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dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Miscarriage, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Murder, Pregnancy
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence, Blood, Vomit
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
the writing style was a bit too plain, the ending was a relatively open ended, some parts dragged on too long, but i finished this in one day. i couldn't put it down and it made me a bit jumpy throughout my read. i would recommend this for an october/halloween read or just a quick horror indulgence
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Violence, Blood, Vomit
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Miscarriage
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Great atmospheric horror that gripped me from start to finish. The cast of characters is strong, ranging in varied personalities and backgrounds, that in turn shape them into believable people.
The setting of the mountain is spooky and lonely, but the novel surprisingly doesn't lose steam as it changes to California - the hopelessness of the situation the main characters are in is heavy enough to isolate them, even in the suburbs.
The many mysteries in the story had me turning all the clues around in my head, trying to decipher everything in a haste that I hadn't felt in a while - which made it all so much more disappointing when so many things that had kept me up were answered with a shrug and a "I guess we'll never know".
[MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD]
Speaking of disappointment, the sole reason that the rating is not a solid 4.0 is the main secret of the story. The idea that so many nice, well meaning people lost their lives because of Faye's mom is just... bewildering - and the book doesn't even come to terms with it, too?! In fact, the whole family was pretty scummy about the secret. I get not wanting to reveal something so grim and tragic after so many years of keeping it a secret, but Faye's life was in danger! They all experienced the creature some way or another, and yet they all neglected to tell the truth until the girl and her fiancée were just about done with the whole living thing. It also got somewhat repetitive, the whole "you tell her!" "no, you tell her!" HELLO?? YOUR DAUGHTER MIGHT DIE OVER THIS???? 2/3 OF THE PEOPLE OF COLOR IN THE BOOK DIED BECAUSE YOU COULDN'T OPEN UP
The setting of the mountain is spooky and lonely, but the novel surprisingly doesn't lose steam as it changes to California - the hopelessness of the situation the main characters are in is heavy enough to isolate them, even in the suburbs.
The many mysteries in the story had me turning all the clues around in my head, trying to decipher everything in a haste that I hadn't felt in a while - which made it all so much more disappointing when so many things that had kept me up were answered with a shrug and a "I guess we'll never know".
[MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD]
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Vomit
Moderate: Miscarriage, Colonisation
Minor: Child death, Suicidal thoughts
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Stalking, Death of parent
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
First spooky book of October for me and it definitely didn’t disappoint! From the minute I read it, I was creeped out by the details.
The author does a great job at having you envision the details of something horrifying lurking in the woods. Being a great fan of camping and hiking myself, the thought of what could be lurking in the woods has played on my thoughts before especially when hearing an unknown noise. After reading this, I may stay away from the woods for quite some time haha. The creature was written wonderfully and the details such as him wearing his victims face was quite gruesome but well done. I did also enjoy how the author included the history and traditions of Native Americans and explained such at the end of the book.
The only real complaint I had was it felt like the book dragged a bit in the middle, like it was a bit repetitive at times during the sleeping issues. I also was the biggest fan of the ending but it wasn’t terrible, just not as good as it could be.
All in all though, I recommend this book especially if you want to be spooked at night.
The only real complaint I had was it felt like the book dragged a bit in the middle, like it was a bit repetitive at times during the sleeping issues. I also was the biggest fan of the ending but it wasn’t terrible, just not as good as it could be.
All in all though, I recommend this book especially if you want to be spooked at night.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, Vomit, Murder