It took me much longer than it should have to read this book, but I’m really glad I did. It follows the small but growing indie author tradition of repeatedly bashing their MC over the head, then making the MC question whether it even happened. Other books with a similar theme include Inside by D. M. Siciliano and my own The Haunting of Cabin Green. These are love ‘em or hate ‘em books, and their very divisiveness make them more intriguing, in my opinion.

This book would have been better with two editorial tweaks. First off, the word ‘chaos’ is way overused. Secondly, there were too many sentences that contained a lot of words, a lot of punctuation, and joined it all together with the word ‘and.’ I’m a fan of doing the same thing, but it’s important to vary your sentence length from time to time, lol.

Despite what I’ve just said above, I’m definitely a fan of this book. If you like stories where you never know what’s true—along with some good old-fashioned purple prose (not always a bad thing!), then check this book out!

A tale of fear, guilt, and haunting revelations.. The writing is atmospheric and I felt transported to that creepy Louisiana bayou.
Many thanks to BTW and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this review copy in exchange for an honest opinion. Review has been posted on Amazon.

Immediately hooked to this from the start and glad that I was able to get the ARC. There were so many things going on at once but the story was put together very well, keeping my interest until the end.

In a small Louisiana Bayou town during mid-September 1965, Albert Gilly frantically prepares his family's fishing store for an impending hurricane

This was a fun, little horror novel. Very atmospheric and claustrophobic.

I think I would have enjoyed this book with a different protagonist. The premise was great -- a protag discovering the crimes of the previous inhabitant through terrifying visions and experiences while trapped during a storm -- but Adonis was unbearably annoying. His dialogue read like a caricature and was so. So. Repetitive. Every time he spoke, I was taken out of the story. I think this could have been an interesting meditation on generational trauma and addiction otherwise.

“Danje”… the Haitian Creole word for “danger”. It is the perfect title for this book!

In the bayou country of Louisiana, a hurricane is about to make landfall. Albert Gilly hurries to prepare his family’s fishing business for the impact. He sees a drifter laying on the ground. He yells to him to take cover but the man doesn’t stir. Albert finally yells to him that he’s welcome to take cover in his family’s houseboat docked nearby. The drifter, Adonis, finally wakes and fights the winds to get into that boat. And THAT is when all hell breaks loose. That boat isn’t empty. That boat and its previous owner (Albert’s father) have been cursed with a vodou ritual. The horror, the gore, the terror within that boat is the stuff of nightmares. Quite the twist that gets revealed at the end about Adonis, Albert, and Albert’s late father too! What a wild and horrifying ride of a book! Loved it!

During a storm deep in the Louisiana bayou, a drug addled man named Adonis is awakened from his stupor by the shouts of a good Samaritan. The man urges Adonis to take shelter in his late father's houseboat. But once aboard, Adonis realizes his sanctuary may not be so safe after all.

Danje is a story that thrives on tension, creating discordant notes within the reader's very soul. This book is nothing short of haunting. It is hard not to feel the conflict of Albert, the man that chooses his family over Adonis in the beginning of the tale. And with that at the starting line, the story on gets more intense. The tale is dark and atmospheric, Tamar does a fantastic job transporting readers to the bayou. The characters come alive and you are trapped in intense conflict just as they are. This is truly a horror novel that thrives on dark secrets and the weight of our choices and actions.

Thank you to NetGalley and BookSirens for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily and all views expressed are my own.

I just found this story odd… the experiences Adonis had and all the detailed emotions just felt very repetitive and after a while got a bit boring. Can’t say I liked or wanted to know more about any of the characters either.

Full of pacing issues and characters I don't care about. Could have benefited from being a bit shorter but even that wouldn't have necessarily solved all the problems with it.

Set in the heart of a Louisiana Bayou town in 1965, Danje is a gripping tale that masterfully weaves together themes of responsibility, sacrifice, and the human capacity for redemption. The story centers around Albert Gilly, a man facing an agonizing decision during an impending hurricane. As the storm approaches and chaos reigns, the narrative skillfully captures Albert's inner turmoil, making you feel the weight of his choices. When he chooses his family's safety over a stranger, you'll find yourself torn between empathy and understanding. The tension doesn't let up as the plot unfolds, revealing dark secrets and exploring the consequences of our actions. Danje is a riveting read that keeps you engaged from start to finish, a testament to the author's storytelling prowess.

From the moment I cracked open the book, I was hooked. The stormy backdrop of a 1965 Louisiana Bayou, with its vivid descriptions, transported me to a different time and place. The story's emotional depth is what truly sets it apart. Albert Gilly's internal struggle resonated with me on a profound level, making me reflect on my own choices in life. It's a tale of human frailty and the difficult decisions we all must make. But it's also a story of redemption, reminding us that even in our darkest moments, there's hope for healing and forgiveness.

I'm always looking for books that take a different direction or setting and turning it into a horrifying story. This is what Gittie Tamar has done with this book and it mostly works wonderfully.

Set in 1965 during a hurricane on a Louisiana bayou, a homeless drug addict named Adonis seeks refuge from the storm in a mostly unkempt houseboat. When he awakes the following morning, the boat is adrift in the swamp with no land in sight.

And then things get creepy. He finds himself naked and chained to the sofa, there are strange footsteps but doesn't see anybody, and he thinks he's losing his mind.

Even after becoming unshackled, he soon finds out that the worst is yet to come. A dead woman pulling herself from the depths onto the boat with her lower half missing, another woman who materialises from a dress in a closet, horribly disfigured and bags of body parts in the freezer.

All of these images are written in such a way that they bring the scares and are delightfully disgusting. But is Adonis having a mental breakdown or is he, for some reason, being haunted by things he does not remember?

This is the crux of this story and it leaves enough room as you're reading to create your own opinion until the truth is revealed at the end. The houseboat gives this book a claustrophobic vibe that helps keep the tension high as the chances of escape are practically zero.

The ending is also very well done and there are elements to it that you won't see coming.

My only issue is not a deal breaker and is just my own opinion. I didn't really connect to any of the characters. I thought Adonis would have some sympathetic qualities but I didn't find any really. At times, he was annoying and seemed to make choices that didn't make sense. When there are stacks of bloody body parts seemingly reassembling themselves you don't turn your back waiting for the water to run clear because you're thirsty. That's like horror rules 101.

But despite this one minor character flaw, this book is effectively creepy, brutal in places, and has an ending that packs a punch. I would definitely recommend it.

Albert’s life is filled with his responsibilities to his family and the tedious boring life. When a storm comes to Louisiana, he struggles to keep his store from being destroyed and saving his own life. He is in turmoil when he finds Adonis in the streets during the storm. His turmoil is whether to save Adonis or save himself so he can continue raising and supporting his family. He tells Adonis to go to Albert’s father’s old boathouse for safety. He starts to discover the secrets of his family that shakes his world.

“Danje” by Gitte Tamar was a good book. I did find that it was slow at times, and I didn’t particularly love the characters. The story of the book and the secrets and how it all plays out was good though. It’s definitely worth reading. 3 out of 5 stars because I couldn’t connect with the characters.