Withered Hill

by David Barnett

A year ago Sophie Wickham stumbled into the isolated Lancashire village of Withered Hill, naked, alone and with no memory of who she is. Surrounded by a thick ring of woodland, its inhabitants seem to be of another world, drenched in pagan, folklorish traditions.

As Sophie struggles to regain the memories of her life from before, she quickly realises she is a prisoner after multiple failed escape attempts. But is it the locals who keep her trapped, with smiles on their faces, or something else, lurking in the woods?

In London, Sophie leads a chaotic life, with too many drunken nights, inappropriate men and boring temp jobs. But things take a turn as she starts to be targeted by strange messages warning her that someone, or something, is coming for her.

With no idea who to trust, or where to turn for help, the messages become more insistent and more intimidating, urging Sophie to make her way to a place called Withered Hill.

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Fiction, Gothic, Mystery, Folklore, Supernatural

359 pages, Paperback

First published September 26, 2024

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Reviews

[Vicki Herbert - Vacation until Jan 2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

They Have Found Her...

WITHERED HILL
by David Barnett

4 stars. Sophie Wickham lived in the moment. In the now. In the right now...

Until...

One day, she walked out of the trees surrounding Withered Hill. She wasn't in Withered Hill, then suddenly she was...

Scraped, scratched, naked, and muddy, she followed the path in the open meadow until it became a road...

Eventually...

She arrived at Nut Nan Farm, where a farmer wearing a hollowed out pig head over his own head pointed up the road toward the village...

Next, along the road...

Sophie met a man in a van wearing a rabbit head. He put down his window and pointed her further up the road...

Villagers watched from their windows as she passed their cottages...

Coming upon the Farmer and Devil pub...

Three burly men sat drinking outside, wearing black dog heads, blood dripping down their collars as they pointed up the hill...

A butcher stood outside his shop wearing a calf head. He also pointed up the hill as Sophie passed him...

Finally...

At the top of the hill, she reached the post office where she thankfully burst through the door...

Carol, the postmistress, welcomed her to Withered Hill. It is where she belongs. She has come home...

They have found her...

But where is she? Why can't she remember anything, including who she is?

Do you know what happens to bad girls? Sometimes, they go to prison. Sometimes, Owd Hob takes them for his wife...

She can't leave the village...

She's not a prisoner. She just can't leave. The villagers are not her prison guards, but her teachers...

She must pass the test to leave Withered Hill. She's close to cracking the puzzle...

And...

She needs to make a bower. Whatever that is...

This was an excellent folk story. At first, as I neared the end, I thought the story was going to be full of holes, but I encourage readers to stay with it to the very end, where everything is explained fully.

The story is told from two perspectives: inside and outside of Withered Hill. I usually don't like dual storylines, but it worked here.

If you like this kind of folklore horror, you might also like HARVEST HOME by Thomas Tryon and SONG OF THE RED SQUIRE by C.W. Blackwell.

Recommended!

[Leeanne 🥀 The Book Whor3 🥀 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adore folk horror, and this just has to be one of the best I’ve read.
David Barnett has definitely done his research into Paganism, from the beliefs, and rituals, to the many festivals, held throughout the year.

Twenty three year old, Sophie Wickham likes to have a good time, frequently, but some wouldn’t say that she is a nice person. She’s selfish, insular, non committed, has no aspirations in life, and is basically a wreck.

One day, she stumbles into the village of Withered Hill, naked, scratched and confused, with no memory of how she got there. The villagers, all wearing animal masks, welcome her by pointing up the hill to where she must go. Over the months, after several failed attempts to escape, she starts to wonder if life would be so bad living in this strange little village, where everyone is friendly, but speak in riddles, and who never answer her many questions.

This book is everything a folk horror should be, and I highly recommend it. This will definitely be creepy for some readers, though I’m a Neo-Pagan/Wiccan, and will definitely be celebrating Samhain next month, though not in the same way as the characters in this book.

Thanks to the author, Canelo, and NetGalley for providing me with this free ARC, with which I leave a voluntary review.

5 🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰

[Adrienne L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sophie Wickham is a 32-year-old living a hedonistic and directionless life in London. While all of her friends have moved onto families, careers and new countries, Sophie still finds herself working temp jobs, spending too much money on material things, and drinking too much. Soon after starting her latest job, she begins to receive threatening packages and messages warning her of some kind of danger, until one day she stumbles out of the woods and into the village of Withered Hill, with no recollection of how she came to be there, or who, exactly she is.

