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

Wow! This impressed me so much. I loved the use of the timeline jumping around, I found it extremely effective. Scary and thought-provoking, this was very very good. Probably my favorite horror read of the spooky season.

“The outside world came into Withered Hill infre-quently, but it did come. And it had learned, somewhere along the way, to not question what went on in Withered Hill, or the ways of its people. Even the protestations of a pretty young woman that she was being held in the village against her will.”

First off, this book was sent to by @canelo_co in exchange for an honest review!

This is Barnett’s first horror book, most of his work is from the rom-com genre or graphic novels.

I love it when authors jump genres & explore different themes, story lines, plot etc. It showcases their talents.

But let’s jump into the review!

What I liked:

1. Character development was fantastic for the main character and most of the side characters. In some cases I wish the side characters were explored a little bit more.

2. The narrative style, & multiple time lines, was very unorthodox but added to the creepy atmosphere. It made the twist at the end that much more satisfying. The timeline maybe confusing to some as it jumps erratically, but I loved it!

3. The folk horror elements throughout were intriguing! I love how they helped further the plot. I did want more explanation in some areas that appeared to be relevant to the story, however.

4. The writing was fantastic. Jumping between multiple timelines all to come together to this fantastic twist was really an impressive feat! It is not easy & Barnett did a great job!

5. That ending was fantastic! I didn’t see it coming & I loved it!!

Now for what I didn’t like:

I really wish that the themes were explored more as to why these elements were relevant to the story. While folklore was brought up & certain behaviours/events were highlighted, they didn’t really seem to serve any purpose to the actual story.

Like why was Sophie so sexualized by the residents of Withered Hill? What was the actual folklore purpose surrounding hares? Yes the folklore was brought up regarding the hares, but that particular lore didn’t seem to have relevance to the story. Unless I missed something

Overall, I did think this was fantastic! And think it’s a great read for spooky season!

A magical, suspenseful and wonderfully interesting folk horror tale about an isolated town, a cult of townspeople, beings in the woods, an old god, and a young Londoner, lost both literally and figuratively.

Sophie stumbles into her 30s, drunk, distracted and selfish. Until one day she stumbles out of the ring of trees surrounding Withered Hill, naked and filthy with no memory besides her name.

Barnett tells Sophie’s story with chapters titled in the number of days before or after her appearance in Withered Hill. There is kindness, secrets, ritual violence and a deep sense of community in Withered Hill, as Sophie tries again and again to escape. But the town and the woods around it do not allow her to leave.

I was swept away by this story, shocked and some points and soothed at others as we watch Sophie change and grow. The ending was somehow predictable yet unsettling. This is a book that will linger in my memory.

Withered Hill is an eerie, wonderfully dark folk horror that takes place in the UK following Sophie, a woman who drinks too much and is a bit lost in her life. She finds herself in Withered Hill without any memory of how she got there and with only cryptic clues on how she can eventually leave. We follow Sophie in multiple timelines, both Inside and Outside Withered Hill.

I really enjoyed this novel and think it is a great addition to any horror novel enthusiast’s TBR. Normally I dislike multiple timeline books, however this book does so with purpose and the slow reveal of events adds to the chilling atmosphere. It was well written and paced perfectly. I’ll be grabbing a copy for my own library soon and look forward to reading more of this author’s works!

Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo for access to this ebook in exchange for an honest review!

Withered Hill
David Barnett


5 / 5

Damn, this book is GOOD!
Folk Horror at its finest, this horror novel is downright bone chilling.

The best folk horror I've read in the last 5-10 years.
Hands down.

Now I'm ordering a physical copy to loan out to friends and family, and I'm also choosing it as my November book club pick at my local B&N bookclub.

Excellent work, David Barnett.
You knocked this one out of the park!

Beguiling and beautifully written, Withered Hill is steeped in the kind of folklore that pumps icy droplets into your veins and sends uneasy skitters up your spine. Narrated from Sophie's dual timeline - inside and outside Withered Hill - the tale has a real cinematic depth of quality. Even though the events are more subtle than overtly terrifying, it's the absolute creepiness and sense of unease created by the author. I can easily imagine watching this and completely shitting my pants!

Each character is complex, even ones that make the briefest of appearances. Sophie is a gem of a main character; she is multi-layered, confused, emotionless yet irrational and a joy to read. Her interactions with the people of Withered Hill had me gripped throughout - this book was impossible to put down!
There were shocks I was not prepared for, and I am not okay; this is a book that will stay with me for a long time!

I could not recommend this book more highly. What an absolutely brilliant ride from start to finish - the storyline is unique and compelling with elements of English folklore woven into a creepily suspenseful storyline. The characters are wonderfully imperfect and deeply interesting and the timeline trickery is fabulously well done. Absolutely loved it and have already recommended it to everyone I know!

Outside

Sophie Wickham, aimless and friendless, lives in London working temp jobs and drinking too much in her evenings. She's shallow, selfish, and has few redeeming qualities. A chance encounter with a mysterious man is about to upend things entirely for Sophie.

Inside

One year ago Sophie woke, naked and stumbling, from the woods surrounding the rural village of Withered Hill. She has no memory of how she came to be there, and her multiple escape attempts have been thwarted, but the villagers have cared for Sophie and guided her in the ways of Withered Hill. But now the time has come for Sophie to leave, but she must prepare for one final rite before she can cross to the Outside.

