3.75⭐
This book was really well written in a sense that the vibes you get from the synopsis/cover is EXACTLY what you get in the book.

From the storyline, the horror, the conversations & banter, to the actual narrator - this was such a ride.

Thank you NetGalley and RB Media for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I was excited to start this audiobook, but I found it hard to follow. The parts of the book that were focused on the characters on the trail drive were good. The intense action kept me hooked, but every time the book ventured into the minds of the animals I found myself saying out loud, "What the heck is happening?" I did finish the story, but it just wasn't really for me. Now that doesn't mean that there is not an audience for this horror book. I definitely think there is. I've already added it to carts for my library.

If somebody asks me what book disappointed me the most this year, this one will take the cake. I tried so hard to love it but this refused to love me back. On paper it has everything I adore; its set in the great outdoors, has a queer protagonist and dead things coming to life. But oh goodness, the characters in this book is so shallow. In an attempt to appear mysterious, hardly any development takes places. The text is boring and repetitive, making the experience very taxing on the mind. Though the audiobook was fairly short, it felt like it was going on forever. I did not get to enjoy the voice of the narrator because I'd get distracted frequently. Belardes tends to info dump a lot in his books about various elements. It was evident how he talked about birds in his debut, The Deading. Here though, this did not feel very well done. It was super dry and lacking to evoke any strong emotion. I certainly expected more after loving his previous work.

super cool book. a little different than what I was expecting though. would try this author again.......................

I received this book as an audio and it did give an eerie suspense.
The journey begins with Greta the MC heading on a job to herd cattle to the canyon to clear her head but quickly spirals into a nightmare of ghost trains, undead wildlife, and ancient sky creatures. The canyon they traverse is soaked in blood and haunted by a legacy of violence and decay.
The pacing balances long stretches of quiet unease with bursts of horror, making it ideal for listeners who enjoy slow-burn thrillers.

DNF just didn’t keep my interest. Wasn’t bad and would recommend to others that would be more interested

"As each night passes on the prairie, the trio faces mounting supernatural dangers: a ghost train of the damned, wild animals walking alongside dead ones—and evidence of a gigantic creature in the skies, one that’s supposedly been extinct for eons. And Tiller may be hiding even darker secrets the further they go. Safety is only ten sleeps away, but Greta soon realizes that may be too long for all of them to survive."

I...I don't think this was a book for me. Bits and pieces were cool, scary, and just a little unhinged, but I think it was just a bit too...much.

I have enjoyed creepy Western-type stories, like Red Rabbit, before. Ten Sleep just seemed a little disjointed to me and I wanted to like it more than I did. The concept was cool, the characters complex, but it just didn't click for me. I really liked Greta and was invested in her survival, but it was just too much of a slog for me to thoroughly enjoy it.

I received a free audiobook copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

2.75 out of 5 (rounded to 3 stars)

If you're planning to pick up Ten Sleep, just know it's not your typical horror story. It leans more eerie atmosphere and western folklore than fast-paced scares. The animal chapters were beautifully written and added a haunting, emotional layer. While the pacing was slow at times, the themes and setting offered a unique reading experience.

I genuinely feel bad for the people who are unable to see the greatness in this book!! The author has a clear talent for bringing words to life on the page right before the readers eyes

The story concept is very interesting, I love the added history elements that make the book feel real, unfortunately the characters feel unrealistic and their actions are confusing, the main character is annoying and her constantly bring up Hannah is infuriating, even at the end I felt like she was only doing things for her.

I gave this book three stars because I was expecting a traditional horror story but the book reads more like a very slow paced lyrical tribute to the American West. It did have some creepy aspects as well as cryptids and Indigenous and Mexican lore.

The tension is frequently interrupted, causing any fear or unease built up in one chapter to dissipate by the next. The narrative alternates between Greta's perspective and chapters about wildlife, followed by lessons on the American West through Greta’s eyes, all while she fixates on her missing girlfriend, Hannah. When I first read the prologue, I expected something intense and gripping, a sense of being stalked or hunted. Instead, the story unfolds like a slow burn that just drags on without much momentum.

A missed opportunity was the constant barrage of questions without any real answers; making it hard to stay engaged. Rather than revealing one small answer that opens up new mysteries, it’s just question after question after question. It’s not until nearly halfway through that connections start to form, but by that point, I was struggling to not DNF the book; I only finished it bc I received an audio ARC.

