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.

Huh, a cool book that takes place in the Yukon. Definitely not as wild of a ride as I thought we’d go on, based on the cover (so awesome) and synopsis.

Still… enjoyable and somewhat original, at least the setting is. I’ve read a few similar books with the familiar “bad spirit” energy in desolate frozen wastelands. It was nice to see the Canadian setting though.

This is one you’re going to want to read, for the cold imagery and intriguing story. The story of the original white settlers claiming the land from the tribe would be a more interesting story to read if the author is looking to write a prequel!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Wicked House Publishing for a copy.

Blaine Daigle's The Broken Places resembles Stephen King's Dreamcatcher if you take out the aliens, the character development, the lucid action sequences and the consistent mythology. Poor editing in this book resulted in confusing sentences, especially those in which the pace picks up and some action occurs. Awkward phrasing and very clumsy mythology make the plot seem very contrived, built as cheap scenery to emphasize the underlying supernatural concept. A disappointing ending caps off an otherwise unremarkable story, told with genuine enthusiasm.

Thanks to NetGalley and Wicked House Publishing for the ARC.

3.5 stars
I really enjoyed this. The descriptions were great and really set the atmospheric vibe. It was creepy and what I really like about the horror genre. I’ll be keeping Daigle on my radar.

My thanks to Wicked House Publishing, Blaine Daigle and Netgalley.
This story was initially a slow start for me, but instead of dnfing, I just kept on reading. Good choice!
I noticed that this story is being compared to The Terror (Dan Simmons) and The Ritual (Adam Nevill.)
Pay no attention to those lies!😜
This was in and of itself a fantastic read!
The only reason I decided to read and review this book was because of that book cover!
I'm not going to say what the big bad is, but because of that cover I hoped. I never, ever ignore horns!

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

I had to DNF this one. I really did not connect with the writing or the story. The author used far too many descriptive sentences and never really told me much about the actual plot. I felt lost in the scenery. I also had a hard time knowing which of the 3 main characters I was following at any given time. I really want to like this one but it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wicked House Publishing for the ARC.

This book was super atmospheric and spooky. I enjoyed the plot and the direction the author took us without going over the top.

Thank you netgalley for the arc! This took me a bit longer to get into then I would of liked but I did enjoy it. I would recommend this.

Longer review to come. I personally really enjoyed many aspects of THE BROKEN PLACES. The horror aspects were expertly built up and Daigle left me on the edge of my seat on multiple occasions. I was prepared to give this book a five star review based solely on how well Daigle built up the history of Ryne's family, his friends, and the past year that had left them so broken to bring them to the cabin in the first place. However, nothing is ever perfect, and closer to the end I realized that THE BROKEN PLACES was going to fall into several tropes that I dislike. The comments blaming the whole thing on the local native people rubbed me the wrong way (even if it wasn't indigenous in the first place) as well as how they made comments about paganism. I'm not comfortable with religions being blamed for things like that. Lastly, THE BROKEN PLACES ended in a way that I personally feel cheated with. I don't want to give spoilers, so I won't, but I just couldn't really get behind the ending. There was no satisfaction to it.

When I first saw this book as a "Read Now" on NetGalley, I passed it up as honestly, I haven't had the best luck with "Read Now" horror books from NetGalley. But then I saw an ad from Wicked House Publishing on Instagram for The Broken Places by Blaine Daigle and suddenly I had to give it a try. I'm so glad I did!

In the book's description they say it is The Ritual meets Dan Simmons' The Terror. Well, I haven't read either book but I've seen the movie The Ritual and let me tell you, it's not a bad description at all. But let's get down to our CAWPILE review...

Characters

I'm only going to detail our three main characters because they're the ones we deal with during the majority of the book. All three have their own baggage and each person's baggage is unique to them. I'm not detailing their baggage here because I'm not spoiling the book...

Ryne

Ryne is an interesting character - very broody, very moody. Once you have his backstory you'll understand why. I like him a lot, even though he can be a bit of an ass at times. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, just saying, he can be a bit of an ass at times. Or at least he seems like a bit of an ass at times. You'll meet him first, although when you meet him he's only 8 years old. But he's a fairly likeable character in spite of everything.

Shawn

Shawn is one of Ryne's two best friends. They've been friends since childhood and Ryne considers Shawn a brother. Shawn has baggage as well, but his is more of a physical baggage than mental - unlike his friends. Shawn is also a staunch believer in telling Ryne like it is, which Ryne needs sometimes. Just saying. I like Shawn because I'm the same way - I will tell you like it is if that's what you need to hear.

Noah

The third main character is Shawn and Ryne's other best friend - also considered a brother by Ryne - Noah. Noah has mental baggage stemming from an accident, that you will be told about. Of the three I found his baggage to be the most relatable, even though I've actually experience more of Ryne's issues than Noah's. But for some reason, I just found Noah to be a very relatable character. He has grit and determination and I love him for it.

Atmosphere

The majority of this book takes place in Ryne's ancestral cabin in the Yukon forests and it takes place during a storm. Throw in a creepy town with creepy people and animals in the forests who act strangely and you've got the perfect mix for a good horror novel. And trust me, this atmosphere is very, very unsettling. I have to hand it to Blaine Daigle, because he created an immensely weird, creepy vibe that stays with you throughout the book. Great job with the atmosphere.

Writing

I have to say, I find a lot of indie horror authors or horror authors published by small or indie publishing houses to have rather horrible writing styles. I mean to the point I can't finish the book because I can't get past the writing style. That was absolutely not the case with Blaine Daigle. His writing style flows smoothly through the story and doesn't detract at all from the story. He doesn't use $100 words or try to be fancy, he just writes what the story needs and that's it. It's a beautiful writing style that I'm hoping to see more of in the future.

Plot

The plot to this book is quite interesting. An ancestral cabin in the forests of the Yukon, passed down for generations that holds family secrets. A trio of friends going up for a weekend of hunting at said cabin. None of them realizing the horrors they're about to become a part of or that those horrors are directly related to the cabin and the family secrets contained within. It's a wonderful plot and easy to follow along with. It's just a great all around plot - not too complex, not too simple, and not to weird. It's just right. I love the concept.

Intrigue

This book will keep you guessing what's going to happen next. You'll want to keep reading because you need to know the fate of our characters. Putting this book down was extremely difficult for me - I only did so when I absolutely needed to do other things. The "now what the hell is going on" vibe is just perfect for keeping one entertained.

Logic

Things progress in a logical order, although I can't say everything that happens is logical. But it is a horror novel and logic doesn't hold a big place in horror. After all, the supernatural isn't exactly logical, is it? If a horror novel has a lot of logic in it, we have an issue. There are no issues with the logic component of The Broken Places.

Ending

The ending to this book was actually quite satisfying. While the epilogue made me think at first that perhaps there'd been a different outcome to the ending than I'd originally thought, that wasn't the case. But that was fine because I understood the concept of why the ending was what it was. I was a bit surprised about one part of the ending, but thinking back on it, it shouldn't have been that much of a surprise[mfn]It involves the appearance of a specific animal... which if you read the book you'll understand.[/mfn].

Conclusion

The Broken Places was a very good book. I highly recommend it to people who are fans of the horror genre of books or movies. If you've read or seen The Ritual, I'd recommend you check this book out. It has a lot of components of The Ritual but it's not the same at all. It's a really great book and I hope you'll check it out.