
Unfortunately, my favorite character didn’t make it. I was unable to guess the killer and was surprised by the ending. Overall this was a fun and fast read. Perfect for spooky season or a poolside summer thriller.
Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the digital ARC copy!
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press, NetGalley & Brian McAuley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 1 star.
Genre(s): horror.
Overall impression: I'm a massive horror fan and enjoy slasher movies, so I was excited to give this book a go for the 2025 Camp NetGalley. Unfortunately, the characters were so bitter and unlikeable that it made the entire reading experience unpleasant. There wasn't a single person to root for, so I didn't really care what happened to any of them. I wasn't impressed with the language used either - it relied too heavily on stereotypes and made the book feel both racist and like it was a parody. The only good part was that I hadn't guessed the killer by the end - though I was disappointed by the reveal.
Tropes:
➵ Meditation retreat
➵ Isolated location
➵ No phone service
➵ No way out
➵ Drugs & hallucinogens
➵ PTSD, depression & addiction representation
➵ Disgraced doctor
➵ Toxic relationships
➵ Missing friends
➵ Picked off one by one
➵ "Let's split up"
➵ Open ending
⤷ Plot:
The opening scene was extremely confusing and immediately made me want to put the book down. It was a 'dream within a dream' scenario that gave us a glimpse as to why Hannah needed to go on a meditation retreat. We then got to see her life completely spiral out of control where she overdosed on prescription medication and nearly killed a patient because of her negligence. Her lack of basic knowledge really pissed me off because even a junior doctor knows that in an opioid overdose, you don't slap the patient's face to try wake them up. You have to administer naloxone and BLS.
The rest of the story revolved around the wellness retreat. Characters slowly started getting picked off by the unknown slasher, often in very predictable ways. It was full of gore and got a bit more exciting towards the end as the tension started to peak. But once the killer was revealed, I felt deflated because they seemed like the most boring person to take the role. I finished the book feeling completely unsatisfied and annoyed at all of the survivors.
⤷ Characters:
The characters completely ruined the novel for me. There wasn't a single person that I wanted to root for because of how bitter and hateful they were to each other. I don't even know why the so-called friendship group decided to go on the trip together because from their first interactions, you could tell just how much they didn't like each other.
Hannah was the worst culprit for me. She was extremely judgemental and jealous of her friends, and we unfortunately had to read through her bitchy inner monologue for the entire book. Considering how terrible of a person she was, I was extremely surprised to find out that she got into medicine and was working as a doctor. She lacked compassion, empathy and human decency. Whilst it's typical for the main character to survive a slasher, it would have been more enjoyable if one of the other characters survived instead.
⤷ World-building:
Most of the book was set at the exclusive wellness retreat. There was a good amount of time spent describing the yurts, studios and general environment, so you could picture the scenes pretty clearly. But because the author relied too heavily on stereotypes, it never really felt like a believable place.
⤷ Writing:
The sentence structure was very basic, so you get through the chapters relatively quickly. Whilst the pacing was slow at times, it never really felt like it dragged. I did have an issue with the language used for a few different reasons. Firstly, it felt like the whole book had a very racist undertone - minimising Indigenous characters to stereotypes. Secondly, there was so much modern slang and overused mindfulness language that it felt like a parody novel.
⤷ Everything else:
I read this as part of the 2025 Camp NetGalley challenge. I probably wouldn't have picked up this book otherwise because of the cover, despite finding the blurb interesting.
Statistics:
➵ Date read: 23/07/2025-28/07/2025 (6 days).
➵ Page count: 304.
➵ Type: e-book.
➵ Volume: standalone.
➵ Special: NetGalley ARC.
Social Media Links:
Instagram | TikTok | Threads
Follow for reviews, unboxings and book aesthetic videos.
Rating: 1 star.
Genre(s): horror.
Overall impression: I'm a massive horror fan and enjoy slasher movies, so I was excited to give this book a go for the 2025 Camp NetGalley. Unfortunately, the characters were so bitter and unlikeable that it made the entire reading experience unpleasant. There wasn't a single person to root for, so I didn't really care what happened to any of them. I wasn't impressed with the language used either - it relied too heavily on stereotypes and made the book feel both racist and like it was a parody. The only good part was that I hadn't guessed the killer by the end - though I was disappointed by the reveal.
Tropes:
➵ Meditation retreat
➵ Isolated location
➵ No phone service
➵ No way out
➵ Drugs & hallucinogens
➵ PTSD, depression & addiction representation
➵ Disgraced doctor
➵ Toxic relationships
➵ Missing friends
➵ Picked off one by one
➵ "Let's split up"
➵ Open ending
⤷ Plot:
The opening scene was extremely confusing and immediately made me want to put the book down. It was a 'dream within a dream' scenario that gave us a glimpse as to why Hannah needed to go on a meditation retreat. We then got to see her life completely spiral out of control where she overdosed on prescription medication and nearly killed a patient because of her negligence. Her lack of basic knowledge really pissed me off because even a junior doctor knows that in an opioid overdose, you don't slap the patient's face to try wake them up. You have to administer naloxone and BLS.
The rest of the story revolved around the wellness retreat. Characters slowly started getting picked off by the unknown slasher, often in very predictable ways. It was full of gore and got a bit more exciting towards the end as the tension started to peak. But once the killer was revealed, I felt deflated because they seemed like the most boring person to take the role. I finished the book feeling completely unsatisfied and annoyed at all of the survivors.
⤷ Characters:
The characters completely ruined the novel for me. There wasn't a single person that I wanted to root for because of how bitter and hateful they were to each other. I don't even know why the so-called friendship group decided to go on the trip together because from their first interactions, you could tell just how much they didn't like each other.
Hannah was the worst culprit for me. She was extremely judgemental and jealous of her friends, and we unfortunately had to read through her bitchy inner monologue for the entire book. Considering how terrible of a person she was, I was extremely surprised to find out that she got into medicine and was working as a doctor. She lacked compassion, empathy and human decency. Whilst it's typical for the main character to survive a slasher, it would have been more enjoyable if one of the other characters survived instead.
⤷ World-building:
Most of the book was set at the exclusive wellness retreat. There was a good amount of time spent describing the yurts, studios and general environment, so you could picture the scenes pretty clearly. But because the author relied too heavily on stereotypes, it never really felt like a believable place.
⤷ Writing:
The sentence structure was very basic, so you get through the chapters relatively quickly. Whilst the pacing was slow at times, it never really felt like it dragged. I did have an issue with the language used for a few different reasons. Firstly, it felt like the whole book had a very racist undertone - minimising Indigenous characters to stereotypes. Secondly, there was so much modern slang and overused mindfulness language that it felt like a parody novel.
⤷ Everything else:
I read this as part of the 2025 Camp NetGalley challenge. I probably wouldn't have picked up this book otherwise because of the cover, despite finding the blurb interesting.
Statistics:
➵ Date read: 23/07/2025-28/07/2025 (6 days).
➵ Page count: 304.
➵ Type: e-book.
➵ Volume: standalone.
➵ Special: NetGalley ARC.
Social Media Links:
Instagram | TikTok | Threads
Follow for reviews, unboxings and book aesthetic videos.
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes