A review by chaptersofchase
The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig

dark slow-paced

3.0

This haunt missed the mark 🏚️ 
Thank you, PRH Audio and Del Rey Books, for the gifted copy of Staircase in the Woods {partner} 
 
Genre: Horror 
Format: πŸŽ§πŸ“– 
Pub Date:   4.29.2025 
Pages: 388 
Star Rating: β˜†β˜†β˜† 
 
"That was the funny thing about a fear of the day, you weren't really afraid of it but rather what lurked within it." 
 
So… horror and I have a complicated relationship. It's not my go-to genre, but occasionally, a perfectly creepy, atmospheric read sneaks up on me and wins me over. 
 
Unfortunately, The Staircase in the Woods wasn't one of those. 
 
The book started strong β€” childhood friends reconnecting and reckoning with past trauma? I was hooked. I even appreciated the sharp political commentary woven into the story. It was timely, thoughtful, and gave the characters a real edge. 
 
But then… we got to the horror meat of it all (and I mean meat quite literally 😬). What followed was pages and pages of the main characters trapped in a grotesque labyrinth, stumbling through horror after horror. It was repetitive, overwhelming, and honestly made me a little concerned about the author's imagination. Like… what's going on in that mind of yours? 
 
By the time the ending hit, everything wrapped up so fast that it felt like a rush job. I was confused and underwhelmed, and I kind of wished I had just left the staircase alone. 
 
CW: literally anything you can think of, it's all there. 
 
Audiobook Review: β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜† 
The audiobook is narrated by Jay Myers (The Strange Case of Jane O), Amber Benson (Fang Fiction), and Xe Sands (The Book of Accidents, The Dollhouse Academy). They all did a great job narrating this creepy book, but some of their narrations were so similar that it was hard to tell characters apart. 
 
Read if you enjoy: 
πŸ‘―β€β™‚οΈ Childhood Friends 
πŸ“– Genre Bending 
🫣 Atmospheric 
🩸 Lots of Gore 
 
While Staircase in the Woods wasn't for me, I recommend reading Wendig's previous book, Book of Accidents. 
 
______ 

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chaptersofchase/ 
Follow me on Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/chaptersofchase 
Follow me on StoryGraph:https://www.instagram.com/chaptersofchase/