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barmyjen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
4.0
A bit like a detective story meeting The Stand, the story follows ex-detective Liz as the world suddenly changes on one terrifying night. This was a different take on an apocalyptic tale, and one that I found very enjoyable. There are the aspects of confusion and horror from the apocalyptic side of the tale, as well as the cop partners side that gives the characters real depth and dimension. Lisa Roumain does a good job of telling the tale, and providing different voices for the characters.
smoakrising's review
4.0
This book hooked me from the start! If I had the time I probably would have read it in a single sitting. The author did a great job of creating a thriller/mystery/horror story unlike any others I’ve read. The ending left me wanting more and I can’t wait to read the next book!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
awilley1125's review
5.0
I really enjoyed this book and I cannot wait to see what happens in the next one!
twilliamson's review
4.0
The Wild Dark is a book about friendships, loss, grief, and love. It contains a full-throated emotional character arc for its protagonist, Liz, even while it also explores a broad-reaching fresh take on the traditional apocalypse narrative. While the book does frequently present some editorial oversights in terms of its final polish, its root structure is captivating, dark, and inarguably beautiful.
What the book does best is character, especially as it comes to Liz and her ghostly companion Brody. Their relationship grounds the entire experience of the book, and their complex, nuanced relationship provides the emotional trajectory for the story. While there's plenty of action and plot to keep the book moving, Silva's focus is never very far away from the core component of Liz's relationship with Brody. This emotional grounding is the cohesion that keeps the book's plot in check, delivering an apocalyptic narrative comparable to the likes of Emily St. John Mandel's Station Eleven.
The fantastical elements of Silva's novel also keep the story moving, so that there's always a sense of looming danger and deeply personal stakes. The book's plot is sprawling, carrying Liz through a number of different encounters that add depth and intrigue to the apocalyptic world she's crafted. It's an apocalypse constantly at odds with itself, with metaphysical and corporeal dangers all over. While the book's pacing is broken up by continuous flashbacks, Silva keeps her characters always just within the realm of danger so that it feels like the stakes never let up.
Although much of the book's plot is very effective, I also have to admit that it relies very heavily on worn tropes that don't do the book much favor. Liz is constantly being knocked out or physically traumatized into a quick fade to black and waking up in a new location with a different set of circumstances. The frequency with which this happens throughout the book is a storywide problem that unfortunately detracts from what is otherwise a very interesting plot. The book's line editing, too, shows a general lack of tight polish that proves distracting from Silva's otherwise solid prose.
All said and done, however, The Wild Dark is a compelling piece of dark fantasy that proves its merit through its absolutely stellar handling of the emotional stakes of the story for its main characters, and Silva proves to be a deft hand at crafting beautifully complex character relationships. Her contemplation on the veil between life and death is fascinating from a fantasy perspective, and her concepts for a tortured netherworld of infinite forest is a refreshing take on a world apocalypse.
What the book does best is character, especially as it comes to Liz and her ghostly companion Brody. Their relationship grounds the entire experience of the book, and their complex, nuanced relationship provides the emotional trajectory for the story. While there's plenty of action and plot to keep the book moving, Silva's focus is never very far away from the core component of Liz's relationship with Brody. This emotional grounding is the cohesion that keeps the book's plot in check, delivering an apocalyptic narrative comparable to the likes of Emily St. John Mandel's Station Eleven.
The fantastical elements of Silva's novel also keep the story moving, so that there's always a sense of looming danger and deeply personal stakes. The book's plot is sprawling, carrying Liz through a number of different encounters that add depth and intrigue to the apocalyptic world she's crafted. It's an apocalypse constantly at odds with itself, with metaphysical and corporeal dangers all over. While the book's pacing is broken up by continuous flashbacks, Silva keeps her characters always just within the realm of danger so that it feels like the stakes never let up.
Although much of the book's plot is very effective, I also have to admit that it relies very heavily on worn tropes that don't do the book much favor. Liz is constantly being knocked out or physically traumatized into a quick fade to black and waking up in a new location with a different set of circumstances. The frequency with which this happens throughout the book is a storywide problem that unfortunately detracts from what is otherwise a very interesting plot. The book's line editing, too, shows a general lack of tight polish that proves distracting from Silva's otherwise solid prose.
All said and done, however, The Wild Dark is a compelling piece of dark fantasy that proves its merit through its absolutely stellar handling of the emotional stakes of the story for its main characters, and Silva proves to be a deft hand at crafting beautifully complex character relationships. Her contemplation on the veil between life and death is fascinating from a fantasy perspective, and her concepts for a tortured netherworld of infinite forest is a refreshing take on a world apocalypse.
matthew_zorich's review
4.0
The Wild Dark by Katherine Silva is a suspense/horror novel based in the New England area. The story weaves a ghost story and components of loss/love with the crisp prose of a horror writer. Each chapter provides a mixture of detail and plot movement that keeps you reading well into the night. Written in the 1st person perspective of Liz, a seasoned police officer in a modern small town, the reader is introduced to Liz's world, which slowly is consumed by the wilderness surrounding her. The story's flashbacks connect Liz's current circumstances to her past, providing substance and background into her decisions and mindset. I'd recommend this novel to anyone who wants a tale of love and loss with a mixture of supernatural suspense.
horror_haus_books's review against another edition
medium-paced
3.0
The beginning of this book started off really strong and I loved how tense everything felt. I’d say about half way through that excitement died out for me and the storyline just felt all over the place. Which I actually think works for the book itself and the story but just didn’t work for me.
