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This Wretched Valley
Four ambitious climbers hike into the Kentucky wilderness. Seven months later, three mangled bodies are discovered. Were their deaths simple accidents or the result of something more sinister?
This nail-biting, bone-chilling survival horror novel is inspired by the infamous Dyatlov Pass incident, and is perfect for fans of Alma Katsu and Showtime's Yellowjackets.
This is going to be Dylan's big break. Her friend Clay, a geology student, has discovered an untouched cliff face in the Kentucky wilderness, and she is going to be the first person to climb it. Together with Clay, his research assistant Sylvia, and Dylan's boyfriend Luke, she is going to document her achievement on Instagram and finally cement her place as the next rising star in rock climbing.
Seven months later, three bodies are discovered in the trees just off the highway. All are in various states of one body a stark, white skeleton; the second emptied of its organs; and the third a mutilated corpse with the tongue, eyes, ears, and fingers removed.
But Dylan is still missing. Followers of her Instagram account report seeing disturbing livestreams, and some even claim to have caught glimpses of her vanishing into the thick woods, but no trace of her—dead or alive—has been discovered.
Were the climbers murdered? Did they succumb to cannibalism? Or are their impossible bodies the work of an even more sinister force? Is Dylan still alive, and does she hold the answers?
This page-turning debut will have you racing towards the inevitable conclusion.
Duration: 08:33
This nail-biting, bone-chilling survival horror novel is inspired by the infamous Dyatlov Pass incident, and is perfect for fans of Alma Katsu and Showtime's Yellowjackets.
This is going to be Dylan's big break. Her friend Clay, a geology student, has discovered an untouched cliff face in the Kentucky wilderness, and she is going to be the first person to climb it. Together with Clay, his research assistant Sylvia, and Dylan's boyfriend Luke, she is going to document her achievement on Instagram and finally cement her place as the next rising star in rock climbing.
Seven months later, three bodies are discovered in the trees just off the highway. All are in various states of one body a stark, white skeleton; the second emptied of its organs; and the third a mutilated corpse with the tongue, eyes, ears, and fingers removed.
But Dylan is still missing. Followers of her Instagram account report seeing disturbing livestreams, and some even claim to have caught glimpses of her vanishing into the thick woods, but no trace of her—dead or alive—has been discovered.
Were the climbers murdered? Did they succumb to cannibalism? Or are their impossible bodies the work of an even more sinister force? Is Dylan still alive, and does she hold the answers?
This page-turning debut will have you racing towards the inevitable conclusion.
Duration: 08:33
9 pages, Audiobook
First published January 16, 2024
603 people are currently reading
30350 people want to read
About the author
Jenny Kiefer
4 books431 followersJenny Kiefer is a horror writer living in Louisville, Kentucky. She is the owner of the horror bookstore Butcher Cabin Books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,381 reviews
January 21, 2024
This book started great. The first chapter, where we read about the discovery of the bodies, really sucked me in. But boy, I feel bamboozled some 300 pages later. The plot was goofy and inconsistent, and the story wasn't scary (I'm not one of those hardcore horror fans who never scares - I scare very easily). The writing wasn't bad except for a handful of sentences throughout the book (the worst being the phrase "dead-and-breakfast" used to describe some corpses). But it didn’t feel cohesive, almost like different authors wrote different passages. I didn't like the characters, but I think that might've been the point.
The more succinct way to describe it is that it reminded me of a B-grade late 90s / early 00s horror movie. Watching it would've been fun, but reading it was a chore. This marks the third horror story in a row that I've read and felt disappointed in. Maybe I'm the problem? Other readers have given it good reviews, so I'm glad it found some fans out there. It's just not for me.
The more succinct way to describe it is that it reminded me of a B-grade late 90s / early 00s horror movie. Watching it would've been fun, but reading it was a chore. This marks the third horror story in a row that I've read and felt disappointed in. Maybe I'm the problem? Other readers have given it good reviews, so I'm glad it found some fans out there. It's just not for me.
January 20, 2024
This Wretched Valley follows four friends (and a dog) as they trek into the Kentucky wilderness to explore a previously undiscovered climbing rock, and when they get stranded there, some weird things start to happen.
The story switches between all their POVs, and back and forth in time, as they uncover the secrets hiding in that wretched valley, and struggle to survive.
Overall, I really had fun with this one! It's a slow start, and the switching of POVs mid-chapters took a minute to get used to, but I ended up really enjoying it.
I still stick with the comparison that this is like a mashup between The Blair Witch, The Descent, and The Ruins, but with a little dash of Midsommar and The Southern Reach Trilogy. It's fun, gory (the gore scenes were esp effective imo), weird, surprised me a few times, was trippy, and easy to read.
