Kosa is a fairy tale turned dark. An inventive retelling of Rapunzel in which a young girl is kidnapped by a witch and forced to live her life under the witches delusional guise. I enjoyed the book but did find some of the characters lacking depth or just thought they didn’t respond realistically in some situations. The story itself was well laid out and interspersed and kept me wanting to see how it ended. Durgin has a unique way weaving several different story lines together and having them come together beautifully near the end to give the reader a full picture.

Thank you to NetGalley, John Durgin, and DarkLit Press for providing me with a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.


So i am born in dubrovnik croatia (before it was called croatia but yugoslavia) so when I saw the title of this book I said to myself oh my god kosa is hair in my language! and right away thought this was a yugoslav story. Thank you for letting me read this i felt like i was back home. Im living in massachusetts now though but I came to the states when I was 3 born in yugoslavia. So this is what I wanted to say when I was going to put a review for this book! I def loved this book!!

This tale reminds me of baba roga(yaga) as well. The cover is so grim and scary but I love it! I love horror books.
It goes from Kosa's father in the beginning visiting this creepy old house to the tale when his girlfriend is pregnant and she is about to deliver and their baby has a lot of hair so they name her Kosa. I feel like anyone who has visited a witch have some kind of curse/bad luck on them. So some of the chapters start when Kosa is a little older she is with her mother in the woods secluded by everyone and everything her mother keeps her hidden away so they can do rituals with her hair because its red and there is a lot.

Kosa doesn't understand why her mom keeps her away. But she meets a boy and also the boy has some kind of curse after seeing her. Eventually all the kids go missing in town something dark is lurking around this was so excellent to read and so dark, This is a dark twisted repunzal type story just set in europe era. I totally was so scared reading this I loved it!

Kosa is a tale of hair, magic, and horror that will leave your heart heavy and your stomach churning.

Thank goodness our baby had me up every few hours while I was reading this. The lack of sleep prevented me from having longer nightmares thanks to this book. Well done, John!

Content Warnings:

There is a lovely content warning note at the beginning of the book directing readers to the back for more detail. This process is just perfection! Thank you DarkLit Press! For those curious before picking up a copy of the book, the content warnings include animal death, child death, cannibalism, emotional abuse, gore, murder, pregnancy, and violence.

Let’s dive in!

My Thoughts on Kosa by John Durgin –
Having just welcomed a baby into the world a few months ago at the time I read this, I fell right into these parents’ shoes at the start of the book. The poor woman… if my husband had dropped that truth bomb on me the day of the birth, I’m not sure I would have handled it nearly as well as she did, but I do know that arriving home from the hospital to a trashed place would have absolutely broken me! Of course, what happens next is so much worse.

Centering around an old woman who lives in a house in the middle of the woods, readers quickly learn that she is up to no good. Children keep going missing and no one seems to see the pattern. It’s children who arrive on vacation at a lake house who go missing, and their families either don’t make a fuss or wind up dead themselves.

What hold does this woman have over the area? And why won’t the young woman she keeps trapped in the house try to escape?

Readers are in for such a wild and terrible trip here. Every time I thought, “Oh no, we aren’t going there are we?” not only did John go there, but he went much darker than I could have ever imagined. One particular scene focused on a chimney is seared uncomfortably into my brain, and another scene looking through a keyhole has been on replay whenever I close my eyes.

To say things in this book are perfect nightmare fuel would be a massive understatement. The witch, the familiars, the grief, the Stockholm syndrome, the woods, the thin ice… it’s all perfectly terrifying. And that doesn’t even include what’s going on in the house… or the hair. My goodness, the descriptions of what happens to the hair…

I loved every second of this tale.

My Favorite Passages from Kosa –
*NOTE: SPOILERS IN QUOTES*
Proceed with caution.
He hated himself more every time he thought about what he was about to do, but what was new? He had the confidence of the weakest kid in gym class, dreading all the other bullies about to pepper him with dodgeballs.

He continued to speed up, the fog no longer scaring him the way it previously had. It was easy to look past things like that when real-life monsters were stalking you.

Heather was about to follow him but took one last glance back at the woods. An unsettling feeling came over her, and she didn’t know why. She stared into the darkness, half wanting something to show itself, so she didn’t feel crazy, and half wanting the feeling to just go away.

The charred, blackened body of Bryce swayed back and forth, hanging by the feet over the fire. His body slowly spun until his unrecognizable face stared back at her. She thought he was dead, and then he blinked, forcing sounds out of his shredded mouth. The low moans transitioned to an ear-piercing squeal. It was so loud that she didn’t hear the movement behind her.

