Three young men who are grieving the loss of their careers, a marriage, a baby, and faith, decide to do what men do and go into the woods alone to drink themselves stupid and shoot at things. The cabin is over 100 years old, sturdy, and absolutely isolated. It is perfect! That beats therapy right?
Before they even get there spooky unexplainable things start happening to them.
Then they get snowed in.
We had thundersnow last night so I figured it was the perfect time to dive into this horror novel. It was not. Do not read this during a freak storm.
These men could have literally taken some xanax and stayed home. They didn't have to be manly and head into a storm in the middle of nowhere. But they did- and it made a great story.
Thanks for the nightmares.

Spooky, scary, eerie and an overall fun thrilling ride. This book was amazing as the author was great at describing different scenes and people. Even setting the tone when you knew something bad was going to happen.

“They didn’t know exactly what was skulking in those woods, but Noah had looked into its eyes and knew it was beyond the realm of their comprehension.”

Do you know what is terrifying? The isolation of a cabin in the woods. Do you know what could make it worse? A winter storm… but there was more in those woods than wild animals and the snowy wind.

Ryne Burdette inherits a cabin in the woods and decides to take his two best friends for a winter hunting trip as a way to start again after his life derails. But when bad memories start becoming more than an echo from the past and strange things start to happen in the woods, Ryne starts regretting his decision.

Blaine Daigle’s descriptive writing style will be sure to transport you to the Yukon wilderness to the point that you won't be able to put the book down until you get some answers. Yet will also make sure that you really visualize the horrors that come upon the three friends.
And you will not be complaining about the lack of terrifying imagery on this one! But you will be thanking the mastery that the author has at describing horrendous scenes without exaggerating on the gory details.

The story itself it’s not a revolutionary tale with a brand new idea about the horrors of the woodlands, but it definitely is a good spin on a classic type of tale that we all love.

“The Broken Places” is sure to thrill any fans of stories passed in the woods and especially the ones that like the creeps of a good isolation tale.
A must read!

Thank you to Net Galley and Wicked House Publishing for providing me with an advance copy of The Broken Places.

The author’s description of the Yukon, and it’s cold, solitary, creepiness was spot on. I live in Alaska, and know of which I speak. I really enjoyed how well the descriptions of the setting and the people pulled me straight into the world of Ryne, Shawn and Noah. It’s not a long story, so it’s hard to go into detail, without giving away huge plot points, but bottom line is this is a story of three friends, whose lives haven’t gone the way they expected. They take a trip to the cabin that has been owned by Ryne’s family for years, and years, and well, things don’t go as expected there, either.

As I read, the story felt almost familiar, and then it struck me that it reminded me of early Stephen King, and that’s a compliment.

Wow! Thanks for the ARC Wicked House Publishing!!

This book is most excellent. So far the best book of 2023. Full of suspense, hints of indigenous lore and a whole lot of scary! I could not put this book down, I was all but drooling for whatever came next before I was even halfway. I also loved how the author was able to put a certain emphasis on the book's title by sneaking into the story in a few significant places. Bravo 👏👏👏

For fans of Stolen Tongues and The Twisted Ones!

This is the first folk horror book I have read and I’m not sure what I was expecting.
Blaine Daigle did an incredible job describing everything in this book. It was like I could see everything in my head without a doubt- made it 100000x creepier. I could feel the panic and the fear within each of the characters.
I was very excited to read a story with indigenous inspired legends but I think there was too many dead animals for my personal liking. But that doesn’t mean this story isn’t worth reading. If hunting and sacrificing animals doesn’t bother you then this book will be just fine for you. Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a wild ride!!

Lifelong best friends Ryne, Noah, and Shawn head out to Wolf’s Bone on a guys hunting weekend. Having suffered a recent loss, Ryne could use the time away. Shawn and Noah each have their own unfortunate pasts as well, which I thought brought another great layer to this story. Shortly upon arriving weird things start happening with the wilderness, the animals, and the townspeople. I think the author brought Wolf’s Bone alive with delightfully creepy descriptions. The town was its own character and I’m a sucker for a wintry snow storm backdrop. If you’re looking for a winter scare session, this book is the perfect escape!

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a story of family secrets. Of love. Heartache. Loss. Friendship. And something in the woods that has always existed. This is a great winter horror. The first half is a little slow, but it really builds up the sense of dread and the last half is a whirlwind. I loved that not only is this a horror story, but it also manages to really bring out emotions. I was so invested in the characters and each of their struggles and the depth of their friendship. When three friends go for a trip to Ryne’s family cabin in the heart of the woods, near a town full of people who act very strange, it all goes downhill quickly. Each of them dealing with a tragic history and hurting in their own ways, they only have each other when a horrific snowstorm strands them. Unexplainable things begin to happen, family secrets start to come to light, and they may not be alone.

What a tale! I loved it. This story is relentless in a good way - I’ve just finished it and I feel like I’ve been on an awful journey. Best take some deep breaths before I go any further I think…

So three best friends (brothers really) take a trip to the family cabin in the woods. Not the kind of place you’d go on holiday, this place is freezing. The cold is ALIVE, perfectly written. Something feels ‘off’ straight away and things just get worse and worse for the poor lads.

I loved that this book reminded me of my absolute favourite The Ritual by Adam Nevill. The feeling of being trapped and hopelessly lost is just the same, the descriptive writing is excellent. The full horror unfolds slowly but at just the right pace. So much happens with no let up, I just couldn’t put it down.

Big 5 stars! You should read this is if you love all the ‘nature gone wrong’ vibe - fantastic!

