Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group as well as the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
#NetGalley #TorPublishingGroup #S.L.Coney #WildSpaces
Title: Wild Spaces
Author: S.L. Coney
Publisher: Tor Publishing Group
Publication Date: August 1, 2023
Themes: Humans as monsters, Cosmic, coming of age
Trigger Warnings: human evil, Animal death, coming of age

This was beautifully written. No doubt about it. This coming of age story is beautiful and moving in many ways. It’s equal parts sinister and moving. This is the story of an 11 year old boy and his dog. They’re happy until his maternal grandfather unexpectedly shows up one day and begins to slowly crack his happy life.

Coming of age stories are usually very gratifying. This one, however, left me torn. The relationship between Teach the dog and his boy was achingly sweet as they usually are. By contrast, the relationship between the boy and his formally estranged grandfather is painfully and slowly malignant. That’s what stood out to me most about this novella. The beauty in the writer’s prose and the way they wove the relationships between characters was the shining point of this story.

There was something lacking overall. The writing was lovely and the story had good bones. I guess I wanted a little more. I’m not a big fan of vagueness in my fiction. I wanted something more satisfying in the end. Having said that, I can see the draw of the vagueness in this story. It’s so strange and beautiful in its metaphors and allegory that I do understand the appeal. It’s just not my favorite tactic.

All in all, I would recommend this to anyone who loves allegory and the ability to draw his or her own conclusion. If you’re someone who loves poetry and cosmic horror along with coming of age stories, this is for you. I’m glad I read it but it’s not a keeper for me.

Wild Spaces can be described as a coming of age story crossed with Cthulu. Which is kind of deeply disturbing on one level, but on another level is kind of awesome.

An intimate look at both childhood and childhood trauma and the gradual unpacking and understand-ing of same, Wild Spaces lulls you into a sense of “oh yes, I know where this is going even if it’s going to lead me down a path that is not my favorite, I still know the turns” before taking a hard turn off the path and into the woods. Suitable for early teens (some of the trauma may disturb more sensitive readers) and up.

I adored this probably beyond all reason.

#WildSpaces #NetGalley

A beautiful and haunting story about a young boy reckoning with events after his maternal grandfather's arrival.

I wish there were more to the story though!

I loved this book. The thematic exploration of family, patriarchy, and coming of age blends to perfection on a canvas of monster horror.

Coney packs a truly astonishing amount of cosmic-horror atmosphere, nuanced character and relationship work, and devastating heartbreak into this slim. No other book in 2023 affected me like this one did. Beautiful haunting prose and an ending that haunts me months after finishing it.

Oof. This one hurt. Not in a painful, "This book is bad at what it does," way, but in a "This book is written so beautifully that all of the deep aches hurt a little bit worse," way. This is certainly a book some people will need trigger warnings for, but I'm hoping that horror fans will have the presence of mind to know if they need to search them out before diving in.

To keep it brief: yes, the story inside is just as good as the cover.

Fascinating, fantastic, and highly original read! I loved every minute of it! I read this book months ago, and it still lives rent-free in my head. I think I'll have to make a point of re-reading it soon.

Horror can be synonymous with heartbreak, especially in the hands of S.L. Coney and their debut novella Wild Spaces. Billed as Robert McCammon’s Boy’s Life meets H.P. Lovecraft, readers will experience coming of age in a beautifully horrific way.

“The dog shows up at the mint-green house on the edge of the woods a month before the monster arrives, his coat shiny as a new copper penny.” Simple yet lush, Coney’s opening provides readers the opportunity to settle in and sets the style for the remainder of the book. The boy lives a gentle life with mother and father. The arrival of Teach, the only named character in the book, seems to signal the best summer of his 11 years. Lyrical prose builds a story of learning, love, and family, at least until the arrival of grandfather. Then the boy must navigate new waters and the emerging horror is as insidious as it is fascinating. For grandfather brings secrets and the boy begins to change; nothing and no one is safe.

Coney’s talent for writing is evident as this rich story develops in 128 short pages, set in a microcosm of the South Carolina shore. Readers not only watch but feel right along with the boy as the life he knows is twisted and tangled until he can no longer trust anyone except Teach, not even himself. This book is certainly a bildungsroman as it showcases the boy growing up and, in the realm of cosmic horror, becoming something new and terrifying

Horror, when it demands readers relinquish their hearts, provides a comfort and a pain that can be difficult to describe. Add in the coming-of-age factor and even the most hardened fans will have a difficult time not falling in love with this novella. An excellent debut from S.L Coney requires us to remember that “...we all have doors inside leading to cracked places and wild spaces.”

I was not a fan of this book. Trigger warnings should be given in regard to the dog not making it through the book. There was a bit too much death in this one, and I didn't understand the story's purpose. Thank you, NetGalley for the eARC. 2 stars.

