This is a great YA book that smoothly blends fantasy, suspense, sci-fi and romance. I definitely didn't expect the direction the book took but I really enjoyed it.

The premise of the book follows Dusty Silver and the strange things that happen around her after going into the forest. She slowly notices changes in herself and gently falls for a mysterious boy. However there's others out there who also experience similar changes and Dusty needs to figure out what's happening before it's too late.

Ruby absolutely smashed it with the setting of Black River and I love her writing style. The side characters were lovely I absolutely loved each one of them and Mali has a special place in my heart. Ruby also does an incredible job at depicting the emotions that characters feel.

It just felt like the pacing was a little off at some points and was a little slow for my liking.

Overall this is a fantastic debut and I will definitely be buying this book and recommending it to friends!

This one is a tough one for me to review - i struggled a bit with the way it was written, but also the way that it was written gave a good creepy vibe, in fact reading it before bed did give me some strange dreams. As a Young Adult book, I think its enjoyable for the younger end, the mystery at the end is definitely intriguing

Thank you Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read an eArc!

This book gripped me from the beginning! I needed to know what was going. I lost sleep so I could read this story!

I absolutely loved Dusty

What a beautifully written book! I was sucked in so quickly, if I had the chance I probably would have read it in one go.
It was a rare time where I found myself agreeing with the majority of the decisions of a 17 year old. The mystery of the story and trying to solve the problem made the pacing of the book really nice to get through, it went so quick.

4⭐️
" Either way, neither of them knows her fully. No one does. She wonders if it’s like that for everyone. If everyone is a stranger, even family. If living is just pretending, all the time, even with the people closest to us."

✦ TLDR
Big Vampire Diaries/Twilight vibes, but way better than both. Creepy, atmospheric and intriguing with a sprinkling of romance. This genre bending story is written like a poem and absolutely captured me!

✦ Writing
The writing of this book is more like poetry. The descriptions are so beautifully written that some of the creepier scenes actually gave me a sense of unease. I loved how everyone and everything was described in such great detail; I could picture the people and the mountain so vividly.

I felt everything the characters were feeling, the confusion, the fear, and even the love. In the end, many of the mysteries were wrapped up but just enough were left to keep you wondering and wanting. I cannot wait for the next installment!

✦ Pacing
My only issue with this would be the pacing, and I wouldn't even consider it a big issue. At times I just felt that the story was dragging. I didn't feel bored, more just wanting it to pick back up, which is why I can't give this too much criticism.

✦ Characters
Anyone who has read any of my other reviews knows I love side characters. So many writers just put them there as filler or plot conveniences - but not Ruby. Girl, you know how to write characters. Everyone, even the more minor roles, had beautiful descriptions and a level of depth. I felt connected to everyone and cared about so many of them. Thank-you for doing them justice!

✦ Romance
The romance in this book is so sweet and innocent. I love when the story isn't focused on a physical romance, but an emotional one. The butterflies, the chills, the confusion, it was just adorable and perfect.

A big thankyou to Ruby Jean Cottle and the crew at Simon and Schuster Australia for this ARC via NetGalley!

As it says on the tin. YA adventure featuring young female lead. Didn’t quite have enough depth for me. Definitely has an audience. Fantasy, Sci-Fi and romance. Thank you to the author. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

This was not what I expected at all, but without spoiling anything, I mean that in a good way! Let's just say this took an unexpected direction and I was here for it!

Firstly, the writing style was very easy - but not simplistic. It took me no time to acclimatise to the writing (which I sometimes need to do with new writers). Some of the prose was simply gorgeous - "The Milky Way flows like a luminous river in the darkness".

The story was engaging from page 1 due to the very quick introduction of the main characters and their relationship.
Characters are always the driving force in books for me, so when they are established with good dialogue early on, it's an instant hook for me.

I did go into this knowing it was a YA book, and I could definitely feel the vibe of that in the writing style and relationship aspects, but as a 51 year old male, this didn't detract too much for me and is the only reason this loses a star for me. I'm not the target audience and I get that.

But that said, it was a real page turner for me and it felt like it was fully fleshed out before the author put pen to paper. And while not a cliff hanger ending, it did leave me extremely excited to see where it will go if any future books are written. Great hook at the end there!

I don't want to go into the plot details, because I feel going in blind really helped my enjoyment of this. I feel the main plot element was kept out of the blurb, and when it kicked in, there was a palpable level of surprise from me that I thoroughly bought into.

This is simply a great book for anyone, and if you are into YA fiction, this is likely a 5 out of 5 for you.

