Thanks to Quill & Crow Publishing House for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions below are my own.

Hyacinth lives in a small village that is haunted by monsters in the woods. The villagers do what they can to appease them, including sacrifices. Their behavior is monitored by the elders and punishments are harsh and swift to try to avoid the unpredictable wrath of those in the woods. Hyacinth dreams for more but is to be married off to an elder and sent to another village, a prospect that requires a journey through those woods. In her new village there are also monsters in the sea as well as the forest. She also realizes the people in this village are no better than the ones at home.

This one is dark and creepy. The monsters are an ever present worry and the villagers aren't much better. I had hoped we'd get a little more backstory on some of the characters and what and why they were being haunted but this was really more of a story to chill your bones than one to offer a clear resolution.

Read this one if you liked Erin Craig's Small Favors.

5 Stars – A Haunting, Lyrical Masterpiece of Folk Horror

The Bone Drenched Woods is the kind of novel that burrows under your skin and stays there. L.V. Russell delivers a gorgeously dark, atmospheric tale steeped in folklore, female rage, and eldritch terror. From the first page, I was completely hooked—this is a book that grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go.

The writing is utterly mesmerizing, with vivid world-building and an eerie, immersive atmosphere that feels both ancient and urgent. The village, the rituals, the ever-hungry horrors lurking just beyond the trees—every detail pulses with dread and beauty.

Hyacinth is a fierce, unforgettable protagonist. In a world that demands her silence and submission, her defiance burns bright. Her journey, shaped by tragedy, rebellion, and survival, is as emotionally powerful as it is terrifying. I loved every second of her voice, her choices, and her refusal to bow to a world built on blood and fear.

While the ending may feel slightly ambiguous to some, I found its rawness fitting—it left me breathless and aching for more. This novel is perfect for fans of The Witch, folk horror, and stories that revel in the dark magic of womanhood and vengeance.

L.V. Russell is now on my must-read list. The Bone Drenched Woods is a bold, beautiful nightmare—and I loved every word.

4/5⭐️ First of all, thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an arc of “The bone drenched woods”. I’ve enjoyed quite a lot of things from this book, mostly all the scenes related to the woods, the Deep and the Teeth. The only “negative” thing i have to say is that in some parts I feel it was confusing to know what was happening and to whom, or if someone was present or not (mostly the dog). Nonetheless i really enjoy books related to creepy woods with “things” lurking within, and i really enjoyed reading this book!

Haunting and unsettling, steeped in superstition and sacrifice.
This horror had me in a chokehold listening to the songs of the teeth.
I do hope that the inconsistencies in the last 50 pages were fixed for publishing though, I am giving those the benefit of the doubt because I loved this so much.

Interesting premise and it started off quite strong. However, I felt like this book needed to be fleshed out more. Little of the world was explained and there was not much in the way of character development or plot. There were also inconsistencies within the text. For example, her pet dog was suddenly missing and in danger of being drowned from the storm - when the dog had been with her, safe, during the storm in the previous chapter.

Overall while it was well written, when I finished, I was left wondering what the point was.

This is so well written and some of the best descriptive writing I’ve come across in a long time.
Even being set in third person perspective I felt completely immersed in the setting and was living in the same fear of “the teeth”.
The folklore horror is fairly new to me but after this I am completely obsessed.
An amazing read

Man, this was a disappointing read. With how great the cover and premise was, I was really expecting a chilling and atmospheric read. I didn’t get that.
Character development and world building is pretty much non-existent. You don’t find out the why to anything and foreshadowing happens and the is seemingly forgotten. Plot seems to be created to get people in certain locations vs the story happening organically, so it ends up reading for disjointed and piecemeal.
A lot of editing needs to be done and the timeline needs a hard look, because none of it aligns, and I don’t have enough fingers and toes to count how many times people’s noses touched when they got too close. The same phrases were reused over and over again.
Also, calling this a book with feminist themes is just wrong. The protagonist has zero respect for any other woman in the book and she herself does not but speak loudly and then let men follow through. There’s also a big difference between being outspoken and strong, and being whatever the protagonist is.


Many thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with an ARC and allowing me to provide my honest review

The Bone Drenched Woods
L.V Russell

Drawn in by the cover, this book did not disappoint. It gives you that dark, creepy folk tale vibes that gives you goosebumps as the reader.

This wasnt my typical read, but I still greatly enjoyed it. I enjoyed the tale that was told, even if i did wish it went a little deeper.

Great read if youre looking for something a bit different.

Do I know what actually happened in this story - no
Was I confused for 90% of the book - yes
Did I enjoy the confusion and WTF the whole time - ABSOLUTELY

Can I tell you what the end was about? No, I cannot.

Can I tell you what the deal was with either the Teeth or the Deep? Not a clue.

Did I enjoy watching Hyacinth go increasingly feral as her feminine rage increased? Heck yes I did.

