Apart from the title, which in my opinion is not apt (White things would have been more appropriate), this is a truly remarkable novel. Right from the start, the two parts of the plot, the one that is definitely a thriller and the one that fades into horror, are perfectly balanced, making the reader navigate with extreme pleasure between the snowy landscapes of West Virginia and the dark souls of the characters that inhabit it, with their secrets and unspeakable traumas. The characters and their evolution are the real strength of the novel, even those who have decidedly chosen evil. And those who survive to the end of the journey, achieving an unhoped-for normality, do so while carrying all the others in their hearts, having been nourished by their strengths and weaknesses.

This is a story about survival in the wilderness following a plane crash. The story is very interesting and quite suspenseful on occasion but it really drags at times., which distracted me from the actual plot. I liked the book but didn't love it, though I still think it is a decent read, just too many words. 3.5 stars

I'm always up for a good wilderness survival story but this one wasn't it. Regrettably, while the premise- that Maggie who is trying to escape her own troubles takes on a strange teen who survived a plane crash and then it starts to snow- is a good one. As is the idea that there are law enforcement officers out there looking for them. And then the paranormal, which can be a good add in these scenarios. I struggled with the characters but more importantly with the writing. Another edit would have helped immensely and possibly prevented me from putting this down as a DNF. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

(3.5)I got lost in the prologue. I read it twice and thought what the heck, did I grab a mystery horror novel. Then I met Maggie in chapter 1 and settle back to see where this book would take me. It took me into the wilderness, okay, it chased me into the wilderness but I couldn't accept Luna survived the plane crash until I realized this was not a standard lost, crash, novel, there is evil and a hand of paranormal. The ending had some twists I didn't see coming, and when I read the last page I thought of those scary movies where a few people survive and as the scene fades away there is a shot of evil. Thank you for the arc. I freely volunteer my thoughts and opinions. #CallThedark #JToddScott #ThomasMercer #NetGalley

Similar in theme to his last book, J Todd Scott’s Call The Dark (2023) is a survival thriller set in West Virginia. A woman hiking on Black Mountain witnesses a fiery plane crash and is surprised to discover a young girl survivor. As the snow flurries fall, signalling an approaching storm, Maggie and Luna are joined by two sheriffs and former veterans on the dangerous mountain trek. Although familiar with the terrain, they experience danger along the way, with the snow blizzard, as well as a dark presence pursuing them. An interesting mix of a wilderness survival tale, with a dash of magical realism and paranormal horror element that makes for a gritty four stars read rating. With thanks to Thomas & Mercer and the author for an uncorrected proof copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own and freely given.

I have read several books by this Author, and have enjoyed them all, including this new thriller that is my
favorite. The writing style, with such vivid , colorful descriptions of both the mountains of rural West
Virginia and the visions in the minds of the characters are clear and so well written that I could easily
feel like air was a part of this life and death mystery. Several circumstances come in to play all through the
story from the plane crush with a sole survivor to the hiker who discovers her and must deal with her, even as
her problems are far beyond her ability to manage before having an injured and traumatized teenager for whom
she feels and subsequently takes responsibility which makes her survival more difficult.
When the Law gets wind of where the hiker, Maggie, might be the Sheriff gets involved, along with a supposed
FBI agent, which is where things get dangerous for everyone.
This story was interesting, and full of twists and turns that had me completely engaged until the end.
My thanks to Publisher, Thomas and Mercer via NetGalley for the opportunity to read the download
of this book for review purposes.

This sounded right up my alley but unfortunately I just could not connect to characters or follow plot. Others may really like it but it just was not for me. Thank you to NetGalley for a chance to read and review this book.

A plane crashes in the wilds of a mountain forest. On it is a mysterious girl with an angry power. She was found by a conwoman on the run from mercenaries hired by a billionaire whom she stole from. Later they meet up with the current and former sheriffs. These four are on the run up and down the other side of the mountain chased by the mercenaries and a sinister presence they feel stalking them.

