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A review by mysticpagemage
This Wretched Valley by Jenny Kiefer
challenging
dark
tense
medium-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? No
3.25
The main group of characters were introduced rather quickly. There was no backstory given. No development with the characters throughout the novel. I didn't feel bad for any of them except Slade, the dog, and maybe Sylvia because she seemed to be the only one trying to keep a level head and maintain some form of logic.
The characters motivations to begin with are greed based except Sylvia and Luke. Sylvia is there just to learn more about the ecosystem and help a friend, maybe get some publishing. Luke is there to support his girlfriend, he even quit his job so she could follow her dream. Clay and Dylan both are trying to find ways to monetize this expedition and to bankroll it into something lavish for their future, no matter who gets rolled over on the way. Greed is also seen over and over through the flashbacks. This theme of greed tends to end in blood shed and thus curses the person to live with the guilt even after their death.
The story takes place in an isolated forest near a run down town and that helps to set the abandoned, utterly alone, trapped mood very well. The characters interactions with each other are very shallow. They don't talk too much even before they got to the climb site there was limited interaction which makes it feel tense from the very beginning and throughout the story. The main conflict for the characters is that they are lost in the woods after one of the group has suffered a tragic accident. They cannot find their way back to their car no matter how hard they try. Everything seems to be going against them to make sure that they remain stranded. So the isolation and the lack of communication add to the struggle.
The structure is linear with some chapters being dated back in time for reference to what occurred on the land before. This is to help set up the narrative of why the land is evil. It is not difficult to follow. However, it could have possibly been kept til the end of the novel to reveal each of the flash backs to make it a bit different. Also, it doesn't fully give a total reason as to why this particular plot of land. Also, the book is said to have inspiration from the Dyatlov Pass incident, I did not find anything within the book that felt similar to that at all.
The author has a way with being descriptive about the body horror and less so about the surroundings stating that the forest repeats itself almost like a copy and paste effect. They do use unique foliage and fungi to evoke a sense of death and decay within the forest that the characters are in. The writing style is very body horror focused. There is a lot of vomit descriptions. So for anyone wanting to read the book do check trigger warnings. I did not find the book difficult to read, nor do I think the majority of reader would struggle.
Personally it was a fun read. I don't struggle with body horror as much as others. It was a fairly fast read, there could have been some changes that would have made the novel a bit more enjoyable. The blurb mentioned a twist to the book but at the end I sat wondering what the twist was because I didn't think there was one. In all honestly I could see this being made into a 'made for tv' movie at some point.
The characters motivations to begin with are greed based except Sylvia and Luke. Sylvia is there just to learn more about the ecosystem and help a friend, maybe get some publishing. Luke is there to support his girlfriend, he even quit his job so she could follow her dream. Clay and Dylan both are trying to find ways to monetize this expedition and to bankroll it into something lavish for their future, no matter who gets rolled over on the way. Greed is also seen over and over through the flashbacks. This theme of greed tends to end in blood shed and thus curses the person to live with the guilt even after their death.
The story takes place in an isolated forest near a run down town and that helps to set the abandoned, utterly alone, trapped mood very well. The characters interactions with each other are very shallow. They don't talk too much even before they got to the climb site there was limited interaction which makes it feel tense from the very beginning and throughout the story. The main conflict for the characters is that they are lost in the woods after one of the group has suffered a tragic accident. They cannot find their way back to their car no matter how hard they try. Everything seems to be going against them to make sure that they remain stranded. So the isolation and the lack of communication add to the struggle.
The structure is linear with some chapters being dated back in time for reference to what occurred on the land before. This is to help set up the narrative of why the land is evil. It is not difficult to follow. However, it could have possibly been kept til the end of the novel to reveal each of the flash backs to make it a bit different. Also, it doesn't fully give a total reason as to why this particular plot of land. Also, the book is said to have inspiration from the Dyatlov Pass incident, I did not find anything within the book that felt similar to that at all.
The author has a way with being descriptive about the body horror and less so about the surroundings stating that the forest repeats itself almost like a copy and paste effect. They do use unique foliage and fungi to evoke a sense of death and decay within the forest that the characters are in. The writing style is very body horror focused. There is a lot of vomit descriptions. So for anyone wanting to read the book do check trigger warnings. I did not find the book difficult to read, nor do I think the majority of reader would struggle.
Personally it was a fun read. I don't struggle with body horror as much as others. It was a fairly fast read, there could have been some changes that would have made the novel a bit more enjoyable. The blurb mentioned a twist to the book but at the end I sat wondering what the twist was because I didn't think there was one. In all honestly I could see this being made into a 'made for tv' movie at some point.