Queue creepy horror music. I absolutely love Christina Henry's writing style and am so glad she branched off from her normal horror retellings. She is amazing at putting together an enthralling story that really keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

Right off the bat, I could tell there was something off with the relationship between Maddie and William, but I only had the small hints that Henry was dropping here and there. It was like a treasure hunt. Then... BAM! The plot thickens with a mysterious beast roaming the woods. Not only does Maddie have William to deal with, she has the beast as well. Queue third party drama and you have yourself a wonderfully complex plotline that seems to pull you in so many directions at once, but makes you feel oddly secure in your feelings.

I read this book in one day. Couldn't put it down. I will more than likely never go out into the woods again, or want to camp, but it was all worth it.

My review will be live on my blog Book Confessions on 4-6-2021.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Berkley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is how you do a horror and thriller combo! It was just the right blend of scary and mysterious.

Mattie lives high in the mountains with her husband, William. While checking their animal traps one day during the winter, she finds a dead fox on the path, cut open but not eaten or taken by the predator that killed it. What follows is classic horror movie - discovery of a creature, the hunt, other people getting involved, and the long night fight for survival... and the author has done an amazing job at that.

But where the book truly shines is in the element of character. You see, the creature in the cold, dark forest isn't the only monster that preys on Mattie, and sometimes, you don't have the sharp claws and vicious fangs to reveal a predator's nature... sometimes, humans are the worst monsters of all.

While this book definitely shows that dark side of human nature, it also excels at showing the resiliency, hopefulness, and brave sides of humankind as well.

Highly recommended. For non-horror fans, this one is only moderately scary in the creature-feature department. If you like thrillers, the horror in this one probably won't phase you much.

An interesting read, I nearly finished it in one sitting. It's a unique take on a monster story. I will say that some of the side characters were a bit useless (some of them not even conscious for large chunks of the story), but it's an enjoyable story.

This was such an engrossing horror novel! After reading several of her novels, I have come to realize that Christina Henry knows how to tell a good story and she proved it again with this new release, Near the Bone.

This is the kind of horror novel that will really appeal to thriller readers like myself who love the tropes surrounding kidnapping stories. Mattie is a compelling protagonist who is stunted by her early captivity and clearly suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. Her social and educational deficiencies made sense, but it did make it a bit frustrating to read from her perspective at times.

Yet while this story will appeal to thriller readers, this book should definitely be classified as horror. I loved the narrative choice to "hide" much of the horror from the reader, which made it so much more suspenseful and psychological. I was gripped into the story from the very beginning and it held my attention the entire time.

In terms of a story, this one was fairly simple, yet very effective. I thought the ending was very predictable. While not the most innovative story, it still made for a very enjoyable read. Like the author's previous horror novel, The Ghost Tree, I found this one to be very accessible. This would be a great place to start for readers looking to get into the horror genre. I always appreciate that Henry avoids the kinds of problematic content that often plagues the genre.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel. I would widely recommend it to both new and seasoned horror readers alike. If you are looking to get wrapped up in a thrilling supernatural tale of survival, then this is an excellent one to pick up.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Mattie has been living in a cabin in the woods with her husband William and isolated from society for as long as she can remember. When Mattie finds a mutilated fox in the woods, she comes to realize there is something out there with them. Something that was never in the woods before. Soon after, three strangers become dangerously entangled in Mattie and William’s life when they come looking for the creature.

Near the Bone was a book I was looking forward to reading ever since I heard of it a few months ago. Sadly, it did not live up to the intrigue the description and cover created. The plot felt spread thin between the various plot lines that involve the abusive husband, the creature, and the three college kids playing at being cryptozoologists. There was just a bit too much going on to focus on the horror/suspense aspects of the novel which was a let down because it sounded like it’d be a perfect, creepy winter read. Henry just never took it to the level that would instil a sense of dread or paranoia in readers.

I did appreciate the fact that Henry drew parallels between man and monster to add more nuance to the story, but, at times it felt too on the nose. William’s—the abusive husband—depiction as a monster that’s just as frightening as the one in the woods was well done for the most part. His constant manipulation and gaslighting of Mattie—who he practically held hostage in his cabin for over a decade—was disturbing.

