Boy do I hate when a debut novel just doesn't work for me and this really, really didn't work for me. I was excited about it because the premise is very intriguing and the cover is beautiful. However, what I got just wasn't it. Not in my opinion, anyway. 2.5 stars.

This is about a small group of archeologists who are going to a remote cave in the Siberian wilderness to do an extensive dig in a place that's said to be "occupied." Doesn't that sound great?! So, you see, I was expecting tension, eeriness, creepiness, atmosphere, or thrills of some kind. Even a little horror! But I didn't get any of that.

My biggest issue is the pacing. It was so bad and so not what I expected, it threw me off right away. It takes them 35% (!!!!) to even get to the cave and that 35% was incredibly boring, with the exception of maybe the first 5 or so chapters, where we get introduced to the characters and get a feel of the kind of people they are. They're not very interesting people, by the way, and they don't really like each other, a fact that's shoved down our throats throughout the book for no reason.

After every chapter, I kept thinking, "Okay, surely they won't be on this train for much longer, right?"

When they finally do get to the cave, things get a little more interesting and I started having hope again. There's a claustrophobic scene inside the cave that was really good and they actually dig up something unexpected, but they don't spend much time there before going back to a town or whatever, and I was shocked by that. It made no sense to interrupt their time at the cave, what the fuck?

Then, they return to the cave and it's already, like, 70 or 80%, so of course things start picking up. Weird things happen, things escalate a little, and we finally learn what's "occupying" the cave. The thing is, and this is my second biggest issue with the book, the discovery is incredibly unbelievable and zero attempt was made at making it believable within the reality of this novel, so it falls flat on its face. It just doesn't work, in my opinion. Not at all.

And it could have worked, that's the thing!!! It could've worked and it could've been such an impactful and creepy story, but it wasn't cause it wasn't established well. And the characters' reaction to this amazing discovery was sooo... flat. You'd think they discovered something completely ordinary. None of them were in awe. I have no words for how underwhelming everything was in the end.

One thing this does have going for it is the writing. Ella Alexander can write and I will keep an eye out for any future books, but this one is a no for me and I feel sorry about that.

NOT A HORROR
If that book were labeled as fiction, I would give it 3 stars. Unfortunately, it's in the horror category, and as such, it deserves 1 star.
Archeologists travel to Syberia to uncover mysteries in an ancient cave. It sounds interesting and promising. But, surprisingly, there is very little happening in a cave, which is supposed to be at the center of this book, right? I was expecting weird things to happen in this otherwise perfect horror setting.
Almost all of the book focuses on the dynamics between the members of the expedition. There is a lot of tension between the archeologists, professional rivalry, jealousy, and suspicions. The problem is that we don't get straight answers, and with sudden changes of POV, it all gets a bit messy.

Four archeologists travel to Siberia for a dig, only to find their charismatic leader, George is hiding something.

Initially, I was really excited to read this novel. I love the idea of an isolated research expedition, the potential claustrophobia and dangers that caves bring, and mysterious happenings and the suspense and tension that comes with that. And I think somewhere in this there is a really interesting story to be told, but for me personally, it was not a good fit.

There were major issues with the pacing. At the halfway point, you get the first inkling that something is off and you think, "Ah, here we go!", but nothing really happens after that to build any sense of tension, not until very near the very end of the book. Even then, when we should be hitting the climax, it falls flat because the characters we have been following are really unlikeable; in fact, they all dislike each other. I couldn't feel anything for them.

On a positive note, the setting is really interesting. And at the very end, when the characters interact with each other and talk with each other as a group, there was a better dynamic than them being in their own thoughts hating each other. The mystery of the cave and the lore of the area also had potential that I wish was explored more.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and the publisher. I received an advance review copy, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Sleeping Land is a book that I requested because of its premise and its cover, and also because the author is debuting their first novel. I try my best to be gentle with debut books and also with ARCs that I receive. That said, this book was extremely difficult for me to get through and I think needs a good amount of improvement to make it something that I could recommend to others.

This review will contain light spoilers for the book, but I will be tagging the whole thing as a spoiler for those that want to go in completely blind.

