Ernshaw's first adult novel, is a breath taking page turner. Travis is hired to find Maggie, and he ends up at a cult like compound called the Pastoral, where he too ends up missing. The weird thing is that no one can leave this community for the fear of the Pox that infest the trees surrounding them. This was very unique and would greatly recommend it to anyone that likes magical realism, horror, and thrillers.

I picked up A History of Wild Places because I thought it would be a nice change of pace for me. My taste leans pretty far towards straight literary fiction, but lately I’ve been craving a fantasy or dystopian book that I can lose myself in, a la The Hunger Games or A Series of Unfortunate Events-easy/breezy/fun, a little dark, and peak levels of engaging.

This is Ernshaw’s adult debut, so I figured the writing would be more contemporary versus literary (it was) and it promised a cult story (always intriguing to me) with elements of mystery (popular YA writer goes missing amongst scandal of children taking her macabre books too literally) and fantasy (a mysterious illness may or may not surround the cult community), all of which should have fit exactly what I was looking for, but the writing and plot just…fell flat.

BUT after chatting with friends it seems that my opinion is in the minority and that others found it to be a perfectly solid, unique, and recommendable read. So if any of the above seems like it may appeal to you, perhaps assume it will and I was either not the correct audience or not in the right headspace for this one.

It's already published but I loved this creepy book!! The end really throws you for a loop! I've read every single one of Shea's books now! I can't wait for her next adult!

A History of Wild Places begins with a man named Travis Wren, a man with the ability to see past occurrences when touching objects. He is enlisted to help a family find their daughter, a famous children's book author who went missing. Eventually in the narrative, Travis and his investigation are abruptly cut short, and the narrative shifts to a town called Pastoral, a closed off community that tightly controls their borders out of fear from an illness called the "rot." I listened to the audiobook, and the narration was excellent. The book hooked me initially, but it did lose its luster towards the end.

<i>This review is from an advanced copy given to me by NetGalley and the publisher.</i>

I have no earthly idea how I forgot to post my review for this stunning book to GoodReads, but here we are.

This book is a mindfuck, but a beautiful mindfuck. I think it's best read in one, long, delicious bite. That way, you can enjoy the story unraveling in front of you, and you might miss the twist if you're not careful. And you shouldn't be <i>too</i> careful because the discovery is wonderful, magical and chilling.

<i>A History of Wild Places</i> is a multi-layered story. It begins with Travis Wren - a man with an affinity for locating missing people. He only has to touch a single object that belonged to the person to be able to locate them. Of course, sometimes they are in earth or dark water or handcuffed in an attic. Other times, the answer is murkier. When he's hired by the family of Maggie St.James, an author of children's books - he's led to Pastoral, a community that is more like a cult - full of reclusive people who want protection from the outside. When Travis finds Pastoral, he too, disappears - just like Maggie.

The story flips here, to the centre of Pastoral. We meet Theo, who's lived in the commune all his life. He discovers Travis' truck and starts to ask questions. These questions and their ramifications go on to affect Theo's life, the life of his wife Calla, and her sister, Bee.

<i>A History of Wild Places</i> really is haunting and lyrical - the writing is lovely and the characters fully fleshed and flawed. I felt frustrated by some of the residents of Pastoral, angered by others - and yet, I could understand (if not condone) their desire for unspoiled wilderness and peace. But peace is often won at the toughest of costs. And that is no different in Pastoral.

Definitely a book to read. Dreamy like a fairytale, with a raw underpinning in reality - I hope to see more in this vein from Ernshaw in the future.

This is a great mysterious read. If you like cults and communes this book is for you. There are twists I didn't see coming. I really enjoyed this book, but there was something missing for me. BUT still worth the read!!

I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. I really enjoyed this one the plot kept me interested until the end which is not easy, and the characters were engaging and believable. I highly recommend this book.

I received this book from NetGalley This book is really different from anything I've read before. I thought it was really creative and the way it was written kept me wanting to read "just one more chapter" everytime I picked it up. I will definitely look into reading more from this author.

I absolutely adore Shea Ernshaw’s magically poetic writing and story telling style. The cult aspects of this book had me hooked. I spent the first part of the book a little confused but enmeshed in the story regardless. Reveals happen and the confusion I had initially gave way to jaw dropping excitement as I couldn’t put the book down.

Our staff book club recently read this and it was a hit! Cults are so intriguing to me and so I automictically loved it. I did not see the plot twist coming at it. I was aghast when I figured out that Calla and Theo were the missing girl and the investigator. So wild! Then to find out that "her sister" wasn't actually her sister and wasn't actually blind! It was a great read!