Near the Bone is at its core, a story of survival and freeing oneself from the chains of the past. Despite the powerful themes, the actual plot and characterization fell flat which in turn made the book less impactful.

The creepy tone and atmosphere are spot-on in this horror novel full of monsters.
The protagonist, Mattie, is a great character and honestly, I could have really enjoyed just a story about her and the situation with her partner. I feel like the novel tried to fit too much into the plot and could have almost been two stories.
Although encountered often in horror, I will note a content warning for physical, sexual, and psychological abuse, as well as animal death.
Thanks so much to Berkeley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the digital copy to review.
My review on social media will follow closer to publication as requested.

A great example of the blending of supernatural and "human" horror fiction. Suspenseful from the first line to the last - there wasn't a moment in this book where I felt I could predict where the story was going, and I loved that. Mattie is a strong protagonist who the reader roots for more and more as revelations about her current circumstances and her past life unfold. The type of book I can easily picture being made into a movie - the plot would translate seamlessly to the type of modern horror script that viewers love as well. Rated 4 stars instead of 5 only because it doesn't feel like the type of book I would re-read multiple times. Excellent as a one-time read though, and definitely something I would recommend to horror and suspense fans.

This was a heart pounding horror, set in a desolate cabin on a snow covered mountain where one woman tries to survive more than one kind of monster.

Mattie knows no other kind of life than being beaten and abused while spending her days working on her never ending chores in an attempt to avoid the brutal punishments her "husband" will mete out if everything is not done to his satisfaction. Mattie has not seen or spoken to another living soul but William for what she estimates to be about 12 years. She's not even sure how old she is anymore. She has vague memories of another life, with a mother and sister who loved her, but William tells her none of this is real, that it was just a dream, she has never been anything but his wife, and his property. Just when it seems she has given up on ever having a life worth living, a strange and deadly creature in the woods attracts the attention of amateur hikers and cryptid hunters who stumble upon William's cabin in the woods. This could be Mattie's one chance at escape or it could mean the death of all of them at the jaws of a vicious creature that can kill with one swipe of it's claws before you even know it's upon you.

As a huge fan of creature feature type horror and anything to do with being trapped in a winter storm this was a big hit with me, but when combined with the evil that mere mortals do the author created a perfect duet of terror with William and the creature being equally dangerous to Mattie's chances of survival.

Together with her husband, Mattie lives in a log cabin in the desolate wilderness. Game has been sparse this winter and bears should be hibernating away in their dens, so Mattie is surprised when she stumbles across large pawprints in the snow. Worst yet, animal carcasses are being mutilated and arranged in ways no normal predator could manage.

Now Mattie must survive a monster with far more cunning than seems natural as well as survive the monster within her own home.

Heart-pounding and bone-chilling, Near the Bone by Christina Henry is an atmospheric survival thriller filled with an ever-present feeling of isolation and dread. Each page soaks with tension since the horror stems twofold: the wild and her own home.

First, the story effectively explores the domestic horror of Mattie dealing with a constantly abusive and hyper-controlling husband who won’t even let her listen to music or read any other book besides the bible because he believes it is a sin.

Next comes the monster, which is absolutely terrifying in its own right. We’re teased glimpses of it throughout the story, and I squealed and gasped out loud every time it appeared. However, this aspect of the story also became my greatest disappointment. The monster’s build up didn’t quite live up to its potential. I felt like its subplot was leading up to a poignant metaphor to parallel or connect with Mattie’s own husband and his abuse. However, the monster’s presence never became fully integrated into the story and its conclusion felt more like an afterthought.