Oh and also, this is based on the Dyatlov Pass Incident, which I was unfamiliar with, but that might be good to know if it's a special interest of yours!!
The story switches between all their POVs, and back and forth in time, as they uncover the secrets hiding in that wretched valley, and struggle to survive.
Overall, I really had fun with this one! It's a slow start, and the switching of POVs mid-chapters took a minute to get used to, but I ended up really enjoying it.
I still stick with the comparison that this is like a mashup between The Blair Witch, The Descent, and The Ruins, but with a little dash of Midsommar and The Southern Reach Trilogy. It's fun, gory (the gore scenes were esp effective imo), weird, surprised me a few times, was trippy, and easy to read.
Oh and also, this is based on the Dyatlov Pass Incident, which I was unfamiliar with, but that might be good to know if it's a special interest of yours!!
Read
January 12, 2024-Wilderness/Survival Horror
-Supernatural elements
-Multiple timelines/POVs
-Short chapters
-Fast pace
-Horror scenes & gore are LEGIT scary
-Comps: The Endless (2017), Event Horizon (1997) & The Ruins by Scott Smith
..
Of course, my full book review will unpack the comps and why I chose them, plus detailed notes on my reading experience and as always, spoiler-free. I’ll post it to Goodreads soon. Great book!
-Supernatural elements
-Multiple timelines/POVs
-Short chapters
-Fast pace
-Horror scenes & gore are LEGIT scary
-Comps: The Endless (2017), Event Horizon (1997) & The Ruins by Scott Smith
..
Of course, my full book review will unpack the comps and why I chose them, plus detailed notes on my reading experience and as always, spoiler-free. I’ll post it to Goodreads soon. Great book!
April 1, 2024
DNF @ 70%
This book is trying to do "evil sentient forest" and "bloodthirsty ghosts" at the same time and it just really did not work for me. (Also...the ghosts need weapons to kill?? THEY'RE GHOSTS! WHY DO THEY NEED WEAPONS?? And if the forest wants people to stay away why does it allow some people to get lost inside it? ...yes, I need the spooky forest to have some sense of logic. Shut up.)
The action felt very repetitive (characters thinking they see something weird, then convincing themselves they didn't actually see anything. The group arguing over how to handle the situation, trying to leave the forest but just walking in circles..then something explicitly spooky happens) and the characters are very one-dimensional:
Dylan is a rock climber.
Luke really loves his dog.
Clay's PhD thesis is riding on this trip.
Sylvia is the smart, logical one. (Who *should* have been the final girl....)
That's it. That's literally all the personality they have.
Finally, I just didn't care for the writing style.
This book is trying to do "evil sentient forest" and "bloodthirsty ghosts" at the same time and it just really did not work for me. (Also...the ghosts need weapons to kill?? THEY'RE GHOSTS! WHY DO THEY NEED WEAPONS?? And if the forest wants people to stay away why does it allow some people to get lost inside it? ...yes, I need the spooky forest to have some sense of logic. Shut up.)
The action felt very repetitive (characters thinking they see something weird, then convincing themselves they didn't actually see anything. The group arguing over how to handle the situation, trying to leave the forest but just walking in circles..then something explicitly spooky happens) and the characters are very one-dimensional:
Dylan is a rock climber.
Luke really loves his dog.
Clay's PhD thesis is riding on this trip.
Sylvia is the smart, logical one. (Who *should* have been the final girl....)
That's it. That's literally all the personality they have.
Finally, I just didn't care for the writing style.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 1, 2024
Another suspenseful survival horror novel that validates my disdain for the harsh outdoors! I am now terrified to rock climb! (P.S. the gore in this book was fantastic!)
September 25, 2024
There is something grate about horror stories about people going off into woods that I love!
This was a lot of going though the standard beats in this stories, so if your not into being lost in a supernatural forest, this stories is not for for you. But if that is your type of story, then you won’t find to much that new to you. That’s not necessary a bad thing, because it means there going to be a lot of the thing that made you love this type of story I the first place.
Most importantly, like all stories, it’s the people that make or brake it, and I really like the cast here. They were relatable and fun to fallow around as thing got worse and worse for them. Plus there was lot of small burst of stories from other people in difrent times and there experiences in the supernatural forest.
This was a lot of going though the standard beats in this stories, so if your not into being lost in a supernatural forest, this stories is not for for you. But if that is your type of story, then you won’t find to much that new to you. That’s not necessary a bad thing, because it means there going to be a lot of the thing that made you love this type of story I the first place.
