Thank you so much for my arc! I was so excited to read this after enjoying The Wicked Deep so much. This was another great read from Shea Ernshaw! This book was amazing and beautifully written.

I loved A History of Wild Places - I can't remember the last time a book transported me so completely.

Theo, his wife Calla, and her younger sister Bee live in a dilapidated farm house in a tiny village known as Pastoral in the Northern California mountains. The members of Pastoral are not permitted to cross the boundaries of the village; to do so risks catching the mysterious pox, which puts the individual and the entire community at risk of a horrifying death - if they even survive Pastoral's 'ritual' to cure the disease. One night Theo ventures out past the border and discovers a truck abandoned in the woods. The truck turns out to belong to a man named Travis Wren, who was hired to locate a missing children's book author, Maggie St. James, who may have been on her way to Pastoral.

Pastoral is a bucolic village that has more secrets than its complacent residents may like. Once I started reading A History of Wild Places I could not put it down.

Netgalley provided this ARC for an early review.m

Travis has a gift that haunts him: any time he touches something he experiences the memories associated with the object. Stuck in limbo and alone, Travis agrees to use his gift to track down a famous children's book author who disappeared five years prior. His search takes him to the middle of nowhere and a commune looking to hide from the bad parts of the world. But then he too goes missing after he finds Pastoral. And the story changes to the perspective of three residents of Pastoral (a man, his wife, and her sister) who are trapped inside a strange place that fears the rot that grows in the trees of the surrounding forest.

The story hooked me right away and while a place like Pastoral is enticing, I wonder if I could thrive there.

This book was so much better than I ever expected. It’s such a gripping story. That keeps you interested from start to finish. A beautifully written story about fairy tales, our fear of the unknown and losing yourself within the wilderness of your own mind. I loved how the lovely description of the nature surroundings gives you solitude while trying to unravel the mystery that’s constantly there. I absolutely loved Theo, Calla & Bee as they were very relatable and super strong characters. It’s hard to say much about this book without giving too much away and as I went in blindly and I absolutely loved it, I would highly recommend you go in the same way. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Travis Wren has an unusual talent for locating missing people. Hired by families as a last resort, he requires only a single object to find the person who has vanished. When he takes on the case of Maggie St. James, he’s been led to a place many believed to be only a legend.

Called Pastoral, this reclusive community was founded in the 1970s by people searching for a simpler way of life. The commune shouldn’t exist anymore and soon after Travis stumbles upon it… He disappears. Just like Maggie St. James.

Years later, Theo, a lifelong member of Pastoral, discovers Travis’s abandoned truck beyond the border of the community. No one is allowed in or out. Unraveling the mystery of what happened reveals secrets that Theo, his wife, Calla, and her sister, Bee, keep from one another.

Travis Wren has a very special gift. He can touch an object and learn things about it’s owner. When he’s asked to find a missing woman, he’s reluctant but agrees. Maggie St. James is a controversial children’s author and when Travis’ search leads him to commune called Pastoral. The search is abruptly ended when Travis himself disappears. Theo, a member of Pastoral, stumbles upon Travis’ truck and knows that things in the commune aren’t what they seem.
A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw kept me hooked from the very first excerpt from Maggie’s book. The twisting story line is tense and captivating. This trip into the dark side of people is wholly worth it and will keep me thinking for quite a while

This book was amazing. I had no idea what to expect when I began reading it. Shea Ernshaw spun such an interesting and unexpected story. It was a novel that I won't forget! Highly recommend this book.

Fairy tales and very dark undertones are the vibe for this book. The author expertly uses time and character POV to lead the reader down paths (both literally and figuratively) that are filled with misleading assumptions and general misdirection. As I read along I had no idea that was happening, but I did have that very small inkling that things weren't exactly right and maybe weren't what they appeared to be. I always find that to be such a great feeling and so satisfying when all the bits and pieces start to fall into place. Just a phenomenal read!

This was a surprisingly good book. Something M. Night Shyamalan (Sixth Sense) might do. More importantly, the author - whom I’ve never read before - deftly pulls off a premise that can easily turn into something really hokie under less capable writing.

There are three main sections of this book. In the first, we follow Travis. He is a lost soul who has the ability to see the past. When he touches an object, he sees a moment in the past related to that object. Sounds hokie but the author really pulls it off. This is not so much of a super power for Travis but a burden.

Anyway, Travis is hired to track down Maggie St James, who has gone missing.

The story evolves from there with enough twists and turns that you won’t be able to put it down.

The only criticism I have is that I don’t like the last section - perhaps the final 40 pages. Though I get the purpose in the grand scheme of the book, I felt like it was just wrapping up loose ends of the story rather than bringing it to a compelling conclusion.

That said, if you like mysteries, if you like stories that take you on a journey in ways you didn’t expect, you’ll like this.

