My thoughts:
I received an advance copy of this book courtesy of the publisher. All thoughts are my own.
How crazy is it that I read two books back-to-back with a very similar premise? Just like with “Dive Bar at the End of the World,” this one focuses on a group of people trapped together (this time in a convenience store rather than a bar) while something hunts them from outside.
Even though the basic premise was similar, the two books are very different in how everything plays out and in what’s actually going on. This time around, we’re in the Appalachian Mountains, which means we’re dealing with creepy folklore (which I am a huge fan of).
Jane and her brother Thomas are driving from college through the North Georgia mountains to their parents’ home for Thanksgiving, and the trip is a little awkward because they haven’t spoken since the accident that almost killed them both. When they pull into a roadside convenience store, a man staggers in with a horribly mangled body and says a monster attacked him. Of course nobody believes him because monsters aren’t real. But this is Appalachia, and there are many rumors and local legends. But then someone leaves the store and is brutally killed, and suddenly the folklore of a beast in the hills who hunts people who carry guilt seems more plausible. It also seems like maybe someone inside that store has drawn it out. Everyone has secrets, Jane and Thomas included, and as the bodies pile up, the survivors start turning on each other. Each of them wants to figure out who’s the guiltiest so they can save their own skin.
The folklore was what hooked me here. I’m a sucker for folklore, but Appalachian folklore is especially terrifying to me. Needless to say, I was locked and loaded for this one. The pacing is quick, the tension rarely lets up, and the writing is strong, so it was easy to stay engaged from page one.
I also rooted for people to survive. That might sound like a low bar, but when secrets keep spilling out, and the survivors start turning on each other, it’s easy to stop caring who makes it out. I didn’t. Jane and Thomas also have a rift to mend on top of staying alive, which gives the story another layer beyond the monster waiting outside.
I did an immersive read and the audiobook narration by Abigail Reno was spot on. The production was also fun in that they added echoes and creepiness in parts of the book which really helped up the atmosphere and dread.
A quick heads up for the squeamish and those who don’t like things too dark: this one is tense and bloody, so if you want your creepy reads on the lighter side, this probably isn’t the one for you. But, if you want a locked room horror story with creepy folklore, fast pacing, and tension that rarely lets up, don’t sleep on this one.
Book Club/Book Box:
