Rating: 3 stars!

A twisty, dual-timeline(?) horror novel. The entire premise from this book is unlike anything I have ever read before. I wanted the "horror" side to be a little more dramatic, but the overall book was so interesting!!

Thank you NetGalley and Canelo an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC of “Withered Hill”. I absolutely absolutely adored this book!! While it is categorized as ‘horror’ genre, I wouldn’t say it’s terrifying. I think it was equal parts mind provoking, science fiction, folklore, with a bit of disturbing scenes sprinkled throughout. I can’t even describe really what this is about without giving anything away. I think it’s best to go into this one blind. All I knew was it had a similar feel to it as the movie Midsommer which is one of my favorite horror films. I would say it definitely gives off those same vibes. Enjoyed it from start to finish!

This book gives folk horror vibes and I'm totally here for it. The author uses the plot device of switching timelines but it totally works as it builds creepy suspense. I couldn't stop reading.

Deliciously creepy folk horror. Midsommar vibes. I enjoyed this a lot and would love to read more books in a similar vein by this author. Withered Hill follows Sophie, shiftless and selfish, both in her life in London and after she's found herself trapped in a very strange village, full of people who center their lives around their connection to nature and the circle of life through a cycle of pagan rituals, much of which seems frightening and barbaric to Sophie. I felt dread growing as the end of Sophie's time in Withered Hill grew near, because I was sure it couldn't go well for her, but I didn't have any clue just how things would go and was pleased with the surprise. I would recommend this to anyone looking to be creeped out.

3.5 stars rounded up. This was a really strange, unsettling book. I wasn't really sure what was going on for most of it and found the time changes kind of confusing at times. The ending was definitely unsettling, even though I'm still not exactly sure what I read. It's not a typical thriller kind of book. It's more of a creepy, moody, slow burn kind of read.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

This is a folk horror and the book is filled with secrets, mystery, horror, rituals, cryptic riddles and messages. Narrated in a present and past timelines. A year ago, Sophie ended up in a village of Withered Hill with no memories and strange happening. A job was offered to her by a stranger but next day she woke up naked and with no memories. Withered Hill description was eerie, cryptic and mysterious. The people were so horrifying. I bet you won’t be able to decide who is good and who is not. Neither you will be able to figure out what’s going on until the end. The folk horror part is spot on and the story is quite gripping and unsettling. I wasn’t expecting that ending.

Thanks to the Author and Publisher.

I have tried to read this twice and while I think the writing is good, I’m just not sure folk horror is for me. Maybe it’s just not the right time for me and this genre . DNF at 11%

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Canelo for sending me this ARC!

This book follows Sophie Walker as she stumbles into a village called Withered Hill. As she stumbles into this unknown village, she loses all memory of who she as before. However, we know that she was not using her life to its full potential. She spent her days drinking, eating, and sleeping her way through life. While in this new village, she realizes that she is a prisoner and must learn why she is there in order to "leave." But everything is not as it seems and there are multiple forces, including herself, fightining to gain control of her life.

This book has dual timelines then converge at the end. I found this book a little hard to follow at first and confusing. I know that is how the author intended. We, as readers, stay just as confused as the MC which adds to the dread and eerie feeling that you can't shake. I thought the premise of the book was very unique. I was engaged most of the time, but I felt that I could see the ending coming the way that it did. I would rate this 3.75 stars.

A clash of folklore, horror and girls on the lash

Take everything grotesque about laddish girls about town dramas, add in a splash of inscrutable rural horror, and you have this twisty thriller that is not at all what it seems.

Sophie lives a drunken, uncontrolled freewheel of a life, suddenly thrust into a position of responsibility at her city job. At the same time, an amnesiac Sophie wakes up in a rural idyll, where the outside world is prescribed and everything about her mysterious past is hidden. As these two versions of Sophie run headlong to the point where they intersect, the reader is left to join the dots, to see how chaotic Sophie ends up with no memory of her past and unable to escape from her countryside prison, where strange creatures wander the woods, and where the locals preform dark and bloody rituals.

The twist is, of course, the answer, and I won't spoil it here, but it's going to make a great film.

Four shivery stars.