The Sleeping Land follows three graduate archeology students and their professor as they embark on a dig in Siberia. They are told that the site is haunted - or occupied as the locals put it - but they carry on to their work undeterred.

Think that summary sounds unfinished? That's because that is exactly how the book feels. Let me give you a few plot markers:

At 35%, the four characters finally arrive at the dig site after riding a train

At 51%, the characters find a sewing needle carved from bone.

At 58%, the characters return to the nearest town to shower and reup on supplies.

At 76%, they return back to the dig site. Nothing overtly strange has happened.

At 84%, we finally, finally start to get some action just in time for the book to end.

From this, I'm sure you can derive that the pacing was a major issue for me. To be fair to this title, horror books really do ramp up to their final, spine-tingling conclusion towards the last 15-20% of the book. The building tension finally exploding at the end is what makes a book effective. With this book, though, there was little to no tension built to make the audience feel like there are any dangerous stakes for the characters, and there is very little comment or continuation of the few events that are meant to give the unsettling feeling that the group is being watched. It isn't until close to halfway through the book that we learn that Mark hasn't been walking outside of the tents at night, but none of the characters comment on this revelation despite the implication that there is something out in the woods with them.

The second major issue for me here was the writing style. The book is written in a 3rd person limited POV that transitions between characters often. This is not an issue by itself. In this case, though, the reader gets little to no warning that the POV will be switching. The changes happen from one paragraph to the next, jarring the reader into reframing their view of how a scene is going and which character's eyes they are seeing through. Even just a row of asterisks to denote a shift in perspective would have made the book a lot more palatable for me.

I really do want to say nice things about this book as well as I really do respect authors and the effort they put into writing and publishing. The issue that I am having is that many of the aspects that I would review a book for left me wanting in this novel. The characters are mostly unlikable people who hate the people they are forced to work with. A good portion of the book is spent reminding us of that point. The atmosphere is fine - they sure are in the woods - but nothing distinctly gives off the idea that we are in Siberia vs. the great wilds of rural Vermont. Even the final reveal of the conspiracy and horror points feels lackluster and random.

I hope that with some editors' notes, this book can add some tension-building moments throughout to make it compelling for the reader. Right now, though, I find it hard to recommend this story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This is a gorgeously written and creepy book that I absolutely ate up. Set right after the fall of the Soviet Union, we follow a team of archaeologists as they attempt the first Western dig of Soviet territory since the czar was executed in 1918. And then things get weird...

This book is spoooky. There's a creeping sense of dread and doom pretty much from the beginning, and it keeps amplifying at a steadily faster pace. The scenery is very evocative throughout - the Trans-Siberian sleeper train feels claustrophobic and electric, and the dig site is desolate and mysterious - and our characters are true weirdos who rile each other up constantly. The book does take a little bit to get going, but once I was about 25% in I was hooked.

Thank you to NetGalley and Unnamed Press for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!

This felt like a book full of potential - it's a unique and creative story. I alternated between thinking that this was really good writing and thinking it really needed some editing polish. The ending was fascinating but was not quite pulled off convincingly. Nearly a very good book.

Congratulations to this being my 400th book read in Goodreads ❤️.

This review could only be done thanks to NetGalley and The Unnamed Press. Getting this as an ARC does not influence my review.

I have loved archeology from a young age. It began with my love of Agatha Christie mysteries (and in case this is new, her second husband was an archeologist). So many of her books include snippets of archaeology and history and ever since then I have been obsessed. Now that I'm older and nowhere near to fulfilling my dream of being an archeologist, books like these kind of give me a glimpse of what could have been. Not that I would want to be any of these people….

We are introduced to a group of archeologists and their advisor as they set themselves on a journey to a Siberian cave for research. From the very beginning, we can tell that their advisor has a penchant for opulence. The last bit of civilization they see is an expensive restaurant where they feel as if they do not belong. Here we get introduced to the junior archaeologists. Viv and Kit, and the odd one out, Mark. Mark is the rough type–countryside boy through and through. On the other hand, Kit is an unlikeable academic. Viv is our main character, as we get her point of view first. She is average, somewhat normal compared to the others. George, the advisor, has a bit of an odd relationship with her. Viv has a complicated relationship with almost everyone actually. But if you know anything about the academic space you would not be surprised by anything interpersonal that happened in this book.

