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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
dark
reflective
medium-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
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Transphobia, Violence, Blood
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this book was definitely not perfect from a technical standpoint but emotionally it just resonated so so deeply, and it's one of the few ya debuts i've read in recent years that actually really leans into the Creation of a Vibe and succeeds rather than totally losing the thread of character and story to the Moodboard Prose. isa's arc is compelling because it is so hard to swallow and her rejection of slater is so easy to understand. but i think this book in its character arcs and thematic lines really leans into the importance of leaning into and living alongside your hurt and it is very strong for it. i do very poorly with horror and it was in fact my mistake to read this mostly from the hours of 10pm to 1am, but worth it! super excited to see what's next for wen-yi lee (especially since her next book sounds SO good).
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
The Dark We Know begins by asking about grief. I was instantly drawn to this theme because I love when we have to stare at the flaws, our complicated relationships, and the painful memories after someone passes away. How do we grief someone we don't even know if we loved? How does our entire family process these mixed feelings? And for Isa, what is it like going back to the home where we tried to escape? All of these questions are instant hooks in The Dark We Know.
The Dark We Know begins by asking about grief. I was instantly drawn to this theme because I love when we have to stare at the flaws, our complicated relationships, and the painful memories after someone passes away. How do we grief someone we don't even know if we loved? How does our entire family process these mixed feelings? And for Isa, what is it like going back to the home where we tried to escape? All of these questions are instant hooks in The Dark We Know.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
what a fantastic debut!! creepy (even in the daylight i got SHIVERS), intriguing, and engaging, narrated excellently, and with an original take on small town horror with some twists i did see and some that were delightfully surprising. oh there were so many great things about it, i will definitely be reading more by this author in the future.
dark
medium-paced
4.5 rounded up!
Thank you to the author for sending over a physical ARC!
Read this if you enjoy:
- Psychological Thrillers/Horror
- Supernatural (vengeful spirits)
- Chilling, horrific descriptions
- Queer representation
- Singaporean Literature (singlit)
*Please check the TWs for this book before you get started!*
I thought this was a beautifully written novel. Admittedly, I am not the most well-versed in this genre. No, I really am not because this is perhaps one of my first few thriller/horror reads. Yet, this book showed me why there are so many fans of these genres. The Dark We Know is a gripping tale about navigating grief, loss, and other past traumas set in a small mining town infused with mystical elements. This is a tale of generational trauma and abuse, topics that I felt were intimately portrayed and explored by the characters. It is a tale that closely deals with the macabre and the intricate examination of the religious and the supernatural.
Isadora Chang makes for an interesting female MC. From the start, Wenyi's mastery of her craft allowed me to experience and sympathise with Isa's dread and reluctance to return to her childhood town. I felt all the emotions Isa felt, especially her desperation to escape, to run away from Slater, a town that very literally haunts her. Her dread and reluctance is in part guilt and grief over the death of her best friends as well as her decision to leave (read: escape) the town as what I suppose was her form of coping mechanism.
And as we know, running away from our problems is never the solution and this is precisely what the novel explores-the importance of facing and overcoming one's fears. Fundamentally, it always seems easier to give up and succumb to our desires but is this really the answer? TDWK thus convincing declares that "I think we can choose not to become what hurt us because that's how you know the world is chooseable and if it is chooseable then it is makeable and if its makeable then we can make something better of it".
I thought the resolution/conclusion was something rather profound and beautiful. I especially appreciated the contrast between the dread and reluctance, the deep desire to escape that was so strongly felt at the start of the novel, to the sense of hope and the innate belief that the world can be beautiful. I found this quite comforting.
Lastly, as alluded, the writing here is phenomenal. It is truly intimate and vivid, a perfect example of what it means to "show, don't tell". I love the portrayal of the characters, especially the dynamics between Isa and Mason as they navigate awkwardness of a rekindling friendship marred by loss and misunderstandings. I loved the unique layout(?) structure (?) where the black pages that viscerally detailed the inner struggles and deepest fears of the characters as they were hunted/haunted by the Angel sent chills down my spine.
