If this had been a movie, I would have hidden behind the sofa. I had to stop now and again because it was quite scary and the pictures in my imagination were quite terrifying. Loved it !

I wanted to love this book so much but unfortunately, the slow moving plot and annoying characters made it impossible for me to get through. DNF around 30 percent but I know that some people will love this book so it is still getting two stars from me.

After finally getting the funding she needed, Dr. Alice Christopher gathers a team of four other women for an expedition into the infamous Moresby Forest. A forest with a history of mysterious occurrences. Armored with the latest gear and equipment, the five women venture into the depths of the unknown, ready to unearth the secrets that lay hidden. But soon the women discover that all is not what it seems and the forest is teaming with more than just the flora of the region.

The Dark Between the Trees is a slow and creepy read. The story is told with two timelines — 300 years in the past and then present day. It was a little confusing at first, but once the rhythm is established, the transitions became smooth as silk.

The plot is straightforward with very little twists and turns. There were, however, some unexpected surprises along the way for that “didn’t see that coming” effect.

I didn’t particularly care for any of the characters as they all seemed to carry their egos on their shoulders. Teamwork didn’t appear to be in their vocabulary. It was like every man for himself.

For the most part, The Dark Between the Trees was a decent read. A little weird at times and eerie at others. I didn’t care too much for the ending. It wasn’t a cliffhanger, but it wasn’t satisfying either. Three stars.

I received a digital ARC from Rebellion Publishing through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

This had a great premise for a spooky thriller/horror vibe but it fell a little short for me.

I was curious throughout as to what was happening, but i felt like the ending didn't really clear anything up. It didn't answer any questions.

The dual timeline was interesting and helped the story along as each timeline paralleled the other.

I felt like Alice was a very unlikeable character. And the other characters didn't really leave much of an impression on me.

Overall a mildly interesting book but not one I'd go out of my way to read again

This book is set in two time periods then and now. I really had high hopes for this book but it was so slow .Halfway through this book I nearly gave up but I persevered and it did get better. An Urban legend that did not even raise my pulse. Saying that I am sure other readers will enjoy it more just not for me.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

3.5 stars.
This was weird and creepy! Following two groups of people, 1) soldiers in the 1600s caught in an ambush who run for safety into Moresby Wood, and 2) a small, all-female team comprised of historians and park rangers, in the present, who enter a fenced-off Moresby Wood, looking for evidence of the long lost squad. Moresby Wood had a reputation, even years before the soldiers entered it, of darkness, witchcraft, and a monster even older than when Christianity came to Britain.

The soldiers soon find themselves lost, and gradually picked off, by something that no one can see, but that one amongst them is convinced is the monster, the Corrigal. The soldiers are already injured, and coming apart from the stress of the sudden and unexplained murders.

The present day team is fine their first day, but find themselves eerily repeating what we know happened to the soldiers.

The atmosphere is fantastic in this story! Claustrophobic, constant mist, cold, with the dripping of rain off the people and the trees around them. And slow, building, choking fear.

The author does sort of give us an answer, but also doesn’t, of what was causing the danger, which left me both a little frustrated and happy. In some ways, I’m glad the ending was as hopeless and lonely and dark as it was. It’s a monster story, a ghost story, and a malevolent entity story. I think I liked it, but its slow pacing won’t be for everyone.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Rebellion for this ARC in exchange for my review.

I really do like the idea of writing a book in two different timelines and changing between them each chapter so that the stories can eventually come together. However, in this case the story of the modern group was kind of boring compared to the people in the past and it took me longer than it should have to get through this book.
Furthermore, I'm a big fan of a creepy atmosphere and a story that doesn't overexplain everything. Please, by all means, leave things open for interpretation at the end, a creepy book will only get creepier that way. However, in the case of the book I was really expecting some sort of explanation, as little as it may be, that makes you look back at what you've just read and makes you realize all the small details that you overlooked in your inital read and how everything comes together now to form a bigger picture. Sadly, we didn't really get this, even though I would have loved to understand how everything worked and came to be.

DNF at 20%. So incredibly boring & the writing is... lacking. I expected a rich gothic atmosphere, but none of that came across on the page. I may give this one another try in the future, as it contains my favorite trope, but life is too short to push through bad books.

In two different timelines, an ambushed group of Civil War soldiers and an all female academic research group enter a woods - one for protection and the other to investigate the folk tales and history linked to monsters, witchcraft and the disappearance of the soldiers.
The woods phase in and out of time lines, making paths disappear and navigation equipment useless.
What makes this story interesting and the focus of my thoughts while reading it is the group dynamics and what makes leadership - why do others follow someone else, even if the decisions they are making may lead them to their death.
In the male group it appears to be about authority, privilege and strength. In the female group it is curiosity and dogged determination to prove equal to men. Neither ends well in the face of the unknown but there is the courage in some to face that.
Trees and forests are forever seen in tales and myths as dark and sinister places. The Dark Between The Trees adds another layer of enjoyable mystery.