All and all though, this is a story about survival. It’s a deliciously creepy cabin-in-the-woods type book, perfect to cozy up with on a chilly night, so if you love the atmosphere and undercurrent of folk horror in The Ritual, I think you’ll adore this one as well.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This book had so much wasted potential. I was really hoping for a great horror story or at least something unnevering as Henry's other books follow along that line. This one sadly just tried to do to much so it didn't really follow through on either end for me.
The start of this book was solid. I was expecting to get some creepy and dark vibes around a sort of woman's issue stand point like many of Henry's other books. Thats what I I got to start and I was really feeling that and honestly would have been happy with that but then the book introduced the monster and things started to go down hill.
The monster seemed like a good idea and a worthy metaphor but it just wasn't followed through. The monster almost felt like a tack on the way it was done, having so much of it happen off page. I wanted to be scared but I just sort of felt bored. I kept going out of mild curiosity but even the ending didn't satisfy me.
Overall this book just suffered from trying to take on to much. It tried with two dark and difficult subjects and sadly all it did was muddy the overall effect. This book really could have been great but it just wasn't.
Trigger warning for abuse and violence.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an early review copy.

Mattie and William live alone in a small cabin on a mountain. They hunt for their own food, make their own clothes, and they see not a soul near their cabin. One day while checking traps, Mattie stumbles upon the corpse of an uneaten fox near large tracks, There's a creature hunting in the woods. This creature has also drawn the attention of three cryptozoologist friends - for better or worse.

Massive Trigger Warning (and spoilers): This novel contains depictions of domestic abuse (verbal, psychological, and physical) and overt themes of rape, kidnapping, and murder. If these are things that you are uncomfortable with, then I wouldn't recommend picking this novel up.

My thoughts on Near the Bone: I plowed through this book but was heavily disturbed by the abuse depicted. I'd describe this novel as Emma Donoghue's Room meets horror. Which monster is worse: human or creature? In this case, the human is far, far worse as Mattie (Samantha) begins to remember some of the events that transpired when she was just eight-years-old. These flashbacks are what I actually enjoyed about this novel the most. Overall, this novel is very easy to read and compelling - for the right audience.

I absolutely PLOWED through this book. This is one of those "rough" times where I should offer some clever, insightful comment, but I don't have anything smarter to say than "I really liked this book, dude." I didn't find it that scary, but then again, I'm also a weird creature who roams the woods at night. So that's not really a criticism from me. If I had any, then it would be that the ending was kind of abrupt for my taste.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. I was in no way compensated for this review.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Abuse, sexual abuse, controlling spouse

Christina Henry’s Near the Bone was without a doubt one of the most chilling reads I’ve ever read! There was so much horror to this novel and not all of it was monsters! I mentioned the trigger warnings forefront this time because this book is deeply seeded into some scary things. The book itself is still amazing, but I wanted readers to be aware of the characters’ dark history in this one. It left me chilled and with a mess of emotions whirling about.

Mattie lives with her husband, William, in a remote forest on a mountain. It’s always just been the two of them but then one day when checking the traps for their food source, Mattie finds a chilling pair of footprints that are not like any animal she’s ever seen before. She and William discover a cave of horrors that belong to this creature and William becomes set on hunting down this monster once and for all.

Though while journeying through the forest they run into a new problem, intruders. A group of hikers are out and about conducting research and when they encounter William and Mattie it sends a spark of familiarity with one of them. Mattie has lived a secluded life for many years because her husband deemed it so, so seeing other people left her a little off-kilter.

All the while, Mattie is overcome with dreams of another life. One about a young girl with her family. A life of before…soon a new horror story is revealed to Mattie day by day as memories long forgotten resurface. This my friends was the truly scary part of the story. It left me chilled. Christina Henry is proven once again to be a master storyteller, even of the hard topics.

That William is an abusive d—husband has you rooting for Mattie with every little act of defiance that she commits. When the strangers soon turn to trying to help Mattie escape William, Mattie has to relearn what humanity is truly like.

Oh and all the while they are being hunted down by a monster they cannot see, one that moves so quick no one ever has the chance to scream. Blood trails and animal parts are left strewn about the forest in a macabre matter. This story is not for the faint of heart in more ways than one.

Near the Bone was a heart-racing read on many levels that it has a greater magnitude of “page-turner.” Still, you can’t help but turn the pages as fast as you can to see what the outcome will be. You hope for many things, but only a few will come true. That doesn’t make this a disappointing read in the least, it makes it one emotional gut punch to the feelings though.

