I honestly didn't think I was going to get through this one. I pushed myself just to hit 40%, and that was with the help of listening to the audiobook at top speed. At somewhere around 640 pages, this is a big boi that should have been edited down to half that size.

It is never my intention to be mean or rude about book reviews. I try to be honest while still being respectful of the author, their work, and their talent. They have accomplished something that so many dream about. So, that being said, I respectfully continue.

I found myself bored and frustrated, waiting for something horror related to happen. I understood the plot, and I figured out the significance and pretty much all that would happen surrounding the apples early on. While some bits of horror were mixed in along the way, it was one long week, month, (year?) in 6 or so character's lives (including back stories). It was tedious, neverending with few enjoyable bits for me to chew on.

Now, here is where my book rating jumped up a star. The end. I was happy that I pushed myself to finish this one because the ending was horrific, page turning, and even a little shocking! I really enjoyed it.

If this book was edited down to the more important parts of each character and the story and had that ending? It would be 4 or 5 stars,easily. But, for me, it was much too long with too many mundane details and boring daily life descriptions. And it took way too long to hit that real horror and excitement. So I gave this 3⭐️ for that ending.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to have an advanced ebook copy of this book. As always, it is greatly appreciated.

I enjoyed the overall story of this book. My only complaint would be that it was a little too wordy. Needed an edit or two to condense some parts that repeat the same thing over and over.

📕This book is going to stay with me for a long time. While I was reading it, I needed to take breaks and had hard time looking at apples😅. Not a good choice for apple season! Kudos to Wendig for creating a nightmare again simply with an apple scion
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📗Dan was an obsessed man. He had bit of an inferiority complex too. He thought he was fit to create his father’s dream thinking that he knew what it was but deep inside he thought the man who raised him was not good enough, ambitious enough to get what he wanted. Dan found the apple that could make him the “man” and make his daughter inherit an empire unlike himself. And what an apple he found
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📘When you are going to apple orchards this fall to take your insta worthy photos and pick millions pounds of apple you wouldn’t know what to do with, please make sure you are not falling in love with the apple you are eating, your skin and teeth are still intact, and your brain is still functioning correctly. Just saying!

I discovered Chuck Wendig when I read The Book of Accidents a couple of years ago. Some algorithm somewhere suggested it to me because I enjoy reading Stephen King. That algorithm was spot on! I ate up The Book of Accidents, went out and found a signed copy, and was determined to read everything I could get my hands on from Wendig.

When I saw Black River Orchard was being released - and learned that the story was based in Bucks County, Pennsylvania - I had to read it. You see, I spent my formative pre-teen years in Bucks County. I have a foggy memory of the area that blended nicely with the fictionalized version that Wendig wrote the story in. The land is rich and beautiful. Many of the people are also rich and ... I'll leave it at that! Let's just say my formative pre-teen years in Bucks County helped turn me into an introverted adult who doesn't trust that everyone's looking out for my best interest!

But this isn't a review of The Book of Accidents or Bucks County, this is a review of Black River Orchard. Stay on topic, Theresa!

As mentioned above, Wendig's world building is excellent. I was completely immersed in the surroundings while I read this book. His characters were also well developed. But I couldn't make myself care about any of them. That's a problem for me. I need someone to care about in order to care about the story. I found myself reading because I wanted to finish, not because I needed to know what happened to any of the characters.

One thing I loved about the book (which isn't for everyone) was the gore. The descriptions were cringeworthy. Some of the things these characters did were absolute depravity and it was all documented with such detail by Wendig. It was like I was right there in the thick of it.

I labored a bit over what kind of rating I'd give Black River Orchard. While much of it was so well written, it was still a little too easy for me to set down and come back to later. I didn't devour it like the characters of the book devour the Ruby Slipper apples, let's say. I seldom give half-stars, but I feel it's my only option here. I give Black River Orchard 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

I received a copy of the ebook in exchange for my honest review. The thoughts expressed here are completely my own.

"A small town is transformed when seven strange trees begin bearing magical apples in this masterpiece of horror from the bestselling author of Wanderers and The Book of Accidents."

