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readashredd's review
4.0
That Night in the Woods
[a:Kristopher Triana|6473156|Kristopher Triana|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1500908748p2/6473156.jpg]
Horror | Occult
[a:Kristopher Triana|6473156|Kristopher Triana|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1500908748p2/6473156.jpg]
Horror | Occult
hblikle's review
5.0
Triana has done it again! This book gave me a deep sense of dread from start to finish. He is a master of the creeping kind of dread, that curls in the pit of your stomach and slowly leaches out into your veins. Set in a sleepy suburban town, a group of childhood friends who haven’t seen each other since high school are brought back together after the passing of one of their old gang. This is so much more than just a memorial for their old friend though, they are going to dig up the past and venture back into it.
bekahmcduffie's review
4.0
Complicated teenage friendships and relationships exacerbated by a frightful Halloween night decades ago because of what happened That Night In The Woods. Coming together to memorialize one that passed away too soon, a group of friends in their 40s face their inner demons and the complicated truth with bloody consequences. Loved the twists and turns and found the whole book to be delightfully spooky!
kmazzaferri's review
4.0
A group of friends get back together after many years as a request by one of the friends that has passed away. As they come together, they decide to go back to the woods to replay a Halloween night years before.
I enjoyed the authors writing style and also enjoyed the premise of the book. I somewhat knew the characters, but didn’t really have any strong connection to one of them.
I don’t get scared reading stories, but can say that this book is creepy.
I would love to thank #netgalley #cemeterydancepublications for the opportunity to have an ARC.
I enjoyed the authors writing style and also enjoyed the premise of the book. I somewhat knew the characters, but didn’t really have any strong connection to one of them.
I don’t get scared reading stories, but can say that this book is creepy.
I would love to thank #netgalley #cemeterydancepublications for the opportunity to have an ARC.
fictionmajorette's review
3.0
https://fictionmajorette.blogspot.com/2023/09/that-night-in-woods-kristopher-triana.html
Overall, I enjoyed parts of the story but it didn't quite come together perfectly for me. Fantastic horror elements and tension building but the characters and ending ended up feeling a little misaligned.
Thanks to NetGalley and Cemetery Dance Publications for the ARC.
Overall, I enjoyed parts of the story but it didn't quite come together perfectly for me. Fantastic horror elements and tension building but the characters and ending ended up feeling a little misaligned.
Thanks to NetGalley and Cemetery Dance Publications for the ARC.
kaciedilla's review
5.0
*Thank you to Netgalley and Cemetery Dance Publications for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review*
Wow, okay. I have some thoughts.
One of my favorite novels is IT by Stephen King; I read it in high school and I've been chasing that first-time-read feeling ever since. This novel scratched that itch.
A group of high school friends have to come together as adults to understand what happened *that night* once and for all? YES, PLEASE.
The whole time I'm reading about that night from the teens' perspectives, I'm feeling only slightly anxious about what's going to happen. They end up being adults, right? They'll be fine...ish. So when they're adults and the scary stuff starts happening, my anxiety for them skyrockets. Now I don't know who is going to be okay or if anyone will walk away from this...and man, I love that feeling when reading.
There are some saying the last third or so of the book was underwhelming because it was so different. Maybe it's because we all were feeling that nostalgia for 80s/90s teens getting involved with scary monsters and then going back as adults to revisit it. Personally, I liked the direction that Kristopher Triana took the story. It made it different, made it stand out. It kept me guessing.
I loved this and wish I could read it for the first time again.
Wow, okay. I have some thoughts.
One of my favorite novels is IT by Stephen King; I read it in high school and I've been chasing that first-time-read feeling ever since. This novel scratched that itch.
A group of high school friends have to come together as adults to understand what happened *that night* once and for all? YES, PLEASE.
The whole time I'm reading about that night from the teens' perspectives, I'm feeling only slightly anxious about what's going to happen. They end up being adults, right? They'll be fine...ish. So when they're adults and the scary stuff starts happening, my anxiety for them skyrockets. Now I don't know who is going to be okay or if anyone will walk away from this...and man, I love that feeling when reading.
There are some saying the last third or so of the book was underwhelming because it was so different. Maybe it's because we all were feeling that nostalgia for 80s/90s teens getting involved with scary monsters and then going back as adults to revisit it. Personally, I liked the direction that Kristopher Triana took the story. It made it different, made it stand out. It kept me guessing.
I loved this and wish I could read it for the first time again.
bookishcatlady's review
4.0
Part coming of age, part reunion is one of my favorite tropes. In this book a group of friends is reunited on the pretense that another member of their group has passed away.
This brings up many feelings about that night in the woods as teens and we the reader get to go on that ride along with them to the past and present which are intertwined expertly.
This would be the perfect dark and stormy October night read since it evokes that vibe.
Overall, That Night in the Woods is a very enjoyable read with some seriously creepy vibes.
This brings up many feelings about that night in the woods as teens and we the reader get to go on that ride along with them to the past and present which are intertwined expertly.
This would be the perfect dark and stormy October night read since it evokes that vibe.