Withered Hill is an almost perfect folk horror novel in my opinion. All of the classic elements of the subgenre are here, with an isolated village, pagan traditions and beliefs, insular villagers who speak in cryptic riddles, and plenty and plenty of ritualistic festivals. There are some pretty unsettling scenes in this book, and despite the villagers apparent kindness to Sophie, the reader is left to wonder right along with her what exactly her ultimate purpose will be in Withered Hill, a town from which she cannot escape.

The story is told in two separate timelines, "Outside," which describes events in Sophie's life leading up to her arrival in Withered Hill, and "Inside" the village. The "Inside" timeline jumps around and does not unfold linearly. At first this seemed a little gimmicky to me, but the author manages to pull it off in such a way that it adds to the foreboding and mystery (although there is a scene where a character appears who was supposed to have died earlier in the story).

The writing is really impressive and I was pulled in right away. At a certain point in the book, I came across such a gorgeously rendered passage that takes place when Sophie ventures into the woods on the night of Samhain that I immediately put down my e-reader and pre-ordered the physical book.

Withered Hill enraptured and chilled and delighted me and included all of the elements I love most in folk horror. The ending didn't quite land as satisfyingly as I had hoped, the resolution left me with some questions, and there was a major subplot that I found sort of unnecessary, but this is still a five star read and goes among the top of the list of my favorite books in this sub-genre.

Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo for a digital advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. Withered Hill will be published on September 26, 2024.

[Sadie Hartmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

WITHERED HILL by David Barnett

Page Count: 357

Publisher: Canelo Horror

Other Books I Enjoyed by This Author: First time ( I hear this is his debut horror book, typically writes Rom Coms

Affiliate Link: AMAZON (this is the only place I have seen it available for purchase)

Release Date: September 26th, 2024

General Genre: Folk Horror, Occult/Supernatural, Dark Fairytale

Sub-Genre/Themes: Listing themes would be a spoiler I think, I will say this lands squarely in folk horror and stays true to themes of rural small-town isolation, ritualistic sacrifice, worshipping "old gods", secrets & lies, festivals, follows the old pagan calendar

Writing Style: Back-and-forth timelines. The reader must pay VERY close attention to the chapter headings to know exactly where they are in the timeline. Everything is either pre-Withered Hill, During, or Post.

What You Need to Know: Sophie is single and dating. Her backstory will unfold in pieces as the tale unfolds. It's probably best to avoid reviews as it will be difficult for people to avoid spoilers. I am going to be very careful not to disclose too much. I will say there are a few acts of animal sacrifice. Hares, a sheep, and a goat. It made me sad but I go into folk horror expecting it. The author doesn't dwell on it or make the scene overly descriptive

My Reading Experience: The reader will be a casual observer of Sophie's unusual life. She finds herself in a strange, small, rural, isolated village called, Withered Hill. The narrative will jump around in Sophie's timeline sporadically--sometimes you will read a chapter of her life in London, going to bars and dating men--going to job interviews, or having lunch with various people. Other times, the chapter takes place in Withered Hill. Sophie has no idea how she came to be in Withered Hill and she cannot leave despite several attempts. The townspeople are extremely vague when answering her questions. It's very unsettling and disorienting in the same way I felt watching movies, The Wicker Man or Midsommar. You just always know in the back of your mind something very bad is happening.
My recommendation is to go in totally blind so with that being said, I'm not going to discuss the plot any further.

I'm just going to tell you that I was unsettled the whole time. I was disturbed, frightened, terrified, and a few times, I finished a few chapters with my eyes opened wide and my jaw dropped open. This is a unique and wild ride!! FIVE GLOWING STARS

Final Recommendation: This is the PERFECT book for the Fall/Winter season. There are weird festivals and rituals as well as familiar ones like Samhain (saa-wn) which take place on Halloween. If you enjoy traditional folk horror tropes, vibes, and themes with a unique, modern story nestled inside of it--outsiders stumbling into a seemingly idyllic small town but discovering there is something very, very wrong underneath it all and nobody is going to let the insiders in on those secrets...this is your jam

Comps: Harvest Home by Thomas Tryon, The Wicker Man (1973), Midsommar (2019)

[G · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bridget Jones meets Wicker Man, but WAY less fun than it sounds.
This is basically chick lit. Flimsy, uninspired 90's chick lit. Even worse, it's flimsy chick lit written by a guy. Also, I'm willing to go out on a limb here, a guy who doesn't really know or think a lot about women and certainly shows no interest in applying himself to the female perspective, so we're treated to the company of a man-mad, thirty-something airhead girl-woman who is either drinking, thinking about sex, or ordering new panties on the internet, which she'll then wear straight from the box without washing them first. In between she frets about the state of her finances (all those panties! And the booze), but that's about it. To paraphrase Spinal Tap, it's a fine line between stupid and misogynist, and I'm not 100% sure the author knows when he's crossing it.