But, I really enjoyed the characters and atmosphere so I’ll definitely be reading the sequel.
joshgauthier's review
With an endless forest purgatory arrived on earth, filled with fearsome guardians and disturbing secrets--with the ghosts of the dead walking among the living, fracturing civilization into groups fighting for survival--one woman must face her past and herself to find safety and decide how far she is willing to go to protect those she cares about.
drakaina16's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
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
4.5
Thank you to the author for providing a review copy.
The Wild Dark is a book with a very interesting concept, well-written, with great characters. It's a bit heavier on the romance than what I would normally prefer in a horror book, but it wasn't obnoxious and made sense within the plotline. It put me in mind of a Darcy Coates book - creative plot and minimal gore with romance. I quite enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to reading the second book. 4.5 stars, rounded up.
The Wild Dark is a book with a very interesting concept, well-written, with great characters. It's a bit heavier on the romance than what I would normally prefer in a horror book, but it wasn't obnoxious and made sense within the plotline. It put me in mind of a Darcy Coates book - creative plot and minimal gore with romance. I quite enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to reading the second book. 4.5 stars, rounded up.
ericarobyn's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
The Wild Dark by Katherine Silva is a supernatural horror tale where the forest is overtaking the land, bringing darkness along with it. And within that darkness, there are more horrors than just the wolves that have been spotted.
Told in dual timelines that weave seamlessly together, we follow Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Raleigh who has gone to a pretty isolated cabin in New Hampshire to collect herself after going through major trauma. When she awakens, she hears someone on the porch. When she goes to investigate, she hears someone call her name. But she thinks she was just dreaming as the owner of that voice was dead. Though it’s not long before she realizes that it really was someone on her porch.
From there, we’re off on a journey where things only get more and more terrifying the deeper into the story we get. There are screams echoing from the woods, large wolves attacking, and ghosts of loved ones are being seen, and that’s not even half of it! People have gone into a frenzy of panic over the events as the media, religious groups, and the government pumps various takes into the public eye.
Let me tell you, the “humans are scarier than the monsters” is very real here, but it’s a very close race.
I loved the dual timeline so much. Setting this up in a way where the character is recalling various memories and having dreams of the past, this format supported the current timeline, giving more information just when it was needed most. This also makes the book one that is very difficult to put down. Each time I told myself, “just one more chapter,” I would soon realize I had read at least three more.
Needless to say, I absolutely loved this read. I had so much empathy for the main character, I loved the horror that had me nervous to look out my windows at night, and I couldn’t read the action scenes fast enough to see how things were going to turn out. The overall plot had me totally captivated.
Bring on book two!
My Favorite Passages from The Wild Dark
I’d loved to adventure outdoors as a kid. I’d imagined there were wild woods for me to conquer and undiscovered kingdoms to be claimed. As I grew older, the world outside grew less entrancing and more sinister. I couldn’t relax in the woods. There was always something had to watch out for. Nothing needed discovering anymore; it was about protecting others from it. I had to make sure the dark corners didn’t grow larger or blacker.
It was amazing how the smell of food could rewire a tired and sorrow-filled mind. Minutes ago, I’d resolved to go to bed without so much as a cup of tea. Now, I was staring at what could only be described as a boulder-sized burrito, smeared with sour cream and guacamole.
My footsteps sounded like cannons in the cramped space. The first gated door looked into a small room, about the same size as our holding cells back at Flintland PD. There was a body sitting in a chair in the middle of the room, slumped forward. What didn’t make any sense was another figure sitting in the same chair leaning back. I blinked, hoping I had mistaken something but it only got clearer the next time I opened my eyes. The figure slumping was ashen, long dead; traits that distinguished any humanity on its face gone. There were no eyes, no nose, no lips; only decayed skin. The thing leaning in the opposite direction shared the same legs as the body, but melted into a new torso, a new neck and head as dark as a hole. It flexed against the corpse in the opposite direction, as if trying to pull itself free.
Being truly alone in the midst of this silence, it was easy to be paranoid. It was easy to think that the sounds of the forest were something much worse. I dreaded the moment when I’d look behind me and actually notice something there instead of chalking it up to my terror getting the best of me.
I stared at the ground, forcing the exasperation down, down, deep down into the abyss where my brain had lingered these last couple days. I needed to not show anything. The media hungered for any speck of emotion, the faintest crumbles of sugar they could spin into vibrant cotton candy for their viewers and readers.
My Final Thoughts on The Wild Dark
There wasn’t a minute of this read that I relaxed back and just enjoyed the calm. Even in lighter moments, you could feel the shadows closing in on you, ready to sink their claws back in with another terrifying moment.
Horror fans and supernatural fans alike are sure to love this!
And for readers that love when there is more in the journey; book two, The Wild Fall, comes out this year! There are also a few short stories set in this world that you can use to quench your thirst while you wait! Check out Katherine Silva’s website to learn more!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Death, Body horror, Blood, Gun violence, and Grief