Personally though, outside of the relationships, the actual story did little to interest me. In an attempt to not spoil since it has not come out, all I will say is the resolution was unrealistic. Otherwise this would have been 4 stars for me. It was also extremely short and I think could have gained from having some more pages at the end to flesh out the story more.

3.5 🌟

Really wonderful setting and atmosphere - very creepy and unsettling.

However I did find myself struggling to finish this, as it seemed that nothing really happened for about 80% of the book. As soon as the eerie setting and paranoia starts to pay off, it's over. I would have really enjoyed more of the last 20% of the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I love a good thriller, but wow I struggled to finish this one. First the characters have no depth to them. I don’t feel like there is enough backstory or information on conflicts. The characters, who seem to be close, feel so distant from one another. Finally, I struggled getting into the story. Just when I thought it was getting good, it would slow down or switch up in a weird way.

DNF, I got halfway through - this book is soooo boring. It just goes on & on with the characters very awkwardly doing nothing & nothing happening. #TheSleepingLand #NetGalley

I thought this was a fantastic book that is a great mash up of different styles and genres. It has the folk horror of three archaeological students sent to Cold War Russia to investigate a forbidden zone in outer Siberia and has a sad lit girl protagonist along with elements of a thriller. I think it’s a really fun and unusual read that deeply atmospheric and psychological but also movingly written. I also think it’s interesting to note that in maintaining all these genres it means that the novel feels more outward looking and into the world than the deeply insular novels that are in vogue at the moment. All the characters are driven by their own desires and the group madness that descends on them feels very much like a grown up Lord of the Flies. I think it’s a brilliant book for anyone who wants to read something a bit different and with a unique premise.

The title is accurate in all the wrong ways because this book makes you go sleppy. It's too slow and dragged out. It needs a good edit before publish. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this free eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

it had a great concept but it was SO SLOWWW i mean I usually like slow stuff, but i mean, it didn't get to anything real until like.... 75% in? 3.5 stars. tysm for the arc.

⭑ ⭑ ✩ ✩ ✩

~

Unfortunately this one just wasn’t for me 🥱 It just took way to long to get into it and felt like it was way too dragged out. By the time it started getting okay there was only about 10% left and I was already so over it by this point so I just couldn’t get into it as it took this long to get there, which was a shame because this book had such potential and a great concept.

Any fans of historical mysteries and archeology will probably enjoy this book just wasn’t my cup of tea.

3.75 ⭐️

The Sleeping Land was most interesting to me for its constant oscillation between the perspectives of its central characters, Val, Kit, Mark, and George, a team of graduate students in archaeology and their charismatic, if unorthodox, professor. It does very well in showing us how unreliable personal perception can be, how poorly we can guess at the way we're seen by others, how the same incident can be seen in several ways. While I do agree with criticisms that the characters don't feel fully realized — they feel like studies of characters more than living, breathing people — this is an ensemble cast in a short book. I don't feel it detracted from my enjoyment.

I also appreciated the "historical" aspect of the novel — the mid 1990s aren't really so far away from us, now. They're still a tangible memory for many. But Ella Alexander was effective in creating the sense of a capsule from a distant time that is at once distinct and familiar from what we know now, both in the details of her writing and in the ways her characters thought. Maybe this only stuck out to me so much because of my own nostalgia, but I did enjoy it very much.

Throughout the novel, I was intrigued by its looming sense of uncertainty and the mystery of the cave. Strangely, though, I felt the tension most intensely in the book's first third, prior to the characters' arrival at the archaeological site. Their train ride and journey to the site was uncanny and tense. By comparison, the ending felt somewhat rushed, and I was left with unresolved questions and loose threads of side-plots that never led to anywhere concrete.

