I was captivated by this book.

It was haunting and morbid, full of metaphors and descriptive prose. While this style may not be for everyone, it resonated with me.

I could FEEL the hypnotic pull, the need, the fear. I could SEE the forest, the bodies, the monsters.

What an interesting read. Creepy and entertaining and thrilling. This book is unlike any other book I have read and I loved it.

This book was a perfect blend of horror and fantasy. It was dark and twisty with adequate amount of thrills to keep me hooked. The middle half did lose me for a bit, but all in all it was a good time. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, 47North and the Author Brittany Amara, for this quick and creepy Arc.
There were a few things that I really enjoyed about this book and some things that I did not like as much…it is definitely weird but I do enjoy creepy and weird haha!

Firstly, I LOVE the cover! It’s cool and creepy and it really captured my interest.
I loved that Jasper’s character reminded me of Stranger Things Vecna if he was infatuated with 11…he’s so evil and I love it.
Once they were in the woods I had to keep reading to find out what happened and was pretty hooked.
But some things kept distracting me, like the entire beginning of the book, it felt so disjointed from the rest. It really flowed more and felt like a different book once they were leaving the gas station but also, why does Jasper work at a gas station? I think it would make more sense if he lived in the woods and he broke down their car to capture Clara. I also thought it was weird that everyone was so unfazed by Jasper changing forms

This was such an interesting book! It's not a book I'd usually read, but I had a really good time with it!

I loved the mystery of it, and the characters. This book kept me hooked and wanting to read one more chapter the whole time! Really well written and the world building was good!

Thank you for allowing me to read this!

This book is weird.
And I'd be ok with that weirdness if I found the characters at all interesting. But for whatever ever reason I didn't like any of them. This started off right but quickly went down hill the further I read.

Eldritch horrors, romance, and twists that slammed me out of my seat!

This book took me on a wild ride through creepy woods I’d never want to get lost in—think spine-tingling mystery meets unsettling cosmic horror, with a surprising dash of romance. The twists? I legit gasped out loud more than once.

Sure, the prose got a bit flowery sometimes, but honestly, it was still beautiful—and the horror moments swung perfectly between creepy and gross in the best way possible.

And that ending… wow. One minute I was sad, then flip flip shocked, then flip totally mind-blown. Didn’t see it coming at all, and I loved every second of it!

Brittany Amara has carved her place in the horror genre with her novel “The Bleeding Woods”. The strong depictions of bodily horror and gore is just enough to both make you want to put it down and never stop reading until the last page. The writing is very poetic, the author uses a lot of metaphor and embellishing wordings to describe and convey feelings, at times it could be distracting but the fast-paced tone made it work. The main character, Clara, is interesting, intriguing and convincing in her duality. It was a storyline that made sense and had a satisfying ending. It was a very immersive story and each plot points had meanings and were coherent with the rest of the story.

The Bleeding Woods by Brittany Amara had incredible potential upon reading the description. I really enjoyed the overall plot concept and the commentary on ethical uses of genetic manipulation by the government. I also really enjoyed Clara's character for the most part. Her inner conflict and guilt over her parents death, her role in it, and whether or not she is human felt very real and emotional. I could understand why she was struggling and the actions she took because of it, even if it was frustrating at times.

However, I had some issues with the book that prevented me from being invested in the story.

First, while I see how this is a horror story, at times it felt more like a love triangle where the two male love interests were competing for Clara's affection, which took away from a deeper meaning in the story. I feel like there could have been more emphasis on the Clara's inner conflict on what it means to be human, rather than Jasper and Grayson (mostly Jasper) trying to eliminate the competition out of jealousy.

Second, the prose was sometimes overly flowery, which made complicated to read at times. It used a lot of metaphors and imagery, which at times helped illustrate the setting and emotions of the characters, but also lost effectiveness due to oversaturation. The middle of the story felt very slow to read, as there was little action. It mostly felt like Jasper lamenting about his obsession with Clara, which I feel could have been reduced.