Also, did I mention the fucking? I don't know what it is with this author, but everyone in this novel is seriously preoccupied with getting it on. There's the local librarian, a fairly nasty old codger we're presumably supposed to find lovable, whose main feature is the perma-bulge in his pants. Fun! Not icky at all. (Apparently it has never crossed Mr Barnett's mind that the idea of being alone in a library with a man sporting an erection might not exactly register as humorous for women; that this is, in fact, a highly transgressive act of aggression does not come into play at all, I'm guessing because the author as usual thinks and writes and tells his story as a man, even though he purports to do so from a woman's POV.) Sophie is basically in a state of constant arousal as well, humping not only her friend Catherine but also the local meadow (don't ask) and other pieces of vegetation. Cute! Catherine herself is a teacher who spends most of her downtime bonking her male students (it's the way of the land, people; also, the boys love it). Erm... not quite as cute.
Still, this doesn't even qualify as erotica, as the writing is just... dumb. I mean if you absolutely have to write about female desire, it might help to try and imagine what that might actually feel like; instead, the scenes where things go all hot and steamy read EXACTLY like you would expect them to read if they were written by some dude unclear on the concept of female lust. I mean, take the scene where MC Sophie's sad state of underfuckedness leads to "insistent chattering between her legs" when that hot guy finally looks her way. Vagina dentata? Or just a reminder to see her OB/GYN?
When Sophie manages to get the guy in the sack at last, the encounter plays out like this: "Sophie surrendered to him completely, and let him consume her, and she fell asleep when they had finished, sated and satisfied". Welcome to the 1950s, ladies.

Plot-wise, this doesn't feel like a horror novel at all, it's chick lit with a side of teen detective... like Nancy Drew with a libido and a drinking problem, but no working brain cells. There's heavy helpings of idiot plot and plot holes galore, and of course there's a plot twist as well, and if you look at any of it too closely it just collapses.

Seriously, this book is just plain dumb. It's not even entertainingly dumb, or zany, or irreverent, or anything like that. It's stupid, and aggravatingly so. I mean, what else can you say about a so-called horror novel whose main antagonist, some ancient local entity, is described by the characters as, "a horrible rotter ... . He's evil. More evil than Adolf."?
Using the 20th century's most notorious mass murderer, a person responsible for millions of dead and world-wide destruction and suffering, as a fun (and totally, totally ludicrous) descriptor? Thanks, but no thanks.


I received an ARC from Netgalley, but as it turned out the book I got was not quite the book that was advertised.

[Stacy (Gotham City Librarian) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a little bit all over the place. First of all, though: great cover. Very intriguing concept, and I was drawn to the folk horror aspect of the plot. The chapters jump back and forth between "Outside" and "Inside" the strange little village of Withered Hill, and a mystery unfolds about what exactly is going on and how and why Sophie came to be there. The chapters are also written in a different tense, making things extra disorienting.

The biggest issue I had with this novel was the pacing. It started off fine, but as more and more elements were introduced to Sophie's life "Outside" of Withered Hill, things felt off and muddled on that side of things and the storytelling "Inside" the village grew redundant to an irritating degree. By the halfway point I was actually pretty tired of all the riddles and the talking in circles and how repetitive the dialogue was in those chapters. I was sick of hearing people say, “That’s the way of things in Withered Hill!” And stating for the hundredth time that Sophie was not a prisoner but that she couldn’t leave until she was “ready to leave.” It took what was at first an intriguing and strange mystery and turned it into an annoying chore, and by the time I got to the 70% point I was honestly just ready to be done with it.

Sophie makes truly awful decisions and she was sympathetic to a degree due to a very dark and upsetting past but honestly, I was judging her for various reasons. She doesn’t learn from any of her mistakes or bad choices in the "Outside" world and she’s nearly impossible to root for. I believe this is by design, but since the entire book is built around her it's a tough journey to take as a reader. A slight nitpick on my part, but this author also does one of my personal pet peeves: “He bit her lip” and “She bit her lip” (It happens a LOT throughout these pages.)

The horror in this book sneaks up on you. I will say that there isn't a whole lot of it, and the more severe moments are very spread out. But there are some good scenes, and a couple in particular that I felt were very effective. I do want to emphasize that for the first 1/4 of the story or so I was all in and very invested. I can see this really working well for other readers. It just happened to push the wrong buttons for me in some ways.

