Most people have been devoured by the eldritch creatures, but Sara and her family have been fighting for survival, armed with their knowledge of folklore and pagan rituals – the only weapon that seems to work against these monsters.

And then a young woman, Parsley, comes out of nowhere into Sara’s life. Found in their garden, they have no idea where she is from.

Sara and Parsley begin to fall in love, but disaster strikes when Sara’s brother Noah is taken by the creatures.
They set out to find him, across a landscape of merciless terror, haunted by death.

But can Parsley truly be trusted in a world where humanity is as scarse as humans themselves?

I received a complimentary copy of this book courtesy of the publisher. All thoughts are my own.

This was an interesting post-apocalyptic read. I went in expecting more of an “evil witch” story, but honestly, the creatures at the end of the world are called such because the only thing that can keep them at bay are pagan rituals and the family’s knowledge of pagan folklore.

In this book, the world has been overrun by eldritch creatures. Most people are dead, but Sara and her family have managed to survive by using their knowledge of folklore and pagan rituals to keep the monsters away. It’s the only thing that seems to work.

Then a young woman named Parsley shows up out of nowhere in their garden. Sara and Parsley start to fall for each other, but when Sara’s brother Noah gets taken by the creatures, Sara and Parsley set out to find him.

It was a decent read, but for me, I kept waiting for something unexpected to happen and it never really did. From the moment Parsley came into the picture I had a pretty good idea of where things were going to go. The setup was interesting. The premise had potential. But the execution felt too predictable. It pretty much follows every beat of every other post-apocalyptic book or TV show I’ve seen or read.

I also felt the book did a better job at building atmosphere and setting a vibe than it did executing horror. The world feels oppressive and the sense of isolation is real, but I never felt genuinely scared or unsettled. And I honestly think the lack of surprise prevented me from feeling any sense of dread. Horror works best when you don’t know what’s coming. Here, I was pretty confident I knew what was coming, so the tension never really landed for me.

The relationship between Sara and Parsley is fine. It’s tender and angsty. but it also feels a bit expected like everything else. I wanted to feel more invested in their connection, but I never managed to get there.

On the plus side, I liked that the book leaned into ritual and old knowledge as the key to survival rather than guns or technology. It gave the story a different flavor than most post-apocalyptic fiction. But this is also where I felt a little more development would have been great. I wanted more detail about the rituals and more exploration of why they work.

The creatures themselves are described as eldritch, which implies something Lovecraftian and unknowable. But they never felt truly terrifying to me. They’re a threat. They’re dangerous. But they didn’t have that sense of cosmic horror that makes eldritch monsters so effective. It could have really benefitted from more worldbuilding around the creatures and what they actually are.

That said, this isn’t a bad book. It just didn’t surprise me. The writing is solid and the atmosphere is developed very well. It just didn’t deliver the twists or the scares I was hoping for. I can definitely see where this will appeal to folks who prefer vibes over tension. If you’re drawn to atmospheric post-apocalyptic stories, queer romance in harsh settings, or books that lean into folklore and ritual, you might enjoy this more than I did. But if you’re looking for edge-of-your-seat horror or unpredictable twists, this might leave you wanting more.