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katiemack's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This is a solidly creepy Western horror, but I would have cut 50-100 pages of the random characters and alternate POVs (which didn't add much for me) and added some more details about Adelaide's experience on her land and what her surroundings looked like. I'm glad I went in not knowing anything about the mysterious contents of the trunk, though; it made the events that unfolded that much more scary.
This is a solidly creepy Western horror, but I would have cut 50-100 pages of the random characters and alternate POVs (which didn't add much for me) and added some more details about Adelaide's experience on her land and what her surroundings looked like. I'm glad I went in not knowing anything about the mysterious contents of the trunk, though; it made the events that unfolded that much more scary.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood and Murder
michellereadatrix's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Child death
dogearedbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Death of parent, Gore, and Murder
Moderate: Confinement
Minor: Slavery, War, Sexism, Child death, Colonisation, Deadnaming, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, and Racism
silodear's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
4.5
Horror isn’t usually my genre of choice, but this is a super smart story about an aspect of American history I knew nothing about. I found this book extremely compelling and loved the characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Transphobia
ktdakotareads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Body horror, Child death, Death of parent, Gore, Blood, Toxic relationship, Murder, Confinement, and Medical content
rachelle_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? It's complicated
5.0
This book surprised me. I don’t read a lot of horror and was prepared for gratuitous violence. This book wasn’t that. The depth with which the author treated each character, including the demon, was compelling. No one was flat. The setting of rural Montana in winter was depicted so well, too. This is the strangest, most compelling “found family” book I’ve read in a long time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Violence, Murder, and Blood
hanmitche11's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Not a book I would have normally read but glad I did especially during women’s history month. It’s a Historic-horror fiction but I found it not that graphic or scary but more sci-fi. Well-written and researched to tell a story about the women who homesteaded in Montana with a twist.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Murder
morethanmylupus's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"History is simple. [...] The past is complicated."
I enjoyed this gothic story about Adelaide, a woman saddled with a heavy familial burden and her attempts to carve out a life for herself in the Montana wilderness. The way these women build a community, help each other through this difficult life, and find their paths forward were so compelling - especially in the context of such a difficult life and Adelaide being one of a very limited number of Black individuals. I I would have loved a deeper view into the lives of the other women beyond Adelaide. I also felt there were some loose ends and some unnecessary plot deviations that didn't add to the story.
Overall, if you enjoy gothics and books about surviving in the wilderness, this is an excellent choice.
A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
I enjoyed this gothic story about Adelaide, a woman saddled with a heavy familial burden and her attempts to carve out a life for herself in the Montana wilderness. The way these women build a community, help each other through this difficult life, and find their paths forward were so compelling - especially in the context of such a difficult life and Adelaide being one of a very limited number of Black individuals. I I would have loved a deeper view into the lives of the other women beyond Adelaide. I also felt there were some loose ends and some unnecessary plot deviations that didn't add to the story.
Overall, if you enjoy gothics and books about surviving in the wilderness, this is an excellent choice.
A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Sexism, Lesbophobia, and Gun violence
sarahkorn's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
5.0
Changed from 4.5 ⭐ to 5 ⭐ because I can't stop thinking about this book.
This book had everything. Lone women. Creepy old timey cowboys. Montana.
This book is atmospheric to the hilt, and a little bit absurd in parts, like David Lynch meets the Montana Hi-line. The whole book felt surreal and ghostly. I went to college in Montana and the small, disappearing towns across the mountains and prairies are chilly reminders of what was once a booming wild west. There's a lot of room for the imagination to run and ghosts to appear.
There were times where the weaving storylines were hard to follow but it didn't take long to catch back on.
This book had everything. Lone women. Creepy old timey cowboys. Montana.
This book is atmospheric to the hilt, and a little bit absurd in parts, like David Lynch meets the Montana Hi-line. The whole book felt surreal and ghostly. I went to college in Montana and the small, disappearing towns across the mountains and prairies are chilly reminders of what was once a booming wild west. There's a lot of room for the imagination to run and ghosts to appear.
There were times where the weaving storylines were hard to follow but it didn't take long to catch back on.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Colonisation, Death, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Xenophobia, Murder, Racism, Blood, Child abuse, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Gore, Gun violence, and Violence
booksbeyondthebinary's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is a perfect story for fans of movies like The VVitch and The Babadook, which both feature elements of slow burn horror.
At it’s core, this is a story of family and of camaraderie amongst women. I can understand why this wouldn’t work for some people, with the weaving storylines and seemingly throwaway details, but this is a deeply rich story that is genre-defying and will be one that is recommended by me to many.
At it’s core, this is a story of family and of camaraderie amongst women. I can understand why this wouldn’t work for some people, with the weaving storylines and seemingly throwaway details, but this is a deeply rich story that is genre-defying and will be one that is recommended by me to many.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, and Murder
Moderate: Transphobia, Racism, and Homophobia
Minor: Child death and Animal death