This book sets the tone right from the start with it's hauntingly beautiful yet eerie cover and I just love when the tone of the book is perfectly captured by it's artwork! This book is not for the faint of heart, it is a true horror novel that will have your skin crawling and your spine tingling. I read this book in the summer while camping, I suggest this setting for maximum creepiness but not for maximum sleep! From the get-go, this book hints at the ultimate outcome of their excursion, introducing the creepy elements right away.

Readers meet Clay, a geology student, who embarks on an adventurous journey when he discovers an uncharted rock face and calls upon an up-and-coming climbing influencer, Dylan, to be the first to conquer it. Eager to prove herself after a recent sponsorship deal, she eagerly accepts the challenge. Their set off into the wilderness of Kentucky to conquer the unknown territory.

The beginning of the book excels in building tension, with a series of peculiar occurrences that keep you on edge. Mysterious events, quick battery drains, strange sightings – the suspense builds unease in both the characters and the reader. The fear of the unknown is a powerful element here, a truly eerie experience. However, this tension doesn't last as the plot unfolds.

The second half of the book is more plot heavy, with a little less of the eerie feeling butt he tension is still maintained, and even the intermittent flashbacks don't disrupt the story's pace. Overall, the plot moved at a quick but understandable pace and the paranormal happenings were realistic enough that they were unsettling without taking the reader completely out of the story.

This book releases on January 16, 2024! Thank you to NetGalley and Quirk Books for this ARC!

This book is a tale of two halves. After an intriguing prologue, the first starts out rather slow, dragging for quite a while as the characters putter around with their hiking and rock climbing and the reader is left wondering when things are going to pick up and kick in. Well, that certainly happens in the second half, as the creepy valley and its ghostly inhabitants make themselves known and our intrepid explorers meet their fate (which is given away in the prologue, so no spoilers here, it's a matter of finding out exactly what happened). Solid ending mostly makes up for the slow start and turns this into a worthwhile read. 3.5 stars bumped to 4 for the terrific second half. Thanks to Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was one of the surprises of 2023 because I enjoyed this book a little bit to much. This book is a solid book that I couldn’t put down for a while. It had me hooked, I loved how the author knew how to manage the pace and with tension making it a brilliant book to read this month. I love the eerie town vibes and the ambiance of this book. It took me lots of effort know what was reality and what wasn’t but in general was a solid good book and definetly will be reading more works from the author. Thanks to the authors, quirky books and NetGalley for the access to this ARC

I had to DNF this at 68%. I’m grateful to Netgalley for providing me with an arc, but this book feels like misery for misery’s sake. It has the grossness of The Ruins and Cabin Fever combined and I found a few spots of head hopping (changing POVs in the middle of a paragraph). I usually love Quirk Books, but this just wasn’t for me.

I wanted a climbing horror (my son is a competitive climber), and this ended up just being an Eli Roth movie.

I loved this book. The pacing was beautifully done, the prose is impeccably crafted, and the characters are sculpted and shaped throughout the novel expertly. I appreciated the setting-as-character throughout this novel, and the claustrophobia and fear that the setting brings to this story is incredibly done. A must read for fans of nature or survival horror.

This is a very fun survival-horror romp. 100%, that's all the recommendation it needs. We don't often get romps handed to us that tick off so many boxes, so jump in! Don't stress about the details.

A few important trigger warnings: animals, infants. (view spoiler)

I enjoyed the setting and rock climbing elements (a fun flair), appreciated that at times that forest got gothic as heck (describe poisonous plants to me and I'm set, really), and found the way the horror engaged with various characters and settings creepy, claustrophobic, full of doom, and effective in building unique characters despite limited screen time. The book balances just the right amount of detail and ambiguity. It may not be the kind of book that I'll think over again and again, but it is the kind of book I'll recommend often to friends looking for a fun, solid, weekend horror read.

This cover is stunningg! And the first chapter will pull you in completely.

I was captivated by the first half of the story. The mysteriousness of the valley really gripped me and had me on the edge of my seat, tense with anticipation.

Quite gory and descriptive with body horror if that’s your thing. I wouldn’t recommend reading while eating!

I was really intrigued by the past stories of the Earth, and I wish we would’ve gotten more backstory, but thought that it was super interesting. I also love that this novel is the bones of true events which makes it all that much more creepy.