Told using multiple timelines, Withered Hill was exactly the disturbing folk horror tale I was hoping it would be. There are moments of dread and horror, pagan sacrifices, shadows come to life, and even a weird English manor. The chapter headings make it clear where the reader is in the timeline, so things are never confusing from that aspect. (Things might be confusing because Withered Hill is a bit nuts, but that is something different.)

I loved this book. The ending took an unexpected twist that I really loved. The vibes were absolutely perfect for the Halloween season.

Sensitive readers should be aware that this book deals with topics like infant death, suicide, and both human and animal sacrifice.

Such a wild ride of past & present mixing along with the rules & tales of Withered Hill all colliding. Our ‘civilized’ realities coming up against what is far older & more ancient seems such a stark contrast. But aren’t people barbaric in their own rights? Isn’t there some value in fear like the bygone eras knew? This was a great horror fest from start to finish and I’ll definitely be getting a physical copy once it hits shelves!

I adore this book. Absolutely perfect folk horror novel.
This is the story of Sophie, a woman living in London, she quite a mess and her life is about to take a turn.
This book is best gone into blind, just let the story unfold. If you're a fan of any folk horror, this book is for you.
Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo for the ARC.

A 3.5 rating! I enjoyed this story line and at times felt very creeped out by the events taking place. The only reason I feel short of the four star rating is because of the pacing. At times I felt disinterested to pick up the book. I think this was because of all the switching back and forth of timelines and the timeline inside of Withered Hill not going in order. Overall it did what I wanted, a book to creep me out in time for Halloween.

I liked the way this story came together in the end but I found it hard to keep interest sometimes with the jumping around. A good creepy folktale all around though.

This book just wasn't for me. It seemed like it might be similar to The Watchers (which I LOVED), but this was poorly written (and sexualized) women with a little side of folk horror. Men who write women like they're objects just aren't for me. The idea was really great and it could have been executed well, it just really fell flat for me.

This was such a strange story with a very unexpected ending and I really enjoyed it. The tension as you are waiting to figure out how the before became the after. What is the secret of withered hill and how did our Heroine get there? Why is she there at all? And how can she get out?

A true folk horror novel is one of my favorite things on earth but they can be difficult to find. There fire I was delighted when I discovered Withered Hill. First, the cover! It features one of my beloved folk hates, so of course this was a must read for me.

Told in dual timelines, the events take place over the course of a year as we follow our protagonist Sophie, during her time from Outside to Inside the hamlet of Withered Hill. How did she end up in this strange town filled with pagan ritual? She has no memory of who she is and the townspeople and surrounding forest won’t let her leave. The chapters dealing with the Outside show a different Sophie, one who is reckless, irrisponsible, drinks too much and has a revolving door of lovers. How does she go from this to the much different girl Inside Withered Hill.

This book made me so happy. A folk horror novel with thriller elements, I devoured it. Both timelines intrigued me and kept me rapidly turning the pages until late into the night. This books horror is quiet and slowly builds to a shocking crescendo that both surprised and made sense. I loved the ancient folklore and pagan tradition and festivals that are sprinkled throughout Sophie’s time on the Inside. Quaint and horrific, they harken back to a time when Mother Nature must me offered gifts gifts and sacrifices to appease her and ensure a favorable crop for the community to flourish. And did I mention Owd Hob…….😱 I loved this one! Thank you to @netgalley for an arc of this novel in exchange for fair review.

A perfectly chilling, and nightmare-inducing folk horror perfect for the Halloween season. Told across multiple timelines, ‘before’ and ‘after’ and in a non-linear fashion, the story presents as with a creepy mystery that will have you reading page after page to uncover the truth. The ending will stay with you long after you finish. This was my first book by this author, but I will certainly be checking out more of his works into the future. I’d highly recommend this one for fans of horror or just anyone looking for a great read.

I was very concerned with Withered Hills seemingly chaotic timeliness, but when I got to the end it all made sense! I was kept guessing to the very end, while completely engaged with the eerie and unsettling inhabitants of quaint Withered Hill. Part mystery, part folk horror, and part sinister warning, Withered Hill definitely had me checking under my rugs.

This is one that has stayed with me after finishing it a week ago. Sophie Wickham has been living a narcissistic lifestyle when she stumbles out of the woods, naked and confused, and finds herself in the village of Withered Hill. With no recollection of how she got there and seemingly no way to leave, Sophie is terrified and at the mercy of the residents who are secretive and not at all alarmed by her predicament. It seems they've seen it all before.
The author tells his story by jumping timelines, which sounds confusing but isn't. This book extremely creepy and atmospheric, based on Pagan rituals and festivals. I'm probably dating myself, but think The Dark Secret of Harvest Home but far more disturbing. The ending will blow your mind!

I dnf-ed this book at 50% as I could not care about anything that was happening. I was so bored and the jumping around in time did not work for me. Normally I don't mind before and after, but this jumped all around in time inside (I think the outside chapters were in order of events, but I can't even remember now if they are). It was too much and every time I started getting into the story it would jump to a different time and it would lose all momentum. I think this would really be much better told linearly. Or maybe not, maybe there is a reason for all this jumping around but I didn't get far enough to understand why. But I couldn't do it anymore so I stopped.

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