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A review by house_of_hannah
Briardark by S.A. Harian
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Thank you so much to Compass & Fern and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC; it is greatly appreciated.
FINALLY ! I have been wanting a spooky lost in the woods novel that would just completely immerse me for ages. This book is it ! It's touted as a combination of Lost and House of Leaves. While I never watched Lost, and don't know what sort of twists are present in that show, House of Leaves is my favorite book of all time, and I can confirm that this book has major HoL vibes and is a great comparison.
This book takes off quite quickly, and never dies down. I am honestly a bit shocked at how much crazy shit happens in here. As someone who absolutely loves to craft theories this book is right up my alley. It will keep you questioning everything and everyone. As this is the first book of a series, do not expect many answers. I know I'm going to be going crazy waiting for the second book.
Considering how quickly the plot gets going, this is a long book. I'd say from the 70-90% mark it does start to feel drawn out a bit, but then that last 10% is another gut punch. I think the first 50% of the story is my favorite, and is just the right amount of "WTF" for me. I do think for some it might get a bit overwhelming past this point, because there is a lot going on here, and it might be tough to keep track of everything.
This is a multi POV book, which I thought was going to be a downside for me in the beginning, but it actually fits into the story so well. It's easy to tell the characters apart, and they are fully devoloped, so no one feels like a throw away character. What they are feeling comes across the page effortlessly , and I felt so much freakin' anxiety reading this book.
The atmosphere, the fear, that feeling of not knowing what's real or not, retreating into your head to feel safe, etc. All these things are portrayed in a well done manner without being over descriptive. It's exactly the kind of read I've been searching for lately, and it makes my horror filled heart so happy. I 100% recommend it to horror fans, particularly if you love the deep, dark woods as a setting. If you loved House of Leaves, and enjoyed the show Dark, I think this book would be worth picking up.
Have I already found my favorite book of 2023 ? I might have ! I will for sure be picking up a physical copy of this book, and bring on 2024, because I absolutely need that sequel !
FINALLY ! I have been wanting a spooky lost in the woods novel that would just completely immerse me for ages. This book is it ! It's touted as a combination of Lost and House of Leaves. While I never watched Lost, and don't know what sort of twists are present in that show, House of Leaves is my favorite book of all time, and I can confirm that this book has major HoL vibes and is a great comparison.
This book takes off quite quickly, and never dies down. I am honestly a bit shocked at how much crazy shit happens in here. As someone who absolutely loves to craft theories this book is right up my alley. It will keep you questioning everything and everyone. As this is the first book of a series, do not expect many answers. I know I'm going to be going crazy waiting for the second book.
Considering how quickly the plot gets going, this is a long book. I'd say from the 70-90% mark it does start to feel drawn out a bit, but then that last 10% is another gut punch. I think the first 50% of the story is my favorite, and is just the right amount of "WTF" for me. I do think for some it might get a bit overwhelming past this point, because there is a lot going on here, and it might be tough to keep track of everything.
This is a multi POV book, which I thought was going to be a downside for me in the beginning, but it actually fits into the story so well. It's easy to tell the characters apart, and they are fully devoloped, so no one feels like a throw away character. What they are feeling comes across the page effortlessly , and I felt so much freakin' anxiety reading this book.
The atmosphere, the fear, that feeling of not knowing what's real or not, retreating into your head to feel safe, etc. All these things are portrayed in a well done manner without being over descriptive. It's exactly the kind of read I've been searching for lately, and it makes my horror filled heart so happy. I 100% recommend it to horror fans, particularly if you love the deep, dark woods as a setting. If you loved House of Leaves, and enjoyed the show Dark, I think this book would be worth picking up.
Have I already found my favorite book of 2023 ? I might have ! I will for sure be picking up a physical copy of this book, and bring on 2024, because I absolutely need that sequel !
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Mental illness
Minor: Vomit, Cancer, and Infidelity