#netgalley #ahistoryofwildplaces

Travis Wren has a unique ability which allows him to find missing people. He is hired to find Maggie St. James, well known author of a dark children's fairy tale series, who disappeared in a remote forest 5 years prior. While following her last steps, Travis discovers that Maggie may have been searching for a remote commune known as Pastoral...then he also disappears. Several years later, three residents of Pastoral: Theo, his wife Calla, and her sister Bee will uncover secrets about Maggie and Travis's disappearance that will leave them questioning everything they know.

A History of Wild Places is the beautifully written, dark, and mysterious adult debut of author Shea Ernshaw. The story begins with Travis Wren searching for a missing woman named Maggie St. James only to disappear himself. Maggie is the well-known author of a controversial children's fairy tale series who disappeared five years prior among a remote stretch of woods. The novel provides excerpts from Maggie's book throughout the novel adding to the eerie atmosphere. The story then picks up several years later with three members who reside in an isolated commune known as Pastoral. In Pastoral, the residents have chosen to take up a simple life isolated from the outside world. We soon learn the residents fear what lies beyond their boundaries...a sickness without a cure, something straight out of a nightmare. Theo, his wife Calla, and her sister Bee have all been keeping secrets from each other. As the truth is slowly revealed it ultimately leads them to clues about Maggie and Travis's disappearance. Beautifully written, this dark and twisty novel reads a bit like a fairy tale within a fairy tale leaving the reader feeling very uncertain about what's real. A must read for 2021!

A unique take on the story of disillusionment with and escape from a cult, this book reads like the intersection of The Hazel Wood, Arcadia, and The Ash Family. Some elements and twists were expected, some were not, and the ending is quite uplifting!

I didn’t finish this unfortunately- it was beautifully written but just so predictable. I wanted to like this, but I just had no desire to keep reading.

Thankyou Netgalley for the advanced copy of A History of Wild Places. This book was addictive.
Travis Wren has an unusual talent for locating missing people. Hired by families as a last resort, he requires only a single object to find the person who has vanished. When he takes on the case of Maggie St. James—a well-known author of dark, macabre children’s books—he’s led to a place many believed to be only a legend.

Called Pastoral, this reclusive community was founded in the 1970s by like-minded people searching for a simpler way of life. By all accounts, the commune shouldn’t exist anymore and soon after Travis stumbles upon it…he disappears. Just like Maggie St. James.

Years later, Theo, a lifelong member of Pastoral, discovers Travis’s abandoned truck beyond the border of the community. No one is allowed in or out, not when there’s a risk of bringing a disease—rot—into Pastoral. Unraveling the mystery of what happened reveals secrets that Theo, his wife, Calla, and her sister, Bee, keep from one another. Secrets that prove their perfect, isolated world isn’t as safe as they believed—and that darkness takes many forms.

Thank you for giving me a copy of this book.

Shea Ernshaw has a beautiful way with words. Rich descriptions and lovely passages keep drawing the reader into the book. The characters are interesting, but I was not a fan of the overall story.

Maggie St James disappears and leaves her car on the side of a road in a heavily wooded area without any reason. Her parents hire a private investigator to track her and hopefully bring her back. He is given a photo and told that she was a writer. Theo, the investigator has his own troubles, as he has recently lost his sister, and even though he has physic abilities, he feels that his life has lost meaning and his best days are behind him. He finds her car and then without any back up, enters the woods and finds an old utopian village called Pastoral.

As the story continues, we are introduced to new characters, Calla and Theo, a married couple living on the edge of the community with Calla's sister Bea who is blind. We are also introduced to Levi, the head of the community, and some of the inner workings. We are lead to believe that this community is like a cult, and they are under a threat from trees in the forest that makes the community sick. Levi is charismatic and therefore people follow the rules. He is so convincing that he has even convinced Bea that she is blind when she really is not?? What?

I did finish the book but struggled with the plot. People dipping in and out of the perimeter of Pastoral were supposed to get sick. from the trees. You must suspend all belief here. I lost interest as the story was hard to be invested in the plot. Overall, the plot seems foolish and weak, so I had a hard time reading to the end, which in the last two chapters neatly wraps up the story.
.The book reads like a combination of Hunger Games and a made-for-TV movie gone bad.

This book was blurbed as, “a story about fairytales, our fear of the dark, and losing yourself within the wilderness of your mind” and it’s the kind of book that’ll sink its teeth into you and drag you through a twisted, addicting, and enthralling story that reads like some dark children’s tale straight out of ‘Grimms’ Fairy Tales’. Full of cults and their charismatic leaders, unreliable narrators, and deep secrets, ‘A History of Wild Places’ will keep you hooked until the end.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a digital arc.
This book is so compelling! I wondered how Ernshaw would land this mystery and I appreciated the subtlety and depth of the story. The characters are intriguing and believable and Ernshaw creates full and complex psychologies for each character, which really drew me in. She pulled off a difficult mystery with sensitivity. At first switching from Travis' POV to a brand new cast of characters felt abrupt, but I was quickly drawn in, wanting to see Pastoral from insider perspectives. The story gets complex from there, but never confusing, and we get little hints along the way. I love stories with surprises that also manage to bring me along. I mean, I was honestly concerned it would be a little M. Night Shyamalan and I don't enjoy his Big Surprise! tropes. But this is subtle and unfolds with MUCH more grace and integrity. I was sad to let go of the characters in the end.

