I am slowly turning into a horror fan, but the book really needs to suck me in to actually finish it, and this one hit the nail on the head! The idea of a bog already is unsettling, add in the wonderful writing of Teagan and your apple watch will tell you your pulse is through the roof! If I didn't need to break to calm myself down at times, this wouldve been finished in one sitting!

I enjoyed this SO much. The atmosphere reminded me of when I was growing up (in the mountains of Appalachia, hot summers, muggy weather, small town vibes). If you’re into haunted bogs and mysteries and (spoiler?) cursed worms, this one might be the one for you. But, if you’re into haunted bogs any way wary of strong imagery, might step lightly, but I can say it’d be a good intro to horror for anyone new to the genre.

Really enjoyed the writing and imagery, and can’t wait to read anything else Teagan writes!

Not my thing at all I’m afraid. I hated our main character Mila and didn’t care about anyone else in this town.
I did not want to read another description of a damn bog. I get it. It is mad. Maybe since I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bog in my life (and if I have it’s clearly not memorable enough) I just didn’t fully connect to the atmosphere of the novel.
I found the plot to be super predictable and it offended nothing new to the genre as a whole. I found it convenient that the bad guy was the guy Mila also hated most.
I found the end super fast and there was no resolution afterwards.
I wasn’t a fan of the dialogue and Mila did nothing but insult people.
The romance lacked emotion and anything to make it really believable.
Overall this book was a slog to get through. That being said the lesbian couple was cute!

This was epic! Such a great storyline. I was hooked the whole time. I have not read this author before but I definitely will again. Thank you for an arc of this

This book was so haunting and creepy, and I couldn’t get enough of it.i felt unsettled and on edge the whole time I was reading this. Mila is an FMC I won’t forget! She was all over the place and twisted in so many directions but she was dedicated to her family. Definitely worth the read.

A definite favorite of 2025! This book is angsty and emotional, full of difficult topics—religion, belief, trauma of all kinds—and the way they are approached and explored came off very gentle while still giving the reader a great horror story. The characters were all flawed and real, making them extremely relatable. The big as a sentient character really caught me in the first chapter.

Highly recommend! Thank you, Netgalley and Turner, for an early copy of this great book! Opinions are my own.

A haunting tale of family secrets and something festering at the heart of the bog. Perhaps it’s done keeping secrets and the voices of the dead have started to reach from within the depths. A story that exposes the horrors of coming back home, the ghosts we never really bury and the pervasive rot of secrets. Gripping, grotesque and eerily beautiful.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲 | 𝐊𝐞𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐯𝐢𝐚 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐭 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐧 𝐎𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐚 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠

As a former resident of Upper Michigan, this book reeled me in from the first chapter.. I brought back the loneliness and nostalgia of my childhood, along with the fear and peace that te land could bring, depending on emotions. It was terrifying and compelling and I absolutely loved every single page. Going to head over to Amazon and download more from this author as soon as I see it!

Okay, I'm hooked—creepy bog stories are my weakness, and this one totally delivered. The eerie vibes? Immaculate. I was all in from the start. That said, the pacing felt a bit uneven in places, and the tone occasionally wavered between adult and YA, which threw me off a little. I would’ve loved a bit more consistency in that regard. Still, the overall experience? So good. Dark, weird, and totally my kind of read.

I came back to this title sooo many times before I applied for the ARC.
It's not my typical genre - in fact, the last horror book I read was a Stephen King when I was bout 13.
Something about this one was just calling to me tho0ugh, and I'm so glad I read it.
I spent most of the book giving my husband a heart attack with the amount of gasping, gagging and hiding under the hood of my jumper I was doing, but then the other parts were sweet and romantic and a great little respite from the general horror and suspense that was the rest of it.
I'm not sure if I will pick up another horror book, but I will definitely read a Teagan Olivia King one.
Her style of writing is intelligent, flows smoothly, descriptive in a way that isn't distracting, and the story she weaves is traumatic, angst filled, thrilling and pretty freaking gross. Enjoy!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to provide an honest review for this ARC!

4.5 ⭐, but rounded up to 5 cause I feel like it's well deserved

I reaaally love the atmosphere in this book, and the plot overall. I think it's a great horror book, however, I had a few issues with the dialogue. I really found the dialogue weird at times and it pulled me out of the story, reminding me it's just a book, I can't explain it. There is a particular dialogue where one character is interrogating (full on police interrogation) another character that was a witness to a weird occurrence and our FMC is conveniently getting all the information needed. But the vibes were vibing, so I chose to ignore this aspect lol

Overall, I am happy I picked this book up because I loved loved loved the the setting, the atmosphere, and the plot!

Thank you NetGalley and Turner Publishing Company for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion! Needless to say, as always, all thoughts are my own and I have not been influenced in any way.

4.5 stars!

Mila’s brother vanished three years ago. Since then, she’s fled her hometown and the family’s bog, scared she’ll hear his voice calling from the water, like the other dead do. But when her sister asks her to come home for her graduation, Mila returns—only to find out her sister has vanished too. With the sheriff doing nothing and the reverend breathing down her neck, Mila and the reverend’s estranged son are the only ones willing to find out what really happened to her siblings... and why more and more people are disappearing into the bog.