In short, Near the Bone was one of the most soul-chilling reads I’ve ever read. It’s definitely a horror story to be sure and I stress again it is not for the faint of heart. The trigger warnings I mention only touch the surface. There is another one that I will say connects to a controlling spouse, I intentionally left out the actual word for spoiler purposes, but figured you might be able to gain an idea from the last part. This book was horrifying to say the least, but masterful storytelling and underneath it all, a story of hope…as most “monster” stories can be. That last piece of positivity was everything though.

Sadly, while I hoped for answers as to this mysterious monster stalking the woods that only seemed to appear recently, those were not so forthcoming. I can understand leaving it a mystery in some sense, but what baffled me was that this monster literally only came about recently, so it left me wondering where was it in those early years of Mattie and William’s lives in the forest? It was puzzling for sure and that we only catch glimpses of it had me even more intrigued…yet still utterly horrified! The mysterious monster was definitely a puzzle I would’ve liked solved, but I can mostly live with not knowing…except the bit about where it suddenly came from though! Lol.

If you’re looking for a positively terrifying read this year, Christina Henry’s Near the Bone is the read to go with! It’s so utterly bone-chilling, that you will never want to go camping again! I knew there was a reason why I didn’t like going into nature! This is a read not to be missed for fans of horror!


Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars

Near the Bone releases April 13, 2021

Very well developed characters and an extremely engaging story. Well thought out and very suspenseful story line that keeps the reader guessing until the final twist! This is the book to read this year! Highly recommended!

4.5 stars

I always enjoy Christina Henry's books, and this one is no different. This was an engrossing and disturbing story about a young woman, Mattie, who lives in isolation on a mountain with her husband, William. It's obvious that something is not quite right in their marriage. William is a real POS and Mattie is terrified. When Mattie finds a mutilated animal while out in the woods, an incredible chain of events begins.

I really enjoyed the isolated setting of this story; it's all confined to the mountain and that really makes the story feel super fast-paced. I read this in one sitting and was cheering for Mattie the whole time. There are many mentions of violence and abuse, which is jarring at times, but it doesn't feel overdone; the violence feels appropriate for the story. I found this book to be quietly disturbing in a way that feels so real.

I wish we could have learned more about William and his motivations, but not having that clarity doesn't take away from this book one bit.

I enjoyed this book. Though it does have some graphic domestic physical violence that may make some readers very uncomfortable. It also has all the classic horror elements to it with isolation and something stalking in the woods. The story kept me interested and reading at a pretty quick pace to find out what happened with Mattie.

It’s a bit of a reviewing cliché to say “this book kept me up all night!,” especially for horror. So instead let me say: this book didn’t keep me up all night—because I didn’t dare let it get darker than it already was. Because it’s so good that all night was too long a time to go without finishing it. I read Near the Bone with such gleeful, white-knuckle terror that “all night” was too much and too little time. So, what’s the right amount of time for Christina Henry’s latest novel? Well, it’s one sitting, with a blanket and lights on, and maybe someone to hold your hand as long as they don’t interrupt you.

This is my favourite kind of horror, which is to say, no-frills horror. Much like Stephen King, Henry knows both her story and her writing are good enough to stand on their own, and she doesn’t belabour either the build-up (things get going very quickly) or play coy the mystery. She doesn’t withhold for the sake of withholding—she lays it all as plain as can be, and it’s terrifying.

Mattie lives on the mountain, if you can call what she does “life.” She cooks, cleans, and otherwise serves William, her husband, who does nothing but berate and abuse her in return. She holds fast to what little solace she can eke out, but even that is jeopardised by intruders on the mountain: one, a creature who behaves like no predator she’s ever seen, and the others college students in search of such a creature, bumbling into dangers they can’t even understand. Mattie will have to risk all these dangers, plus the doubts gnawing at her mind and the cold descending on the mountain, to have a chance at an actual life. 