This is classified as a folk horror novel. I think that is an apt description, to a point. The overall folklore used here was unfamiliar to me. Upon research it appears to be based in England. Therefore, I suppose I have to concede that the use of Pagan symbols (the pentacle) and holidays (Yule, Beltane, Lammas, etc.) is possibly appropriate. I didn’t personally like it, and feel it might have been better to have this folk story introduce more of its own symbology or lore. Nevertheless it was a decent read.

For the plot, we follow the story in an odd, non-chronological order. Going forward from days before our MC ends up in the town, and going backwards from near her final time in town. At some point the narrative flips around. Thankfully it’s easy to follow at all times and felt very nature in the set-up. I enjoyed the way the narrative swapped at times as it revealed secrets (or kept them) in a way that provided atmosphere and suspense.

Withered Hill is not a love story. It has many elements and shows relationships but is careful to never be a true love story. For which I was thankful. And the twisty ending is both logical, clever, and doesn’t cheapen the story or characters around it. Withered Hill is the kind of horror story that anyone new to folk horror will love. Those of us who’ve read enough (or a lot) of this type of story may find similarities and be able to predict some elements. For me that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of this novel as it’s just different enough.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

Withered Hill brings to life the fear of old and small towns with secrets to hide, taking our nightmares far beyond the confines of our bedroom closets, under our beds into the woods at night. Owd Hob is a children’s nightmare personified yet this novel is hardly about him, as his merely an instrument of change in otherwise unsavoury way to make humanity realize the error of it’s ways. Really enjoyed this masterpiece horror novel about Sophie Wickham who is replaced by her look alike and dies a gruesome death.

A nice read, especially if you are into folk horror. It's creepy and dark and I loved it! Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Withered Hill by David Barnett is the kind of folk horror that sinks into your bones and stays there. I’d give it a solid 3.5 stars—Barnett knows how to work that eerie, spine-tingling vibe, and while it’s not perfect, it’s definitely a page-turner if you’re into creepy, slow-burn mysteries.

The story’s split between Sophie’s life in the strange, secluded village of Withered Hill and her chaotic, unraveling life in London. In Withered Hill, Sophie has no memory of who she is or why she ended up there, but there’s this heavy sense that something isn’t right. She’s constantly trying to escape, but the locals—always friendly and just a little too “off”—seem determined to keep her there, almost as if they’re following orders from something darker that’s hiding in the woods.

Meanwhile, in London, Sophie’s life is a mess, complete with wild nights and sketchy relationships. Just as she’s trying to get a grip, she starts receiving creepy, insistent messages about a place she’s never heard of: Withered Hill. Both timelines build up this thick, unsettling atmosphere, and Barnett plays with the suspense so well that you’re constantly second-guessing what’s real and what isn’t.

This book is full of dark folklore, mysterious villagers, and an unsettling feeling that doesn’t let up, and while the pacing is a bit uneven at times, the payoff is worth it. If you love folk horror, dual timelines, and stories that keep you guessing, Withered Hill has just enough weirdness and chills to keep you hooked. Not perfect, but definitely worth a read if you want a spooky, atmospheric escape.

I cannot in good conscience rate this book. I found the writing to be a bit jarring. I have tried reading it multiple times over the last few months and it does not stick. I do not believe I am a good fit for David Barnett's work. I apologize for the inconvenience.

No review will be left publicly.

Sophie Wickham lives a life, a bit uneventful, a bit directionless, and she slowly looses touch with her friends and herself. After being offered a mysterious new job, she gets drawn more and more into a weird occult society.


This book has a striking beginning, a woman striving naked and bloody out of the woods into a seemingly rural and remote society with weird and unsettling practices.
Then the story gets broken up into multiple timelines, our protagonist Sophie when she enters the town, her after a year living there and here currently in the outside world. They all come together at one point and make sense, although they do get confusing at times.

I liked the atmosphere, mystery and the folk horror’ish practices of the towns folk, but it also dragged a bit until the story finally let you in on what happened. I think if people told me so many times to wait for it, and you will know when it’s time - I would’ve become way more agitated and pissed off. There were some elements that felt weirdly tacked on, like the society behind her employment and job, and I don’t think, while the final twist was great, that it was overall delivered in a good way, a bit too self-righteous and judgmental. Could be the purpose and fit of the whole town narrative, but it did not quite land right with me.

