Interesting dark read, and I did like reading this although wasn't hooked. I think I was occasionally confused too, and I am not sure where the twist in the end came from... I didn't see any evidence of it throughout the book

The story follows Hyacinth, who lives in a community ruled by the Elders of a strict cult. The cult’s teachings are supposed to protect the people from the Teeth and the Deep—ancient and bloodthirsty beings—but Hyacinth gradually realises how useless their rituals are. The beings simply humour them until they grow bored.

What I really liked was the atmosphere. Some truly disturbing events take place in the book, and some world-building details are horrifying. A sense of hopelessness and unease is woven throughout the whole story.

On the other hand, the book was simply way too short. It lacked detail in internal monologues, as well as in character interactions and dialogue. As a result, some events and realisations didn’t have the emotional (or any other) impact they could have. The nature of some relationships didn’t make much sense (for example, why Hyacinth disliked Mrs. Yarrow so much, or the affection between her and Morgen), and some conclusions felt really far-reaching with no hints or foreshadowing. This made them seem out of the blue and, again, lacking in buildup and payoff.

Overall, a cool story with a great and chilling world, but full of missed opportunities to make it pack more punch.

A haunting tale that will leave you pondering whose wrath is worse:
ravenous gods or the men who fear them?

Russell’s storytelling creates an eerie world where questioning the brutal status quo or even minor nonconformity often ends in death. The main character, Hyacinth, survives by the skin of her teeth with the heart of a wildling and feminine rage for days. If you enjoyed Slewfoot or movies like Apostle, The Village, & The VVitch I’d recommend checking this one out!

Although eldritch terror tends to be cloaked in mystery, I think a bit more expansion on some of the themes & rituals presented would really push this story to the next level. Similarly, the ending had me clinging to each word but felt a tad rushed. Nevertheless , I will be turning this story over in my mind for some time.

It is clear that Russell has put a lot of thought and care into building a world that feels completely real and completely horrifying. From start to finish, the horrors of this world feel as though they are always lurking at the corners watching and waiting leaving the reader with a breathless feeling of never knowing what might happen next in the very best way. I appreciated the way that horrors of this story came in the form of both the scared men of the village as well of the eldritch horrors waiting in the woods and the waters; there almost a sense of comfort and welcome that came with the supposed monsters of the world, seducing the characters and readers towards them and away from "safety". A delicate balanced is achieved between on-page descriptions of the gore and horrors and the things that are left to the imagination.

I was hooked throughout this book, desperate for Hyacinth to find something different and safer for herself whilst never feeling as though danger was more than a breath away from her. The character work was deeply compelling and I found myself feeling conflicted about many of the characters as they were often painted in shades of grey. This was an incredible read and fans of folk horror and stories of the quiet rage of living in a world controlled by the whims and false piety of men will likely love what they find between these pages.

Hyacinth is expected to be quiet and do as she is told, in all aspects of life. She has no say in when or who she will marry, where she will live or how she will die. Hyacinth soon finds herself wed and sent off through the woods full of monsters with her new husband. Their new home is similar to their old village but new horrors await.

I ate this book up, it is creepy and gory and disturbing. The story and writing itself is so atmospheric, there isn’t a single part of this book where you don’t feel the dread and horror radiating off the pages. Our main character is strong and brave and brutal, you can’t help but want her to carve her own path out of this terrifying world she was born into.

I did find that at the end of the story I have so many unanswered questions. I want to know more, I want more details, but I have to admit that the unknown does add to the terror of this world.

Overall, this was a great little horror read and I found the ending fit the story.

So originally I only stopped at this book because the title was mildly horror sounding but mainly because that cover image. Woof. Loved it immediately. Read what the book was about and was like, alright let's do this.

So in went my request on Netgalley and I lucked out and was accepted. So thank you to Netgalley and Quill & Crow Publishing House for sending me a free copy in exchange for an honest review of the book.

Let me tell you I was immediately swooning over the forest rot vibe of it all. And the pure feminine rage not only from the characters but that I felt for them? I absolutely devoured this book.

Picture this, 5am (my alarm is set for 6am) and I'm reading my Kindle in a pitch black room as my significant other and dogs snore around me. I simply couldn't put the book down. My Kindle said I was at like 30% done at one point and I was on Amazon pre-ordering the book.

The rotten wood, rage vibe lasts throughout the entire book. But slowly as the story continues you realize that the monsters aren't just the supernatural entities running around in the forest and ocean. They're also living in the village houses. And the ending? I had to read it twice.

This easily is in my top reads of 2025.

This book started off as a gothic mystery in a small settlement, but it turned in to a supernatural survival story of a woman just trying to live on her own terms. I enjoyed it! It’s very well written, with brilliant pacing. The characters are mysterious, and the main character Hyacinth is a puzzle that we get to unravel as we read. Hyacinth is a strong woman who wants to be free, but can she be free? She’s being pulled in different directions, the woods with their teeth and society and their expectations.
As I was reading I was constantly wondering what’s going to happen next. This book has a few plot twists that work wonderfully. It’s a brilliant combination of terror, historical fiction and feminism. I highly recommend this book to anybody who likes gothic fiction, mysteries or darkish historical fiction.

This was super interesting to begin with but gradually went downhill. The pacing felt very slow making this book feel a lot longer than it actually is. There didn’t seem to be much of a plot at all. Lots of body horror just for the sake of body horror. I get creeped out quite easily by horror stories but this book wasn’t very creepy at all. It felt very repetitive, so many mentions of bones and blood and people bleeding, the FMC seemed to be constantly bleeding. I also felt really uncomfortable reading a sex scene when the FMC is only 17. Fortunately it was very short and vague but felt completely unnecessary. I feel as though I learned basically nothing about this world and this whole story kind of lead up to nothing.
Very disappointing, had to drag myself through the final chapters.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC copy to review.

