A bit too dark for my liking. A horrific gothic novel. Horror lovers will love. The characters are well written.

Folk and cosmic horror have seldom crossed paths in such a beautifully written, time shifting story as The Dark Between Trees.
Here we have two tales, one of a regiment of lost soldiers, and one a group of university historical researchers, in the same desolate forest, in two different time periods.
Our story follows both groups through the terror of being lost, all while being stalked. Timelines converge and shift, adding to the terror for both groups.
The creep factor is high with this story, the stalking terror setting you on the edge of your seat and keeps you there. Connecting with the characters and realizing what you’re going to lose is a double whammy. You cheer them on, have hope for their victory, and feel every ounce of sorrow as they move through these dangerous woods. I highly recommend this if you enjoy folk, cosmic, or creature horror, as it touches on all three.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced reader's copy and the opportunity to read this early. Review has been posted on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

This novel beginnings well, but the two time lines and the replicated experiences of the two sets of characters become a little repetitive.

There are lots of characters in the two parties and this hampers characterisation, I didn't feel a particular connection with any of the them and that meant little investment in what happened to them.

The writing is creepy in places, but I couldn't help make comparisons with both Blair Witch and The Descent. There is perhaps too much supernatural phenomenon for one forest.

I was enjoying this book quite a lot until the ending. It was quite an intriguing page-turner, however the end of the book was so abrupt that it kind of let down the book as a while for me.

Unable to review at this time. Will review at a later date. I'm cleaning up my netgalley in order to review 2023 books. This book sounds delightful and will read once fully caught up on my account. Thank you for this opportunity! I look forward to reading this book!

This book grabbed me from the start. A group of women - who absolutely don't get on, due to their differing objectives, histories and perspectives - head into the woods to uncover a mystery. Supernatural or just weird science? We'll see.

It reminded me of so many stories that I'd enjoyed in the past, while forging its own path through the trees. 'The Descent', 'The Blair Witch Project', even Grimm's fairytales. From the moment these clever and capable women step past the treeline, we know that Here Be Monsters. It's just not clear how or when they'll appear - and in what form.

The tale is almost found-footage, with differing perspectives told in an easy and engaging style. Some characters are more likeable than others, and we see them develop and become wilder, more unhinged and less rational as time and space seem to warp around them. Then stories from the past begin to appear...

This book was great. I found myself losing hours in it as I rushed onwards.

And then it ended. Just like that. It stopped.

I understand that many found-footage stories finish in such a way, but I haven't felt so 'blue-balled' by a book in a very long time! What next? What happens to the survivor(s)? What was going on? Yes, I can form my own conclusions, but the ending was frustratingly abrupt.

No spoilers, but brace yourself for an excellent story that left me wanting more.

I had really high hopes from this book based on the synopsis. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to all that I thought it was going to be. I'm a really big stickler about the ending, and if you have a bad ending, it's pretty much end game for me. This book had an okay ending but there were a lot of things that didn't get resolved. If there was a second book, I would definitely read it in hopes of everything getting resolved in the second book, but so far there's no indication this will have a sequel.

Dark. Darker. Darkest. Fiona Barnett takes us through the woods, rather, two woods, shifting between each other, like they have been playing hopscotch since centuries.
From the Davies company of soldiers in 1643 to the all-women team of researchers in the 21st century - many have traversed through these woods but to no success.
Will Dr. Alice Christopher be able to figure out all the mysteries of the Moresby forest and particularly what happened to the Davies company? Did Captain Davies and his men survive the woods and return home centuries ago?
The best part of this book is the description of the woods and the happenings in them. Outstanding writing by Barnett, I could actually visualise parts of the wood and the ambience around me while reading. The historical and contemporary events are well narrated, in fact, this is an amazing historical account of the life of soldiers in the Northern part of England.
The only thing that I would have liked to know a bit more is the background of the women's' team and about their characters.
Absolutely recommended read if you don't care much about genres.