I can’t wait to see what Jenny Kiefer puts out next.

Thank you to Netgalley in the publisher for an early copy to review my honest opinion!

This book has such a wonderfully creepy premise. A group of colleagues/friends goes into the wilderness to chart a newly discovered rock formation and be the first group to document and climb it. Oh, and the rock formation may or may not exist. What?! Sign me up! I knew I had to read it. The characters are fleshed out and I enjoyed their relationships. I will mention this book is quite gory. I did have to skim a bit towards the end as the descriptions were so descriptively gory… I couldn’t have that in my head. I absolutely recommend this book. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a different kind of horror book. Loved the spin on the infamous Dyatlov Pass incident. This story had great pacing and just the right amount of suspense to keep you reading late into the night.

In her electrifying debut, Jenny Kiefer delivers an absolutely terrifying knockout. “This Wretched Valley” is a grim venture into the wilderness inspired by the real-life incident of Dyatlov Pass. Our heroine Dylan is a climbing enthusiast who, with her friends and boyfriend, discovers a seemingly untouched cliff-face in the Kentucky wilderness and plans to be the first to scale the new distance.

Three bodies are discovered months later, but Dylan is missing. A hunt for the truth ensues, based upon disturbing livestreams and messages, along with unsubstantiated reports of Dylan seen in the undergrowth. Questions rise as to what truly happened in the dark and wretched valley and what has become of Dylan. But the land itself may be a more malevolent force than ever anticipated.

From the start, Kiefer is a master at building suspense and dread. From the first pages of this novel, she shows a fantastic command of language and is well aware how to use careful word choices to propel the story in a terrifying manner.

Kiefer’s absolute love for horror positively shines through in this book. The familiar story of a mysterious and undiscovered region is given a fresh start throughout the story. From the start, the reader thinks they know exactly what they are in for, as the end is predetermined. The author ensures the reader is very wrong.

The lush and beautiful descriptions of the woods contrast with the absolutely grotesque depictions when Kiefer lets her most horrific side shine through with aplomb. She is clearly an adoring fan of body horror and lets her love for it shine out.

This Wretched Valley is a must-read entry that will go down as a necessary addition to the horror canon. Though the valley may be wretched, the book is nothing short of beautiful.

4.5/5

Kiefer’s debut novel is a great nod towards The Blair Witch Project leading with the discovery of three bodies and one that is missing. We are then transported back in time to see what occurred.

The plot moves along and brings you into the past as we get involved in how the bodies ended up in the various stages of odd decomposition. This masterfully handled and Kiefer keeps the intrigue, horror and overall mystery in high gear. Providing a Handel and Gretel feel as the four people are lead to the cliff wall as the forest become more sinister until they hit the clearing.

The characters are well put together though my favourite character ended up going first which I would have loved for them to survive but this is my own personal attachment. The descent into madness is so well handled. The ending is done well and not sure if it could have been handled any better.

This is a haunting novel that is an excellent read and can’t wait to see what this author comes out with next. Highly recommended.

Thank you to Quirk Books and NetGalley for giving me this eARC!!

(3.25 stars)

While this wasn’t a stunning, life-changing book, it was a pretty fun read.

I appreciated that the book started off the back letting us know that the characters died. It heightened the curiosity I felt towards how they ended up dead.

I thought that the first part of the book did a great job at building up the dread. I wasn’t necessarily scared by the spooky stuff, but things were very, very tense. I did think that the spooky stuff was somewhat unique, but I wish that there had been a bit more backstory on why the scary stuff was happening.

I really liked Luke and Sylvia. Clay and Dylan were abrasive, but I did understand where they were coming from and why they acted the way they did.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quirk books for this opportunity to read rate and review this arc which is available January 16,2024!

This was a pretty solid debut. The reader is given a real glimpse into the descent into madness, desperation and fear. I give it 3.4 ⭐️. It is a wilderness horror novel that really reminds me of the Dyatlov Pass incident. There is psychological horror with supernatural elements.