Example: A lot of stuff in Withered Hill didn’t sit right with me, and it wasn’t the violence. Catherine used sexual contact to pacify Sophie any time she was *justifiably upset and it felt icky to me, like it was blurring the lines of consent. The fact that the author had the audacity to make this a romantic subplot was a bit baffling. One of the major selling points of this book is that it has a sort of "Midsommar" flavor, with its unsettling and dreamlike setting. The influences are definitely there, but this is highly weighed down by the Male Gaze. And the whole idea of the villagers in Withered Hill waffling between being a creepy non-threat and a puzzling support system for Sophie did not work for me, personally.

The ending was both nauseating and had a bit too much self-righteous finger wagging for me. I don't often bring up Feminism in my reviews, but this is absolutely a morality tale written by a man and it shows.

A prime example of cool concept, lackluster execution. But I can see this doing very well in the right reader's hands.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.

TW: Sexual Assault, Animal Harm/Death, Alcohol abuse, Domestic abuse, Mention of child death, Mention of death of Family members

[Bianca Rose (Belladonnabooks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every now and then I read a folk horror book that blows me away and Withered Hill is such an example. I’m incredibly excited for this dark and twisted tale to reach readers.

First and foremost, the author has done his research and I applaud him for this.
As a modern day practising Pagan it was refreshing to see how much he knew about Pagan sabbats/festivals, deities and beliefs.

It has plenty of the folk horror aspects that you come to expect - rural setting, isolation, paganism, rituals, outsiders entering small town, creepy nature elements, local folklore and an overall sense of unsettled dread that permeates through. This may not rely on jump scares but certain scenes will burn themselves into your brain.

Withered Hill is a slow burn that will draw you in gradually but once hooked it’s impossible to stop reading. Dual timelines add to the feeling of confusion and creepiness as you’re left wondering what exactly is going on? I didn’t know but I knew I couldn’t put it down until I found out.

I won’t say much more as I fear spoiling anything but please know this is worth your time if you enjoyed the Wicker Man and Midsommar.

Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo for my ARC.

[Dutchie · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want an excellent spooky season read put this one on your TBR now! I can’t even begin to explain how much I enjoyed this novel.

Sophie is barely working paycheck to paycheck, picking up guys at the bar for one night stands and ultimately just living an “I don’t care” life. One drunk night she runs across a guy who heard her complaining about her job situation and gave her his card and told her to reach out if she was interested in a job. Figuring why not, she calls the number and starts the job immediately (The job gave me a little bit of Severance vibes.). All of this takes place in a timeline leading up to her visit in Withered Hill.

The second timeline takes place during her time in Withered Hill. She has no idea how she’s ended up there and she is unable to leave. The town itself has some strange folklore regarding the land and a creature by the name of Owd Hob. Sophie doesn’t understand how she ended up there and why she can’t leave. The town itself was so eerie, I can understand her apprehension.

I couldn’t even begin to guess where the novel was going, but I can tell you I was intrigued from page one. The convergence of both timelines and ending were very satisfying. It definitely is one of the best spooky season reads I’ve read in a while.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC for review. To be published September 26, 2024.

This was a very interesting folk horror tale for most of the book which, for me, fell off a bit at the end. One year ago Sophie Wickham wandered into the isolated village of Withered Hill. She was naked, alone and had no idea who she was, at first. As she gradually comes to discover the town’s inhabitants are quite out of step with the rest of the world with their obsession with folklore…and she is not permitted to leave, but she doesn’t know why, only that they promise she can at some point.

In another time line Sophie leads a crazy life in London. Then she begins getting odd messages warning her that something is coming for her. Weird, scary things start to happen.

There was an online component to this book, a la “Blair Witch,” I guess. I tried to do it, but it was pouring rain and it required me to go outside, so, wasn’t happening. Like I said, I really enjoyed the sense of menace in the book, the dual timelines made everything very confusing (in a good way) and I’m still not sure I totally got all that happened; a lot of things are thrown at you at once. Parts of it reminded me of the movie “Midsommer,” which I loved. I just did not love the end, but overall it was an enjoyable experience. Recommended.

[Krystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was SO GOOD. Very eerie!

The plot follows Sophie, who finds herself naked and scratched up, with no memory of who she is, nor how she came to be in the unusual town she finds herself in.

From the get-go, I had no clue what was going on and loved every second of it. The people of Withered Hill are completely nuts, but at the same time there's a sad logic to the way they behave and the choices they make. Even their bizarre rituals make their own kind of sense.

The grey morality of this book was my favourite aspect - questionable things are done that have a clear logic, making the reader question who is really in the wrong. At the same time, there is a real menace over the town, creating an atmosphere that will make your skin crawl.

