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netslummer's review
3.0
Over twenty years after sharing a traumatic night in the woods together on Halloween, a group of childhood friends return to their hometown to mourn the passing of their friend Steven…and maybe finally confront what really happened to them all those years ago in the woods.
I really enjoyed the beginning and the ending of this book but found the middle to be quite boring and drawn out. The pacing of the friends all reuniting at Scott’s place to discuss Steven’s passing and seeing how they’ve all changed (and even stayed the same) was interesting but then having the recollections of their night as teens retold to them by Scott took all the actual fear out of the situation for the reader. I almost think that section of the book would work better written so that the audience experiences it with the characters and then there can be a time jump or something? I think this would be a more effective way of building and maintaining the fear of that night while also mitigating the drawn out middle section I so disliked…
All-in-all I enjoyed the ending enough to make the middle boring bits worthwhile. I think the ending is unexpected but still somehow completed expected which was sort of awesome.
Thank you to NetGalley, Kristopher Triana, and Cemetery Dance Publications for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I really enjoyed the beginning and the ending of this book but found the middle to be quite boring and drawn out. The pacing of the friends all reuniting at Scott’s place to discuss Steven’s passing and seeing how they’ve all changed (and even stayed the same) was interesting but then having the recollections of their night as teens retold to them by Scott took all the actual fear out of the situation for the reader. I almost think that section of the book would work better written so that the audience experiences it with the characters and then there can be a time jump or something? I think this would be a more effective way of building and maintaining the fear of that night while also mitigating the drawn out middle section I so disliked…
All-in-all I enjoyed the ending enough to make the middle boring bits worthwhile. I think the ending is unexpected but still somehow completed expected which was sort of awesome.
Thank you to NetGalley, Kristopher Triana, and Cemetery Dance Publications for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
stephanien's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
That Night in the Woods is built around a trope that I really like, trauma that occurs in your teens and you get together twenty years later to finally confront what happens. Because this is written by the author of one of my favourite horror novels, I thought, what could possibly go wrong with this book? It turns out that even a really good author can have a one-off.
First of all, the characters were so stereotypical they just made me want to drop them all off in the middle of that forest and hope whatever was in there got them all. And I am not generally a violent person, but they sucked the living energy right out of me. I get their behaviour when they were teenagers, but to continue that same behaviour as 40-somethings just did not work. I get the author was trying to show how traumatized they were from what happened, but...there had to be a better way to do it. We have Mark, the out-of-work construction worker with two kids from two separate moms who has been in jail a couple of times, who smokes and drinks and ALL he thinks about is sex. Jennifer, newly divorced, has no personality although the other boys apparently all had something for her as a teenager. She can't make decisions if her life depended on it, especially when lover-boy Scott is around, and this is as a teen and as a 40-something-year-old. Corey, the character I liked best, constantly talked about what a nerd he was because he liked comic magazines. What? And Traci? I get her alcoholism, but not her lies. Together, it was hard to tell who was who at times.
The build-up at the beginning was slow, something I didn't actually mind, as I like it when the tension builds up this way and then becomes explosive and you can't put down the book. Unfortunately, the tension never really builds in the way it was meant to. The characters are given bits and pieces of information through Scott, and none of them questioned this at all, didn't even ask for paperwork or anything, especially with Traci being a lawyer? This would have sent my spidey senses tingling right away. They are given mysterious journals, pieces of information about Steven's life and death, all being doled out bit by bit by Scott. Instead of questioning this behaviour, they react like a bunch of teenagers, squabbling and making stupid decisions, forgetting they are adults who can decide for themselves what they can do or not do. I found I just had to suspend belief way too much during all of this and I kept shaking my head in disbelief. And there was no blasted way you would have got me back in that forest after what happened all those years ago. No *^%%* way!! And when we finally got to the part where it was supposed to get scary, I was like, Are you kidding me?
Verdict
That Night in the Woods had so much potential, but I was so deflated by the end. And speaking of the end, what was that? The one character who fought and fought decides to just give up, just like that, with no explanation? Overall, there were a couple of moments that were chilling and horrific, but the overall experience left me shaking my head and feeling so disappointed, especially after the last book by this author. It wasn't badly written by any stretch of the imagination, and I do think a lot of people will enjoy this book, I just wasn't one of them.
blatdriver's review
4.0
3.5 stars out of 5
This book has a few familiar tropes like 'adults returning to face there childhood demons' like in IT by King and Black Mouth by Ronald Malfi, and another trope that I will not mention, as it is part of the twist that happens at about the 60-70% mark, and I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but it's something we have seen before but not in this combination.
