This is an old book from when I was reviewing on a book blog. Am now reviewing on IG and Goodreads but the book is no longer in my Kindle.

Fun book with supernatural twists. Deer guardians that have telepathic connection to a bird they tame? Very cool. And I like the alternating viewpoints and the fact the chapters are marked by words or phrases that appear in the following chapter. My only complaint is I wish the author transitioned their unique concepts more smoothly into the story. I actually had to put this story down and come back to it, because it was very frustrating not understanding what was going on. It took close to halfway before I really felt I understand, but even then some things still weren't explained as far as I can tell. Like what are Fortune Hunters? And Nurtis? Hopefully there will be a sequel that will shed more backstory as I feel this is a very promising book.

Hmm, this was a hard one for me to get into, which is surprising because it seemed so promising for my reading tastes. That being said, it was still a very interesting read, with very unique elements.

There is a lot going on, and the world building at time was a little bit confusing- but that could just be me. It's based in Black Water Island, where the residents live isolated. Every four years hunters will participate in 'The Cull', and the rangers are the ones who are responsible for the 'Old Herd'. Deer have magical properties in this novel, an idea that I really enjoyed. Anyway, a former island resident moves back and reconnects with a childhood friend who is now a ranger, and tough decisions and feelings need to be considered.

I found this novel to be quite atmospheric, perhaps one of the reasons I continued on through it despite my initial distaste. The story will be sure to impress many, and I would certainly consider purchasing this novel for my library.

This is a beautifully-crafted, -imagined, and -written novel. On an island that is home to a dimensional rift, the deer have magic in their antlers, the land is full of surprises, and the threat of giant Rift Hounds looms. Culled yearly, the deer are cared for by rangers who are often gifted with special sight, healing, and hearing powers. When Meg, a young woman, returns home to the island after many years away, she arrives at the same time as those who hunt the deer for a pharmaceutical company. This year's cull, though, goes awry in multiple ways, leaving Meg and a group of apprentice rangers to help repair the island and save the herd. I absolutely loved the world-building here, the facts of magic without the trappings of sentimentality, and the story's quick pace. Anyone who has liked Garth Nix, Margaret Killjoy, and similar authors will also enjoy this fantastic book.

A unique and nail-biting work, The Rift follows young Meg and Cal as they struggle to protect the Old Herd from a tear in space called the Rift as Big Pharma moves in to profit off of the deaths. Beginning in media res, the first 15 or 20% of the book was somewhat confusing as the author allows the story to naturally unfold in order to explain the world. However, after this somewhat bumpy start that might discourage some readers, the story picks up and turns into a nail-biting ride. The world-building and writing was atmospheric and eerie, bringing to mind a literary Stranger Things. I highly recommend this book if you enjoy the work of authors such as Maggie Stiefvater.

A special thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

No matter how hard I tried I just couldn’t get into this one.

Normally I start my reviews with a brief summary of the book but I genuinely have no idea what was going on and to attempt to write about what I thought it was would be a nightmare.

It almost had this kind of ‘Stranger Things’ element to it (I think?) with the rift itself holding these dog like creatures inside that had the power to give psychic like gifts to those who survive a bite and then there’s a magic deer who is in charge of everything and I probably read the same few pages over and over again and I don’t know how any of this ties together.

I guess when it began I thought we’d have this kind of hunt where those living outside the island believed they were in for the best game of their lives only to run into something beyond this reality and the horrors that follow with Meg, the daughter of the head ranger returning to get her inheritance, would fall witness too as she’s dragged back into her element but instead we get the weird mythology as discussed above and this whole pharmaceutical conspiracy deal that never really made sense.

If I didn’t get this book to review I would have abandoned it well within the first quarter.

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing a copy in exchange for a fair and honest review**