“An eleven-year-old boy lives an idyllic childhood exploring the remote coastal plains and wetlands of South Carolina alongside his parents and his dog Teach. But when the boy’s eerie and estranged grandfather shows up one day with no warning, cracks begin to form as hidden secrets resurface that his parents refuse to explain.”

I expect, when reading horror, to be scared, or disgusted. I did not expect to be SO SAD.

For a novella, this book did its characters very well.

You loved the boy and his dog.

You were intrigued by the father’s work, and the mother’s history.

You needed a shower after spending too much time with the grandfather.

But really, it just boiled down to sadness.

It probably says something about me, that I’d prefer gore over grief, but here we are.

7/10

Thanks to NetGalley, DreamScape Media, and Tor Publishing Group for this wallop of an ARC.

It took me ages to end this novella because something happened and it broke my heart. I cried a lot and then decided to end and it was a glorious end and this is an excellent novel.
Even if it can break your heart and make you cry buckets. Great horror but i haven't been crying so much since I saw a TV adaptation of the Odissey and there's Argo and I cried.
I was 4 years old.
I'm wondering if we will meet these characters and this world again. A well plotted story that kept me on the edge and I'm sure I will read again.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Fantastic and strange little novella. Deals with what we inherit from our families--whether we want to or not. What it means to be monstrous. Growing up and finding your place.

Beautifully written novella, unexpectedly devastating for 120 pages. It is eldritch horror, and that part is great; it's also family and coming-of-age and boy-and-his-dog and last summer of innocence and all those great horror tropes. I wish it was a novel... I think? I wanted it to go on and on, but it works as is. Hope Coney writes more.

Sure, here is a 4-star review for Wild Places by SL Coney:

Wild Places is a coming-of-age horror story set in the remote coastal plains of South Carolina. The story follows an 11-year-old boy whose idyllic childhood is shattered by the arrival of his estranged grandfather. The grandfather is a mysterious and imposing figure, and he seems to have a dark secret.

The story is told from the boy's point of view, and Coney does a masterful job of capturing the boy's sense of wonder, fear, and confusion. The descriptions of the coastal landscape are vivid and atmospheric, and the horror elements are well-integrated into the story.

The story is not without its flaws. The pacing is a bit slow at times, and the ending is somewhat ambiguous. However, overall, Wild Places is a well-written and atmospheric horror story that is sure to please fans of the genre.

I would give Wild Places 4 out of 5 stars. It is a solid story with some great moments, but it is not without its flaws. If you are a fan of coming-of-age stories or horror stories, then I would recommend checking it out.

This is a book about monsters and men and what can happen when you deny your family and your history, but also how you might be able to change that history. Overall, I liked this book, though it was truly weird. Like, really, really weird. I feel like there were probably some underlying themes that I just did not at all pick up on, which made it feel even more weird. Maybe what added to the weirdness for me is that the narrator has no name. He's just referred to as 'boy' throughout the entire book, so in addition to weird shit happening, there was also a feeling of being disconnected from the story because the main character didn't really have an identity. It is a very short book, so there wouldn't have been time to expand a lot on the characters, but to not even give him a name felt very intentionally weird.

This book is basically weird all the way down.

I wasn't super impressed with this story but the writing was beautiful. The author really captured the beautiful but haunting atmosphere of the book. This wasn't exactly my cup of tea but if you're in to modern Lovecraftian horror give this one a read.


Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this ebook.

S.L. Coney’s coming of age horror novella is a debut that will leave you wrecked.

An eleven year old boy, his dog, Teach, and his parents live an idyllic life in South Carolina until one day the boy’s estranged grandfather shows up.

Cracks begin to show in the adults’ relationships and the boy feels himself changing inside.

The entire atmosphere of this book is tense and full of unease.

This book broke my heart in a good way and I already know it’s a read that will stick with me for a long time.

A family of three is living almost the perfect life (for them) in the coastal wetlands of South Carolina until the arrival of the estranged grandfather. This unwelcome guest causes tensions between the adults and the effect on the young son is well portrayed and sensitively explored. Worth the read.

Wild Spaces is a novella by S.L. Conley that blends coming-of-age with Lovecraftian horror. The story follows an 11-year-old boy who lives with his parents and dog in the remote coastal plains of South Carolina. When his estranged grandfather arrives, the boy's idyllic childhood is shattered. The grandfather is a mysterious and imposing figure, and he seems to have a dark secret. As the boy gets to know his grandfather, he begins to suspect that he is not what he seems.

The story is told from the boy's perspective, and Conley does a masterful job of capturing the sense of wonder, fear, and confusion that the boy feels as he comes to terms with his grandfather's true nature. The prose is lyrical and atmospheric, and the setting of the coastal marshes is perfectly suited to the story's themes of isolation and unease. Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Books for the chance to review this advance copy.

The strongest aspect of this book was the tension it built, especially using the fact that the protagonist was a kid. However, after so much build up, the ending was a bit disappointing, especially in terms of imagery. I would still recommend the book due to it's excellent writing, but I'd warn the reader it isn't quite as Lovecraftian as expected.