On the whole, I enjoyed The Sleeping Land. I'm surprised I haven't seen more buzz surrounding it among fans of dark academia — this really feels like it's intended for lovers of that niche. In particular, I think this would appeal to fans of The Secret History who have grown a little older and more world-weary since first reading that book. I would also recommend it to readers who enjoy meandering thrillers, unreliable narrators, and looking into the near-distant 1990s past.

ah, i don’t know. i had a hard time buying the whole concept behind this; while it is definitely interesting, i just couldn’t quite suspend my belief when the plot twist was revealed. i felt as though the characters were a bit too underdeveloped and that the plot was generally lacking, sadly.

The Sleeping Land by Ella Alexander

A group of four individuals, comprised of George Auberon, the leader, and three undergraduate students, partake in an expedition to uncover secrets buried beneath the lush Siberian landscape. As the story progresses, the complex dynamics of the characters' inner relationships become more apparent. For instance, while Valerie and George's relationship introduces complexity to the group dynamic, it also invites thoughtful consideration of the underlying moral questions. After examining a nearby cave, their laborious efforts are rewarded in the form of an ancient item. Deeper explorations of the foreboding cavern uncover remarkable artwork that is only partially visible due to a strong rock barrier. This discovery is monumental in the plot, as George's personality shifts seismically. His behavior turns distant and irrational, leaving the group to speculate about his true intentions. What exactly is their purpose in being here?

I could not get rid of the impression that the writing was extremely dry and emotionless. I kept yearning for more from the story; I wanted it to move the needle. Regretfully, the temperature was in the middle, neither too hot nor too cold. I am that guy, to be clear, who will eat a piece of pizza right out of the oven and burn his face off. I need that instant gratification! Ella Alexander told a good story with some intrigue, but by the end, the zeal I desperately wanted came too late.

Ultimately, I am left feeling both hopeful and somewhat disappointed. The beauty of posting a review and having opinions is reading the same piece of literature and having varying perspectives. I will leave the reader to decide. With some optimism, I give this a rating of three stars out of five. I am eager to explore more of this author's work and believe her writing has great potential for growth and creativity.

Many thanks to Unnamed Press for the ARC through Netgalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion.

The Sleeping Land is the story of an archaeological survey in post-Soviet Siberia. The story follows three archaeology students —Valerie, Kit, and Mark—led by their ambitious narcissistic mentor, George Auberon, as they set out on a dig in an uncharted territory of Siberia. However the dig takes an eerie turn when the crew starts experiencing strange and unsettling occurrences. Not to mention that George seems almost deliriously obsessed with the habitat surrounding this cave.

The Siberian setting and its atmospheric tension only increases the suspense. Through the lens of each character’s POV we can see how this journey into the unknown is affecting them, showcasing their fears, their interpretation of each other’s motivations, and their survival instincts.

The novel is exceptionally written, and shrewdly explores themes of isolation and academic inadequacy in the eyes of the students, whatever field they may be in. We also see their competitive dynamics as they each strive to be George’s confidant. A more mis-matched team you will be hard pressed to find.
George is the embodiment of the lengths that some academics - past and present - will do go to stay relevant in their field.

The political landscape also plays a big role in this as both powers seek to be the forerunners in discoveries around the world.
The research that went into the book in terms of accurately depicting archeological quests is evident and expertly weaved into the book without pausing the flow of the story.

The characters were very well developed. We get to see glimpses into their souls as they journey through Russia as Westerners in the post-Soviet era (which I imagine was quite intimidating); and the baggage that they’ve brought with them whilst trying to find their place in academia.

All this leads up us to a clever climax as we unravel the mystery of the cave.

Fans of historical mysteries and archeology will eat up every word of this book. Overall a really solid debut novel and I will be keeping an eye out for more from Ella Alexander.

Thanks to Ella Alexander, Unnamed Press and NetGalley for ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In The Sleeping Land by Ella Alexander, a team of archaeologists explores a remote cave set in the recently collapsed Soviet Union and makes some interesting discoveries. As soon as I got the book, I was excited to read about the cave. It didn’t turn up until about the thirty-percent mark—and then things grew suspenseful. Overall, the story kept me reading until the end! This is for readers who like slow-burn speculative mysteries and stories set in international locations. Thanks to Unnamed Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this novel.