Overall, That Night in the Woods is a very enjoyable read with some seriously creepy vibes.
tyto_alba's review
2.0
I was going to try to write this review without spoilers, but I really can't. I'll try to be a little bit vague, but certain things I'll just have to say outright. So consider this me getting my thoughts out as opposed to giving a true review.
Firstly, I really couldn't put this book down until almost the end, then things began to get......less compelling. No big deal. I just didn't find myself caring as much after they all decide to go back into the woods after literally everything they just learned. It was a pretty dumb move, so it was clearly no surprise when things go to literal hell. Plus, it was so glaringly obvious that Scott was a bad guy, that I was just rolling my eyes at the characters as opposed to fearing for them.
...But then the last few pages happened. It felt like the entire motivations of a certain character did a full 180 without a single explanation. Magic? Demons? Threats? Anything?! Nope, just.....because the book needed to end that way, I guess. I love both happy and non-happy endings, as long as they're GOOD. And Triana is usually really good at ending his stories with a big bang, but this ending wasn't satisfying in any way. This character had really strong feelings about their life and the way they wanted it to go, and there could have been more build-up to them eventual succumbing to despair, that that didn't happen. They just change everything about their personality for zero reason.
This is especially terrible, as the idea that a woman in particular has no free will and should just allow herself to become a thing to be bred until.... she dies? The ending isn't really clear on what will become of her. And the babies will just be sacrificed to the demons...because that's what Jesus wants? And I'm not even a Christian, but this actually angers me. There COULD have been a statement/metaphor here about how religion can cause people to do horrible things or how people can become extremist in their views, or even how the more extreme/conservative sects of Christianity can view woman as little more than baby factories that must fully submit themselves to the whims of men.* But....this wasn't even that. The narrative goes out of it's way to say how not-racist and not-sexist the Congregation is, so I'm not even sure if it's trying to say the Congregation is CORRECT in its actions or not. It just felt like an unnecessary "twist" that doubles as a pointless jab at Christianity.
*Allegedly. This is mainly cultural hearsay on my part; might simply be certain places that are more conservative slip their views into the execution of their religious beliefs, or vice versa. I'm not a sociologist.
So, yeah. Maybe there IS some kind of statement or meaning here, but if there is I missed it entirely. And even if there was, the utter destruction of the character's personality doesn't lend to any real purpose. It isn't built up to anything or from anything. I know there's the "brainwashing" that happened when she was younger, but....that doesn't make sense either because she left for DECADES and also went to therapy. And the "ceremony" they endured* isn't actual brainwashing. Traumatizing, yes, but it doesn't constitute brainwashing. Plus, we don't see actual magic outside of the demons, WHICH THE CONGREGATION IS ACTIVELY AGAINST. So again, there's no explanation for her change of heart.
*Trigger warning for sexual assault of minors. This particular reveal is not given any kind of gravity, which is rather shocking, again making me wonder what the book is trying to actually SAY about the Congregation's actions.
In conclusion: man I'm disappointed. I love Kristopher Triana's softer extreme horror/non-extreme horror, but this wasn't satisfying in any way. I'll still read more of his work, but I wouldn't really recommend this.
Firstly, I really couldn't put this book down until almost the end, then things began to get......less compelling. No big deal. I just didn't find myself caring as much after they all decide to go back into the woods after literally everything they just learned. It was a pretty dumb move, so it was clearly no surprise when things go to literal hell. Plus, it was so glaringly obvious that Scott was a bad guy, that I was just rolling my eyes at the characters as opposed to fearing for them.
...But then the last few pages happened. It felt like the entire motivations of a certain character did a full 180 without a single explanation. Magic? Demons? Threats? Anything?! Nope, just.....because the book needed to end that way, I guess. I love both happy and non-happy endings, as long as they're GOOD. And Triana is usually really good at ending his stories with a big bang, but this ending wasn't satisfying in any way. This character had really strong feelings about their life and the way they wanted it to go, and there could have been more build-up to them eventual succumbing to despair, that that didn't happen. They just change everything about their personality for zero reason.
This is especially terrible, as the idea that a woman in particular has no free will and should just allow herself to become a thing to be bred until.... she dies? The ending isn't really clear on what will become of her. And the babies will just be sacrificed to the demons...because that's what Jesus wants? And I'm not even a Christian, but this actually angers me. There COULD have been a statement/metaphor here about how religion can cause people to do horrible things or how people can become extremist in their views, or even how the more extreme/conservative sects of Christianity can view woman as little more than baby factories that must fully submit themselves to the whims of men.* But....this wasn't even that. The narrative goes out of it's way to say how not-racist and not-sexist the Congregation is, so I'm not even sure if it's trying to say the Congregation is CORRECT in its actions or not. It just felt like an unnecessary "twist" that doubles as a pointless jab at Christianity.
*Allegedly. This is mainly cultural hearsay on my part; might simply be certain places that are more conservative slip their views into the execution of their religious beliefs, or vice versa. I'm not a sociologist.