Most importantly, like all stories, it’s the people that make or brake it, and I really like the cast here. They were relatable and fun to fallow around as thing got worse and worse for them. Plus there was lot of small burst of stories from other people in difrent times and there experiences in the supernatural forest.
January 2, 2024
Good writing in search of a better story. For the vast majority of this book, it's just people walking in circles and wondering what's going on and why they can't get cell service. I also kinda felt like I was trapped in an endless forest reading it.
Then it got good and gross toward the end, even if I still have no idea what actually happened or what the point was.
Then it got good and gross toward the end, even if I still have no idea what actually happened or what the point was.
February 17, 2024
3.75⭐ That first chapter was so good. It reminded me of The Dyatlov Pass incident, which still remains a terrifying mystery. That set the tone of the story, but sadly it lost its momentum.
February 3, 2025
For a horror novel, more than any other genre, I think the setting is paramount to the tale. If done right, the setting can become its own distinct omniscient character in the story. For me personally, my very favorite horror stories are those where the setting not only becomes another character in the story, but the actual antagonist itself (i.e. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson). "This Wretched Valley" takes this to a whole new level that I had yet to see explored yet!
I love horror set in nature or involving camping, hiking, the woods!!! It sets such an instantly scary tone. I have seen a thousand horror movies that start just like this and honestly this kind of "adventure into the woods gone wrong" story never gets old to me.
This was an engrossing, intensely creepy story!!!! Strong start, very ominous!
Some of the descriptions are really good...."Their tents sitting like blisters in the valley below"...also comparing the sun hitting the rock face as showing its acne and pockmarks. Very clear imagery 👌
OKAY also the whole "Donner party" spin here was genuinely scary! Those descriptions were wicked!
I have definitely never read anything quite like this book before. I can see myself rereading it in the future and I think upon a reread my rating could go up to a 5.
I also would love to see this book get nominated for the 2024 GR choice award for horror because, as far as horror stories go, this had it all!
I love horror set in nature or involving camping, hiking, the woods!!! It sets such an instantly scary tone. I have seen a thousand horror movies that start just like this and honestly this kind of "adventure into the woods gone wrong" story never gets old to me.
This was an engrossing, intensely creepy story!!!! Strong start, very ominous!
Some of the descriptions are really good...."Their tents sitting like blisters in the valley below"...also comparing the sun hitting the rock face as showing its acne and pockmarks. Very clear imagery 👌
OKAY also the whole "Donner party" spin here was genuinely scary! Those descriptions were wicked!
I have definitely never read anything quite like this book before. I can see myself rereading it in the future and I think upon a reread my rating could go up to a 5.
I also would love to see this book get nominated for the 2024 GR choice award for horror because, as far as horror stories go, this had it all!
July 8, 2023
In the tradition of THE DESCENT and THE RUINS comes THIS WRETCHED VALLEY, a horror novel set in uncharted woods south of Kentucky's famed climbing and hiking paradise, Red River Gorge.
The graphic descriptions of both the woods and what they find there will haunt readers. Or gross them out. And Kiefer doesn't ease into it: The first few pages in particular are straight-up gore-core. Don't make the mistake I made and read this right before bed. And definitely don't take it with you on vacation to a cabin in the woods. Read it on the beach, in the bright sunlight!
The four friends whose POVs we cycle through make poor choice after poor choice. Whether it's not packing an extra gear in case something fails (rope, hello?!?) or not carrying flashlights on some of their jaunts, they're constantly putting themselves in jeopardy. Some of this can be chalked up to the valley messing with their heads; some of it is just college kids being dumb. I can't say I was sad to see any of them go! (Not a spoiler, as their fates are foretold in the first chapter.) If you're looking for an entirely likable character to root for...there's the dog, Slade.
The graphic descriptions of both the woods and what they find there will haunt readers. Or gross them out. And Kiefer doesn't ease into it: The first few pages in particular are straight-up gore-core. Don't make the mistake I made and read this right before bed. And definitely don't take it with you on vacation to a cabin in the woods. Read it on the beach, in the bright sunlight!
The four friends whose POVs we cycle through make poor choice after poor choice. Whether it's not packing an extra gear in case something fails (rope, hello?!?) or not carrying flashlights on some of their jaunts, they're constantly putting themselves in jeopardy. Some of this can be chalked up to the valley messing with their heads; some of it is just college kids being dumb. I can't say I was sad to see any of them go! (Not a spoiler, as their fates are foretold in the first chapter.) If you're looking for an entirely likable character to root for...there's the dog, Slade.
March 8, 2024
This Wretched Valley had a little too much gore for my taste, but it is an interesting debut in the horror genre and the author owns a bookstore devoted to horror in my town of Louisville, Kentucky, so kudos for her. In this age of innocuous names and bland cover art, she also makes a bold statement with her book's title and the depiction of the rock face as a skull is magnificent.