What’s always nice about reading Henry’s horror is that every risk and every choice has consequences. Every decision matters, and every character has to make them. There are no passive observers, and no extraneous asides. Everyone drives the plot; the plot doesn’t drive them. Bad things happen to the protagonists and the antagonists in keeping with their choices, which makes every decision meaningful—and dire. And as their situations become increasingly precarious, no one is safe from more and more brutal consequences.

And yes, the book is brutal. It’s not overly gory; just very honest about how unforgiving nature can be, and how men can be even worse. But it has moments of respite and of true goodness, too, and a long, honest look at both how difficult and how rewarding surviving can be. The balance of tones is perfect, never completely overwhelming but never letting up, either.

Henry really leans into what she does best in this novel, which is a brief timeline so dense with plot and suspense that there’s barely room to breathe. The entire book takes place over the course of only a few days, and most of that over the course of a single day and night. Three threads—Mattie’s survival, William’s defense of his territory, and the search for a cryptid by three naïve college students—braid together into a single tight, breathless tale of survival.

Also, if you’re a fan of the podcast My Favorite Murder, this book basically has everything. There’s murder, kidnapping, things hidden in floors, cryptids, insanity, and of course, treasure. And it’s a badass survivor story that warns everyone: don’t go into the forest! I don’t know if Henry is a fan, but I think it’s safe to say she could be.

But you don’t have to know either MFM or Henry to enjoy scaring yourself silly with this novel. It’s a standalone, a complete tale of one woman’s harrowing journey. This does mean that it’s not a full history or profile on either a killer or a cryptid, which may frustrate some readers. I found it refreshing, though, not to have the focus on a killer or a monster, but on a survivor.

An uneven but often enthralling mash up of creature horror and suspense. This story really felt like two separate novels mashed together. There's Mattie, who lives isolated in a cabin on top of a mountain with her terrifyingly abusive husband, William. While they live a rustic lifestyle evocative of colonial times, it's quickly clear there is much more to the story. Mattie's psychological journey as she remembers her past and finds the courage to rebel against William is extremely effective. The novel's true horror comes from William's treatment of her and in exploring the terrors of being a woman in an abusive relationship. Then there's another plotline with an unknown creature in the woods and the appearance of three strangers tracking sightings of it. The descriptions of the creature itself are certainly spine tingling. And there's some interesting parallels between Mattie's situation with William and the feeling of being outright stalked by a predator in the woods. But overall, this part of the plot feels tacked on. Either of these storylines could be their own novels. Together, they make the story overstuffed and a bit unfocused. The three supporting characters never really register either. They also seem pretty blasé about the life-threatening situation they stumble into. Really, I still liked this book a good amount. Otherwise, I wouldn't be exploring what didn't work for me this much. I actually wish it was longer and had more time to fully flesh out the supporting the characters and further explore Mattie's past and future.

cw: This book contains graphic depictions of domestic abuse.

I don't even know where to begin! Let's start with the fact that I adored this book. Tight narrative, tense plot, absolutely terrifying. Author Christina Henry clearly knows how to write a horror novel.

The book is told through the eyes of Mattie, a young woman of indeterminate age. It begins as Mattie is checking traps for rabbits and finds a mutilated fox. She's confused - animals don't mutilate their prey, they consume it. But Mattie is more concerned with getting home to her husband, William, than investigating. Readers soon discover that William controls every detail of Mattie's life: what she eats, where she goes, how she spends every moment of her time.

When Mattie reports her findings to William, he insists she accompany him into the forest to find out what mutilated the fox. The duo find prints larger than any bear could have left, and Mattie begins to believe there's something strange living on their mountain. But as William drags Mattie along on his hunt, readers become as terrified with William as they are with the unknown woodland monster. The punishments he doles out to Mattie are as frequent as they are brutal.

This combination of domestic thriller and creature feature set in such an isolated setting is a one-two punch of mass proportions. There's terror in every single page of the novel, whether it stems from the creature or from William. Readers will be rooting for Mattie the entire time, wondering how she came to live in the cabin with William, and curious about what exactly is living and killing in the forest.

I won't say more, because this book is best read unspoiled! It's a taut, page-turning horror novel that you won't be able to put down. Best book I've read in a very long time.