Thank you Quirk Books and Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A survival horror reminiscent of The Ruins by Scott Smith. This book was terrifying and suspenseful from beginning to end. The tension build up in the first portion of the book was set up so perfectly, I ended up binging the first half of the book in one sitting just to find out what happens. None of the characters are likable but this is clearly intentional to make certain scenes almost feel rewarding. I am so impressed with this book, I’m giving it a well deserved 5 stars.

This Wretched Valley is horrible and awful and I LOVED IT! Quirk Horror Books are always my favorite and this holds true.

This story follows Dylan, a mountain climber who yearns to be the next biggest star in the rock climbing world. After her friends tell her about a mountain that has never been officially tackled, she feels like this will be her big break. However, things start to derail from there. Nothing is as it seems and it is no surprise when the body count starts to rise drastically.

I really enjoyed this novel. I feel like it starts you off in the thick of the events. You start the novel finding bodies in various stages of decomposition (or is it?). This sets a fast pace for readers to determine exactly what is going on. I hit about 50% through this book and had to finish the rest in one setting. It just suckered me in and would not let me go. This book's storytelling is just next level. To me, this book read like a House on the Hill. By that I mean, this story unfolded before my eyes like a movie. I felt transported to this horrific rock face and felt just as hopeless (and confused) as our main characters.

Don't get too comfortable because this story taught me to expect the unexpected. Perfect for fans of any Quirk Horror, Echo by Thomas Olde-Heuvalt, and found footage horror.

The opening chapter of Jenny Kiefer’s This Wretched Valley perfectly sets the tone for the rest of the novel: mysterious, weird, and gory. Months after they first went missing, the remains of three people are found in the woods, with the fourth person still missing. But the state of their remains defies explanation. We then jump back to figure out how these people met their grisly fates in a great slice of supernatural survival horror.

The setting really stole the show in this book, from the eerily magnetic rock wall to the mind-bending woods. The characters often make frustratingly stupid decisions, but that often happens in real life, plus the valley is messing with their minds. This is a fantastic debut and I’ll be reading whatever Kiefer writes next!

MY REVIEW: 3 Stars

The cover of the book pulled me right it, I mean it’s awesome! Unfortunately, I didn’t love the book. I thought the premise sounded awesome and the creepy, gory, weirdness of the forest was awesome…BUT, what took it from a higher star rating from me were the characters. I didn’t really like any of the characters but the dog and Sylvia. Also, don’t bring your dog to places you’re working in the woods and second, if dog is freaked out you need to be freaked out and get out!!

I’ve seen plenty of great reviews for the book so read it and decide how much you like/love it.

**Thank you to Netgalley and Quirk Books for a digital copy of the book.

Mel

This was such a cool concept for a horror book! The intro immediately pulled me in, and I liked the characters, which admittedly isn't as important for a horror where I already know everyone is going to die, but it was nice. I did find the events a little hard to follow at some points, where the characters were hallucinating, but this was definitely a very chilling read. I think we need more Appalachian horror; mountains are super creepy!

I seem to be in the minority on this one but this book didn't work for me.

According to the editors note, Kiefer is a climber and you can tell she knows her stuff! The first half of the book is very focused on climbing and was a little bit too technical to keep my interest having never climbed before. The spooky action starts to ramp up around the halfway mark and there were definitely some scares to be had but in general this book really dragged for me and the main reason I carried on reading was because I never DNF ARC's.

Luke had real NPC energy and the only attribute he had was how much he loved his dog. There was a lot of classic 'i'm an idiot in a horror movie who goes into a dark basement even though it's 100% likely the killer is in there' behaviour throughout which was frustrating. The only character that I was slightly interested in was Sylvia because she was the least irritating.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

I remember when I first learnt about the Dyatlov Pass incident and the mystery surrounding their deaths, the juxtaposition between wanting to explain the incident with logic and the strangeness of the way their campsite was discovered. It was both fascinating and horrifying.

This Wretched Valley takes that horrific mystery element and presents us, at first, with a crime scene filled with bodies that can’t be explained away. What follows is page-turning survival horror meets ghostly slasher that I just couldn’t put down.

Even knowing from page one that there would be no survivors, I couldn’t help but hope every time a character was running that they would make it free. Gory and not for the weak-stomached, expect rot and carnage. The setting was marvellous only in the way a sentient evil forest could be and the historic world-building elements pieced together a vivid haunting.