We follow several POV's throughout this book as we learn about the Ruby Slipper apples growing in Dan Paxson's orchard. Everyone that tries this new apple becomes quickly obsessed and can't get enough. And the town of Harrow is quickly divided between those who eat the Ruby Slipper apples and those who do not.
At 640 pages and 22+ hour audio this book is chunky! With the multiple POV's came several storylines that took awhile to come together in the book. While I think this story could have been told in less pages, when everything comes together in the end I could see the magic in the storytelling. As the story starts off slow and a bit confusing, it is well worth the ride to see it all come together.

Thank you to @netgalley @PRHaudio and @randomhouse for the gifted copy of this book.

I've never read anything by Wendig, but I've heard good things. I liked the premise of the book, but I struggled with the book. The pacing dragged, and the book could've benefitted from a tighter edit, as it was just a bit too wordy. On occasion, the storyline seemed to go off on a tangent, which pulled me out of the story. However, there was far more political items that I expected or cared for, and it seemed very out of place. I read fiction to get away from what I can hear/read in the daily news. Adding to the unnecessary length was overdetailing, particularly about the apples, which became somewhat repetitive. And, after reading this, my enjoyment of apples has lessened. And there were a number of characters to try and follow. The frequent use of parentheses threw me off, as well. Perhaps it's his style, but it was a bit annoying.

On a positive note, there's a nice mix of horror and humor. There's definitely a creepy feel, more horror, to the story overall. I did enjoy the latter half of the book.

Are you judging me for sitting here eating an apple while I write this? Because you should be.

I loved Chick Wendig’s Book of Accidents and was so excited to get this one from @netgalley and it didn’t disappoint. The writing is real and vivid and casual but in a way that’s enticing and interesting. I love all of the parenthetical asides. Honestly haven’t read a book quite this creepy and chilling (and sometimes flat out gross) in quite some time. It’s a long book but didn’t feel that way- I actually loved the length so I wasn’t done with the story too soon.

I loved this book. It was chilling and weird and the perfect book to get into spooky season reading.

A wonderfully eerie fall read with a group of protagonists that you would be delighted to sit and chat with. My only complaint about this title is. The slightly long length but I would struggle to suggest what to pear down from this unique fall read.

Many thanks for the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

4 solid stars! The perfect Fall horror.

I really enjoyed this book. I’ve never read anything like it, which after reading as many books as I have, is an extraordinary feat. The characters leapt off the page and I can truly say I will never look at an apple the same. I actually finished the last section while drinking apple cider, which both brought me joy and freaked me out. The only reason for 4 stars instead of 5 was that I didn’t love the flashback sections. Make sure to read the acknowledgements!

This is one of my favorite reads this year! It's creative, fun and entertaining! Even though this is a long book, it didn't feel like it because the author draws you right in and doesn't let you go until the end. I would HIGHLY recommend this! Special Thank You to Chuck Wendig, Random House Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

BLACK RIVER ORCHARD
Chuck Wendig

Welcome to the mind of Chuck Wendig!

There is a small orchard of seven trees that grow the most incredible apples. In the small town of Harrow, the community eats from the orchard, and over time they begin to change.

What could go wrong if you indulge in one apple or a bushel?

This is the perfect book to read in the fall. It’s about apples, yes, but it’s about a whole lot more. There are apple hunters who deserve their own series, cults inspired by a movement with creepy induction dinners, and a social media influencer who refuses to be influenced.

It’s a uniquely modern fairytale.

BLACK RIVER ORCHARD feels like a Stephen King novel at times. The world it lives in is big, the characters are larger than life, and the happenings, are outside of the norm in the best of ways. The book is on the longer side, but I was entertained the entire time.

There are more than a few odd elements that make the reading experience feel both enchanting and otherworldly. I read the book over a weekend visit to southern California. Outside it was sunny and a perfect 80 degrees; inside the book and I were summoning Fall.

This was my first Wendig, but it will not be my last. I had a great time listening and feel good recommending to it to you.

Thanks to Netgalley, Penguin Random House Audio, and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for the advanced copies!

BLACK RIVER ORCHARD…⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The beginnings of this story held a suspenseful ambience and sense of dread upon being introduced to the cast of characters and the town of Harrow.

The setting and premise of this story was compelling and fascinating in its possibilities. The heart of the story revolves around an heirloom apple and its caustic effects. I enjoyed the symbolic nature of the apple being cleverly twisted to meet the needs of this plot and the dire consequences that follow.

With that said, the pacing of the plot and the characterization was exceedingly lengthy and impacted the drama and tension of the story as a whole. I appreciated the author's attention to detail and creativity, but this book did suffer from being prolonged a bit too far.