It is always great to be surprised by a book in a pleasant way and that’s how I felt with The Broken Places. I thoroughly enjoyed this fantastic read!

Suffering from the loss of his baby and the death of his father, Ryne invites his best friends Shawn and Noah to his family’s cabin in the Yukon wilderness. Unbeknownst to the two, Ryne doesn’t plan on going back to civilization with them and will be staying behind in the cabin.

But the woods doesn’t plan on letting any of them leave. There’s something lurking out there and soon they are going to find out that there’s no going back.

From the creepy atmosphere of the woods, to the isolation of Wolf’s Bone, and the strange behavior of the locals, this book has got everything for people who enjoy folk horror.

Ryne and his friends are relatable with each battling their own inner demons and facing their own challenges. Despite their differences and disagreements, they didn’t give up on each other and I was looking forward to them taking me along for the ride.

*Thanks to NetGalley, Wicked House Publishing, and Blaine Daigle for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

A tale of family secrets and an unknown entity in the woods, The Broken Places played with the feelings of isolation, lost humanity, and hopelessness. It was well told, atmospheric, and created an undeniable tense expectation of danger. It made me question the genesis of those haunted woods myths and, living in a relatively rural area, I had to get up and draw the curtains against the night. The story kept me hooked all the way to the conclusion.

The Broken Places is a dark, chilling and unsettling horror novel by author, Blaine Daigle. When I saw this one described as The Ritual meets The Terror by Dan Simmons, I grabbed it without much more consideration. And what a ride it was. The story follows three friends who are staying in a remote cabin in the Yukon wilderness that belonged to the family of one of the friends. From the very start this one will suck you in and not let go. The creepy atmosphere, isolated setting and likeable characters create a combination of horror that will leave you feeling dread alongside the characters. This one would appeal to fans of folk-horror. This author certainly knows how to write. I can't wait to see what they write next. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an arc.

This is one of the best folk horror books I have read in quite some time. I loved the setting. Cold, wintery woods is one of my favorite tropes. The animals were so mysterious and creepy. The way that each character dealt with his own trauma just showed how each of us tend to have different ways of coping. I loved everything about this book. The lore was a bit confusing. Just a bit. I didn't understand the offering and becoming the animal part 💯. That's the only reason I didn't 5 star this one. I felt that should have been explained a bit better. The lore is the most important part, when revealed , and should be 💯 fully understandable.
I left this story thinking I understood what was happening with the rituals, but not positive.
I felt like the ending left a potential for a continuation or sequel ( I truly hope)
This book will be received greatly, in the horror book community.

281 pages

2 stars

I must say that I didn’t really like any of the characters in this story. None of them seemed to have a personality. The pace of the novel was disjointed and wandered a bit.

The creepy parts of this book were really creepy. That was the only redeeming factor I could find.

I’ve read stories about creepy things happening in the Yukon before. It is a great setting for horror fiction.

I want to thank NetGalley and Wicked House Publishing for forwarding to me a copy of this book for me to read and review. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗞𝗘𝗡 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗖𝗘𝗦 |𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪⁣
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Ryne inherits his family cabin after the tragic death of his father and uncle and decides it’s the best time to go on a weekend getaway with his friends. All of them needing a break after there own griefs have become too much. But there is something very wrong with the woods near the cabin.⁣
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The Broken places was a fun horror novel to read I really enjoyed the creepy parts of the story and wish it had more off. There was definitely some scenes that had me absolutely creeped out.⁣
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Overall, I say if you’re looking for a chilling horror novel this is a good one! The Broken Places releases March 24th.

Many thanks to NetGalley, wicked house publishing and the author himself Blaine Daigle for allowing me to read an ARC of this fantastic book!
I loved the setting of this, a cabin in the woods in the middle of a snowstorm? Classic. Three men who have been through trauma going to said cabin in the woods during a snowstorm? Recipe for disaster, a very tense, creepy disaster that made for great reading! The characters were likeable, the plot was easy to follow whilst being tense and actually quite scary at times (big plus) I liked the family lineage aspect of the plot, and I definitely couldn’t guess the plot twists that were sprinkled in so overall I really enjoyed this.

Thank you for this ARC and in review I am giving my honest review!

It took me a while to finish this book because of personal reasons but when I was reading it, I was thinking about it consistently. This book was very immersive and wasnt too predictable (especially because its a cabin in the woods book and they all tend to follow the sane path). I havent read a good horror in awhile and I personally havent read anything from this author before but I am glad I chose to give this a chance. If you want something suspenseful and immersive with pretty good world building I highly recommend this

I was in no way paid for my review and its the honest truth

This is by far one of the best horror books I’ve read in a long me. Ryne and couple of his friends decide to spend few days at a cabin that Ryne inherited from his father. It’s located deep in the Yukon wilderness, far from the closest town and no cell recepon. The woods are dark, creepy and full of secrets and local folklore. The author did an amazing job with the details describing all the surroundings. You felt like you were standing right there with the characters experiencing what they were living though. Brilliant! I loved the idea of local folklore and all the legends of the area. It gave the book a mystical and eerie vibe. I highly recommend this book to any horror fans.

Thank you NetGalley, Wicked House Publishing and the author for ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Soo spooky!! I couldn’t put it down! Such an amazing book! I am so grateful to netgalley for allowing me to read this advanced reader copy

What a chilling read! Set in a cabin in the Yukon, the isolated land seems creepy from the beginning. Add in the small creepy town and weird rituals performed, it definitely would make me think twice about wondering the woods (or hunting alone). The animals just don’t act right, and it takes the friends being stranded in the cabin during a blizzard to figure out just what is going on. I thrilling ride.