May 21, 2024
I like horror with some scary fascination. With a chance to see someone "win". A chance at a fight.
They tell you what happens in the very beginning.
They all die.
They tell you in the first three pages, the details of the bodies or what's left of them.
Then you read the entire book. Ending up exactly like they told you. The only difference, is now you also have all the very detailed vomit-inducing specifics of everything that happens to each of them, err each body, alive and after! I'm all for horror and gore. Unfortunately, this was just gore.
They tell you what happens in the very beginning.
They all die.
They tell you in the first three pages, the details of the bodies or what's left of them.
Then you read the entire book. Ending up exactly like they told you. The only difference, is now you also have all the very detailed vomit-inducing specifics of everything that happens to each of them, err each body, alive and after! I'm all for horror and gore. Unfortunately, this was just gore.
February 26, 2024
First off, that cover!!!! How fantastic is that? I love it! This Wretched Valley was inspired by the Dyatlov Pass incident. If you are interested in learning more about the Dyatlov Pass, I recommend reading Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident. In this survival horror book, Clay, a geology student, has invited Sylvia, his research assistant, Dylan, a social media star rock climber, and Luke, Dylan's boyfriend to join him in climbing and exploring an untouched cliff face he has discovered in the Kentucky wilderness. Seven months later, three bodies were discovered. Dylan's body is missing. Is she still alive? Where is she? What happened in that Wretched Valley?
What indeed! Many reviewers have mentioned this, and I agree, this book would make a great movie. It's a book about an area that the locals do not have good feelings about. I wonder why!?! What happened to the curious experienced climbers? It feels as if the synopsis of the book gives everything away, but there is more going on in this book.
This book had a creepy uneasy vibe. I enjoyed the POV's of the characters and the feel of the book. While it didn't knock my socks off, I did find it to be enjoyable. I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narration.
Entertaining, creepy and a good listen. Would make a great movie.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
What indeed! Many reviewers have mentioned this, and I agree, this book would make a great movie. It's a book about an area that the locals do not have good feelings about. I wonder why!?! What happened to the curious experienced climbers? It feels as if the synopsis of the book gives everything away, but there is more going on in this book.
This book had a creepy uneasy vibe. I enjoyed the POV's of the characters and the feel of the book. While it didn't knock my socks off, I did find it to be enjoyable. I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narration.
Entertaining, creepy and a good listen. Would make a great movie.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
February 1, 2024
I really loved this book - it’s like if The Ruins met The Descent, also inspired by the Dyatlov Pass incident! This Wretched Valley follows four friends who trek into the Kentucky wilderness to explore a newly discovered climbing rock. The gore was top notch and it was so trippy and messed up! A brilliant survival horror novel that really did leave me quite unsettled at points. 4 stars.
November 27, 2023
Huge thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC!
Deja vu for those who read my reviews, but by now, you’ve probably deduced that I like reading books set in the wilderness and involving craziness. It could simply be they are lost and they need to survive or the forest itself can be possessed or an ancient entity wanting to remain untouched – either way, I’m game.
Add in the third spine-tingle maker for me – Dyatlov Pass – and I’m practically vibrating in anticipation. If you’ve not heard of Dyatlov Pass by now – I’ll pause while you go Google it and then we’ll wait here until you dig yourself out of the rabbit hole…………………………………… (eight hours later) AH! You’re back. See, not much going on in that crazy world with Dyatlov eh?
So, it should’ve been a no brainer heading into ‘This Wretched Valley’ that this book would’ve been tailor made for me, but alas, not all books hit home runs and for me, this one was an easy ground out to first base.
What I liked: The novel is centered around two main individuals – Clay and Dylan. Clay is doing a research project using LIDAR and attempting to find an unmapped rock face in order to graduate. Dylan is a recently signed professional climber, and as she’s been friends with Clay for some time, when Clay finds his potential A-grade rock face, he invites her along so that she can make the first climb and film some online content. They head there with two others (Dylan’s significant other Luke (and their dog, Slade) and Clay’s research assistant, Sylvia.
The only problem? The place Clay’s found is in an area the locals know to avoid.
As they hike in, we get the growing tension of GPS issues, each of the people thinking they’ve been walking in circles and Slade, the dog, going bananas time and time again. The dog doesn’t want to be there, but the group pushes its outbursts away, suggesting the dog has just seen a squirrel or a deer.