Last, the characters other than Clara and Jasper felt very two dimensional. The characters of Joey and even Jade slightly didn't serve a purpose other than to put doubt in Clara's mind about Jasper. While Jade somewhat developed Clara's forgiveness with herself over her parents death, Clara mostly worked through that on her own after discovering the truth about her identity. With a little more character and relationship development, their characters could have been really influential in this book. I especially liked Clara's ode to each of them at the end, which would have been more impactful with more relationship development.

Overall, I think this concept was interesting and I enjoyed the ending of the book. The pace picked up, and there was more character development, especially of Grayson which I liked. While this book and the execution was not for me, other people may enjoy it!

A wonderfully morbid story. I was rooting for jasper and Clara the whole time. I’m so pissed that she got tricked and that she killed jasper in the end. I hope the rest of her life is something she loves for her instead of it being chosen for her. I loved this book, great horror, pretty great love story, and overall a really weird gory book.

**First Person ARC Review: *The Bleeding Woods* by Brittany Amara**

*The Bleeding Woods* is one of those stories that gets under your skin and stays there. From the moment I stepped into its blood-soaked forest, I knew I wasn’t just reading a horror novel—I was being invited into a myth, a nightmare, a reckoning.

What Brittany Amara has crafted here is equal parts folklore and fever dream. The woods feel alive, ancient, and deeply angry—and the horror isn’t just in the monsters that lurk between the trees, but in the legacy of violence and sacrifice woven into the roots of the land itself. The atmosphere is thick with dread, but also strangely beautiful in its brutality.

The protagonist’s journey was both terrifying and mesmerizing. I felt every step she took, every choice weighed against survival, grief, and a haunting kind of hope. There’s something deeply primal about the way this story unfolds, like it’s tapping into fears we’ve always had, even if we didn’t have the words for them.

What I loved most was how this book made me *feel* the forest—not just see it. It’s visceral, immersive, and unrelenting. If you’re drawn to horror that leans into the mythic, the feminine, and the feral, *The Bleeding Woods* is a gorgeously grim tale that lingers like a curse whispered in the dark.

I’m a big fan of a woodsy setting for a horror novel and the premise of The Bleeding Woods sounded intriguing, but unfortunately the story didn’t work for me. Rather than being a creepy horror tale, I felt like it was just the story of a dramatic love triangle with a bit of blood thrown into the mix. We get the perspectives of the three characters in this love triangle, but they were all written in the same style so it felt a bit flat.

As for the writing style, I really didn’t get on with it. Some of the imagery used to describe the horror was evocative, but I felt like the story was drowning in its own purple prose. Pretty much every single sentence aimed to be poetic, but I often found it to be awkward and clunky. Even if I’d been on board with the overwrought language, I think there was so much of it that it’d have taken me out of the story.

This was a solid 3 stars and duvet for me. I was brought in by the cover and then the description of the book.
I’m happy and thankful for the operation it’s to the ARC.
I found the story a bit slow in some places where I was waiting for it to continue. I also found it a bit hard at first to keep the different perspectives straight.
I did love Clara’s perspective the most. I thought Greyson and JS-7R interesting but not sure if it was needed.
I absolutely loved the twist of Grayson being an undercover agent and really felt for him. I also loved falling in love with Joey’s character and did cry when he died.
Over Al I think this is a solid debut and will be looking out for more by Brittany.

**Thank you Netgalley & the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.**

I want to be completely honest and say I DNF'D this book at 20%, which is something I rarely do but this book is not resonating with me.

This story seemed to show a lot of potential, I was very interested in the idea of superhuman experimentation and a horror within the Appalachian Forest, however, everything is just falling a little flat and the characters are not keeping my attention.

Jade, especially, feels like a caricature of a person. She was angry and hit things and that seems to be where she ends.

Grayson and Joey are dull and practically lifeless and Jasper just felt like the next dark book boyfriend wannabe, his introduction was what cemented my decision to not continue. I know lots of people enjoy this style of book, I'm simply not one of them.