So, yeah. Maybe there IS some kind of statement or meaning here, but if there is I missed it entirely. And even if there was, the utter destruction of the character's personality doesn't lend to any real purpose. It isn't built up to anything or from anything. I know there's the "brainwashing" that happened when she was younger, but....that doesn't make sense either because she left for DECADES and also went to therapy. And the "ceremony" they endured* isn't actual brainwashing. Traumatizing, yes, but it doesn't constitute brainwashing. Plus, we don't see actual magic outside of the demons, WHICH THE CONGREGATION IS ACTIVELY AGAINST. So again, there's no explanation for her change of heart.
*Trigger warning for sexual assault of minors. This particular reveal is not given any kind of gravity, which is rather shocking, again making me wonder what the book is trying to actually SAY about the Congregation's actions.
In conclusion: man I'm disappointed. I love Kristopher Triana's softer extreme horror/non-extreme horror, but this wasn't satisfying in any way. I'll still read more of his work, but I wouldn't really recommend this.
em_harring's review
2.0
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc of this book. That Night in the Woods releases in October 2023.
That Night in the Woods follows a group of friends who are called to return to their hometown twenty-some years after a tragic occurrence on Halloween.
I liked the framework of this story, and I enjoy narratives that follow a group of people who have to return someplace a certain of amount of time after a huge event. They can be fun stories.
This, unfortunately, wasn't really a fun story. It was entertaining in a B horror kind of way, where you're waiting to see what happens next but cringing on the journey.
I hope this book saw more editing in between the e-arc and its final releases, as there are some hilarious mistakes like saying someone lives "next store" instead of next door and calling spanx "Spankx." My favorite had to be "loving making" though, because oh boy.
My real issue with this book is that the characters are nothing. They are just stereotypical and all of the exposition dumps provided to give them depth and characterization are either unnecessary or just further stereotype them. Mark is the bad boy fuck up and Jenny is the obsessed with her high school sweet heart good girl and Corey is the "nice boy" whose just so nice and nerdy that he's neverrrrr going to really be loved by a woman (incel vibes). There is absolutely nothing to them, combined with the fact that they are all insufferable, made this a hard read.
The novel either needed to be longer to really delve the town, the woods, and the characters, or it needed to be a novella with all that unnecessary exposition cut.
I also yearn for the day when horror writers stop using disfigurement as a way to show someone is horrifying. It's ableist and disgusting. Please stop.
There's also some weird kid stuff in here, a la this book's clear inspiration, It. So CW for that.
So, yeah, overall I wouldn't recommend. It was not great, unless you're in the mood for a B horror read and can deal with some cringy writing.
[Any quotes used in this review are from an advance reader's copy and do not reflect the final copy. Please refer to the finished copy.]
That Night in the Woods follows a group of friends who are called to return to their hometown twenty-some years after a tragic occurrence on Halloween.
I liked the framework of this story, and I enjoy narratives that follow a group of people who have to return someplace a certain of amount of time after a huge event. They can be fun stories.
This, unfortunately, wasn't really a fun story. It was entertaining in a B horror kind of way, where you're waiting to see what happens next but cringing on the journey.
I hope this book saw more editing in between the e-arc and its final releases, as there are some hilarious mistakes like saying someone lives "next store" instead of next door and calling spanx "Spankx." My favorite had to be "loving making" though, because oh boy.
My real issue with this book is that the characters are nothing. They are just stereotypical and all of the exposition dumps provided to give them depth and characterization are either unnecessary or just further stereotype them. Mark is the bad boy fuck up and Jenny is the obsessed with her high school sweet heart good girl and Corey is the "nice boy" whose just so nice and nerdy that he's neverrrrr going to really be loved by a woman (incel vibes). There is absolutely nothing to them, combined with the fact that they are all insufferable, made this a hard read.
The novel either needed to be longer to really delve the town, the woods, and the characters, or it needed to be a novella with all that unnecessary exposition cut.
I also yearn for the day when horror writers stop using disfigurement as a way to show someone is horrifying. It's ableist and disgusting. Please stop.
There's also some weird kid stuff in here, a la this book's clear inspiration, It. So CW for that.
Spoiler
And the whole cult thing was...weird. Needed more explanation.So, yeah, overall I wouldn't recommend. It was not great, unless you're in the mood for a B horror read and can deal with some cringy writing.
[Any quotes used in this review are from an advance reader's copy and do not reflect the final copy. Please refer to the finished copy.]
pomengranate_moon_'s review
4.0
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.
I really enjoyed this weird gory story. We follow a group of friends in their forties who are getting together for the first time since a traumatic Halloween night two decades before. You’ll find a lot of your favorite classic horror tropes here but the story still feels original. That might be due to Triana’s skill with writing gore.
3.5 rounded up to 4 for Goodreads.
I really enjoyed this weird gory story. We follow a group of friends in their forties who are getting together for the first time since a traumatic Halloween night two decades before. You’ll find a lot of your favorite classic horror tropes here but the story still feels original. That might be due to Triana’s skill with writing gore.
3.5 rounded up to 4 for Goodreads.