I wish that I'd understood the very end a little bit better. Parts of the world were never fully explained, but since we stick to Hyacinth's POV, we never learn more than she does. I'm fine with that, but I would have liked to have my hand held a little bit more during the finale in terms of what to make of that conclusion. Other than that, I felt that the book could have used one more round of edits; there were some clunky moments in the writing.

Other than that, if the blurb and cover appeal to you, yes, you're getting some very dark fantasy with a side of religious trauma. While the violence of the story is very in your face, I felt like it had a purpose. It's Puritanical folk horror. I quite enjoyed the atmosphere and the relentless horror of trying to live in a world where nobody can be trusted to be kind. IDK, felt pretty relevant. The sister, Briony, was the worst, and reminded me of every woman I've met who gleefully upholds the status quo because at least she gets to have moral authority over *SOMEBODY.*

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC. Good for fans of Morgan Dante.

Thank you to Netgalley and Quill and Crow Publishing House for providing this digital advanced book! I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Atmospheric as heck! In this folk horror novel, we follow Hyacinth, a young woman living in a village that reminded me of Puritanical times (the dress and lifestyle) but that featured ancient wood and sea gods, Elders that wear masks made of real animal faces, and spooky protective traditions involving carved bones. The village Elders are in charge of meting out judgment and punishment for any wrongdoing, the threat of what lives in the woods constantly on everyone's mind. Hyacinth's father is one of the Woodsmen, a group of villagers designated to work in the forest, clearing paths and attempted to appease the eldritch wood gods with bone offerings.

After a life-altering decision, Hyacinth finds herself betrothed to one of the most fearsome Elders and set to start a new life with him in a sea village. They must first cross the dark woods to get there.

Overall, this book was eerie and displayed vivid dread. There is palpable folklore in which the woods, and later in the story, the sea become strong characters that drive the actions of Hyacinth and her neighbors. The author does a great job detailing the damp conditions, rife with chilly winds and the mercurial whims of the gods. There is rot in nearly everything, a miserable life controlled by fear and judgment. Ultimately, it seems impossible to win without sacrificing the very core of who you are: either the eldritch gods devour you or the Elders catch you in some committed act of sin.

It was sad to witness the forced transition of Hyacinth from girl to woman. It happened in such a jarring way, too soon for someone as free-spirited as I could tell she was. For the rest of the book, I imagined she spoke in a near monotone, that's how empty I felt she was. The light gone from her eyes. There is a dog friend character, also! Hyacinth shows more of a personality spark around the dog and it was sweet to see.

Toward the end, I got a great gothic vibe. It was the rolling mist, the crawling tension creeping from the woods, the freezing spray of the surf against the cliffs. Long walks in the dark, the stifling isolation. I applaud the atmosphere in this book and would recommend to anyone seeking a folk horror thrill set in a woodsy village.

4/5

I really loved this one and found it to be so unique. It was beautifully written, with lush descriptions, while being quite creepy at the same time. I don’t think I’ve ever read scenes so eerie in another book, it was phenomenal.

This book was so much fun to read and I adored the fact that we had a strong FMC for once! Such a fun read, I will be recommending this one to friends from this day forward.

“You will have to choose the teeth that feast upon you.”

This book sits heavy on me, I can easily see the past of a female ancestor in every woman living this book. Whether they burned, hanged, or were fed to some God for being ‘wicked’ ‘heathen’ ‘loud’ for being a woman with autonomy, with thoughts, and dreams, a woman who laughs and screams and doesn’t cower. Or they sat with the injustice and the rage all because they were born as the “lesser” sex.

Should we fear the Teeth? The unknown? Or the men who hold our lives in their cruel hands?

This is such a harrowing display of feminine rage, most books start with a woman filled with rage.

This book shows you how rage is born.

How far can you push a sheep into a corner before it sheds its skin and flays the flock?


I like to think Hyacinth ended up exactly where she belongs.

I was so excited to read this book. When I picked it up I was expecting huge character growth, Hyacinth growing into her feminine rage against the cult-like misogynistic community she’s grown in. Instead she just felt completely unlikable, and NO plot happened. I was also expecting more from the creepy atmosphere in the woods and world-building about what the Teeth and the Deep actually are. I think there was one or two scenes I liked towards the end where we got a glimpse of what the monsters? are but generally there was very little actually scary. I think this could’ve been a really good story with a lot more detail around the lore and an actual direction to the story.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, the author and Quill & Crow Publishing House for giving me an e-arc in return for an honest review. All thoughts expressed here are my own

The Bone Drenched Woods by L.V. Russell absolutely got under my skin in the best way. It’s one of those stories where you feel like you’re wandering through a dream—or maybe a nightmare—and you’re not entirely sure if you’ll find your way back out.

From the first few pages, I felt this quiet, creeping dread that never let go. The village, the forest, the rituals—it all felt so claustrophobic and oppressive. You can practically smell the damp wood and blood-soaked soil. I could feel Hyacinth’s isolation like it was my own, and the injustice of everything she had to endure made me so angry. She’s not loud or flashy, but her quiet defiance is powerful. I wanted to scream for her when she couldn’t, and I loved how the story didn’t treat her like she had to be a hero to be strong.