I read this book in a single day, that’s how obsessed and addicted I was! I honestly don’t think I’ve read anything quite like it. The vibes were actual perfection. Atmospheric, spooky, haunting, chilling, strangely beautiful. It gave me the same vibes as Your Blood, My Bones by Kelly Andrew, just monstrously beautiful. I admit, I was a little confused at times about what the hell was actually happening, but I couldn’t stop reading. I had to know what'll happen.

Mila was full of so much anger, rage and bravery that I could feel all of it through the pages. All the female characters who got more page time were incredible—fierce, strong, unforgettable. And Roe, the reverend’s son, my sweet boy, was such a gem!

The writing style fit the story and the vibes perfectly. It felt simple at times (bordering on YA and then suddenly swinging into something darker and more adult) but it really worked overall. I also loved how the book explored religion and religious trauma in such a unique way. And the plot?? So original and fascinating, full of twists and turns. It constantly kept me on edge. And the romance—oh my god. I don’t even know how to describe it. It was so tender and sweet, and so uniquely done. It didn’t overwhelm the plot at all, it was just the perfect amount. Still thinking about it!

I’m so happy I got an ARC of this (thank you NetGalley and the publisher!). I’ve wanted to read it ever since it was announced, and it was just as good as I hoped it would be!

Listen, if you can get past the first chapter you WILL enjoy this book. I love almost any book that is put in front of me but if it has culty vibes, I will eat it up and leave no crumbs. This was such an uniquely entertaining read that I am wishing this book would be published today so I can get all my friends and family a copy. This book will take you on a wild journey through grief and the five stages of it and will weave in love all at the same time. So so so good. Go read it. Thanks for the ARC NetGalley!

girls. i'm obsessed. i like scary bog books and i cannot lie.

the pacing felt just a little bit off at times and the mood kind of jumped from adult to YA a few times, so i'd rather have had more consistency, but overall this was a fantastic read

I can’t believe I almost DNF’d this book because of the first chapter that was from the Bog’s pov. It definitely got better and I loved the female rage within.

The mystery of it all kept me intrigued, and the fact that the Thomas girl and the Byron boy were giving off some Romeo and Juliet vibes with a dash of cult-like behavior from the Reverend and townsfolk made it all the better.

All in all, it was definitely an interesting, quick read!

This book is different from the ones I usually read and I was drawn to its cover. The story reads like a YA novel and a beginner's introduction to horror.
It follows Mila-May as she finally returns home only to discover that both her brother and sister are missing. The sheriff and reverend show no interest in finding them. Meanwhile Mila hears the voices of those who died in the bog that is alive.
A warning there is substance abuse her mother struggles with alcoholism and she struggles panic attacks.

Spit Back the Bones is, at its core, a haunting story of finding one's self amid brokenness and grief.

Mila, having lost her brother three years ago to the bog that exists on the edge of her hometown, travels home to see off her sister Agatha's last summer before college. When she arrives, she finds out her sister is also missing and probably taken by the bog. Unwilling to lose her other sibling, Mila begins to investigate the strangeness occurring within the town and bog and how both may actually be connected.

While the horror elements are ever present, peeping up at the reader from the pages, the main driving force is Mila, her connections and relationships to the other characters, and her growth. Be prepared for the focus to stay on Mila and her interactions and relationships. The revelations of the mysteries within the town and bog were mostly expected and guessed at, although the climax was pleasantly written and entertaining.

Overall, I would caution those who expect full-fledged horror to be lurking on every page and be the main focus of the plot.

What I Enjoyed:
- Mila is a very relatable and down-to-earth protagonist who is believable... even with the supernatural power she possesses
- lurking horror that has to be slowly digested
- non-human entities given light human-like qualities
- excellently wrapped-up plot

What I Believe Could Be Better:
- stronger horror elements as sometimes the horror seems benign to the main cast
- less foretelling of important plot points or twists that make them easily guessed, taking away from the punch of the climax

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an eARC!

This one reads smoothly, and I really liked the premise and eerie setting here. Unfortunately, I just wasn’t attached to the characters! I believe the audience is marked adult for this one, but it definitely read YA to me. Mila and Roe’s relationship didn’t really convince me, and I’d like to see the dial turned up on both the horror and romantic elements. But all and all, it’s still enjoyable, and I’ll keep an eye out for what the author does next. Thank you for the ARC!

I thought this was a really nice horror story, a great beginner story for someone who hasn't read anything in the genre. the descriptions really made you FEEL all the feelings, the lost, the trauma and the creepy crawlies!

I do think the romance was a second thought. it didn't feel like the two genres meshed that well together! which is disappointing.

overall it was a good read! very thankfully for NetGalley and the author for this ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley and Turner Publishing Company for this ARC copy.

I don't usually read horror so I'm not familiar with this genre, but this was a beautiful tale of loss, grief, rage (and oh did I love Mila's rage !), and love.

Teagan Olivia King's writing is gorgeous and gave me a very atmospheric reading experience. I could almost feel the dampness of the bog on my skin while reading this book.

The downside of this story, for me, would be the romance. I didn't really believe in their romance for a good part of the book. It got better in the end, but even though I found them cute together, I couldn't really feel the chemistry between them.
Also, there was a bit too much narration compared to dialogue, but it didn't stop me from enjoying this story.

It's a very haunting and eerie tale, especially for those who love character-driven stories, mysteries, and monsters lurking in the dark (and in the water).