Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this audiobook in exchange for my honest feedback.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this audiobook in exchange for my honest feedback.

If this review seems harsh, it is partially due to the marketing of this novel. This is marketed as horror, set in the forest, and it leaves a lot lacking here. Additionally, the voice of our main character is so young, that it feels just past YA, so this may be great for someone looking for a new age horror with more character than setting and plot. It's not done poorly, in my opinion, it's just a voicy familiarity that is not my favorite style, and I know it's quite popular for many.

For the first half of the book, we are following a character that is focused mostly on reflection of her current relationships, and this falls solidly outside of usual characters I like to see in horror. There is very little atmosphere. Jen thinks her father, reported missing, is still alive.

Then we get to the part past the midway point where we finally chase her Dad's journey into the wilderness with a bunch of characters that she doesn't like, and we don't, either, save for the magical forest attuned lady from a faraway land (Finland) who surpriiiiiiise has something in store for everyone later. The predictability here didn't bother me, though.

There is a section from about 80-95% of the book, where the ending shines. The journal of a lost man, the atmosphere, and the takedown of some of those who were involved and/or complicit in her father's death that were really creepy and well done and will have me coming back to check out this author's writing, but for this story, I'll leave it for others.

Jen left her small town in the North Cascades after her father, a forest ranger passionately working to save old growth from loggers, disappeared. When she gets a call from her estranged mother that her father's remains had been discovered, she does not believe he is dead and sets off into the woods to find the grove he was protecting with a group of friends and friends of friends, most of whom work for the logging company. Something is lurking in these woods, and they will not all survive the journey.

Horror is not my usual genre, but sometimes I love a good horror novel; it just has to be the right subject. With a setting that I adore (and have chosen to live near despite having no family nearby) and an intriguing premise, I found myself fully sucked into this book through every twist and delicious turn.

I did this as an immersive read, and the narrator added so much to the text. The fear, the accents, the horror: it was perfection!

I recommend this to anyone who loves the woods and sees how we all must work to protect them.

Thank you to Net Galley, RBMedia, and Recorded Books for the ALC. All opinions are my own!

DNF at 15%

When I saw the cover for this book and read its intriguing premise, I couldn't wait to start listening. Unfortunately, I'm several chapters into the book and the plot isn't holding my interest. Worse, I find the main character is obnoxious and deeply unlikeable.

I'm sure other readers will enjoy this eco-horror story, but unfortunately it isn't for me.

DNFing at 15% in. Unfortunately this is immensely boring so far. I cannot connect with the main character, she is insufferable. The affair aspect already started the book out on a bad note and the inclusion of politics of any kind is where I draw line in books. I'm reading to escape reality, not listen to anyone's soap box.

3.5 stars

I have enjoyed several of McNeil's YA novels and was excited for this mainstream horror debut. While I'm not finishing the read feeling wowwed, I did enjoy the concept and will be interested in future installments.

The protagonist, Jen, comes back to her hometown in the Pacific Northwest after several years in Northern California. The sense of place is strong throughout the novel, whether the characters are in their towns or in the forest, and this gives me hope for a strong atmospheric horror presentation in the future. Jen's return has a sad impetus. Her dad is missing and his remains have been found, but she needs to know more. That's how she ends up on a nightmarish trek with nightmarish people in nightmarish wilderness.

The setup is intriguing, and I loved the potential for an environmentally forward horror novel. That's not totally off base of what this novel is, but I'd have loved more focus on the environment/supernatural elements (there's a lot, but still) than on these extremely terrible characters. It was hard for me to get too into what was happening to the characters because I disliked them so much, but I was still intrigued by the ultimate reveals.

While there were some bumps, McNeil has a great concept and a lot of promise for future efforts. I'm looking forward to those.

How books that call women with French tip manicures lunch shift strippers are getting published in 2025 is beyond me.