This a book of superb fantasy horror atmosphere. If you wanted a book set entirely within the Wood from Naomi Novik's Uprooted, this would be a solid candidate, and that creepy wood is paired with an equally creepy ocean just for good measure. I loved the atmosphere of the town Hyacinth found herself sent to, and the building tension as the townspeople face the ever-growing threat of the Teeth and the Deep and become more and more convinced that Hyacinth is a witch whose sins have brought this (increased) terror upon them.

It could use another round of edits for consistency; the names of some things change throughout or else aren't entirely clear (I'm pretty sure the Form and the Drove are the same place; if not, it's not clear how they differ) and there are some details that seem to flop back and forth at various parts of the book as well, like what type of masks the people in the town wear (there are several types for different people or maybe occasions, but again, not entirely clear). The ending is also VERY abrupt. But the vibes are excellent for a true fantasy horror novel and the writing is generally very solid throughout.

⭐️ 4.5

This is a dark, brutal fairy tale with just the right ratio of unknowable magic and sacrificial gore. If you're a fan of Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom, the movie The Witch, or just crave stories about wicked forests and witches, you'll love this short book. The writing is lush and immersive and so fast paced. Once I started, I just couldn't stop until I'd devoured the whole thing. I'll be thinking about this story for a long time. Would recommend and buy for myself.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh I’m obsessed. A perfect book. The ever-present blood, bones, and viscera keeps you immersed in the bleakness & true horror of this world, unending & omnipresent. The main character is relatable but wild, and I loved her. Characters were well-developed, and the best of them acted against their own self-interest in ways that fit into the oppression of the system they exist in. I loved the unfathomable yet visible beasts, and the shadows they brought to the world of this book & to the reading experience. Read this book in two sittings, 10/10, highly recommend.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me a digital arc!

Carve the bones. One for the gate, one for the door, two for the mantel, and three for the floor…

First things first, Folk horror is not my thing.
L.V Russell's writing instantly pulled me in and the world was interesting enough for me to devour the last words of the story. The way she woven the intrinsic pieces of the story together is spellbinding. The dark themes of this book held me in a chokehold. This is first book i read by this author and it did not disappoint me.

Hyacinth - the heathen she is 😂. I love how she didn't cower in front of the The Elders, she did what she could in a survival mode. My only problem in this book is I was immediately pushed into the story and it took me time to understand what's going on in the story. And regarding the dog, twice i believe, the author wrote that the dog wasn't with Hyacinth but again the dog was with her in those scenes. I was confused with those descriptions.

This story... It'll be in my thoughts for a long time.

In the woods beyond each village, the Teeth keep watch, ever hungry. Stories of witches who can be heard in the night call to Hyacinth. She dreams of a world where she is free to choose her own future, rather than face down the only two options left to young people in her world: to marry and leave the village alongside a husband she does not want, hoping that the Teeth are held back by the efforts of the Woodsmen who clear the path, and death on the Farm, to be splayed and skewered, left as a feast for the crows.

Forced to marry a man she despises, Hyacinth makes her way through the woods to find her new home in a village hemmed in by both the Teeth and the equally terrifying and demanding creatures in the water: the Deep. When these eldritch horrors begin to seem more restless and hungrier than ever, the Elders look to Hyacinth as the potential cause of their newfound peril, and she must navigate her survival in a world where both men and monsters seem to thirst for her blood.

This is a phenomenal book. Russell constructs an unflinchingly brutal world that had me hooked from the first page. It's short enough that the pacing doesn't feel like it stumbles and it picks up at all the right points. My one complaint is that we get a little too close to the monsters at the end, but that's personal preference for liking to stay more in the dark. Easily one of the best horror novels I've read this year, and I'm confident it'll remain in the top of my list.

Big thanks to Netgalley for the eARC. Do yourself a favor if you're into gory eldritch horror and pick this up.

The atmosphere of this book is unmatched. The world Russell creates is unsettling and bleak, with hungry gods and cultists that are equally dangerous as the monsters in the woods and sea. I was drawn to this book because of the cover, and it absolutely delivers on the premise. It’s disturbing and violent and I could not put it down as Hyacinth navigates her new place in a society where no one is fully trustworthy and everyone is prepared to do what it takes to survive.

I would have loved to learn a bit more about the gods, cult rituals, and the world, but I very much enjoyed reading this regardless!

Thank you to NetGalley and Quill & Crow Publishing House for the ARC.

I read this book via NetGalley. I debated between 4 and 5 star for a bit, before settling on 5.

I read this book in one day, it grabbed my attention that strongly from start to finish. This macabre world was fascinating to keep reading. It felt a bit confusing at times to follow along, but it ultimately did not ruin my experience reading.

"You wonder why the world is so very hungry for us. It is for the heavy sins we carry, for the rot here."

A strange world where people fearfully worship the terrifying monsters of the woods and the sea. They practice cult-like traditions in attempts to protect themselves, but as our main character Hyacinth learns-- the Gods care little for these rules and traditions. They will eat what they want, when they want. Ultimately you cannot sacrifice others for your sins, the rot will continue to fester.

I think the ending is a bit rushed, and a few points confused me.

There's so much more I want to think about-- The abuse women suffer and the ways they rebel to carve their own lives. The queer themes. The concept of sin... I'll be thinking about this book for a while.

"Don't be foolish, or wicked, or loud. Don't be brazen, wild, hopeful, hungry. Be pretty, be quiet, be good."

Beautiful prose, descriptive and intense. It is a very atmospheric story, with an unsettling tone throughout. A wonderful commentary on "otherness" and "womanhood." At times I wasn't sure who the monster was: the Teeth, the Deep, or the men.