The chapters focused on animals, particularly the ones about the coyote and the bear, were deeply emotional and heartbreaking. Those tended to be my favorite.

I think if you’re a fan of westerns or the American west, then you’ll appreciate Ten Sleep by Nicholas Belardes. If you’re looking for something that is more horror that is western flavored, this might be a bit much.

Thank you to RBmedia, NetGalley & Nicholas Belardes for the audioARC.

I am from Wyoming and this book interested me because of the title, Tensleep, because I am very familiar with the town of Tensleep. This book was very well written and the story line was great. The eco-horror aspect was very good and very believable. I loved the author writing from the different view points of the animals along with his main characters . The part I didn't like was the portrayal of Scott as a unwelcome black person in the tiny town where he grew up and everyone didn't like him because he was black. Wyoming can be and is backwards at times when it comes to cultural things, but when you are from a small town most of the time you are a "family" and not seen as a color. People are people and kids will find anything to pick on each other about, from names, to the clothing you wear, to your hair or eye color. That is normal kid stuff, but when push comes to shove none of that matters and they stand up for each other no matter what. I don't like our state, or any state, to be stereo typed. The other thing I didn't like was the gay agenda being pushed with out warning. I did finish this book even thought I usually don't read books that are homosexual in nature. I finished it because I wanted to write a review and didn't want that to be my only reason for not finishing. There are no kissing or sex scenes so I was pleased about that. I have nothing against gay folks wanting to read about that in their books, but as a hetero sexual, I want to be aware of what I am reading when it come to sexual orientation as well as graphic sex, graphic violence, or what type of horror a book contains. I am a big girl and want to be able to choose a book for it content, not because is has a stylish cover, cultural agenda, a popular author, or "is a box office movie/ now on Netflix". Thank you for allowing me to preview this audiobook and for reading my review.

What a captivating, skin-crawling all around eery read. All the positive things I did not expect to feel when starting this book. I did not expect it to have such a well written gore aspect, not overdone, just enough for you to feel the discomfort and edge that the characters are feeling. The magical, indigenous aspects of the book were just so good. This is such a good, powerful and unexpected way to express and share the impact that colonisers, ranchers, and white people have had on the indigenous lands. To personify the struggles of the canyon and to give faces to the anger and emotions felt and endured by the land was something that stood out to me. To have the multiple perspectives from the animals gave such a rich background into where they came from and how they fit into the story. A must-read for people who love and appreciate multiple POV's in a book, even if brief. It was so fitting and enriching to the plot. This was a very unique read for me, and you can see and carry the message the author wanted to convey to you without it having been carried straightforwardly. I do think that our main character's loss and connection with the relationship they lost and still seek closure for could have been connected to the story more concretely and made a much bigger impact; however, it was still such a good motivating aspect for our main character. All and all considered this is a book that I will not forget any time soon.

Rating on Storygraph: 4.5/5

Ten Sleeps is a lyrical, dreamlike audiobook that pulls you into a world of memory, emotion, and introspection. Nicholas Belardes’ narration is raw and poetic, making the experience deeply personal and immersive. A unique and haunting listen—perfect for fans of experimental, reflective storytelling.

I finished this book a few days ago and thought I had done this review, but I must have spaced it... I enjoyed this audiobook. The story pulls you in. I listened to it mostly at night in the dark while everyone was asleep, so it amped up the spook that this book is already full of. I loved it.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC opportunity.
I think I enjoyed this book? I know that sounds weird but that's honest.
I felt like I was a little thrown off in the beginning and then the chapters in the animals POV confused me, but as I continued to read/listen I was able to pick it up better, and the animal chapters started to become some of my favorite parts.
I don't know what I was really expecting to be the 'big bad creepy' in the story, but it sure wasn't what it was. lol.

If I could give the story 4.5 stars I would! My only complaint was the confusion in the beginning! Other than that this was a very original story about a topic I don't read often and I really enjoyed it! I might pick up more western type books now moving forward.

good pacing and mostly good writing, though some character quirks grew repetitive and annoying rather than endearing. Some memorably gruesome deaths as well as on point messaging about the current (and past) state of the world.

I have been trying to search for a truly scary book and I was hoping this would be it but unfortunately it fell a little flat. I thought it would just be me because the story has potential but seeing others reviews I am part of the consensus.