It was extremely well written, with a great atmosphere and characters, and very enjoyable.
*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.*
This book has a few familiar tropes like 'adults returning to face there childhood demons' like in IT by King and Black Mouth by Ronald Malfi, and another trope that I will not mention, as it is part of the twist that happens at about the 60-70% mark, and I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but it's something we have seen before but not in this combination.
It was extremely well written, with a great atmosphere and characters, and very enjoyable.
*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.*
alicia_toothman's review
5.0
Scott Dwyer reaches out to his old friends and flame to inform them of their friend’s passing. He invites them to join him for a memorial for Steven.
When Jennifer, Mark, Corey, and Traci arrive at Scott’s house, it’s like a family reunion. It’s full of memories, stories, hugs, tears, and remembering the old times and their beloved friend.
As Scott reads Steven’s will, things start to get tense and uncomfortable. The next day, they set out to fulfill Steven’s last wishes and things take a turn. Buried trauma, feelings, and pure terror come to play.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Writing horror is simple.
Writing horror beautifully, creating a seamless movie in a reader’s mind, and building an aura of wonder and terror around them is not.
That’s what makes Kristopher Triana one of my favorite authors.
The story moves so smoothly and steadily, my jaw dropped when the horrors of Suicide Forest came to play. Even amongst the gruesome and gore, the writing style stayed consistent.
I highly recommend this book and can’t wait to order my signed copy!
When Jennifer, Mark, Corey, and Traci arrive at Scott’s house, it’s like a family reunion. It’s full of memories, stories, hugs, tears, and remembering the old times and their beloved friend.
As Scott reads Steven’s will, things start to get tense and uncomfortable. The next day, they set out to fulfill Steven’s last wishes and things take a turn. Buried trauma, feelings, and pure terror come to play.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Writing horror is simple.
Writing horror beautifully, creating a seamless movie in a reader’s mind, and building an aura of wonder and terror around them is not.
That’s what makes Kristopher Triana one of my favorite authors.
The story moves so smoothly and steadily, my jaw dropped when the horrors of Suicide Forest came to play. Even amongst the gruesome and gore, the writing style stayed consistent.
I highly recommend this book and can’t wait to order my signed copy!
xombieky's review
3.0
Man this book really had me vibing in the first half! The atmosphere was fantastic. The creep factor was cranked and I was really getting into the flow of things. I really enjoyed the tension building and the characterizations, I love a good “old friends come back together to deal with a haunted past” trope.
Unfortunately I found the last 40% or so the book did a pivot and I found it to be very predictable and I lost interest in the storyline. I was maybe just vibing too hard with the original premise that I didn’t want the story to twist. I found it to be enjoyable overall but I was really hoping for a supernatural woodsy horror vibe- it went a bit more thriller by the ending.
Big thanks to NetGalley for the eARC opportunity!
Unfortunately I found the last 40% or so the book did a pivot and I found it to be very predictable and I lost interest in the storyline. I was maybe just vibing too hard with the original premise that I didn’t want the story to twist. I found it to be enjoyable overall but I was really hoping for a supernatural woodsy horror vibe- it went a bit more thriller by the ending.
Big thanks to NetGalley for the eARC opportunity!
mindysbookjourney's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
3.25
I received a copy for review through NetGalley.
Five high school friends are traumatized when they go camping in the woods where young people have been committing suicide. Many years later they come back together to honor a friend and they face what happen all those years ago.
The sections in the woods had great atmosphere and were creepy in a way that had the characters and me wondering what was real. Some of the book takes place on Halloween night which added its own atmosphere as well. Although I do love great character work I think there was a bit too much focus on the characters problems and relationships. I like where the story ended up leading in the end. It felt a bit more like a thriller through most of the book, but it definitely turned horror in the end.
I would recommend checking out this book if you like horror book that focus on the issues of life. I especially recommend reading around Halloween.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Drug use
Moderate: Suicide
evrenee's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Rape, and Sexual assault
Minor: Pedophilia
theclosetlibrarian's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No