Once they do finally arrive at the cliff face, nothing goes right. Kiefer does a solid job of making the area feel uneasy and a suggestion that not all is right with the place, nor with the group. Arguments break out, time seems to move differently and each of the people find that they seem like things are repeating themselves, even when there’s video evidence to suggest otherwise.
It all comes to a head when an injury happens and they need to get the injured person to a hospital. This kicks of a series of events that ultimately culminates with the forest reclaiming those who’ve trespassed and the circular nature of well… um, nature kicks off again.
What I didn’t like: I reaaalllly wanted to like this one. Going in, I was hoping to get something along the lines of Nevill’s ‘The Ritual’ meets Lyons ‘The Night Will Find Us.’ Instead, I found everything to be telegraphed and falling into the world of ‘predictable,’ unfortunately. I personally didn’t care enough about any of the characters to want to root for any of them and when I didn’t have any emotional attachment, when anything happened, it had no effect on me.
Things got off on the wrong foot near the beginning, at least for me, when they stop for food and the waitress wasted no time in telling them that people go there and don’t come back and soon after, they end up driving in circles. Couple that with the way the dog was behaving – finding what appears to be a human femur – and the group brushing it all aside, it made it hard for me to ground myself in reality in order to then detach myself from reality, if that makes sense? I needed something to say, ‘Hey, these individuals are pragmatic and rational, so the irrational stuff happening is that much worse because of it.’ But we didn’t get that at all.
Why you should buy this: As with all books, if it sounds like something you’d dig, give it a shot! I LOVE 99% of all books I read and I go into every book expecting to have my socks knocked off, so when one is a misfire, it’s more of a rarity for me. This one just didn’t connect any dots with my reading brain and instead of DNFing, I stuck it out to the end, hoping that the ship would be righted and I’d really fall into it. Unfortunately, that never took place.
So, for you, if you are looking for a book set in a creepy place and things just don’t go right, this might very well be right up your alley.
For me, it just didn’t do what I had hoped it was going to.
Deja vu for those who read my reviews, but by now, you’ve probably deduced that I like reading books set in the wilderness and involving craziness. It could simply be they are lost and they need to survive or the forest itself can be possessed or an ancient entity wanting to remain untouched – either way, I’m game.
Add in the third spine-tingle maker for me – Dyatlov Pass – and I’m practically vibrating in anticipation. If you’ve not heard of Dyatlov Pass by now – I’ll pause while you go Google it and then we’ll wait here until you dig yourself out of the rabbit hole…………………………………… (eight hours later) AH! You’re back. See, not much going on in that crazy world with Dyatlov eh?
So, it should’ve been a no brainer heading into ‘This Wretched Valley’ that this book would’ve been tailor made for me, but alas, not all books hit home runs and for me, this one was an easy ground out to first base.
What I liked: The novel is centered around two main individuals – Clay and Dylan. Clay is doing a research project using LIDAR and attempting to find an unmapped rock face in order to graduate. Dylan is a recently signed professional climber, and as she’s been friends with Clay for some time, when Clay finds his potential A-grade rock face, he invites her along so that she can make the first climb and film some online content. They head there with two others (Dylan’s significant other Luke (and their dog, Slade) and Clay’s research assistant, Sylvia.
The only problem? The place Clay’s found is in an area the locals know to avoid.
As they hike in, we get the growing tension of GPS issues, each of the people thinking they’ve been walking in circles and Slade, the dog, going bananas time and time again. The dog doesn’t want to be there, but the group pushes its outbursts away, suggesting the dog has just seen a squirrel or a deer.
Once they do finally arrive at the cliff face, nothing goes right. Kiefer does a solid job of making the area feel uneasy and a suggestion that not all is right with the place, nor with the group. Arguments break out, time seems to move differently and each of the people find that they seem like things are repeating themselves, even when there’s video evidence to suggest otherwise.
It all comes to a head when an injury happens and they need to get the injured person to a hospital. This kicks of a series of events that ultimately culminates with the forest reclaiming those who’ve trespassed and the circular nature of well… um, nature kicks off again.
What I didn’t like: I reaaalllly wanted to like this one. Going in, I was hoping to get something along the lines of Nevill’s ‘The Ritual’ meets Lyons ‘The Night Will Find Us.’ Instead, I found everything to be telegraphed and falling into the world of ‘predictable,’ unfortunately. I personally didn’t care enough about any of the characters to want to root for any of them and when I didn’t have any emotional attachment, when anything happened, it had no effect on me.
Things got off on the wrong foot near the beginning, at least for me, when they stop for food and the waitress wasted no time in telling them that people go there and don’t come back and soon after, they end up driving in circles. Couple that with the way the dog was behaving – finding what appears to be a human femur – and the group brushing it all aside, it made it hard for me to ground myself in reality in order to then detach myself from reality, if that makes sense? I needed something to say, ‘Hey, these individuals are pragmatic and rational, so the irrational stuff happening is that much worse because of it.’ But we didn’t get that at all.