Black River is a mystical and very well written YA debut by Ruby Jean Cottle. It blends fantasy, sci-fi, romance and even horror elements and it just works. The story follows Dusty who begins to experience strange occurrences and things happening to and around her after spending some time in the woods. She is a great protagonist - very relatable and likeable, and we as a reader experience the changes Dusty is experiencing with just as little understanding as to what is going on, which really helps with immersion in the story.

This book doesn't 'feel' that YA - it's quite haunting and some of the descriptions and things happening in the story gave me chills. The writing is quite poetic and Ruby manages to really create a world where you are always waiting for what is lurking around the corner. I really enjoyed this book, but I think it just missed the mark for me. I feel like the plot played out too slowly and almost with too much suspense and not enough delivery. It felt very gentle, which worked with the style of writing, but there wasn't enough action with the delivery for me. The pacing was a little slow, and this creates tension throughout the story, but I feel like there wasn't enough that evolved out of it for what the story was building up to. It is still a beautifully written book and I think fans of literary fiction will certainly enjoy it.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster (Asutralia) for the eARC of this book!

Thank you for the chance to review this book.

The story follows, 17 year old Dusty, who has an insatiable hunger and a growing connection she can’t control. The romance with Will kept it interesting and the relationship with her sister Opi I found endearing and reminded me of my sister and our own relationship, I like when books give me these types of connections. I also liked the depth of the characters and could definitely imagine the surroundings while reading, I did struggle to stay focused and found myself re reading pages around a third into the book, although that did pass and I still felt invested enough to keep going, to see how it would all end. Not sure if I will go on to read book 2 of this series.

🩷 Book Review 🩷
📚 Black River
✒️ Ruby Jean Cottle
💫💫💫💫

Thank you Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Australia for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book has you second guessing everything and when you get to the "WHAT, BUT WHY?" you will know what I mean.
As a debut author, I was hooked from start to finish. The writing is so unique, that I feel like I would've struggled if it wasn't as compelling as it was, I had to keep turning pages, I could not stop.

We meet 17 year old Dusty as she starts to experience some strange things happening with her unsatiable hunger and a developing connection she cannot control. This book has dark elements, there is a lot of blood, so if this is a trigger for you please be careful as the details are quite well detailed...
The characters for me was the best part of this book. They felt real, they reacted in a very real way to their situation and Ruby touches on character worries and anxiety so well in this book that it felt a part of the story.

I did get myself confused a few times with whose POV I was reading but that was sorted out about 25% in.

Oh and yes, there is a clifhanger and it is brutal.

If you love Vampire Diaries, read this book.

Thank you to the author and NetGallery for picking me to read this as a ARC.

Black River is a compelling story, This book with have you on edge. It's abit creepy in part's but you have to keep reading to find out more. It's thats kind of story once you open it your hook so be warned... I will definitely read another of Ruby's books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster (Australia) for the ARC.
Absolutely loved this book! Was hooked from the start and kept on the edge of my seat. The plot twists took me by surprise and I enjoyed the character and relationship developments. Ugh, it’s just so good!!
Can’t wait for more from this author.

Thanks heaps NetGalley and Ruby Jean Cottle for an early copy of this AMAZING book!

Man!! WHAT A RIDE!! From the get go, I was at the edge of my sit, couldn’t stop turning pages or thinking about it! It has been a while since a book has me so on edge!

There are plot twists that I didn’t expect, on this nowadays world that fantasy books have similar story lines.

It has heaps of thriller, sci-fi, fantasy vibes. For me is the three of them.

Made me gasp at times, made my heart hopeful and broken in several parts. Just perfection!

I would love a sequel!! I want to dig deeper into these characters and know what’s next for them

Ruby Jean Cottle you are a beauty! Thank you so much for this book! You have a great future ahead!

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Australia for sending me an advanced copy of this book.

Black River is a wonderful, atmospheric debut that really pulled me in with its eerie setting - perfectly matched to the creeping suspense. Cottle's writing is immersive, with a lyrical, almost poetic quality that made the story feel rich and textured. This book had the intrigue and mystery of an episode of Stranger Things, which I really enjoyed.

I liked Dusty as a main character. I found her smart, curious and careful in a way that felt quite real. The connection between her and Eli was interesting and it was nice to see this develop into something unexpected, although I did feel that their realisation about being the same came a bit too easily. There were a few slow spots where I struggled to stay engaged, but I'm glad I stuck with it.

I didn't realise this was the start of a series - I have so many questions! But I'm very impressed by this as a debut. Will definitely be keeping an eye out for book two.