The horror here isn’t just the Teeth or the Deep—it’s the control, the silence, the way people convince themselves that suffering is necessary. That hit hard. There’s also this really subtle, beautiful thread of queerness and connection in her bond with Abelia, and I loved how tender that felt even in such a grim setting.

If I had one complaint, it’s that I wanted more. More pages, more backstory, more time with these characters. The ending came too fast for me—I wasn’t ready to leave, and I felt like the story still had things it wanted to say. But maybe that’s part of the point. Not all answers come neatly tied up, and that’s part of what makes this book stick.

This is one I’ll be thinking about for a while. If you like your horror lyrical, feminist, and soaked in folklore and grief—pick it up. Preferably on a foggy day, with a blanket and something hot to drink.

(I’d like to say that it lost points from a plot hole, however, I had an arc so I assume it’s been corrected before being published.)

Thank you so much Netgalley and the publisher/author for accepting my request to read and review this title!

This book is described as being a horror fantasy with gothic dark vibes, and I was so excited to pick it up, and this book did not disappoint.

The atmosphere of this book was incredible, I felt like the author did an excellent job at putting together settings and aesthetics that made the book FEEL dark and mysterious. L.V. Russell has a knack for descriptive storytelling, and for this reason alone I would pick up future books of theirs.

I also felt like Hyacinth was a intriguing and enjoyable protagonist. I often find in horror that the protagonists say and do things that I would NEVER do in the situations but she was great.

I've heard other people say this but this book reminded me a lot of Slewfoot, a huge compliment.

My only real complaint is that I wish the book was a bit longer, and went into depth on things a bit more. While a shorter story it just as capable of hitting hard, I feel this could have excelled with a little more build up.

The thing I love the most about reading this genre is that at first, you’re really not sure to expect. When I started this one, I felt a little bit unsure on whether I would like it or not but the further in I got and more started happening, I found myself devouring the second half of the book.

I will say that if you’re looking for something with world building and character development, that this one may not be what you’re looking for. It’s focused strongly on vibes and the horror aspects more so than deep storytelling, but I enjoyed that.

I wasn’t a fan of the relationship between the FMC and the love interest. I think a dark story like this really didn’t need that romance and I actually enjoyed reading about the progression between the FMC and her husband, I think toxic as it was, would have played right into the hand of this genre without shifting the focus to someone else. In saying that, it wasn’t the ending that I thought should have happened following on from that.

All in all, this was a great read and I am glad I read it!

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to arc read this book!

Thank you to NetGalley, L.V. Woods, and publishers for giving me this ARC to review. Although I have been given this arc, all reviews are my own.

Where do I even start with this eerie folk horror book? The thing I love about folk horror as a genre is the dark fairy tale vibe it gives, the intense atmosphere it creates with absolutely gorgeous writing that LV Woods hasn’t let me down on.

In this novel, we follow Hyacinth, a woman after my own heart. She’s a woman who, if the world screamed at her, she would scream right back. Hyacinth is a protagonist who deeply cares, but she refuses to conform and bow down to the injustice of the elders and men. She has no problem ‘sinning’, but if she’s punished, then those in charge should be punished too. We follow small cult like societies that are surrounded by natural horrors in the woods and the deep, making gruesome sacrifices to keep the hunger of the teeth at bay. While grappling with her community raised on fear, superstition, and sin. She refused to be quiet, bow down, and be the good, fearing woman the elder expects of her.

I love watching Hyacinth embrace her darkness and lightness and eventually find her place within it all.

Stunning read. If you’re a folk horror fan, this one is deeply atmospheric. Just like the hungry teeth, I devoured this story.

I received this from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a gothic horror story. it was well written, atmospheric and chilling. But to be honest, I wanted more. A lot happens at the beginning of the book and it sucks you right in.
The world building was done well and the world is immersive and brutal. hyacinth is the main character and we follow her through this world of the teeth and then the deep. She's an interesting character and her reaction to events is really what makes the book.
for me there was too much mystery with the teeth, the deep and the gods. There are some really good moments in the book that I enjoyed but overall, just not for me.

If you like folk horror with eldritch creatures then this could be the book for you! It's giving time period vibes of colonial, puritan USA but the descriptions of the woods and sea are reminiscent of the UK, very harsh and cold.
Hyacinth is a great character to follow through this weird world - she is not at all likeable but has great spirit and gumption and I did end up rooting for her. There are some terrible men and quasi-religious practices depicted in this tale and it's not hard to see the allegory here.
Some of the writing is, for lack of a better word, confusing - there were several times I had to go back and check if I'd read a plot point correctly as a character suddenly did something so unexpectedly, and actions happened so fast.
The beings of the Deep and the Teeth are terrifying and gross and you get just enough of a glimpse of them to be effective.
Really enjoyed this dark story, and will look out for more from this author.
3.75 stars