Why you should buy this: As with all books, if it sounds like something you’d dig, give it a shot! I LOVE 99% of all books I read and I go into every book expecting to have my socks knocked off, so when one is a misfire, it’s more of a rarity for me. This one just didn’t connect any dots with my reading brain and instead of DNFing, I stuck it out to the end, hoping that the ship would be righted and I’d really fall into it. Unfortunately, that never took place.
So, for you, if you are looking for a book set in a creepy place and things just don’t go right, this might very well be right up your alley.
For me, it just didn’t do what I had hoped it was going to.
January 16, 2024
I enjoyed this one! It has a great intro and it hooked me! I just found the characters so annoying and really dumb! Like they're professional climbers but they mess up immediately and they don't even know basic first aid?😂 it took me out of the story. I did like some of the gory scenes but it did start to feel repetitive . If you like survival horror definitely check this one out!
Thanks for the arc, Netgalley!
Thanks for the arc, Netgalley!
June 18, 2024
This was an interesting read that I'm not quite sure how to rate or review. I'm going to have to think on this one a bit! I can't tell how much of it was the book's fault and how much of it was my slump's fault that I couldn't ever quite connect to the characters, but I loved the setting and absolutely adored the ending. More thoughts to come soon!
May 16, 2025
3.5 Star- Rounded up ✨
I really enjoyed this! The first paragraph with the police discovering the bodies is what really drew me in! I was hoping for a haunted/mythological forest type book and I mostly got that! I am not mad about it! I put this down after 90 pages, not sure why, I was enjoying it! I picked it back up this week and continued to enjoy it!
This was squeamish at times, mostly towards the end I would have a cringing face on lol. I really liked these characters, I love when one of them starts to go crazy and the place affects them more than the others at first. I enjoyed the idea behind this book and the route the author took the story! The irl view and the camera view was a nice touch! The ending was not disappointing. Sometimes with horror/thriller books the ending is incredibly stupid and disappointing. This was great! I was intrigued until the very end!
I would definitely recommend this but BEWARE:DOG DEATH.
I really enjoyed this! The first paragraph with the police discovering the bodies is what really drew me in! I was hoping for a haunted/mythological forest type book and I mostly got that! I am not mad about it! I put this down after 90 pages, not sure why, I was enjoying it! I picked it back up this week and continued to enjoy it!
This was squeamish at times, mostly towards the end I would have a cringing face on lol. I really liked these characters, I love when one of them starts to go crazy and the place affects them more than the others at first. I enjoyed the idea behind this book and the route the author took the story! The irl view and the camera view was a nice touch! The ending was not disappointing. Sometimes with horror/thriller books the ending is incredibly stupid and disappointing. This was great! I was intrigued until the very end!
I would definitely recommend this but BEWARE:
February 11, 2024
I’m not a Kentucky native. I’m not a veteran rock climber. To have the author reference Muir Valley on, what seemed like, every other page, was extremely distracting for someone who doesn’t know what that is. I shouldn’t have to Google something the author is too lazy to describe themselves.
To add to the frustration, the first 100 pages were filled with useless words either describing rock climbing mechanics, or Dylan’s instagram posts to her *50,000 followers* or her intrusive thoughts about how horrible and selfish she is.
I was about ready to DNF this book at my “100 page rule” when things finally seemed like they were about to pick up. I probably should have just stopped. 150 pages later I’m just as frustrated and unsatisfied as I was after the first 100.
Read this book if you want a what-not-to-do while rock climbing. Or a play-by-play on how to be an instagram influencer. Don’t read this book if you were expecting a Blair-Witch-type of horror/thriller.
To add to the frustration, the first 100 pages were filled with useless words either describing rock climbing mechanics, or Dylan’s instagram posts to her *50,000 followers* or her intrusive thoughts about how horrible and selfish she is.
I was about ready to DNF this book at my “100 page rule” when things finally seemed like they were about to pick up. I probably should have just stopped. 150 pages later I’m just as frustrated and unsatisfied as I was after the first 100.
Read this book if you want a what-not-to-do while rock climbing. Or a play-by-play on how to be an instagram influencer. Don’t read this book if you were expecting a Blair-Witch-type of horror/thriller.