“It’s time you learned what real punishment is, little girl…” She said it calmly, but that somehow made it even worse than when she yelled. The tone made Kosa feel as if thousands of invisible spiders were crawling across her skin.

If he thought it was cold in his bedroom, it was even worse downstairs. Maybe the central heating isn’t working? That wouldn’t explain the draft swirling around inside the house. His bare feet hit the kitchen tiles, and he thought sticking them in a mound of snow might be warmer.

Shadows danced around him, as if conspiring with the witch to stop him before he escaped.

The forest looked so beautiful from the attic window, but out here, it was terrifying. Every branch looked like a skeletal hand, reaching out for her with gnarled fingers. The frozen earth beneath her feet became treacherous, a mix of potholes and fallen limbs that threatened to trip her with each step.

My Final Thoughts on Kosa –
Horror fans…. Go grab this book immediately. The story is going to totally suck you in. Before you settle in to read with shaky hands, make sure you’ve locked all your doors and windows, and keep an extra eye on your kids and dogs!

And remember, don’t look the witch directly in the eyes!

This book was absolutely brilliant it was so addictive i couldnt put it down it had me holding my breath it was so intense the story just flowed so nicely the writing was brilliant the characters were believable it felt more like i was watching a film i could visualise the characters and the scenes i am so happy i got the arc for this because i would never of found this book as i hadnt heard about it from anyone but i will definately be recommending this to people in the book community i will definately look at the backlist for this writer so i can read more works from him i loved the plot it was just brilliant

This book exceeded my expectations! I live for a subversive fairytale, and this retelling of Rapunzel was raw, gorey, and kept me on the edge of my seat riddled with anxiety. I couldn't put this down even when I was gagging.
Content warnings are at the end of the book, so I would suggest looking there before you dive in, just in case.
10/10 no notes

“Mary had a little lamb.”

“Kosa” is a dark and twisted Repunzel reimagining story in which the author uses that to his advantage and turns everything topsy-turvy and bloody tangled.
I am not going to go into specifics about the book because I don’t want to ruin the novel with all of its twists and turns.
I heard a lot of good things about this novel going into it and it didn’t disappoint. It was a fast and easy read. You will not be disappointed. Go read it!

Thank you to NetGalley, John Durgin, and DarkLit Press for providing me with a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑺𝒉𝒆'𝒔 𝒂 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏...𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆, 𝑲𝒐𝒔𝒂 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒐𝒖𝒃𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔.

Myths, fairy tales, and folklore are some of the oldest forms of storytelling. KOSA takes the classic fairy tale of Rapunzel and blends it with Croatian mythology to create a stunning horror story that taps into one of our deepest, darkest fears...just what--or who--is hiding in the woods?

Told in four parts, the reader is introduced to a wide variety of characters who are all linked together by one man's desperate actions. This dark fairy tale quickly took on the tone of the original tales collected by the Brothers Grimm, replete with terror, gore, and foreboding.

This is not a bedtime story. This twisted tale will get under your skin and stay there awhile. So many thanks to the author for letting me read and review an early copy. Get your pre-orders in now. KOSA releases May 17, 2024, from Dark Lit Press.

Kosa is a young girl living in a secluded mansion in the woods. Her mother keeps her hidden, using her for nightly rituals that involve Kosa’s beautiful red hair. As children go missing and unusual deaths plague the area, it won’t be long before the outside world comes knocking

Kosa is a wonderfully dark modern retelling of the Rapunzel story. With gory and shocking moments you can easily see how well the dark fantasy of fairy tales and horror mix, and Durgin has done it so skilfully it is a little mind blowing. The characters are very well developed, you can feel their anxiety, fear and drive coming off of the page. The villain is complex and the book is really an excellent psychological study as well as a very entertaining read. I highly recommend it: I’m the brother Grim and Neil Gaiman would be very proud of this!

Thank you to Netgalley for an Advanced Readers Copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Kosa is a horror novel following Kosa who lives in a mansion in the middle of the forest. She must follow rules set by her Mother and doesn’t know anything about the outside world. This story had lots of twists and turns that kept me wanting to read more.

I really loved reading the book and if I could rate more then five stars I would. It was a very good read. The details and dialogues were really well written and kept me interested. I was never bored with this book and gripped from the first chapter. There are four acts in this book with different characters throughout but it never felt crowded as we read the story from different point of views which felt refreshing and easy to follow. Each character was obviously different with different tones and mannerism so it was easy to distinguish the characters.

I absolutely love horror and this was one of those rare few books that I can confidently say, I really loved and want to read it over and over again without getting tired of it. The book was so good, I didn’t want to stop reading.