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Black River is an atmospheric and often haunting read, with writing that leans more poetic than plot-driven. Ruby Jean Cottle creates a vivid sense of place and an undercurrent of something darker always lurking just beneath the surface. It’s not a traditional horror or fantasy novel by any means, but there are... elements. Let’s just say some parts veer into the uncanny, with a slow reveal that blurs the line between grief, memory, and something more eternal.

The story unfolds gently, sometimes a little too gently for my taste—the pacing dragged in places, and I found myself wishing for a deeper emotional connection to the characters. That said, there’s a lot going on beneath the stillness, and Cottle does a great job of creating a sense of unease without spelling everything out.

Not quite a favourite, but a moody, quiet novel that fans of literary fiction with a supernatural twist might appreciate.

Beautiful, well written, and gripping.

This book sucked me in with relatable characters and wonderful descriptions. I felt like I was there and found myself thinking about the location and characters during my day to day life, wanting to go back and read more.

It's quite balanced, but towards the end, I was ready to know what the hell was going on, and I felt like it didn't quite move quickly enough for me... until it did.

I still feel like there are some unanswered questions, or maybe it's just that I want to read more.

Thank you for this ARC copy from Netgalley. I'll be keeping an eye out for more by this author!

3.5/4ish stars! I am so here for this YA fantasy debut! Seventeen-year-old Dusty’s life in the mountains goes sideways when she starts changing- new senses, weird thirst- and then meets the mysterious Will in the forest. Slow-burn romance? Check. Dark, spooky vibes? Double check. And there’s a real tension as Dusty discovers chilling forces lurking in her shadowy hometown .

The world-building is immersive, the cast is compelling, and the romance is spicy but not overwhelming (). Think paranormal with bite- this one’s block-your-plans level good.

Massive thanks to Simon & Schuster Australia (and NetGalley if you’ve read the ARC) for letting me dive into this thrilling, atmospheric story. Already buzzing for the sequel!!!

Black River by Ruby Jean Cottle is a beautifully unexpected gem, set in a small town in the Adirondacks.

I usually gravitate toward darker, spicier reads, but this YA blend of fantasy, SciFi, and romance completely drew me in. The character dynamics are rich and believable—I especially loved the tension and emotional push-pull between the leads. There’s mystery, layered world-building, and just enough twists to keep you guessing (the ending genuinely caught me off guard!).

What really stuck with me is the way the FMC is evolving and I can’t wait to see how she holds on to herself in what’s clearly becoming a much bigger battle. Cottle’s created a world I want to come back to, and I’m definitely looking forward to seeing where she takes her characters next.

Black River’ is an unreal, utterly captivating debut YA novel that will have you on the edge of your seat thinking “WAIT WHAT!?”. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the blurb but when Ruby said if you liked ‘The Vampire Diaries’ and ‘Twilight’…. I was sold. It’s a sci-fi fantasy (with a beautiful sprinkling of romance) that follows 17 year old Dusty who begins to experience strange occurrences and things happening to her. I genuinely didn’t expect the story to happen the way it did and I enjoyed every moment of it. The setting, the vibes, the physical chills I experienced, IMMACULATE. Ruby Jean Cottle has definitely made her debut mark with this novel and I cannot wait to see what else she has in store for us.

This one’s going on the favourites list!

Black River is a modern day sci-fi fantasy (light on the sci-fi) with a splash of horror. It follows Dusty, a 17 year old who one week starts going through some weird changes that make her question who she is. She has a hunger she can barely control, especially around Will who she just started to connect with.

The writing of this book absolutely sucked me in. Dusty's connection with the land and the world around her to quite literally ground herself felt visceral in the descriptions. I could almost hear the sounds of the forest and feel the soil between my toes.

I do wonder what it is that I still really enjoy about YA books as I'm getting into my 30s, but I couldn't put this book down. It's very vibey, and reminiscent of The Vampire Diaries (TV show as I’ve not read the books to compare) but maybe a little less melodramatic. There's a dark overtone because of the plot (if you don't like blood, this isn't for you) and some quite detailed descriptions that had me completely invested in what was happening to the characters.
The teens all feel like real people, with their own worries and anxieties - and the way the author ties it all into what's happening just made for a perfect book.

If I had any critiques at all, it would be that the third person switching perspectives is maybe a little confusing a couple times throughout the book. I was able to get my head around them but I could see how it might put someone else off.

Absolutely fantastic debut, from an Aussie author - I have a deep hunger for the next book as that cliffhanger… I need to know where it goes.
Thanks so much to Simon & Schuster (Australia) for providing this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions in this review are my own.