Thank you for the opportunity to read an ARC of this novel!

Following duel timelines - one in the 1600s and another in modern day - we follow two different groups of characters investigating a forest area rumored to be haunted. Or if not haunted, rife with disappearances and mysterious potential deaths.

I struggled with maintaining my interest reading this, however that’s probably more on me for not jiving with the writing style. The characters were interesting enough I just didn’t fully connect.

An interesting read, but felt a bit dissatisfying with tying up loose ends. An atmospheric Halloween read, but not necessarily something I would recommend outside a seasonal read.

A very dark and creepy tale of being lost in the woods, with elements of magical realism, horror, time travel, and history. I would recommend this title for fans of Annihilation.

DNF - I have had a bad series of Horror books come across my shelves this year alone so I will put this down & try it via audiobook, it might better entice & keep my brain engaged with the story. This feels like something that might work well in visual/film format.

The Dark Between the Trees kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the story… I couldn’t put it down!

The plot: A group of women set out on an expedition to an off-limits, isolated forest in England to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a group of soldiers centuries ago. The Moresby Wood is cryptic, and legend has it that the forest is cursed to be haunted by the supernatural. Upon arriving, the research team realizes that the rumors might be true after all… and their expedition might be much more dangerous than they believed.

My perspective: Barnett had me hooked. The atmosphere building was phenomenal - I found myself wanting to look over my own shoulder while reading in bed! The pacing and fast switches between the 1600s and present day storylines was also really effective, and didn’t come across as jumpy. The character building overall seemed weak, but the setting made up for it. The ending of the book was anti-climactic for me… I felt there were many unanswered questions and a few additional chapters were needed to bring resolution to the storylines. Overall, I recommend for those that are looking to enjoy the spooky ride even if the destination leaves them a bit wanting.

Thank you NetGalley and Solaris for this ARC!

"The Dark Between the Trees" is a horror novel following two timelines in a dark wood, filled with mysteries and secrets.
The first group we follow is in the present, and it is formed by an academic researcher, her pupil, and some forest guards, the second one is in the past, and it follows a group of soldiers in the forest.
These soldiers are known, in the present, to have escaped the woods, but only three of them. What happened to the others? What lies in the woods?

I have to say I expected more from this book. The premise is intriguing, and the atmosphere is stunning, it seems to truly be in the forest, between the trees, like the title suggests, but in the end I think the actions taken by the two groups were quite repetitive, and while I get that the action is set in the same place throughout the novel for obvious reasons, at the same time the novel dragged quite a bit.
The ending in my opinion was rushed, and while I appreciated a thing in particular, I also feel that I wanted a bit more of explanation of the turning point, that I guessed at the half of the novel.

Tha characters are what redeemed the novel, I felt that they were scared and I got why they were frightened by their surroundings, I would have liked to be scared myself, since this is a horror novel. Sadly, that was not the case, but the vibes were immaculate, that I have to concede.

This novel felt a bit flat for me, but if you like horror books set in mysterious forests, this is the book for you.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 20%. I really wanted to love this creepy, forest Gothic but I just couldn't get into the writing style

The Dark Between the Trees was an interesting read about a research group who ventures into a forest to learn about what happened to a group of soldiers there 300 years ago. After a while, they feel they are being stalked by something and that not everything in the forest is as it seems.

This alternates between the modern-day timeline of the research group and the pst timeline of the soldiers. It was a good, creepy story.

I would compare this one to an episode of the Twilight Zone. Do all your questions get answered? No. Some is left for you to think about, but you can reach reasonable conclusions of what happened based on what you read. I’ll definitely be thinking about this one for some time to come.

"The Dark Between the Trees" had a really promising start, but started losing my attention about a quarter of the way through. It dragged for me, and I found myself wishing it was 100 pages shorter. But the ending was disappointing, so I found myself wishing for more. No book will ever please everyone who reads it, and I'm sure this one will have plenty of fans.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this e-arc.

The Dark Between The Trees by Fiona Barnett is an impressive debut, but not exactly what I hoped or expected it to be. There are two narratives, which is something I love in historical novels. In the first one, we follow five women in the modern day who embark on an academic research trip to Moresby Wood. The other is set in 1643 and we trace the steps of the soldiers hiding in the same woods.

From the get-go we know there’s something sinister going around, and one of the women - Nuria - tells her companions and us the ghost story of Moresby Wood... In the both narratives, events quickly escalate, things are no longer what they seem, and it gets bloody and spooky. Although it all sounds like my perfect book, I didn’t like the soldiers’ chapters and found them really boring, even the gory parts. I really enjoyed the women’s chapters, though - the characters were well written, I loved their dynamic and interactions. Then again, although I would prefer the woods and the Corrigal to turn out to be something else than it was, I did like the ending. So overall, a mixed bag but an interesting premise and I will definitely look out for more writing from Barnett!

Thank you to NetGalley and Solaris for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.