The book alternates between 'Inside' and 'Outside', so we witness the days leading up to Sophie's entry to Withered Hill, which are equally menacing. I really enjoyed the contrast, and followed events in each section with rapt attention.

I did enjoy the ending, but it felt a little heavy-handed on the exposition. Honestly, the way it wrapped up was mostly perfect but I still want MORE.

This was easy to devour, and is the perfect book to snag for Halloween season. It's an extraordinary blend of horror, thriller and mystery, with a fast pace and some clever considerations.

Highly recommend for horror fans!

With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m very conflicted as I write this review. David Barnett’s WITHERED HILL is an atmospheric folk horror novel that has both strengths and weaknesses. There are definitely aspects of the novel I liked, but others, not so much.

First of all, that cover is fabulous. It’s what initially caught my attention when I was perusing new books I might want to read. And beyond the cover, the premise of the novel seemed quite compelling and unique. Another positive is that Barnett indeed crafts an eerie, claustrophobic village setting with vivid descriptions and a tense, unsettling mood.

However, I found the novel's pacing to be inconsistent, often unbearably so. Admittedly, many readers may enjoy the slow-burn suspense, while others (myself included) might find the progression of the plot too drawn out, especially with the disjointed narrative that often felt muddled and confusing. I admit that I found myself skimming a lot of the chapters of less interest.

Additionally, the back-and-forth in time and place, while very clever, made it harder for me to stay fully engaged in the storyline, negatively impacting the momentum. I also didn’t find any of the characters very memorable or particularly likable. And I wanted to note that animal lover that I am, I admit I had a hard time reading the passages about animal sacrifices, so just be forewarned that the book includes this.

Another big positive, though—the story picked up quite a bit near the end. You just have to patiently wait to get there. The conclusion was quite good and things tied up nicely, with a clever twist I didn’t see coming. And there are so many five star reviews out there, so please give the novel a chance if you’re a fan of folk horror.

I want to thank NetGalley, David Barnett, and Canelo for gifting me the ARC of WITHERED HILL! It was such a privilege to read this before publication. And I appreciate you trusting me with an honest review!

[kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

someone call a24 !!

On the outside, Sophie Wickham’s friends are getting married, having babies, and moving away, all while thirty-two-year-old Sophie is single, in debt, drinking too much, working a temp job, and unable to find any semblance of happiness in her life. She feels lost and alone.

On the inside, Sophie wakes up to a new world, a village known as Withered Hill; naked, covered in scratches, caked with dirt and mud, and no recollection of how she got there. She spends her days planning (and attempting) her escape from the peculiar citizens and their constant, unnerving festivals.

This book emanates dread and fills readers with a strong sense of unease right from the beginning. Take for example this excerpt at only 5% in:
"The man pulls out a… mask? No, a pig’s head. Hollowed out, pink and leathery. He puts it on top of his own head, as though it is a hat, then pushes it down until it covers his face. His wife does the same with another from the bag. Then they both help the child with her own. The three of them stand and stare at her, a family of pig-faced people."
If I were Sophie, I would immediately be thinking ‘GET ME OUTTA HERE’

The story moves between what appears to be past and present timelines but in this case, it is presented as Outside [of Withered Hill] and Inside. So much of the origin behind the village of Withered Hill is unknown to readers and is slowly offered up in tiny morsels as the story moves along. It’s that not knowing and the absolute strangeness of the town, its people, and its rituals that had me moving along at a breakneck pace to figure out what the hell was going on. It was an utterly intoxicating and tantalizing journey. There are sexual undertones present but nothing so blatantly vivid or descriptive as to be off-putting.

Read if you enjoy unsettling and bizarre stories, folklore and fairytales, and stories that have a taste of The Lottery.

Thank you Canelo and NetGalley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review! Available 09/26/2024! *Quotes are pulled from an advanced reader copy and are subject to change prior to publication*

[✧Courtney✧ Arnold · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Inside) Sophie stumbles in an unknown place called Withered hill naked with amnesia. She quickly learns that this place is steeped in ancient pagan rituals, and that she is a prisoner here. Multiple escape attempts failed, she learns she must understand who she is and why she must change in order to leave.

(Outside) Sophie leads a haphazard life in London, with many drunken nights and host to inappropriate men. Then, she receives strange messages that tell her she is in danger, and someone is coming for her. With fear rising, she does not know who she can trust.

This book takes place as Sophie inside and Sophie outside, with multiple timelines that take place. There are jumps back and forth and backtracking, which at first, is confusing at times. Although, once you get further in the book and understand the nature of the splintered timeline it all starts to make sense. Everything explained to Sophie is told in riddles, so we join Sophie in figuring out what must be uncovered together. The writing was beautiful and extremely descriptive, painting a beautiful picture of the town and its residents.