With all mysteries, I think it is normal to be in a state of utter confusion as you wonder "wait what is going on" until everything clicks and you're like "oh, I know what's happening now". Fortunately or unfortunately, this moment of realisation only occured when I was about 80% into the read. The mystery and the suspense kept me going but it also left me somewhat frustrated as I tried to figure out what on earth was happening.
Nonetheless, this is hands down a fantastic debut. And yes, we all deserve to dream of beautiful things again.
Thank you to the author for sending over a physical ARC!
Read this if you enjoy:
- Psychological Thrillers/Horror
- Supernatural (vengeful spirits)
- Chilling, horrific descriptions
- Queer representation
- Singaporean Literature (singlit)
*Please check the TWs for this book before you get started!*
I thought this was a beautifully written novel. Admittedly, I am not the most well-versed in this genre. No, I really am not because this is perhaps one of my first few thriller/horror reads. Yet, this book showed me why there are so many fans of these genres. The Dark We Know is a gripping tale about navigating grief, loss, and other past traumas set in a small mining town infused with mystical elements. This is a tale of generational trauma and abuse, topics that I felt were intimately portrayed and explored by the characters. It is a tale that closely deals with the macabre and the intricate examination of the religious and the supernatural.
Isadora Chang makes for an interesting female MC. From the start, Wenyi's mastery of her craft allowed me to experience and sympathise with Isa's dread and reluctance to return to her childhood town. I felt all the emotions Isa felt, especially her desperation to escape, to run away from Slater, a town that very literally haunts her. Her dread and reluctance is in part guilt and grief over the death of her best friends as well as her decision to leave (read: escape) the town as what I suppose was her form of coping mechanism.
And as we know, running away from our problems is never the solution and this is precisely what the novel explores-the importance of facing and overcoming one's fears. Fundamentally, it always seems easier to give up and succumb to our desires but is this really the answer? TDWK thus convincing declares that "I think we can choose not to become what hurt us because that's how you know the world is chooseable and if it is chooseable then it is makeable and if its makeable then we can make something better of it".
I thought the resolution/conclusion was something rather profound and beautiful. I especially appreciated the contrast between the dread and reluctance, the deep desire to escape that was so strongly felt at the start of the novel, to the sense of hope and the innate belief that the world can be beautiful. I found this quite comforting.
Lastly, as alluded, the writing here is phenomenal. It is truly intimate and vivid, a perfect example of what it means to "show, don't tell". I love the portrayal of the characters, especially the dynamics between Isa and Mason as they navigate awkwardness of a rekindling friendship marred by loss and misunderstandings. I loved the unique layout(?) structure (?) where the black pages that viscerally detailed the inner struggles and deepest fears of the characters as they were hunted/haunted by the Angel sent chills down my spine.
With all mysteries, I think it is normal to be in a state of utter confusion as you wonder "wait what is going on" until everything clicks and you're like "oh, I know what's happening now". Fortunately or unfortunately, this moment of realisation only occured when I was about 80% into the read. The mystery and the suspense kept me going but it also left me somewhat frustrated as I tried to figure out what on earth was happening.
Nonetheless, this is hands down a fantastic debut. And yes, we all deserve to dream of beautiful things again.
dark
reflective
The Dark We Know is a folk/ grief horror set in a small town called Slater. When part of a core friend group turn up one after the other having taken their own lives, Isadora returns to her hometown for her father's funeral, and gets drawn into solving the puzzle behind her childhood friends' suicides.
With eerie connections popping up, genuinely unsettling minor encounters continuously providing evidence that leads Isadora deeper into the town's dark secrets, I never wanted to put the book down, it was so satisfying! Town secrets, childhood crushes, and a burried town past all come to light and Isadora and her surviving friend, along with their parents, are the only ones able to fight the Angel of Slater.
With eerie connections popping up, genuinely unsettling minor encounters continuously providing evidence that leads Isadora deeper into the town's dark secrets, I never wanted to put the book down, it was so satisfying! Town secrets, childhood crushes, and a burried town past all come to light and Isadora and her surviving friend, along with their parents, are the only ones able to fight the Angel of Slater.
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes