3.5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This book’s writing gripped me and wouldn’t let me go. The plot was so interesting and unique that I couldn’t put it down until I got to the end. It was gruesome and thrilling, but also kind of disappointing in the end.

The twist was pretty predictable, given the nature of the POVs and the stories, and I felt it was stretching at times. I so wish that there was even more of a supernatural aspect to it all; I expected there to be but it wasn’t as much as I thought or hoped.

I felt Lucy was too naive and gullible at times, even though I thought she’d be less trusting because of what happened to her, but her super big attachment to Maggie irked me a bit. I liked Carolina a lot, and would’ve liked to know even more about her family and her father’s weird beliefs.

There was so much good (general plot, writing, characters) but there was also a lot of lackluster details, so I placed my rating at 3.5 out of 5 stars. It’s not a 4 star, but definitely not a 3 star (based off my own rating system), so 3.5 felt the best to describe it.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the e-ARC!

This book was so atmospheric and creepy! It was perfect for the spooky season. The last 10-15 percent of this book really gave me such anxiety though. My heart was racing and I kept gasping and yelling “NO!”

The twist was a bit obvious but, even so, it was done SO well that I didn’t care.

Erica Waters is definitely one of my auto-buy authors, so of course I preordered a personalized copy of The Restless Dark! If you're into true crime or interested in a spooky serial killer story set in a foggy mountain landscape, The Restless Dark is for you!

Here's the description:
The Cloudkiss Killer is dead. Now a true-crime podcast is hosting a contest to find his bones. Lucy was almost the serial killer’s final victim. Carolina is a true-crime fan who fears her own rage. Maggie is a psychology student with a little too much to hide. All of them are looking for answers, for a new identity, for a place to bury their secrets. But there are more than bones hiding in the shadows…sometimes the darkness inside is more frightening than anything the dead leave behind.

Waters is so good at setting a scene and making you uneasy. This book is no exception. I was drawn in immediately by the first scene in this book. I wouldn't say this is my favorite book Waters has written, but it was a perfect read for spooky season! Sapphic horror is definitely where Erica Waters shines! I can't wait to see what this author does next!

I am going to be really honest I do not know how I feel about this book. I thought the plot was lovely. I also enjoy the highlighting of the issue within the true crime community. I did feel disconnected to the characters, Lucy and Carolina. They did not seem to have enough agency in the story, except at the end of the novel. Additionally, their romance seemed a little unrealistic. If you are a fan of true crime then this is for you.

The more I sit on this, the more I realize how much I didn’t like it. The top review for this book says it started strong, but lost its magic along the way and I completely agree. I loved the beginning and thought this was probably going to end up as a 4 star read. But then the books dragged and I started to hate every character I came across. I’m disappointed because this was very atmospheric and had a creepy edge, but it just wasn’t enough to save it overall.

Rating 4/5
Plot 4/5
Spice 1/5
Writing 4/5
Character Development 4/5

[I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book]

“The Restless Dark” by Erica Waters tells the story of Lucy and Carolina in an alternating first-person POV. Lucy is the last victim of a serial killer, Joseph Kincaid, and although she gets away, she witnesses Joseph jumping off a cliff and disappearing into the fog of Cloudkiss Canyon. Lucy signs up for Killer Quest to help find his body to confirm that he is no longer alive. Carolina is struggling with guilt and fear that she might be a violent murderer. She has no memory of a traumatic past, however, this outcome haunts her.

If you like psychological thrillers and sapphic romances that are filled with twisted secrets and page-turning moments, this book is for you! This is also a solid mystery, horror, and serial killer book which is the perfect read for spooky szn. The plot is a bit on the slow-burn side and the writing style was interesting! Overall, great read!

I received this e-book via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. Lucy is the main character and only survivor of a serial killer. She remains haunted by the memories of that man and the fact that his remains were never found. A popular Pod-cast designs a contest for people to search for evidence of the killer's death in exchange for money. A group of people converge with their own agendas and Lucy also joins the contest to see if it brings her closure. I liked the elements of horror and I found this to be a very interesting read. There is a surprising twist towards the end with one of the character's showing their true,sadistic colors. Triggers: trauma,emotional abuse,PTSD

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a galley ahead of publication.

I'm a little conflicted about this story since quite a bit of it doesn't pass the Reasonable Person Test, aka, any reasonable person would LEAVE immediately. In that way the characterization just kind of went over my head repeatedly. The same goes for the relationships that formed. I kept asking why these physically interchangeable women were so taken with each other. I still don't really understand why Carolina stayed or cared.

There was also the fact that what initially seemed like a purely human conflict took on supernatural dimensions at a certain point. It wasn't bad, really, just sort of frustrating for me.

All that aside, the story certainly kept me guessing. That's mostly a compliment.

The actual writing of the book is 100% sound. I'm an avowed fan of Erica Waters' prose. 10/10, no notes.

This is a novel about a week-long scavenger hunt/contest to find the bones of a serial killer who butchered hikers in a creepy hiking area and presumably jumped to his death in Cloudkiss Canyons. The story focuses on three of the contestants. Lucy as a 17-year-old who would have been the serial killer's final victim before he jumped to his death 2 years ago, looking to put the whole thing to rest by finding his bones and proving he is dead. Carolina is a girl who is filled with self-doubt, believing her family's manipulations that have her thinking she is evil. Maggie is a psychology student there to write a paper about the true crime podcast community. This was well-written and creepy and raised some interesting questions about the public's fascination/exploitation of true crime. The spooky setting was fantastic. But I had a hard time with certain things. First of all, the whole contest itself is bonkers. Second, the sapphic romance vibes don't ring true. Maybe it's just me, but serial killer bone hunting while an unknown menace is lurking around doesn't say "sexy times" to me. Lastly, the supernatural elements kind of ruined it for me.

Sometimes I feel like Erica Waters writes books just for me. This was no exception, delivering pretty much everything I could ask for. This book is about two girls, one trying to find the remains of the man who tried to kill her, and one trying to find out if she’s as evil as her religious, abusive father says she is. Both girls are deeply complex, and sometimes are a little hard to root for, but Waters always flips it around, reminding us that they are just human.

This book is also a critique of the true crime community. It almost immediately points out its exploitative nature, but never fully vilifies it. Instead we see discussions of how to make the space better. While this book does point out the flaws in true crime fans, it always reminds us that there are real villains out there. The main villain of this came off as cartoony, and it was easy to guess that they were the bad guy. I don’t think that’s enough to turn this one down, though. The writing is so atmospheric and every twist and turn feels scary, even if we saw it coming. There’s a sense of dread throughout the book that makes it hard to stop reading, as is the case with all Waters books. Her writing is truly stunning, and in my opinion, is enough to carry even the weakest plot.

Overall, I adored this. It’s creepy, hard-hitting and atmospheric, and as bonus, we follow three sapphic girls. One is even plus sized! Give me more plus size survivors in horror! Anyway, can’t wait for whatever Erica Waters does next. She just keeps getting better

"Enter Cloudkiss Canyon at your own risk.

Sadie meets Wilder Girls in this unnerving tale about the struggle for survival, the twisted satisfaction of revenge, and the darkness hiding in all of us. From Erica Waters, the acclaimed author of Ghost Wood Song and The River Has Teeth, this mystery will haunt you to the end.

The Cloudkiss Killer is dead. Now a true-crime podcast is hosting a contest to find his bones.

Lucy was almost the serial killer's final victim. Carolina is a true-crime fan who fears her own rage. Maggie is a psychology student with a little too much to hide.

All of them are looking for answers, for a new identity, for a place to bury their secrets.

But there are more than bones hiding in the shadows…sometimes the darkness inside is more frightening than anything the dead leave behind."

True-crime podcast and a serial killer, I'm in.

This book wasn't quite what I was hoping for. I preferred Waters' two previous novels, though the atmosphere and writing of this (particularly in the first half) were first rate. I didn't love the readily-telegraphed twist and the ending.

Character driven readers will fall deeply for this twisty story.

The Restless Dark revolves around a macabre competition as contestants search for the remains of the CloudKiss Killer who jumped to his death but was never found. Hosted by a famed true crime podcast, the competition bring together an eclectic cast of characters who will spend a week roaming the fog laden canyon in hopes to be the first to discover his remains. You'll primarily follow three women, each with a unique and unsettling reasons to be competing. As each characters past and motivations get revealed you'll learn that things aren't always what they seem and that the journey for each isn't intrinsically tied to the competition.

This one truly threw me for a loop! I was expecting a heart pumping, edge of my seat, thrill ride and what I got was something decidedly more nuanced. Please dont get me wrong, there's certainly thrills and mysteries to be had but the multifaceted characters are the real shining stars here. The only thing that kept me from giving this five stars is that some of the character reveals felt redundant and overly driven home. This was likely to give the reader a shot at guessing the bigger picture but for my personal taste it felt a tad overdone.

If you love true crime and your characters with depth this might be the perfect fall read for your TBR pile.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced look in exchange for my honest review.

creepy woods + a quest to find a serial killers remains + queer love triangle makes for the perfect October read 👻

I loooved The River Has Teeth, so I was super pumped for a new Erica Waters book and this did not disappoint. I really enjoyed The Restless Dark! Even though I predicted what was happening early on, it was still a page turner and the characters were written in a way that makes it easy to become invested in how they reach the outcome! I usually can’t stand oblivious main characters (I’m looking at you, Lucy), but Carolina’s POV definitely made up for it. Also loved how it examined the dangerous extremes of true crime obsession.

thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

3.25 Stars. I really enjoyed how the book started but I thought it lost its magic along the way. This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2022 because The River Has Teeth, was one of my favorite spooky YA reads last year and it put Erica Waters on my must read list, especially when October comes around. I could not wait to read another spooky sapphic story of hers, and I’m a fan of her writing style so it’s just a good match in general. And while everything was off to a great start again, I found the mystery part of the story to be too predictable which took some of the fun out of it. It ended up being a case of still liking Waters’ writing but not caring for all of her story choices.

