A little repetitive and explanatory in the middle, while at the same time not explaining what happened to everyone at the end.

A story of three men who visit a cabin in the woods that has been passed down through the generations.

Thanks to Wicked House Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review 'The Broken Places'
by Blaine Daigle.

This is an enjoyable Yukon-based folk horror tale broadly in the wendigo/rougourou category but with some good twists about their interaction with indigenous and later arriving population.

Three troubled/broken men, best friends for decades, take a trip to a remote Yukon cabin at which one of the men, the now owner of the cabin, witnessed an unsettling sight which was passed off by his father and uncle as a sleepwalking episode. We discover the truth of that and how it's been intertwined with his life and the life of his ancestors for a couple of centuries.

They're marooned in the cabin in a once-in-a-century and not entirely natural storm during which they're confronted with the legacy and trauma of their individual traumas and by supernatural creatures and occurrences and end up dealing with the 'sins of the father.'

It moves along at a good pace but I felt like there were crucial elements of the plot and setup that could've been explored a bit more deeply. For instance, the odd townspeople of Wolf’s Bone and their worship is something I'd have love to read more about.

The main ending of the book - there's also somewhat of an epilogue - was just the kind of ending I was hoping the author would have the courage to go with, and he did so I really enjoyed and appreciated it.

Well done, I'd read more of this author's work.

Writing: 5/5
Character Development: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Scary: 2/5

Warnings: Violence, Gore

Themes: Thriller, Horror, Mystery

The Broken Places is about 3 friends that stays in a family cabin in the middle of nowhere. There they find weird acting animals and a dark presence that follows them. I enjoyed the lore behind this book and I wish it went into a little more detail about it. It was well written and had me on the edge of my seat. The mystery of the animals and dark presence they couldn’t see is what had me spooked and made me want to keep reading; I had to know what was happening. I will be reading more books by this author.

This book is great for anyone who loves a spooky mystery involving weird animals in an isolated cabin in the middle of nowhere.

I received a free copy of this book and am leaving an honest review.

This is a genuinely creepy book. It has a slow start, but stick with it. Three best friends go to stay in a family cabin for some time to decompress, but nature has another plan for them.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC of this book.

I liked some of it but I feel like it wasn't particularly special. Some parts were slow and dragged on, but I did like the kind of eerie vibe the book had.

This story follows three friends in a cabin in the middle of a dark, cold, eery nowhere where strange things are happening around them.
I enjoyed this one, the author is fantastic with details and explaining the scene and the creepiness unfolding, it makes you feel as if you are in it. I really liked the writing. The book itself wasn't my favorite but I did like it! I wasn't sure what was going on for a bit but when I did realize, it wasnt as spooky as I hoping it would be. Still, it was a nice read and did provide an unexpected surprise for the reader.
I definitely would read more by this author and recommend it to others.

This was such a richly illustrated captivating folk tale! Very slowly paced, yet it kept my attention with all the vivid descriptions of both the characters and the scenery. It could only end one way, which I expected, but I was satisfied with the ending just the same. Such a great winter read, will definitely follow this author for any future releases!

This book has a clever storyline, a horror that did put me on edge in some parts.

It’s not something i would usually choose to read but the title drew me in. It was a quick easy read and although slightly far fetched, I enjoyed it.

The Ritual meets The Terror - say no more! I was so excited to begin reading and was sucked in by the intense, spooky atmosphere of the book. I enjoyed how quick and thrilling of a read this was, though I did find some parts of the execution to not meet my reader preferences. Overall, it was still a damn good time.

Daigle is a better writer than he is a storyteller. I found myself confused, especially toward the end, about what was actually happening, despite how atmospheric and effective the writing was. But this ended up being pretty derivative of other works (Antlers, The Only Good Indians, etc). Still a decently fun read, though.

Vacation gone wrong. A wonderfully eerie thriller. The too shelf aspect to this story is the setting and atmosphere. It's a sinister being all its own that truly breathes creepiness into this chilling tale. I'll be looking for more from this author.

The Broken Places by Blaine Daigle

When Ryne Burdette inherits his family's old hunting cabin deep in the Yukon wilderness, he wants to say no. Nothing much is left in that place except for unpleasant memories and the smoke of old burns. But after a tragic year, he sees a weekend trip to the cabin with his best friends as a way to recuperate and begin again.
But there is something strange about these woods. As a winter storm moves in, the animals begin acting strangely, and the natural laws of the wilderness seem to fall apart. Then, the soft voices start whispering through the trees. Something is watching them.

ARC Review:
This is one of my most anticipated books for March. The cover really caught my eye when I saw this, then the plot! I'm always a big fan of a vacation story with scary mystery thriller in it both in my books and movies. If you are too, this book is also for you!

The Broken Places will come out on March 24, 2023.

Many thanks to @netgalley , the publisher and @blainedaigleauthor for my ARC of The Broken Places! 🦌🤎

Summary: Ryne and his two friends go to a family cabin deep in the Yukon woods for a much needed respite. Thinking they will have some time to bond, catch up on life, and relax.The three friends are quickly confronted with strange happenings. A true cabin in the woods book, complete with eerie phenomena and supernatural mind tricks. Each uncanny situation leads to more questions. What is happening? What is it? How do they get out?

I think the key element to an engrossing horror novel is atmosphere. Blaine captured a preternatural feel that makes your heart thump. The supernatural elements have a gradual confrontation that gives you page thirst. You get suspense laden trickles of detail to keep you hanging on each paragraph.