This book explores themes like isolation and community, and the dark side of human nature and what it means to be a good person. The ending I tried to predict but did not fully guess what was to unfold. I think if you love folklore and don't mind the dual timelines this book is for you!

[Kate Victoria RescueandReading · Rating 3 out of 5]

“‘He is both the land, and of the land. He is the air, and of the air. He is the water, and of the water. He is the fire, and of the fire.’”

This was a so-so read. Honestly, I was expecting great things going in and maybe I set my expectations too high.

Set inside and outside Withered Hill, the story follows Sophie, a woman with little ambition, a drinking problem, and a dark past. One day she stumbles out of the forest, naked and with lost memories, into the bizarre and eerie town of Withered Hill. She is not allowed to leave until the “time” comes.

“THEY STILL WANT YOU. YOU SHOULD RUN.”

A folklore horror, the story did move at a molasses in winter pace at times and seemed a bit repetitive and hyper sexualized. I didn’t like the main character and felt she just floated along, not really standing up for herself or making changes, or even trying to understand the mysteries of the town she’s trapped in. I didn’t like any of the female characters and the way they were written, and the reason Sophie ended up in the town (yes, she’s done wrong, but can she really be judged so harshly for things that happened as a child?). The time frame jumps were a bit disorientating as they happened so frequently, but by the end, I understood their purpose in the plot.

I absolutely loved the actual creepy bits (when Sophie first comes out of the woods and encounters people and their strange greeting ritual, Sophie’s memory about being in the cemetery as a child, the bower, etc), but it felt like the scary elements were far and few between.

“Inside your head, Withered Hill is as real as the pavement beneath your feet, and the trees in the distance. It lingers in the tales told by old women, in folk traditions and long forgotten rituals. It is as real as you and I, and I’m inviting you to walk there.”

Grab this book if you don’t mind a slower, supernatural tale of mystery and horror.

I do want to also give a shoutout to Sarah Whittaker, the creator of the gorgeous cover image. This would make such an amazing tattoo for fans of the story as well!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Canelo for a copy.

[Mirna S · Rating 2 out of 5]

Truly don’t think men can write from female perspectives without misogyny and sexism coming through. Or frankly just write women in general. I couldn’t get into the creepy aspects of this because the women weren’t written believably. It was so very obvious a man had written them. It was allllll from the male gaze and just gave me icky and weird vibes.

Highly disappointed in this one as the story seemed interesting but also why do men continue to write from female POVs!!!!!! It’s such a disservice and is so blatantly done badly every single time.

[Justine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so good. Modern folk horror at its finest.

Imagine Bridget Jones getting her drunken whiny self sent to the pagan commune from Midsommar and you get the drift…only darker. While not precisely the vibe, it’s close enough. I personally LOVED it.

I’m now hoping that Dave Barnett and Ari Aster get together and make a movie!

[Lenaasty · Rating 2 out of 5]

My curse continues alas I am destined to suffer and read books I don't enjoy, can't figure out why until I discover only at the end that it was WRITTEN BY A MAN 😵😩🤯😵‍💫😣😭


Nothing really captured my attention. The flashbacks were bland and didn't create any suspense or tension making me wonder and look forward to the next, but then the other chapters were confusing (a festivity there another here) and repetitive as fuckkk "it is the way of Withered Hill" must have been written 150 times and our miss MC just goes through one celebration to another, I didn't feel a sense of escalation or things getting worse, creepier etc it was just a procession of events.


I literally skipped entire paragraphs again and again and still I followed what happened, barely missed any information. I skipped whole pages of the flashbacks chapters. And just when you thought the flashbacks from a year ago were annoying, you get a flashback from the previous century 💀


I can see that it was going for the eerie wood quirky community vibe but it didn't give that energy at all. It felt like a farmer town inviting the new cottage girl to join their community. I wish it had some dark witchy vibes, not kid's fairytale monster and evil corporation vibes (bc the 1y ago flashbacks just gave Phineas and Ferb evil doctor's enterprise)


Let me just say: Gay rights 🪄🌈


And lets finish with a quote that disturbed me profoundly, even more than I know A MAN wrote it:

"Sophie thought about those condoms in her bag, and tried to ignore the insistent chattering between her legs."

/*CHATTERING*/



[Arc review, honest opinion]

[Nina The Wandering Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The outside world came into Withered Hill infrequently, but it did come. And it had learned, somewhere along the way, to not question what went on in Withered Hill, or the ways of its people.”

