In this bleak atmospheric book, horrors await in the woods, in the sea, and even in the villages themselves.

The world in here is dark. It's a place of cruelty and fear. Not just from the eldritch creatures in the woods and sea but the people themselves have sharp edges, willing to sacrifice family and friends for their own safety or, in some cases, for their own entertainment and stature.

After her father is hanged for a supposed "sin" she committed, Hyacinth is forced to marry a cruel despicable elder within her village. As custom dictates, they must now travel to a distant village to begin their married life, if they can make it through the woods unscathed. Because hungry bloodthirsty creatures do abound and they take what and who they want despite the people sacrificing each other to satisfy their hunger.

In their new village it's even worse. Hyacinth's willful and forthright attitude doesn't sit well and as townfolks start being eaten, they believe her to be a witch, a heathen, a heretic to their beliefs. Can she find a way to save herself from the creatures both unnatural and human alike?

I love that this book is set firmly in the world the author created. There's no "this is actually a dream" or other surprise explanations. This world is bleak, the creatures disturbing and horrifying, and it runs with feminine rage in the form of Hyacinth. This is a place where women are subjugated to men and anything less than compliance is a sin, worthy of sacrifice.

It's bloody and has a lot of fantastic characters whose narratives all make up the bigger story. It's a short novel also but the author used every word to stay on course and create this dread inducing folk horror- ish tale that you'll want to read through as soon as you start. I highly recommend it.
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Folk horror meets gothic horror in this short read. It’s creepy and odd. The FMC at times can be a bit annoying or frustrating, but who isn’t. It does feel more a book of horror for horrors sake at times, however, the writing is captivating. It draws you in. No one can say the writing style is poor, if anything.

This a book of superb fantasy horror atmosphere. If you wanted a book set entirely within the Wood from Naomi Novik's Uprooted, this would be a solid candidate, and that creepy wood is paired with an equally creepy ocean just for good measure. I loved the atmosphere of the town Hyacinth found herself sent to, and the building tension as the townspeople face the ever-growing threat of the Teeth and the Deep and become more and more convinced that Hyacinth is a witch whose sins have brought this (increased) terror upon them.