The book delivers ups and downs of friendship, the waves of the grieving process, and the shock of dark family lineage.

The character development was on point, and elicited the proper emotional responses. Ryne's history was the maim focus of the story and was explained in such a way that you could almost step into his shoes and feel his trauma, anger, and shock. The banter between the characters is quite humorous and gives depth to the bonds of the characters. Just a few guys shooting jokes at each other, which was fun to read.

Overall I appreciated the friendship the three main characters had. A beautiful and tragic finality that you really get in this read is loyalty. There were true interpersonal relationship challenges and issues that unfold within the story. You get too see each character rise to give of his own strength to help or try to save another.

There were multiple elements to wonder about in the plot. The woods, the town, the people within the town, the family lineage, the wildlife. What is happening with all the wildlife?! I love when a horror actually keeps you guessing, giving you that unpredictable outcome, even, "what the hell", moments.

The strangeness gets in your head and chills you to the bone. I absolutely had to read more. I had to know WHAT every element was and who was responsible or involved.

This will be a book I read every winter because it has fast become one of my favorite horror/creature feature books. Thank you to the author for writing such an incredible story.

All I'm going to say about the end is...if I ever go out to a cabin deep in the Yukon wilderness, I'm bringing a dream catcher.

Three young men who are grieving the loss of their careers, a marriage, a baby, and faith, decide to do what men do and go into the woods alone to drink themselves stupid and shoot at things. The cabin is over 100 years old, sturdy, and absolutely isolated. It is perfect! That beats therapy right?
Before they even get there spooky unexplainable things start happening to them.
Then they get snowed in.
We had thundersnow last night so I figured it was the perfect time to dive into this horror novel. It was not. Do not read this during a freak storm.
These men could have literally taken some xanax and stayed home. They didn't have to be manly and head into a storm in the middle of nowhere. But they did- and it made a great story.
Thanks for the nightmares.

Spooky, scary, eerie and an overall fun thrilling ride. This book was amazing as the author was great at describing different scenes and people. Even setting the tone when you knew something bad was going to happen.

“They didn’t know exactly what was skulking in those woods, but Noah had looked into its eyes and knew it was beyond the realm of their comprehension.”

Do you know what is terrifying? The isolation of a cabin in the woods. Do you know what could make it worse? A winter storm… but there was more in those woods than wild animals and the snowy wind.

Ryne Burdette inherits a cabin in the woods and decides to take his two best friends for a winter hunting trip as a way to start again after his life derails. But when bad memories start becoming more than an echo from the past and strange things start to happen in the woods, Ryne starts regretting his decision.

Blaine Daigle’s descriptive writing style will be sure to transport you to the Yukon wilderness to the point that you won't be able to put the book down until you get some answers. Yet will also make sure that you really visualize the horrors that come upon the three friends.
And you will not be complaining about the lack of terrifying imagery on this one! But you will be thanking the mastery that the author has at describing horrendous scenes without exaggerating on the gory details.

The story itself it’s not a revolutionary tale with a brand new idea about the horrors of the woodlands, but it definitely is a good spin on a classic type of tale that we all love.

“The Broken Places” is sure to thrill any fans of stories passed in the woods and especially the ones that like the creeps of a good isolation tale.
A must read!

Thank you to Net Galley and Wicked House Publishing for providing me with an advance copy of The Broken Places.

The author’s description of the Yukon, and it’s cold, solitary, creepiness was spot on. I live in Alaska, and know of which I speak. I really enjoyed how well the descriptions of the setting and the people pulled me straight into the world of Ryne, Shawn and Noah. It’s not a long story, so it’s hard to go into detail, without giving away huge plot points, but bottom line is this is a story of three friends, whose lives haven’t gone the way they expected. They take a trip to the cabin that has been owned by Ryne’s family for years, and years, and well, things don’t go as expected there, either.

As I read, the story felt almost familiar, and then it struck me that it reminded me of early Stephen King, and that’s a compliment.

Wow! Thanks for the ARC Wicked House Publishing!!

This book is most excellent. So far the best book of 2023. Full of suspense, hints of indigenous lore and a whole lot of scary! I could not put this book down, I was all but drooling for whatever came next before I was even halfway. I also loved how the author was able to put a certain emphasis on the book's title by sneaking into the story in a few significant places. Bravo 👏👏👏

For fans of Stolen Tongues and The Twisted Ones!

This is the first folk horror book I have read and I’m not sure what I was expecting.
Blaine Daigle did an incredible job describing everything in this book. It was like I could see everything in my head without a doubt- made it 100000x creepier. I could feel the panic and the fear within each of the characters.
I was very excited to read a story with indigenous inspired legends but I think there was too many dead animals for my personal liking. But that doesn’t mean this story isn’t worth reading. If hunting and sacrificing animals doesn’t bother you then this book will be just fine for you. Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a wild ride!!

Lifelong best friends Ryne, Noah, and Shawn head out to Wolf’s Bone on a guys hunting weekend. Having suffered a recent loss, Ryne could use the time away. Shawn and Noah each have their own unfortunate pasts as well, which I thought brought another great layer to this story. Shortly upon arriving weird things start happening with the wilderness, the animals, and the townspeople. I think the author brought Wolf’s Bone alive with delightfully creepy descriptions. The town was its own character and I’m a sucker for a wintry snow storm backdrop. If you’re looking for a winter scare session, this book is the perfect escape!

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.