September 3, 2024
if this author's gory scenes collabed with rachel harrison's characters & storylines, it'd be a perfect horror book.
these characters were so aggravating & there's a line btwn unlikeable that I love vs simply annoying. needless to say these characters leaned towards the latter.
there's also a fine line btwn an ambiguous ending that has that eerie unsettling feeling vs just unfinished and also annoying. again, this was the latter.
the body horror was great, but that's pretty much all I liked about it.
these characters were so aggravating & there's a line btwn unlikeable that I love vs simply annoying. needless to say these characters leaned towards the latter.
there's also a fine line btwn an ambiguous ending that has that eerie unsettling feeling vs just unfinished and also annoying. again, this was the latter.
the body horror was great, but that's pretty much all I liked about it.
August 17, 2024
I don’t enjoy giving debut authors 1 star ratings, but here I am doing it for the second time in a month. If I would have known this book was inspired by the Dyatlov pass incident with what I swear was a nod/hint of Donner party, I never would have picked it up.
I just feel like those incidents were true tragic events, and due to the nature of them they require a lot of care to make a horror novel based on them. This one however gave me the ick. It seemed more gratuitous and all for the shock factor, than anything. I just feel like there needs to be a certain of level for respect for the actual victims of the real event for this to not be offensive imo, and we didn’t get that with this.
Actually to me it’s quite clear that the author only wrote this for the gore and kill scenes. Not much thought was put into anything else. The characters were cardboard and unlikeable for no real reason, the writing was incredibly dull and did not feel like it was meant to be adult at all. If it wasn’t for the level of body horror and gore, I’d say this was middle grade all day. Not an ounce of substance to the writing.
And any details that weren’t gore and body horror were just painfully boring. The dialogue was childlike and unrealistic.
I mean I just don’t have anything positive to say. There’s no common sense to be had and no real reason for the plot. No explanation for literally anything. And then the last page almost feels like it happened just because.
I might try this author again if the synopsis of her next book appeals to me…. But I definitely won’t be running to get it.
I just feel like those incidents were true tragic events, and due to the nature of them they require a lot of care to make a horror novel based on them. This one however gave me the ick. It seemed more gratuitous and all for the shock factor, than anything. I just feel like there needs to be a certain of level for respect for the actual victims of the real event for this to not be offensive imo, and we didn’t get that with this.
Actually to me it’s quite clear that the author only wrote this for the gore and kill scenes. Not much thought was put into anything else. The characters were cardboard and unlikeable for no real reason, the writing was incredibly dull and did not feel like it was meant to be adult at all. If it wasn’t for the level of body horror and gore, I’d say this was middle grade all day. Not an ounce of substance to the writing.
And any details that weren’t gore and body horror were just painfully boring. The dialogue was childlike and unrealistic.
I mean I just don’t have anything positive to say. There’s no common sense to be had and no real reason for the plot. No explanation for literally anything. And then the last page almost feels like it happened just because.
I might try this author again if the synopsis of her next book appeals to me…. But I definitely won’t be running to get it.
August 22, 2024
I read this book because my friend really enjoyed it and they wanted me to read it. It takes place in Kentucky and the author lives in Kentucky. She owns a Horror bookstore in Louisville. We Kentuckians don't get much love in media or in anything really so I was looking forward to reading this book. My friend has similar Horror taste to me so I had no doubt I would enjoy it.
Folks, I did not enjoy it. This book is so boring. I knew at about 50 pages in that I was not having fun. All the characters were flat and I never felt scared or on edge at anytime while reading this. I basically skimmed the last 100 pages because I just wanted it to be over.
I didn't love it...I'm dreading telling my friend this because this book is their favorite book of the year. I'm just glad this book is over.
Folks, I did not enjoy it. This book is so boring. I knew at about 50 pages in that I was not having fun. All the characters were flat and I never felt scared or on edge at anytime while reading this. I basically skimmed the last 100 pages because I just wanted it to be over.
I didn't love it...I'm dreading telling my friend this because this book is their favorite book of the year. I'm just glad this book is over.
August 16, 2024
i think the problem with horror books is that they are legally required to be at least a bit boring
December 7, 2023
This is a debut? 😱 this was incredible, inspired by Dyatlov Pass this was a unique take on survival horror, graphic and gross this is not for the faint hearted, it is not often a book will make me jumpy but this had me ON EDGE, I really enjoy survival horror/unchartered territory, in the same vein as The Ruins, The Ritual, The Road this plays on the universal fear of the unknown but with a fresh perspective, the prose is haunting and goosebump enducing reminiscent of early Jack Ketchum, Keifer has a real talent for storytelling and often left me questioning what was real and what wasn't, the ambiguity adds to the what kind of fuckery is this, this is definitely a book you will want to pick up I think Jenny is going to be a *star* in the genre!