This book wasn't for me. It wasn't bad per se, the writing was good, and the story sounded interesting, but once I got into it I found it a bit boring. I can see where others would enjoy it, but unfortunately, I wasn't one of them. The split storylines didn't work for me as I would just start to get into it and then it would switch to the other and I would lose interest again. Oh well, you can't love them all.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for a copy of this book

The promise of mystical woods existing outside time, maybe a terrible creature, mortal danger and of course, folklore drew me in.
It pains me to say that after reading the book these are still the only elements worth mentioning, if even.
For my taste, the story lacked in the following departments the most:
- Characters: I couldn't even cheer for the women who ventured into the woods on a research trip. There wasn't much of a backstory, not much of a personality to anyone, or not enough for me, I guess. Half the time I had no idea why they were doing the things they were. Even after many weird things happening, the fact that they were stranded without any help avalaible and people dying possibly due to a dark creature, one of the protagonists was still thinking about her thesis due in six weeks. I don't think I would be, at that point. And my thesis is due in two months! As for the other storyline with the soldiers, I couldn't tell you who was who.
- The ending: There was just no payoff for me. I expected there would either be a terrible, gory, creepy finale or some great conclusion that explains in some way what the wood and the creature are about.

I definitely enjoyed this novel and will read more books by Fiona Barnett, but I think I was hoping for more. There was a definite overarching sense of dread, but I didn't feel it came to a great resolution. Some readers love stories that are a little more open ended, like I felt this one was. Don't get me wrong, I will recommend this to others, but I was just hoping for more...

Honestly, it's a 3.5 read so I rounded it up to a 4. SUCH potential here, and the build up was really strong. I was genuinely worried about some of the characters. It was definitely Blair Witch meets The Terror, which is vibes, but the woods inside of woods bit is where things got iffy. Still! I enjoyed reading it and would recommend it to others.

I was hooked from the start. I really liked this book. I liked the characters and the way the book was written. I wouldn't say it was scarry but it was intense and I never felt bored with the story. I liked how the two timelines connected to each other and you could follow how the experienced the same things without it feeling repetitive.

Rating : 3 out of 5
Blurbs :
1643: A small group of Parliamentarian soldiers are ambushed in an isolated part of Northern England. Their only hope for survival is to flee into the nearby Moresby Wood... unwise though that may seem. For Moresby Wood is known to be an unnatural place, the realm of witchcraft and shadows, where the devil is said to go walking by moonlight...

Seventeen men enter the wood. Only two are ever seen again, and the stories they tell of what happened make no sense. Stories of shifting landscapes, of trees that appear and disappear at will... and of something else. Something dark. Something hungry.

Today, five women are headed into Moresby Wood to discover, once and for all, what happened to that unfortunate group of soldiers. Led by Dr Alice Christopher, an historian who has devoted her entire academic career to uncovering the secrets of Moresby Wood. Armed with metal detectors, GPS units, mobile phones and the most recent map of the area (which is nearly 50 years old), Dr Christopher's group enters the wood ready for anything.

Or so they think

Thoughts : Horror, thriller, and mystery story with a questionable ending. The blurbs are good. The plot is also pretty good. Sadly, the ending is anti-climatic and there are some things that need explanation. Anyway, if you like horror books, you'll enjoy this book. Thank you Netgalley for the early ARC

I enjoyed this really unique storyline. The atmosphere created by the duel timelines is brilliant as both narratives walk through the woods. This story is definitely creepy and well written.

'If you go down to the woods today, or in 400 years time...'.

An accomplished folk-horror narrative with parallel present-day and civil war (The go-to period for this genre it seems) streams which gradually converge. Perhaps most interesting element is a sub-textual examination of how folklore and legend is gradually layered, over time, around a single element

The Blair Witch Project meets The Terror in this chilling novel. Told through alternative time periods and perspectives, we ponder the questions: What does it mean to be truly trapped? What happens when ambition outweighs safety? Is pride worth the ultimate price? Using the manipulation of time and space, the Dark Between the Trees is an unsettling journey which will make you reconsider your weekend hiking plans.

An suitably spooky tale, centred around mysterious goings-on in Moresby Wood (in northern England), which seems to have a life - or lives - of its own.

There are two narrative threads, centred around a group of Civil War soldiers and a modern-day academic investigation, which mirror each other pleasingly, to a dramatic and effective conclusion.

A welcome addition to the gothic folk-horror genre.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When you enter the woods in The Dark Between the Trees, your senses are heightened and you feel like something is lurking close by watching you from a distance and just waiting to show itself. The atmospheric writing is phenomenal and the dual timelines between past and present give the story a strong backbone. However, as much as I absolutely loved all the buildup, the end felt lackluster by comparison.

Horror fans should still give this one a read though because it is a haunted tale unlike any other I've read, but just prepare yourself that the end does not quite live up to the rest.

Fiona Barnett is a wonderful writer though and I am thrilled to see what this author delivers in the future.