If you are a fan of Chuck Wendig, I have a feeling you will enjoy spending time with this story. If you are new to this author-like myself-then I would recommend getting a taste of this authors' style with a less lengthy selection of his work.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine via NetGalley for allowing me to respond to this book with my honest opinions.

5 stars / This review will be posted on goodreads.com today.


I may never look at an apple the same way again.

Dan Paxson’s father, Big Dan, wanted to be part of the ‘elite’ in Harrow. He was willing to do just about anything to be a part of the old boys’ club, but they wouldn’t have him. So when Little Dan has the opportunity to maybe become one of the special group, Crossed Keys, he will do just about anything to get in.

And it’s all due to his very special apple, the Ruby Slipper. Calla, his daughter, named it. It’s a black as night apple that tastes like heaven and makes the eater feel like a king. But it’s not just any apple. This apple has some baggage associated with it, as the apple aficionados are about to find out. Those who don’t eat the apple start to notice something really strange about those who do eat it.

Chuck Wendig does not disappoint with his story of a small town in Pennsylvania. Honestly, my skin was crawling during parts of this book. All in a good way. It was a fun filled horror fest of epic proportions.

Are you an apple lover? You might think twice the next time you purchase apples at the farmer’s market.

A small town is transformed by dark magic when a strange tree begins bearing magical apples in this new masterpiece of horror from the bestselling author of Wanderers and The Book of Accidents. Black River Orchard is written by Chuck Wendig. It is told with short chapters but is way too long a story for me. The first part of the book was interesting but the 2nd part was a little slow and the third part finally picked up for me. I noticed that the author was from Bucks County PA and that's where I live so I stuck to reading the story as I was interested in the different names he used for places in Bucks County. Such as; Plumridge for (Pennridge), Quaker Bridge for (Quakertown), Ramble Rocks for (Ringing Rocks), Harrowsblack for (Harrows), Heacock Salvage Yard for (Haycock Salvage Yard) etc. I especially liked the shout-out to Owowcow Creamery, an excellent ice cream store in Ottsville, PA. There were several POV's from the owner of the orchard, Dan Paxson, Dan's daughter Calla, Joanie, Emily and John. It is a horror/fantasy book and I would have loved it more if it was my genre. But it was a fun read for me with all the Bucks County places being mentioned!

I love Wendig's sprawling, interconnected lives approach to horror, and I think he's at his best in Black River Orchard. Is it bonkers? Yes. Am I glad? Yes.

This is a truly wonderfully bizarre book. Although my personal preference says that this book was much too long (maybe more like. a 3.5 for me in the end) and had some overly eccentric characters, I really enjoyed the way this thriller/horror was narrated and found myself laughing on multiple occasions at the way the characters handled the situations. The length of the book also gave it the development that a lot of thriller or horror books lack. This was a really great occult fiction that kept me interested throughout the 600+ pages. While some of the scenes made it difficult for me to deem them necessary to the whole plot of the book, this was overall likened to some of my favorite Stephen King novels and would be an excellent creepy fall read!

An author who continues to deliver mind-blowing themes in his books and this one starring "apples" is no different. It will make the readers view apples in a different way after reading this one. It starts off with mysterious apples appearing in a small town that end up causing more weirder things with its residents. This was both weird and wild if that can be considered a category by itself. Even if this is not a genre you would enjoy, I would suggest giving it a try. The only issue was that it could have benefitted a slight trimming but I understand the author wanted to develop the characters more and ended up with this length.

This book has an interesting premise—a mysterious heritage apple makes the eater feel amazing, but at what cost? Unfortunately, this book has more horror than heart and dragged on for so long that I started to lose interest. It was missing something. It does have a neat found family element and a great note from the author. It was just too gory and bizarre for me to love it.

Thank you to Del Ray and Netgalley for a free copy of this book.

Holy bananas. This book was absolutely insane, but I loved it. It starts off a tad slow, but then it comes together and this chunker feels way less chunky. Wendig brings us to a small rural town where an apple is wreaking havoc. People are addicted and the effects are horrifying. The writing was fabulous, and I thought the character development was well done. Wendig also puts us in the past for some chapters, or interludes as they are called in this book. These fill in backstory of the apples and town we are in, which add a lot to the story.

For those who don't like gore, this will not be for you. For those who love a good horror novel I highly recommend.