A History of Wild Places, is a great book that everyone should check out. From great and complex characters to a next to an amazing plot. don't wake run to pick this book and add it to your TBR!!

Everyone knows I love a good thriller. This I think was SE's first foray into adult books and I was not disappointed. This was a haunting/culty kind of tale and I was here for it. When things are revealed it definitely gave me a jaw drop.

This was a beautifully crafted thriller. Shrouded in mystery and engaging enough to lure you in immediately.

Nothing is what it seems. Reality blurs with each turning of the page. But what happens when lies peak through the eyes that were blinded? Will the rot consume or will new life be birthed from the ash?

This was honestly one of my favorite reads this year. Definitely a breath of fresh air from my usual reads. I didn’t solve this halfway through like most books. I was blindsided just as you will be!

An atmospheric read with a unique storyline; however, I felt like I lost interest about halfway through. I guessed at what was coming, and found myself a little let down with how the story played out. I was hoping for some more magical realism involved, but, of course, that was my own personal desire after reading through the synopsis before digging in. This may be a hit for you, especially if you're ok with some pieces not quite fitting together perfectly!

I will start off by saying my huge intrigue to this book was mainly it being compared to Night Shyamalan's movie Village. I watched that movie for the first time when I was 13 and for some reason fell in love with it. I do agree that it has similar elements to it and I think that's why I enjoyed this book so much.

This book is about Travis who has an unusual talent for locating missing people just by touching an object belonging to the person who has vanished. He takes on the unusual case of finding Maggie St. James, an author that writes dark children's books and is pretty well-known. Travis is lured to a place called Pastoral, a reclusive community of people wanting to live a simpler life but when he arrives, he disappears, just like Maggie did. Years later his truck is found abandoned by Theo, a lifelong member of the community. No one is allowed into the community and no one is allowed out, otherwise they may catch the disease. Theo starts to dig into all these disappearances from this mysterious place only to find it isn't as safe as they all believe.

This book a little confusing to me at times but the more I read into it the more I began to understand. It's so twisty and there's a constant feeling of underlying dread that grips you into the story and also gives you the creeps. Shea Ernshaw is known to write dark, atmospheric books and this book definitely hit it on the head. She didn't just dip her toes into adult writing, she dove headfirst and I'm very impressed with the story she created. Her writing style is always so beautiful to me that no matter what genre she writes, I'm going to read it.

While this book wasn't a knock me out of the park read, I did enjoy reading it and it was definitely entertaining. I hope she continues to write more adult books in the future.

Thanks to Atria Books for the copy for my review.

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

I’ve read Shea Ernshaw’s Young Adult books Winterwood and The Wicked Deep; so I was very excited to be approved her first adult fiction novel. This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. The twists, the turns, and the reveals were fantastic! The book wasn’t predictable at all. The beginning of the book was a bit slow when introducing us to the characters and setting. But then, the pacing immediately picks up and leaves you wanting more. I’m glad I started this book in the morning, otherwise, if I started at night, I would have pulled an all-nighter just to find out what happens. I liked how there’s supernatural elements in the book but isn’t the main star of the show; it’s all about haunting mystery. This book reminded me of the TV-shows Twin Peakes and The Sinner (Season 2) because of its similarities with darkness fall upon small town, mysteries, supernatural elements, and haunting secrets. I would give this book 4/5 stars and would highly recommend it to others.

i loved this! this was my second book of shea ernshaw’s and her writing never fails to amaze me. it is absolutely beautiful. i somehow did predict the main twist but i don’t think it took away from the story at all. i will read everything shea writes!

It has been sooo long since I've read this story. Here is what I remember....

- The reveal kicked ass
- The story was enticing and entertaining
- Macabre children's book...need I write more?
- Cult-like community

While I can't provide a better review since it has been a minute since I've read this story. I can suggest checking it out because at bare minimum I remember enjoying this one quite a bit.

Wild places? How about a wild ride? That’s what this book was.

Darker than I expected and no doubt inspired by other tales of closed communities, haunted forests and “pastoral” life hiding evil. I especially loved the character development— as the story progresses, each character becomes like puzzle pieces hidden then suddenly found.

I will caution readers that this wild walk thru the dark woods is best taken without any pre-planning— in other words, avoid spoilers— just start walking (err, turning pages) in.

It’s a dark place definitely worth visiting!!