by David Barnett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is classified as a folk horror novel. I think that is an apt description, to a point. The overall folklore used here was unfamiliar to me. Upon research it appears to be based in England. Therefore, I suppose I have to concede that the use of Pagan symbols (the pentacle) and holidays (Yule, Beltane, Lammas, etc.) is possibly appropriate. I didn’t personally like it, and feel it might have been better to have this folk story introduce more of its own symbology or lore. Nevertheless it was a decent read.
For the plot, we follow the story in an odd, non-chronological order. Going forward from days before our MC ends up in the town, and going backwards from near her final time in town. At some point the narrative flips around. Thankfully it’s easy to follow at all times and felt very nature in the set-up. I enjoyed the way the narrative swapped at times as it revealed secrets (or kept them) in a way that provided atmosphere and suspense.
Withered Hill is not a love story. It has many elements and shows relationships but is careful to never be a true love story. For which I was thankful. And the twisty ending is both logical, clever, and doesn’t cheapen the story or characters around it. Withered Hill is the kind of horror story that anyone new to folk horror will love. Those of us who’ve read enough (or a lot) of this type of story may find similarities and be able to predict some elements. For me that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of this novel as it’s just different enough.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
Follow me on Goodreads
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is classified as a folk horror novel. I think that is an apt description, to a point. The overall folklore used here was unfamiliar to me. Upon research it appears to be based in England. Therefore, I suppose I have to concede that the use of Pagan symbols (the pentacle) and holidays (Yule, Beltane, Lammas, etc.) is possibly appropriate. I didn’t personally like it, and feel it might have been better to have this folk story introduce more of its own symbology or lore. Nevertheless it was a decent read.
For the plot, we follow the story in an odd, non-chronological order. Going forward from days before our MC ends up in the town, and going backwards from near her final time in town. At some point the narrative flips around. Thankfully it’s easy to follow at all times and felt very nature in the set-up. I enjoyed the way the narrative swapped at times as it revealed secrets (or kept them) in a way that provided atmosphere and suspense.
Withered Hill is not a love story. It has many elements and shows relationships but is careful to never be a true love story. For which I was thankful. And the twisty ending is both logical, clever, and doesn’t cheapen the story or characters around it. Withered Hill is the kind of horror story that anyone new to folk horror will love. Those of us who’ve read enough (or a lot) of this type of story may find similarities and be able to predict some elements. For me that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of this novel as it’s just different enough.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
Follow me on Goodreads
No comments:
Post a Comment