This wasn't exactly what I had expected as it turned out to be quite militaristic. This was about a veteran with PTSD, a Ponzi schemer, two sheriffs and had plenty of shootouts with various military-grade weapons. Not really my thing. But I do enjoy winter survival stories and that kept me interested. The plot wasn't exactly that exciting nor the mysterious presence included that much. It did keep me reading and the characters were full of flaws but actually likable. I especially liked Maggie, the conwoman. And I was surprised by who actually was left alive at the end. A decent read if this is your sort of thing.

when I started reading this one, I was so exited and the tension was so much I could fell my palms sweating, but then, everything is so dragged out and (in my opinion) over written that you lost you excitement and slowly get bored. unfortunately I didn't enjoy this one as much as I liked to.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing my copy of this book.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of time in exchange for a review. It didn't disappoint! Must read!!

Call the Dark by J. Todd Scott was a captivating read.

Scott’s masterful storytelling effortlessly intertwines a gripping narrative, brimming with unexpected revelations that will keep readers hooked until the final pages.
I loved the atmosphere, the tension-filled sense of foreboding and suspense.
The author comes up with an extremely intriguing plot that keeps you hanging on the edge of your seat.
A riveting thriller with a mystery that will keep you hooked.

Fun fact that he was born in rural Kentucky. (so was I) so it was a pleasure reading a book from a former Kentuckian.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Firstly, the scaredy cat within wanted to cover my eyes with the backs of my hands as I read. The fear was palpitating and I only wanted to peek through the narrow space between my fingers!!! I wanted to get off that plane immediately and as kept reading, I could almost feel the sinister presence looming in the wilderness. Wow, the author really masters tension and atmosphere/mood. I was ‘creeped out’ as my students would say.

Secondly, the teacher within wanted to grab my red pen and help structure concise paragraphs. Vivid description is great, but it can be overdone. One of the pitfalls of verbosity is that the flow suffers. The fantastic tension I felt at the beginning was soon lost in a sea of words.

Scott has a great cast of characters, an enthralling premise, and a great sense of place. Thriller lovers will be hooked.

I was gifted this copy by Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

A little long-winded, but there is a pretty good story buried deep within this one.
You'll just have to work a little to get to it.
A dark story of survival, may have your heart racing in a few scenes.
I enjoyed how the various characters interacted with each other, just wish they were a little deeper.

I think the premise is compelling, but I often got confused and bored at times. I think some people will like it and it will be a great book for others. The author has talent.

Thanks so much to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC copy of this book!

I have scheduled promotional posts around release day for this book and I will provide a full review on my Instagram once I am able to get to this read.

Rating 5 stars on Netgalley as a placeholder for me to update later once the review is complete.

Will also complete a review on Goodreads once read.

Thanks again!

Thank you for the opportunity to preview Call The Dark.
One of the best books I have read this year
From start to finish you are enraptured in a complicated story set in the mountains of West Virginia.
A cast of interesting characters including a war veteran sheriff, a woman on the run, an old man, a very bad man, a strange young girl and oh yeah. A monster.
A plane crash sets off a series of events that involve this group of people to converge. A a battle ensues. .
I could not put this book down. I had never read this author but I am hooked. 5 stars. Very good!

The premise for this is so interesting and it is a unique take on a thriller but sadly it just didn't work for me. I couldn't connect with the writing and I felt like everything was too convoluted and dragged out which made it confusing and hard to get into the story. I think a lot of people will enjoy this style of writing but it didn't work for me.

I wanted to enjoy this one but I did not. The writing is so slow. There was too much purple prose and nonsense that did absolutely nothing to forward the plot. The pacing was akin to a sloth crossing the road.

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

I was really excited by the premise and thought this sounded right yo my street but sadly the writing style just wasn't for me. It all felt so dragged out and it totally lost any tension or atmosphere that was being built. I kept skimming parts and still didn't miss anything because so much of the text is just waffle and doesn't do anything to drive the plot forward. I the plot itsself was decent, but it just wasn't my kind of writing and I struggled to get into the actual story with all the unnecessary words. In saying that, plenty people do enjoy a thoroughly descriptive story and would love a narrative like this