In this story, a young woman by the name of Sophie stumbles naked out of the woods into a small village with no memory of her own identity. She’s greeted by the friendly locals of Withered Hill, who keep a practice of old pagan ways, and tell Sophie she is welcome to stay, but they must now keep her in Withered Hill. Feeling she is a prisoner, Sophie attempts escape after escape, only to find herself trapped. But is it the amiable villagers who are keeping her here, or could it perhaps be something more ancient preventing her from crossing the boundary of the deep woods back into the outside world?

This was so brilliant, so wonderfully intricate, unsettling, and darkly bewitching, all at once. Withered Hill might officially be one of my favorite folk horror novels of the year. I might be being a bit dramatic, and don't consider this to be "overhype". I just personally absolutely loved this book. There's also something special about reading folk horror in autumn, when nature is whispering to you through wind in the falling leaves as you read about ancient rituals and old gods.

I had no idea where this story was going. The different timelines were pleasantly disorienting, and when the puzzle pieces all fell into place at the climax of the story it was a fantastic twist!

Bravo, David Barnett. You've gained a new fan!

[Horror Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent folk horror novel with strong supernatural elements that will definitely have you questioning everything by the end.

Sophie wakes up in the woods naked with no memory of who she is. When she walks to the titular small town, it appears that they've been expecting her. But she's not a prisoner. She can't leave though. In fact, the town folks treat her like a star. There's something she must do before she can leave, although nobody will tell her exactly what that is.

We get to go back and forth between her time in the town and her life before. We'll be able to see what led up to her being there and the horrifying thing she must do in order to leave.

The twisty narrative is fantastic. I was never completely sure of what was going on but, as it plays out, some hair raising revelations are going to be made. And the ending will put you on edge with it's implications!

This novel sucked me in from the beginning and I highly recommend it.

I received a copy from Netgalley. This review is voluntary and is my own personal opinion.

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ll write later, but it must have been good, since I read it all in a day!

______

Well, this was great fun! At one point I was concerned it would be a predictable ending, but that was a mistake! We had all the folk-horror elements, and some nice references to Lancashire folklore, including famous Boggart names. Maybe a little less creepy, since I found myself relating to the villagers upset w the outside world!

📉Some people mentioned the sex scenes are a bit “hmmm” which they are. But there’s only a couple of lines involved. And maybe the twins subplot wasn’t needed?

[Bloss ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Conceptually, this is a unique premise. The lore and nods to paganism throughout the book were well done and, despite, the creative (and at times confusing) structure of the timelines, the mystery was compelling enough to propel me onwards when reading.

I was disappointed that I didn’t get an autumnal or spooky vibe when I was reading. When Sophie is abducted and magically confined to a community, I was expecting the creepiness to ramp up, but she was remarkably blasé about it and instead of atmosphere, we got heavy emphasis on sex and humanizing the creepy community… which sucked any spookiness out. It was disappointing because it could’ve been oozing with atmosphere and tension… but just wasn’t. Sophie wasn’t an interesting character to me: an alcoholic that’s largely a passenger for everything that happens to her, her character felt disempowered. She doesn’t show any fight, spunk, or curiosity even amid some pretty bonkers scenarios. Because she was so boring, her backstory wasn’t compelling to me and I felt the pacing of the story was adversely impacted since equal weight was given to Sophie’s current existence, backstory, and time in Withered Hill. While some of it was important for narrative purposes, much of it wasn’t and made the flow feel disjointed.

When I finished the book and realized the POV was from the ‘monsters’, it excused some of what irritated me when I was reading it and while it’s certainly a unique take on the genre, I’m not sure the structure doesn’t get in the way a bit. The resolution was unique but because it was telegraphed repeatedly throughout the story, it didn’t blow my mind but kinda just confirmed what I suspected and that was that.

There’s a strange r/menwritingwomen undercurrent where the women are sexualized and/or male-gaze stereotypical with an uncomfortable misogynistic vibe that’s story-spanning. There’s also a distracting overuse of the word “lovely” that was so non-descriptive, it started to drive me nuts!

Ultimately, I’m glad I gave this a go. It’s probably one that hits differently on a re-read!

I was privileged to have my request to read this book accepted through NetGalley. Thank you, Canelo!

[Brooke Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF

This author cannot write women at all. As a young female reader this was painful, this guy clearly just wants to bang any woman he puts down on the page. Which makes for quite frankly boring and patronising reading, I just can’t keep going despite the interesting concept.

That aside I would also say this doesn’t quite feel like folk horror to me, much more thriller using folk tropes (think Pine by Francis Toon) It reads like a crime novel, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing but I would argue it is miss-marketed.

[Suze · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the folk horror, but I can't shake the feeling that the underlying message was that women should behave themselves, be placid, and settle down...