Thank you to RBmedia, NetGalley & Nicholas Belardes for the audioARC in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 3 stars.
Genre(s): horror.

Overall impression: I really wanted to love Ten Sleep because the blurb was so intriguing. But unfortunately, the pacing and repetitive inner monologue were really off-putting for me. We heard a lot about Greta's missing ex who may or may not have ghosted her. It didn't add much value to the rest of the story, so made parts of the book drag. The story was definitely saved by the world-building and complex lore surrounding mother canyon including the taxidermy/animal POVs, giant flying bird monster and ghost train. It had an open-ended conclusion which left me feeling a bit unsure on how to feel about it all. We went through a lot with Greta and it was a bit dissatisfying to not know what happened after all of the sacrifice.

Tropes:
➵ Cattle drive
➵ College friends
➵ Forced proximity
➵ Location with bloody history
➵ Taxidermy comes to life
➵ Stalked or protected by animals?
➵ Ghost train
➵ Giant killer bird
➵ Betrayal
➵ Animal & human sacrifice
➵ Open ending

⤷ Plot:
The main bulk of the story followed the trio along a 10 day cattle drive. It started off normal but slowly descended into madness with an increase in supernatural events, dying cattle and a progressively agitated drive leader Tiller. There were a few plot twists and betrayals along the way that I didn't anticipated and kept things exciting. But otherwise, it went along pretty steadily.

⤷ Characters:
I had a difficult time connecting with any of the characters. They were all flawed and spent a lot of time reflecting on the past but didn't go through much character development. Tiller remained standoffish and weird the entire book, and Greta thought about her ex that had ghosted her until the last page. By the end, I had stopped caring what was going to happen to any of them - so didn't feel much suspense or urgency, even when the horror was unfolding en mass.

⤷ World-building:
I thoroughly enjoyed the world-building. We got to explore a part of the world I've never been to before. The arid landscape with canyons, dried river beds and open plains was really interesting. Towards the end, I had a bit of difficulty picturing the cave system with interconnected paths and rooms, but otherwise it was pretty well explained.

The mother canyon lore was fascinating and spanned many generations. I wasn't 100% sure if the giant monster bird was 'good' or 'evil' by the end of the story. But I vaguely understood that the egg was related to the continuation of the canyon's spirit. The rest of the animals were fascinating and I loved the way the author changed the writing style to suit the different species. So much time was spent creating the complex world of taxidermy animals and it paid off.

⤷ Writing:
The pacing was slow and the story felt like it dragged on a lot. If the time had been used to progress the plot or for world-building then I wouldn't have minded as much. But the real sticking point was Greta's inner monologue which was really repetitive and seemed irrelevant to the rest of the story. She kept thinking about her ex-partner and wondering if she had been ghosted or if something had happened to her - but we didn't have an answer by the end of the book. It was brought up way too often and served no purpose, so it just felt like filler text.

I did like the multiple POV we got between Greta and the animals. It was interesting to put ourselves in the animal's place and see the world through their eyes. I also thought it was a great way to explain the taxidermy and mother canyon lore without info-dumping at the end.

⤷ Everything else:
I listened to the RBmedia audiobook version of Ten Sleep. I really liked the narrator and thought she fit the voice of Greta really well. Her speech conveyed emotion and you could feel the fear and urgency when the scenes became more gruesome. I probably wouldn't have finished the book if I were reading the print version because the pacing was so slow - but it seemed to work better on the audiobook at a mildly accelerated speed.

3.5 stars.

There were a LOT of creepy elements going on in this story! It reminded me of Beowulf, Lord of the Flies, Frankenstein, and for reasons I can't quite quantify, Annihilation, Oh, and the movie Lake Placid in a distant way. It had Indigenous lore, Mexican lore, and a bunch of cryptids I know nothing about. There's a whole "final girl" way about it, with everyone/everything being offed in grisly ways. And finally, I've been to Ten Sleep, Wyoming and Ten Sleep Canyon, which is one of my favorite places in the US, and thinking about this story taking place there is extra horrific.

I liked the story and the premise, but my tiny little brain had a hard time processing how many forces and creatures (good and bad) were out there threatening them and the cows. The flip in the end also confused me, and I was left scratching my head. I can't say much more without spoiling it so I'll just say it felt off. I think it was just a little too much for my senses.