Clara, however, I did find intriguing. She obviously had a lot more thought put into her than the others and she felt more rounded and real, if I were to continue this again in the future it would be for her.

The actual writing at times was difficult to get through, there were some sentences so strangely worded I had to read them a few times to try and understand what was trying to be conveyed..

I love the idea of an Appalachian horror, thriller. Unfortunately the execution just did not work for me. If this premise sounds like something you'd enjoy I highly recommend checking other reviews and making a decision based off of those as well!

The Bleeding Woods was a unique and gripping story of a young woman coming to grips with who she is and the control or lack of that she has.

I enjoyed the plot line and the twist that I really didn’t see coming. The only thing that bother me was at times the shifting of POV was not necessary. Yes, it is cool to see the story from other eyes, but at times it was just repetitive. I also didn’t like the chapters from Jaspers POV. There was something awkward about those chapters and I felt the shift to be jarring.

It would be cool to learn more about the past leading up to this story. There could be something cool to the more sci fi origins of this.

Overall, a fun read!

I really enjoyed it.
Creepy and fascinating.
I love this style of books.
Highly recommend for a read.

This book started out immediately very gripping, and just after the first few pages, I was hooked. What was revealed of the plot and the characters in the first 30% of the book, however, was not strong enough to keep me excited.

The writing style of this book was very tiresome to read. The author’s attempt to paint the scene often resulted in an over usage of metaphors that became redundant over time.

However, the story itself is creative and not your typical cookie cutter Romantasy. I would consider this book a Horror/Sci-fi romance. Not a fantasy.

I think as a debut novel, this book does showcase the potential this author has with storytelling.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

4.5 stars, rounded up.

The Bleeding Woods is like two stories in one due to how hard it shifts once all the basics have been revealed. Whatever you think is going to be the big twist around the halfway mark, I can assure you you’re wrong. It spins in both a completely original direction and one that’s filled with common archetypes.

You’ve got the White Knight, damsel in distress, enraged relative, and the innocent one. Once it all comes down to it, though, only one person can stand against evil. Think a chapter that’s reminiscent of Rey and Kylo Ren (not what they fight with, how they fight and the emotions they have).

The ending was pitch perfect, and not how most of these stories would have ended. Will the earth stay safe? Or will it crumble? Both are entirely possible.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

You got me… I judged an arc by its cover. And I’m so glad I did!! This was such an interesting experience, with eldritch horrors, romance, mystery, and some woods I would NOT want to get lost in!!

The twists genuinely surprised me, like gasping out loud surprised me, and while the prose did get a bit much at times, it was still incredibly beautiful.
The horror aspects were also perfectly haunting and make-you-wanna-barf disgusting all at once, depending on the context!!

Also omg that ending. My reading play-by-play was like aw that’s sad. *flips page* no way… *flips page* NO WAY. Did not expect that!!!! I loved it 😍

The Bleeding Woods is 'what if Anhialation had a predator toxic romance plot'. I would consider this less fantasy and more science fiction horror. Not that I hate that, mind you. I had utterly forgotten what the plot of the book was about and was scrambling to figure out what was going on. As a typical fantasy romance reader, I had to wonder if Clara and Jasper or Clara and Greyson were the end game. Let's just say, this is a horror novel and the ending is not what I expected.

Good news is, Clara does see the toxic romance that's happening. Bad news is most of this book has an emotional distance that made all the losses feel less powerful. Joey, the kid of the book is written rather woodenly and does not remind me of a kid at all. I got to the end of the book and was miffed by being told how sad people were instead of them showing their sadness. Also there are several places where logic is lept. Like Greyson's reveal was slightly telegraphed but I stil hate they shoehorned Joey and Jade in there. It was too unrealistic for me (and we have alien godlike beings in this book). The book was fine, but definitely a three-star read. If you like an attempt at serial horror like Anhialation, then this would be a fun quick read. I read it in under three hours.