I thought Waters did really well with the whole setting. The atmosphere was this creepy and claustrophobic living fog that was well written and easy to imagine while reading. I found being in these wet woods with a deep canyon that anything could fall into and be covered over in fog at any time never to be seen again, had almost became a character in itself.

While I loved the setting, I had trouble with the characters. There are three main characters, I think 17, 18, and 19, and then quite a few secondary characters, all visiting the woods on a trip/contest to find the bones of a famous serial killer. Lucy, who was saved from the killer, wants to find his bones to know for sure he is really dead so she can move on with her life. I wanted to like Lucy but I really struggled with her. I understood that she was dealing with so much PTSD, and rightfully so, but she didn’t have much agency and it is hard for me to like book characters that don’t have that. I also didn’t care for how she treated certain people and I’ll leave it like that for spoiler reasons. Maggie, I wish she was written differently because I think it would have made a very positive difference. And finally, Carolina is where the book shined for me. I actually wished she had a little more of an edge because I think that would have worked a tad better, but overall she was by far my favorite character.

This book does have a sapphic romance and it does have a triangle. It’s funny when I was younger, love triangles used to drive me nuts. Well I think it is because the only ones I would ever read about were about one girl/woman stuck with a choice of two boys/men to decide between. So now that I’m older, I don’t mind so much reading about sapphic love triangles about ladies that have to choose between two other ladies. It is just so nice to actually see! While this was clearly a triangle, the romance ends up being mostly one sided. If we are going to do a triangle, let’s really do a triangle, instead Waters dropped the ball on the other leg of the romance.

The mystery of whom or what is happening is another part of the book I was disappointed about. As a reader we are not sure if there is a killer about or if there is something paranormal going on. If the Serial Killer is really dead, or if it someone we know, or is it the killer’s ghost, it could be just about anything because it is all one big mystery at this point. The problem is it doesn’t take long before as a reader you start to get pretty strong suspicions and I felt like things got more and more obvious which just ruins the fun. I think if Waters had just changed up a few things, it would have been harder to figure out and would have made the book’s fun level skyrocket. Even with my complaints, I was able to fly through the book because I enjoy Waters writing style so much that the book was an easy and comfortable read for me anyway.

TLDR: In the end, this was not a winner for me but it was still well written like all of Waters book always are. The setting is wonderful and perfectly alive and creepy. The book is an interesting take on the few podcasts that go too far into exploiting true crime stories instead of helping. I liked the premise and I enjoyed the first half of the book, I just thought the story lost its steam and that the mystery became too predictable. I would still read anything Waters’ writes and I would highly recommend The River Has Teeth, for a spooky, sapphic YA read.

An ARC was kindly given to me for an honest review.

*3.5 Stars*

I'm honestly still not sure how I feel about this book.
The word building was pretty good and I did feel like I was in those woods with the characters but I still had trouble connecting to them. i guess the characters didn't feel super layered to me and I had trouble truly feeling for them. Lucy felt so naive sometimes I wanted to shake her and Carolina's self loathing sometimes felt like her entire personality.
I also didn't feel the romance side of this book. I didn't understand how they caught feelings at any time during the book and that kind of took me out of the story as a whole.
I kinda liked the spooks and the setting but it felt a bit off the entire time and the magic system was a bit confusing.
Basically, I don't know what I thought and maybe you should read it and tell me what you think? I don't know.

I've been a fan of Erica Waters ever since I read Ghost Wood Song, and The Restless Dark is another hit! What I love best about her writing is the rural southern settings; she perfectly captures the natural rhythms and describes both the beauty and horrors of the landscape. In The Restless Dark, the characters are thrown into a gorgeous state park that is also extremely creepy and dangerous, with fog-shrouded cliff edges and haunting local lore. The unease that permeates the novel ramps up as the story intensifies, spurring the true crime fans towards dark and twisted actions. The manipulations and mind games, the hallucinations and nightmares, all reminded me of my favorite creepy parts of Hannibal. The characters are interesting and complex, with their own secrets and traumas. I especially liked how, during the course of the story, they get to talk about their different experiences with religion, family, and coming out (or not). Fast paced, unsettling, and well told, I would recommend to fans of horror, Southern Gothic, and true crime. Lesson learned: don't camp where the locals refuse to go.

After reading this riveting novel, I'll read any story that Erica Waters writes from this day onwards! The Restless Dark has the perfect amount of suspense, action and thrilling elements that kept me glued to my chair while I was gripping my kindle. I was living my best life when I was tagging along with Lucy, Maggie and Carolina as they tried to find a serial killer's bones in Cloudkiss Canyon. This author definitely deserves the highest of fives for bringing the characters and the sinister settings to life for me because I felt as though I was experiencing everything that Lucy, Maggie and Carolina went through and I had unrestricted access to their deepest thoughts and conflicting emotions.

This book was the perfect October read. I love the spooky vibe and the setting of the story. Very interesting story, I liked reading from the perspectives of people who were dealing with their trauma. This book has so many twists and it's so creepy. The mysteries of the book just keep you going and you need to know what's on the next page. I enjoyed it very much.

So twisted and deliciously creepy. I never quite knew what was going on or who to believe. Just as I would get suspicious of one person, they would die. Perfect mystery.