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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Such a good horror book, especially for a debut! The vibes are creepy, setting is eerie, and the characters are messed up.
The characters aren’t particularly likeable, but you grow to at least understand them and their motives in the end.
I’m always town between wanting a horror book/movie to have a “happy” ending or not. Usually, I’m satisfied if it has a good resolution of the characters’ inner conflict, and this one definitely did that.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I've never won a GR giveaway before, so you can imagine my excitement when I found out that I was lucky enough to win an ARC copy of Nowhere!
Something is happening to the children in Dahlmouth. They seem to be called into the woods, and the ones who come out no longer seem like themselves...
I thought this book was fantastic.
Nowhere is full of drama, resentment, suspense, mystery, and a good amount of gore.
All of the characters were so much fun to hate. There were so many times I said, "Oh shit," out loud in response to some of the things these characters said to each other 😅
I had a great time reading this and would recommend it if you like a good dramatic/thiller/mystery/creepy/horror with unlikable characters.
Something is happening to the children in Dahlmouth. They seem to be called into the woods, and the ones who come out no longer seem like themselves...
I thought this book was fantastic.
Nowhere is full of drama, resentment, suspense, mystery, and a good amount of gore.
All of the characters were so much fun to hate. There were so many times I said, "Oh shit," out loud in response to some of the things these characters said to each other 😅
I had a great time reading this and would recommend it if you like a good dramatic/thiller/mystery/creepy/horror with unlikable characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Gore, Lesbophobia
Moderate: Alcoholism, Religious bigotry
Minor: Misogyny
I’ve discovered recently that I’m a huge fan of Appalachian horror stories (if you hear something, no you didn’t) and this one was especially unsettling! Children are always creepy, including my own sometimes, and this book took that to a whole new level! And that end, it really got me 😳 As someone who was born and raised in the area of Virginia where this took place, I could appreciate a lot of elements of the story.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
I have mixed feelings about this one—but one thing’s for sure: this book was CREEPY AS HELL. The atmosphere? Absolutely chilling. The Appalachian folklore? So eerie and well done. The ending? Completely unhinged in the best way possible. 😳
That said… I hated the main character, Rachel, and her husband wasn’t much better. The domestic drama bogged things down for me, and if not for the sheer horror factor, I might have DNF’d. But wow, am I glad I stuck with it—because there’s a paragraph at the end of chapter 29 that will haunt me forever. 😆
Creepy kids freak me out, the Appalachian setting hit way too close to home (literally—those mountains are spooky and I live right by them!), and while I could’ve done with less family dysfunction, this was an incredible debut. If you like horror that gets under your skin, Nowhere is worth the read!
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Release: March 24, 2025
Publisher: Atria
Rating: 4.25 ★
"Nowhere" by Allison Gunn is a haunting fusion of family drama and supernatural horror set in a small Appalachian town. The narrative centers on Rachel Kennan, the town’s police chief, who is grappling with the devastating loss of her young son. Her husband, Finn, a writer battling alcoholism, and their two daughters, Charlie and Lucy, each carry their own burdens, creating a family portrait steeped in grief and tension.
The story unfolds with the discovery of a gruesomely mutilated body in the nearby woods, thrusting Rachel into an investigation that the tight-knit, religious community is reluctant to support. As children begin to disappear and an ominous force from the forest encroaches, the Kennan family finds themselves confronting both external threats and their own internal demons.
Gunn skillfully weaves elements of Appalachian folklore into the plot, adding a layer of eerie authenticity to the supernatural occurrences. The novel’s atmosphere is thick with tension, drawing readers into a world where the lines between reality and the otherworldly blur. The author’s exploration of grief, guilt, and the complexities of familial relationships adds depth to the horror elements, making the terror experienced by the characters resonate on a personal level.
Favorite Quote:
"I can take you to heaven, but I'll have to kill you first."
Every character is absolutely insufferable and this book is just pushing every trope known to man into it. Nothing new or unique. Typical marriage issues because of a child death, parents ignoring the other kids because of said death, idiotic parents who are ignoring the one person who actually knows what’s going on, and a stale plot.
I tried to like this horror debut but I just didn’t care for the characters and knowing it was leaning into supernatural I decided to move on.
I just couldn’t get into it. I didn’t like the characters. For the plot line, I expected the story to really grip me and it barely heals my attention
dark
slow-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
I won an advance copy, so it's unedited. But I don't see how editing is gonna save this mess.
All of the characters are unlikable, with nothing to redeem them and no real development besides the usual horror trope motions. And that's all this book is: a giant trope. Nothing new is in this book, it rehashes all the usual PG13 horror tropes without giving the benefit of doing them well. It's very disappointing, predictable and meh.
1.75⭐️ for effort.
All of the characters are unlikable, with nothing to redeem them and no real development besides the usual horror trope motions. And that's all this book is: a giant trope. Nothing new is in this book, it rehashes all the usual PG13 horror tropes without giving the benefit of doing them well. It's very disappointing, predictable and meh.
1.75⭐️ for effort.
For the first time in a long, long time, a book has given me literal chills. This is a creepy, atmospheric, propulsive story that kept me reading as fast as I could. While the MC was unlikable (and not the kind you love to hate) and most of the rest of the characters were pretty insufferable, I feel like it lended more to the tension and distress of the story. A truly disturbing - in the most entertaining way - read.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!