Dropped from 3 stars to 2 stars because of that aspect.

[Adriane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am at a loss for words to talk about this novel. I went into it without any expectation since this was my first Barnett and had the best reading experience in a long time! I love Folk Horror, so I am usually glad to read more of the same old tropes if they are written well enough. Withered Hill is NOT more of the same. It is fresh, exciting, engrossing, and I had no idea where it was going, which kept me glued to it all weekend long. Love it, love it, love it and will recommend it to everyone!

[Heathers_readss · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a nostalgic read as I grew up in Lancashire so it was really fun to go back to my roots and see it from a fictional perspective!

The setting is very atmospheric and rich in folk lore and superstition.

There is a lot of timeline jumps which some have commented as disorientating, but I find when you settle into the book and get accustomed to the story line you begin to enjoy the flow.

The plot follows Sophie and how she found herself in a place called Withered Hill with no memory as to how she got there. There is a creepy unsettling presence to the town and supernatural elements.

I’d say go into this read blind and let the plot take you by surprise.

Thank you to David Barnett, Canelo and NetGalley for the EARC.

Publish date: September 26th

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

In terms of suspense, Withered Hill succeeds. The further along I got in this, the more I found that questions arose in my mind. Barnett glues you to his story because you absolutely need those answers!

And it’s weird. So, if that’s your thing (it’s mine!), you’ll be happy to find that Withered Hill is plump with oddness.

I found the frequent timeline jumps jarring, and it initially seemed sloppy to me, but once I reached the big reveal, my perspective on this changed. I now perceived it as a practical device, and I am not sure the story could have worked any other way.

The same was true for how Sophie was depicted. She seemed so shallow, and I prefer nuanced characters. I was frustrated with this and it made it difficult for me to care about her predicament in Withered Hill. But the ending altered my view on this, as well. Once the intention was understood and the punch was delivered, I saw the lack of character development as a strategic move.

If you’re struggling with the rapidly shifting timelines and/or the characterization, and you’re wondering if this is worth continuing with, I’d encourage you to stick with it. Despite my own misgivings, curiosity had a firm grip upon me. I’m glad for that, as I never would have predicted what was coming, and it was so satisfying to see how the author pieced it together!

I am immensely grateful to Canelo and NetGalley for my copy. All opinions are my own.

[Mel (Epic Reading) · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[AgoraphoBook Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Withered Hill
David Barnett 


5 / 5


Damn, this book was GOOD! 

This, my friends, is good ole' British Folk Horror at its finest...
A horror novel that is downright bone chilling... It slowly creeps up on you until you're permeated in all it's dark.

The best folk horror I've read in the last 5-10 years or longer. 
Hands down. 

Now I'm ordering a physical copy to loan out to friends and family, and I'm also choosing it as my November book club pick at my local B&N bookclub. 

Excellent work, David Barnett. 
You knocked this one out of the park!

[Horror_Reader1973 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant! What a fabulous read this was, had me hooked from the start. So much goes on!! Withered Hill is a masterpiece in folk horror, The Wicker Man style town, with strange traditions and rituals. Sophie finds herself in Withered Hill, she doesn’t remember how she got there, or her old life, she just knows she needs to leave asap.

Great characters and setting not too dissimilar to horror movie bangers like Midsommar, Population 436 and of course The Wicker Man but still has its own very strong individual plot, framework and direction.

I loved the mystery, the way it was set out in chapters that jumped about, backwards and forwards. The villagers had so much depth to them, they all served a purpose and had important roles to play. The author manages to create beautiful imagery in his words so it is easy to see the scenes in your mind.

There was a good balance between the horrors of Withered hill and the beauty of it. The tale behind the story is one I personally can connect with and appreciate.

The ending is a crescendo of ‘woh!!’ I loved it. I read this novel in 2 days and did not want it to end. If you like folk horror READ IT NOW :0) !!!

[Kev Ruiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

★★★★★ Absolutely loved this! One of my favourite reads this year

I went into Withered Hill knowing next to nothing apart from its folk horror theme—and it absolutely delivered. From the opening pages, the story had me hooked with its creeping sense of mystery and questions that just kept piling up.

I tore through it, staying up far too late, waking early to squeeze in a few more chapters, reading during my lunch break, and rushing home after work to finish it. The pacing was spot on, revealing just enough at a time to keep me guessing, and the dual timeline added so much depth, unravelling the story piece by piece.

And the ending? It was everything I hoped for—satisfying yet still haunting enough to stay with me. If you love slow-burn horror that’s immersive and deeply atmospheric, Withered Hill is one you can’t miss. A gripping, unsettling, and utterly brilliant read!