A new type of ethereal novel from Shea Ernshaw. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect going into this book, other than expecting to be very entertained and it delivered! Shea has a way with writing spooky woods, and this one kept that trend. We follow three main characters who are members of an isolated commune in the woods, living life separate from reality. Reality starts to warp and circumstances start making you question what is really going on. Very big vibes of one of my favorite M Night Shyamalan movie, The Village. Well written, macabre and very cult like. Entertaining to say the least!

I absolutely adore Shea Ernshaw and her previous books. I was very excited to dive into this new story, especially after hearing so much about it from her Instagram. Unfortunately, I just did not mesh as well with this story as her others.

Things started out fantastic in the first few chapters, told from the view point of a young man running from his many demons and the world he’s left behind. The writing style of these sections were superb, with me wanting to read more and more. The true crime vibe was exactly what I expecting.

When the story flipped in part two, I was optimistic....but soon fell off the path. The story was too much like a movie I had seen as a child, called “The Village” and the main characters even resembled many in that story as well.

I did finish the story, but contemplated DNF the book multiple times. When I came to it, I easily could have because the ending reveal of what was happening didn’t live up to the hype and mystery the author had built up. Instead, I was left with a very unbelievable premise to write the entire book on.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this book for my honest review.

First of all, I'd like to thank the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC of this book via Netgalley.

A History of Wild Places was a wild ride for sure, with so many twists and turns you just did not see coming, so worth the read. The book starts out with Travis attempting to locate a missing girl by using his power of being able to see the past through objects. By using an object from the missing girl, Travis follows Maggie's last steps to a forest where he finds something he isn't expecting... and then they both go missing. Then the story jumps to Calla, Theo, and Bee's perspectives while they live in a forest compound that they aren't allowed to leave for fear of a sickness in the woods that killed off all those before them that attempted to venture out. This book had so many "The Village" vibes, but done better. The plot twists and the turns the story took were so surprising, you literally had no idea what was going to happen. And it ended up being a really quick read! I definitely would recommend this book, 4/5 stars.

If you like twists, this novel has a major one, and then one after that. I never saw that coming...twice! Perhaps two or three more times. A History of Wild Places was also literary with some beautiful language. I like that in horror. It takes it up into a higher plane than the one most people picture as horror.

I was shocked, shocked I tell you over some of the cruelty in the story, the things the cult leader did to a few of the members he felt weren't loyal. That may seem strange that I'm shocked by horrifying events in horror. I'm just like that. As long as they don't hurt dogs, I can deal with it. (No dogs are hurt in the reading of this story, but you don't want to be a tree or a person who would just like to take a walk.)

This is a bracing and interesting plot. I had a quibble. Don't these folks know how much land sells for in California? For what they could sell the commune for they could buy their own private island in Tahiti. Then they really wouldn't have to deal with outsiders because...ocean. Just saying. If I witnessed murder and brutality somewhere, I wouldn't want to much look at the place again.

There is a major gross scene that made me wonder why these characters didn't revolt against the jerk who lead them. That eventually gets explained. Still, I wanted to kick a few people in the rear and yell, "What's wrong with you!"

But, that's what horror is all about. If characters were smart, they wouldn't go into that creepy forest where all the trees are leaking sap.

Thanks to Atria Books and Netgalley for allowing me to read a digital ARC of A History of Wild Places.

This review will be posted on November 23, 2021 to: https://instagram.com/amandas.bookshelf

This book was mysterious, dark, tense, haunting, and above all, HIGHLY enjoyable. Maggie is a famous writer of terrifying children's books and she goes missing. Travis is the person hired to find her, but he has ESP abilities that make him so gifted in finding people. But, then he also goes missing while tracking Maggie to an off-the-beaten path and return-to-nature commune called Pastoral somewhere in northern California. Several years later, Theo, Calla (his wife), and Bee (his sister-in-law) are living a quiet life in Pastoral. Except, of course, for the secrets they keep from each other. Then, Theo discovers Travis' abandoned truck in the woods surrounding Pastoral. Where this book triumphed was the heavy mood of Pastoral. It was a richly painted setting that came to life among the pages and, quite frankly, felt like a character in its own right. The novel shifted primarily between the POV of Theo, Calla, and Bee. This was clever because we needed each of their unique insights (and their secrets) to figure out what was really going on at Pastoral and the truth about Maggie and Travis. The ending contained a few twists that surprised me and made this an overall enjoyable ride. #aHistoryOfWildPlaces Rating: 😊 / really liked it
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This book is scheduled for publication on December 7, 2021. Thank you @atriabooks for providing me this digital ARC via @NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.