The absolutely stunning cover for this book was what first caught my eye. The second was the prologue! What a way to set the mood and hook a reader in. Beyond the gore, we experience the real-life horror of PTSD, insomnia, and grief. I appreciate Alo for touching on this sensitive subject matter in a way that felt....real! Instead of being trauma porn, it created a very intriguing story and background for Curtis. Plus, I love cats and a creature feature so this was right up my alley lol.

Do I think that the pacing was a bit off in part due to excessive descriptions? Yeah, but it begins to pick up once you get further in. There was unnecessary lollygagging at some points IMO, but the sheer tension in the story kept me going when I was getting bored.

Hats off to Alo, I can't wait to see what else he does!

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4

Thank you to SNE Horror and Netgalley for the ARC of this thrilling story.

This one is a solid 3.5 rounded up.

The start of this book is INSANE and it really gets you both horrified and curious from the get go. There was a lot going on, but I think the chaos really added the tone to the story. Horror authors often try classify pointless gore as scary but I thought all of the blood and guts of this was perfectly unsettling and disturbing without being nonsense. The cover art for this is also SO awesome!

My main issue was with Curtis, who I struggled to really sympathize for (which might just be my personal taste in characters talking). I also thought the pacing kind of started to taper out with the use of unneeded details. There were also some grammatical errors such as "taught vs taut" when talking about rope.

Overall, this was engaging and it's a great read for anyone who loves folklore and monsters!

Fun and terrifying. Thoroughly enjoyed reading it, definitely interested in anything else the author thinks up and will be recommending to my fellow horror fans.

This was a fun, terrifying adventure that'll stick with me for a bit. The terminology was fantastical and I wondered if the author used a thesaurus, considering the misuse of words like pale for pail, taught instead of taut, and "emergency personal" over what should've been "emergency personnel." Despite the inconsistencies, it was still a great novel and I'm hoping for an audio version at some point.

The cover art work was great . I thought the characters were ok .story could have had better paceing . I would like to see more from J.J alo .Not a bad first book. Thanks netgally for giving me the chance to read this

While i didn’t find this as seat gripping as I’d hoped. I was still enthralled! The pacing was fantastic. And the characters had such well written personalities. The monster was an absolutely horrifying thought when I sat down to ponder things after finishing. Absolutely stoked to have gotten this arc!

✨Book Review✨⭐️⭐️⭐️ (2.5 stars rounded up)

The Street Between the Pines by J.J. Alo is an eerie debut that promises a blend of psychological thrills and supernatural horror. Unfortunately, while I love diving into new authors and genres, this one didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

The premise is intriguing – a haunted man returns to his childhood home and finds himself face-to-face with something lurking between the trees. There are glimpses of a gripping, atmospheric story, but I found the execution lacking. The pacing felt uneven, the plot underdeveloped, and at times, the twists required more suspension of disbelief than I could manage. Horror often asks us to stretch our imagination, but this felt like a stretch too far.

That said, I know this kind of storytelling will resonate with some readers – the eerie, creeping dread will scratch the horror itch for fans of Stephen King. Books are funny and ✨magical✨that way – what doesn’t work for one reader may captivate another.

If you love folk mythology, psychological spirals, and stories about confronting inner demons (literal or otherwise), it might be worth giving this a shot. I’d love to hear other perspectives!

Trigger Warnings: PTSD, death, and horror elements.

Thank you to NetGalley and SNE Horror LLC for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

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