I would recommend it as a great folk horror tale with an intriguing premise and good atmosphere.
3.5 stars

This unsettling and eerie folk tale is a disorienting and creepy story that has everything horror fans look for in a folk horror story.

this book sucked me in from the start. I couldnt stop flipping page after page and thoroughly enjoyed it. I dont normally read this particular genre of books but this one just sounded so intriguing and im thankful for the opportunity to have read it

Everyone leaves eventually. This is what we're told at the beginning of Withered Hill.

No matter how many times she hears a variation of this from the locals, Sophie Wickham doesn’t believe it. She woke up in this little village a year ago, naked. She wandered the streets looking for someone to help her. The locals wore animal masks that seemed to be fashioned from real animals. They didn't help her so much as just point. This scene might be nothing new for Withered Hill, but for Sophie Wickham it feels like a nightmare. She found herself in a village of ritual and ceremony, a place full of pagan folklore where nothing made sense to her.

This book is told through a broken up timeline, switching between Days to Withered Hill and Days in Withered Hill. This might be a bit jarring at first but it works really well. The payoff in the end justifies the narrative choice.

We get to explore ancient ideas, from times now forgotten to most, and we get to explore modern living and the choices we make. On the one hand, you could say the book asks you to reflect on what type of person you are, on the other hand, you could just say this is an unsettling read with creepy vibes throughout.

The villagers seem to talk in riddles so you'll want to race to the end to see what the hell they mean. As always, be careful what you wish for. Once you get there you can't unknow what you've learned.

So, come to Withered Hill, dear readers. Enjoy the local atmosphere and natural surroundings. When you're told to stay in at night and ignore what you hear, make sure to do what you're told. Come and learn about and maybe even participate in rituals older than anything you'll come across outside. And don't worry, nobody is ever trapped here, everyone leaves eventually.

Unsettling, eerie, disorienting and creepy- this story has everything you look for in a folk horror! Switching timelines between Before and After keeps the suspense high throughout the story and I was invested in Sophie’s journey, her misfortunes and the choices she made. The ending tied the whole story together so skilfully and I will be thinking about this story for a long time to come.

Thank you to NetGalley and David Barnett for the e-ARC!

Could not put this down and cannot stop thinking about it still! Twisty, intricate, creepy, DEEPLY unsettling, shocking at times, atmospheric, mysterious, psychological, philosophical, erotic, clever, original. I don't want come across as “overly positive”, I just genuinely loved this book and think it is somehow special.

Do not even know where to begin and how to express my feelings but (VERY vaguely) the story follows the relatable (at least for me lol) Sophie. A 32-year-old – shallow, selfish, uninspiring, without much direction or purpose in life, working temp jobs, spending too much money on material things, dating and drinking excessively. Soon after starting a new job, she begins to receive threatening packages and messages warning her of some kind of danger, until one day she stumbles out of the woods and into the village of Withered Hill. She is not allowed to leave until she accomplishes something she doesn't understand. After several failed attempts to escape, we are immersed in the odd life and laws of the village and the people who live there until, just like Sophie herself, we start question if we really want to leave.

CHARACTERS: You can easily become addicted to them (and the setting). Barnett did such a great job at blurring the lines between good and evil until you start questioning who really are the good guys and who are the bad ones? I ended up on several occasions sympathising with the villagers and Owd Hob (not sure what that says about me.... let's not dwell).

STORY/PLOT: Is nearly perfect! It can be described as a "slow burn suspense" but the mystery aspect developed quite fast in the second half of the book. The plot is split between different timelines: "Outside" and "Inside", going back and forth in time and space, which enhances the sense of mystery and unease as we are left to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

Thank you NetGalley, David Barnett, and Canelo Horror for the digital advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. I feel very lucky and grateful to have been given this book to read and review. I hope it gets the recognition it deserves.

Also want to give a shoutout to Sarah Whittaker, the cover artist! I am 100% getting a physical copy of this book!


THEMES (SPOILERS):
Paganism
Life-struggles/Addiction
Found family/Stockholm syndrome
Grey Morality
Fairy Tales and Horror