Stockholm syndrome with a touch of Hansel and gretel. A heart wrenching tale that will leave you broken. All in all a fantastic story. The characters were vivid and made it easy to put yourself in their heads. This was my first read by this author and I will definitely be back for more.

On the downside of this. There were moments in the book where plot points were talked about multiple times. There were also some moments that felt unnecessary. This did drag me out of the book a little bit.

I kept hearing about and seeing Durgin’s name on FB touted as the new hot thing in indie horror, so I figured I’ll check it out. But here’s the thing with the FB horror scene—it’s a very tight, very friendly, very supportive community … that doesn’t seem to care all that much about quality. Most books sell on the force of personality and likeability of the author. It’s a popularity contest … like most things on social media. And, as with most things, mediocre things do well. Sad, sad truth. One my reading experience confirms over and over again.
And this book of Durgin’s was mediocre at best. Sort of like Rapunzel redone as a horror story about a witch. Cardboard characters, cardboard writing, and dialogue so flat that some of it would make AI chatbox seem versatile and lively.
There’s nothing wrong with the book technically in that the author gets the concept of plot, characters, actions, etc. One sentence goes into another, it’s all perfectly readable. But there’s nothing more to it. No ingenuity, no cleverness, and not much heart either. It’s all very, very basic.
If unchallenging, bland, forgettable horror tales are your jam, by all means go for it. Or maybe you’re really into witches … same. Otherwise, I really don’t think this one offers much.
Somehow, according to the afterword, this was somehow inspired by a Neil Gaiman masterclass, which I suppose just goes to show you that some things you cannot learn. Gaiman for all his faults is a wonderful, natural storyteller who can make a sentence sing and a story dance. Durgin, not so much. I’m sure it won’t stop him from becoming a well-known genre name or this book from selling like hotcakes.
This reader found it a waste of time. Thanks Netgalley.

ARC provided by NetGalley

What a wild ride! I can definitely say this one lived up to my expectations. Creepy, fast-paced, with just the right amount of gore. And an amazing finale.

You want a description? Rapunzel but make it horror. That's the basic premise, but there's so much more to the story.

I really think this is one for every horror lover to check out, especially those of us that grew up on fairytales.

I would like to thank NetGalley , Darklit Press and John Durgin for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Kosa.
Kosa is the first book I have read by this author although I have heard many great things about his works on social media. Firstly the cover is so eye-catching and I was intrigued from the offset
This novel had me reading into the early hours and right from the start I knew it was a story that was going to have me engrossed . By the end of the first chapter I already had a feeling of unease and a sense of trepidation.
I personally loved how the book blended together a modern approach to traditional fairytale and folklore. Whilst it sparked my imagination, it was also comforting in the fact that it was also so reminiscent to the stories that have been heard time and time again . It was a great up-to-date twist on a story we all know.
Whilst I don't want to give away any spoilers as it's a story that should be read to be appreciated, I would like to encourage all to pick up a copy . It was a welcome change from my usual reads and a tale that is going to stay in my mind long after the last page has been turned

This is a horrifying modern day fairytale that delivers a brutal nightmarish narrative that you won't be able to put down.

Elizabeth was just a few days old when her parents were brutally murdered and she was kidnapped. She's been raised by Marta, an evil old hag who's also a witch. To keep herself young, Marta needs to feast on the flesh of children and eat handfuls of Elizabeth's hair each day. Elizabeth, now named KOSA, is kept in an attic and her punishment for breaking any of Marta's rules are painful and swift.

When a man's nephew goes missing in the woods, he's going to be confronted with the terrifying reality that some fairytales are real and very deadly.

This is a fantastic novel that takes us through the life of Kosa from infant to teenager. Marta is absolute nightmare fuel as the evil witch and the pacing of this book is spot on. There's never a dull moment and the tension is palpable as the story progresses.

You'll have a hard time getting some of the imagery out of your head as the things Marta forces Kosa to do are enough to give you full body goosebumps!

I loved this novel and highly recommended it.

First, I would like to say thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of an arc of this book. This book was very dark, tense, and enjoyable. It is a very quick read. I will recommend it to any and everyone.

Another case of a dope looking cover with a name that is enough to get me excited. Then the book itself is just a middle of the road novel trying to be spooky. Didn't take too much time to finish but I'll probably forget it quickly.

Hey all! My goodness was this one good. A tense, ominous, draining horror take on Rapunzel with creepy cats, child abductions and a malevolent old lady. Great work to Durgin. Thanks for the ARC, and cheers!