May 20, 2024
This book is underrated! Definitely enjoyed this one and don’t totally understand why it’s not more popular
Thoughts: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZPRKRHyVp/
Thoughts: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZPRKRHyVp/
June 19, 2025
Warning signs, red flags! When things start going south, cutting your losses and getting away is the wisest course of action. These 4 ambitious rock climbing trailblazers are going to learn that lesson the hard way; when many bad things start happening, things usually don’t get better, and by the time they figure that out, it’s far too late and there's no going back.
It got right into the action; I liked that. Loaded with all sorts of camping and lost-in-the-woods horror tropes. I expected Jason in a hockey mask to come out of the forest wielding a machete and tearing up the campsite. I started losing interest in the characters and plot about halfway through, still managed to finish it alright, and the first half of the book was great—very strong 3 stars.
It got right into the action; I liked that. Loaded with all sorts of camping and lost-in-the-woods horror tropes. I expected Jason in a hockey mask to come out of the forest wielding a machete and tearing up the campsite. I started losing interest in the characters and plot about halfway through, still managed to finish it alright, and the first half of the book was great—very strong 3 stars.
March 1, 2024
What an excellent debut novel about survival and a psychological exploration of what happens when reality merges with the unexplainable.
Two climbers and two researchers are determined to find a brand new rock that no one has climbed before to go and explore it.
They manage to find a rock that no one has climbed before in the middle of a forest. The people in town warn them that it is a place where many have gone in and disappeared and those who made it out, were forever changed.
They of course dismiss the warning thinking it is just a local legend. That is until they get in and their perfection of reality starts to crumble.
This was such an interesting and unique take on survival horror. It reminded me of stories like The Ruins or even Annihilation. If you enjoy those types of stories this will be a great read for you.
The horror is wonderfully done, with a lot of atmospheric dread and gore. This is a bone chilling story about 4 people and a dog that went to explore and were excited to be the first ones that climbed this rock ... but things didn't go as expected. The things they saw and experienced are the things of nightmares.
Discover for yourself what the woods hide and what fate did the climbers meet.
Two climbers and two researchers are determined to find a brand new rock that no one has climbed before to go and explore it.
They manage to find a rock that no one has climbed before in the middle of a forest. The people in town warn them that it is a place where many have gone in and disappeared and those who made it out, were forever changed.
They of course dismiss the warning thinking it is just a local legend. That is until they get in and their perfection of reality starts to crumble.
This was such an interesting and unique take on survival horror. It reminded me of stories like The Ruins or even Annihilation. If you enjoy those types of stories this will be a great read for you.
The horror is wonderfully done, with a lot of atmospheric dread and gore. This is a bone chilling story about 4 people and a dog that went to explore and were excited to be the first ones that climbed this rock ... but things didn't go as expected. The things they saw and experienced are the things of nightmares.
Discover for yourself what the woods hide and what fate did the climbers meet.
February 6, 2024
This Wretched Valley is creepy and weird and such a strange liminal story. A group sets out to go and map an unknown area with a cliff face that could be the hot new place for rock climbers to ascend. There are several red flags leading up to their entry into the forest and point of no return. But everyone just kind of brushes them off and doesn't think much off them.
After wandering through the woods for quite sometime and seemingly a bit lost, they finally break through and find the valley and cliff wall that they are looking for. They set up their camp and the first night all seems fine. Then on the second day, things start to go oh so wrong.
An addictive read, I had to know what would happen next, it's super weird and I loved that about it. There seems to be ghosts and time glitches where things from the past are coming through into the present. Some glitches in the Matrix one might say. Loved my time with this book.
As someone who loves to go camping, I sometimes wonder why I do this to myself and read about horror in the woods. I also love swimming in the ocean and reading water based horror. Apparently I'm trying to make myself terrified of things I love. 🤷♀️
After wandering through the woods for quite sometime and seemingly a bit lost, they finally break through and find the valley and cliff wall that they are looking for. They set up their camp and the first night all seems fine. Then on the second day, things start to go oh so wrong.
An addictive read, I had to know what would happen next, it's super weird and I loved that about it. There seems to be ghosts and time glitches where things from the past are coming through into the present. Some glitches in the Matrix one might say. Loved my time with this book.
As someone who loves to go camping, I sometimes wonder why I do this to myself and read about horror in the woods. I also love swimming in the ocean and reading water based horror. Apparently I'm trying to make myself terrified of things I love. 🤷♀️
January 31, 2024
This book would have been served with a better editor. There's a lot of repetitive prose and recycling that threw me out of the experience. The characters also make a series of horrible (see unbelievable) choices to get them into their predicament. YMMV but this one was a massive miss for me.
May 19, 2025
This was so unhinged
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