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3.29 AVERAGE
3.29 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
3.5 stars (rounded up)
The Dark Between the Trees is a standalone gothic thriller novel by author Fiona Barnett. I picked this one up based solely on the enticing blurb and exciting premise. While I enjoyed the creepy and atmospheric setting of the Moresby Wood, it felt like this one never quite reached the scary and tense horror novel I was expecting. The story is told with dual timelines, one in current times following 5 women exploring the woods and a past timeline following a group of soldiers. I really enjoyed the parts about the women but found the soldier's chapters confusing and difficult to work out which character was which. There is minimal back story or focus on character development which I think contributes to not feeling very connected to them. My main interest in the story lay in finding out the mystery of the woods and what the creature was. Much of the horror and supernatural elements are 'off screen' and help to bring the suspense and mystery. I was expecting an epic showdown to end the book which didn't really happen. I'd recommend this book to fans of Adam Neville's The Ritual or Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer.
Thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a review.
The Dark Between the Trees is a standalone gothic thriller novel by author Fiona Barnett. I picked this one up based solely on the enticing blurb and exciting premise. While I enjoyed the creepy and atmospheric setting of the Moresby Wood, it felt like this one never quite reached the scary and tense horror novel I was expecting. The story is told with dual timelines, one in current times following 5 women exploring the woods and a past timeline following a group of soldiers. I really enjoyed the parts about the women but found the soldier's chapters confusing and difficult to work out which character was which. There is minimal back story or focus on character development which I think contributes to not feeling very connected to them. My main interest in the story lay in finding out the mystery of the woods and what the creature was. Much of the horror and supernatural elements are 'off screen' and help to bring the suspense and mystery. I was expecting an epic showdown to end the book which didn't really happen. I'd recommend this book to fans of Adam Neville's The Ritual or Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer.
Thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a review.
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Gore, Vomit
dark
mysterious
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
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book feels like a Black Mirror episode. <beginning of spoiler> The entire time you're trying to figure out what exactly is in the forest or what is following both groups (in the 1600s and in present day) - you're only given clues and hints as to what exactly it could be or what reasoning/logic is behind this forest (i.e. the Myth of Moresby Forest and the family that resided in it) and then by the end of the book, you still have no idea what it could be - the possibilities are endless (they could be just hallucinating, something could be out there, who knows??). At the very end, Nuria has made it out as seemingly the sole survivor of the five researchers that entered the Forest in the beginning, only to discover that the key to the car was with Kim who is no longer present. <end of spoiler> There is no resolution to this book, you're really here for the creeps and the tension that the author does well in creating. Fun read, but you're not gonna be happy if you're going in trying to figure out the mystery. It remains as one.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Author didn't build any tension, and without any tension the story was rather boring.
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A