Thank you to the author, Sam Haysom, for sending this book to the Night Worms in exchange for an honest review.

Sometimes I receive some books that I have researched a lot or am intimately familiar with the plot. Other times I just know a few basic facts of a book before starting. This was the latter. I knew nothing much about this book other than the cover looked desolate and eerie. Sometimes I love going into a book cold, and this was one of those times. I had NO idea what to expect and that just made each twist and turn that much more shocking and entertaining to me.

I enjoyed the format of the story. There are two timelines: the past when a group of young boys go hiking/camping and the "present" where one of the boys (we do not know who it is for the longest time) is narrating. Between the past and the present we are given newspaper clippings where terrible things seem to keep happening: kids going missing, teens being murdered, animals being dismembered or slaughtered, etc. It just keeps adding to the growing suspense of the story.

I really REALLY enjoyed this story and it also solidified that I should never do anything outdoors-y unless it involved a patio and some brunch or a mimosa/bloody Mary. I used to work in the Appalachian Mountains as a research assistant (aka the fool WHO IS GONNA DIE IN SOME CRAZY RANDOM SITUATION) and I am glad I no longer have to mess around with that. It was my first job while I was still in high school. Let me just say that if I read THIS book before taking that job, I highly doubt I would have accepted the position.

I recommend this book and I give it 4.5 stars! Looking forward to more from Haysom!