What do you think?
Rate this book
The Barre Incidents
When Kara's miner father dies of Silicosis, she grapples with the old horror stories in their hometown of Barre, Vermont. Stories she insisted she didn't believe. Like dead miners walking the five miles of road between Hope Cemetery and Rock of Ages quarry to resume their work, making believers of anyone who interrupted their nightly march. A terrifying encounter at the cemetery the night of his burial rips the tarp off old memories she'd suppressed, making it near impossible to believe that her father’s body is at rest.
In her quest to help her father, she learns he cheated death as a teenager, and his closest friend wasn’t so lucky. A regular at the local grill remembers a horrible mechanical being watching them from a tree that night. When cryptids, an interdimensional creature, and an old god creep out of the shadows, Kara knows she’s getting closer to the truth, but the path to her endgame grows treacherous.
The Barre Incidents is Cosmic Horror with Dark Fantasy and Found Footage elements. It’s an exploration of love born under the shadow of grief in a world where horrible and awesome magic are everywhere for those who dare to wrap their hands around it.
In her quest to help her father, she learns he cheated death as a teenager, and his closest friend wasn’t so lucky. A regular at the local grill remembers a horrible mechanical being watching them from a tree that night. When cryptids, an interdimensional creature, and an old god creep out of the shadows, Kara knows she’s getting closer to the truth, but the path to her endgame grows treacherous.
The Barre Incidents is Cosmic Horror with Dark Fantasy and Found Footage elements. It’s an exploration of love born under the shadow of grief in a world where horrible and awesome magic are everywhere for those who dare to wrap their hands around it.
Paperback
Published October 1, 2025
About the author
Lauren Bolger
6 books29 followersLauren loves Horror. She will talk about music until you make snoring sounds or walk away, and she plays the drums. She lives in a suburb sort of near Chicago with her spouse and two kids. She's also a Chicago chapter member of the Horror Writers Association.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 2, 2025
DNF.
I really wanted to love The Barre Incidents. The premise had promise, and I held out hope for as long as I could but eventually, I had to step away. The story felt too disjointed to keep me engaged, and I found myself more frustrated than intrigued.
Bolger’s commitment to layering in weirdness was bold, but it never really found its footing and felt like the plot kept slipping through its own fingers. The structure never quite settled, and the dialogue and character development felt surface-level. It read more like a YA novel than the eerie, slow-burn horror I was hoping for.
I know this book will resonate with readers who enjoy surreal, genre-blurring fiction. It just wasn’t the right fit for me. Sometimes you have to know when to bow out, and for me, this was that moment. And it’s not that the ingredients weren’t intriguing. The town of Barre is allegedly a cryptid magnet, with appearances from Mothman, strange dog people, an ancient tree god, and even a skin-stealing doppleganger of sorts who seems to show up right before all hell breaks loose. But instead of building dread or deepening the mystery, the book kept tossing weirdness at the wall to see what stuck. And for me, not much did.
I wanted eerie. I got erratic. Dropped it like it was hot at page 202, with a sigh and a side-eye.
I really wanted to love The Barre Incidents. The premise had promise, and I held out hope for as long as I could but eventually, I had to step away. The story felt too disjointed to keep me engaged, and I found myself more frustrated than intrigued.
Bolger’s commitment to layering in weirdness was bold, but it never really found its footing and felt like the plot kept slipping through its own fingers. The structure never quite settled, and the dialogue and character development felt surface-level. It read more like a YA novel than the eerie, slow-burn horror I was hoping for.
I know this book will resonate with readers who enjoy surreal, genre-blurring fiction. It just wasn’t the right fit for me. Sometimes you have to know when to bow out, and for me, this was that moment. And it’s not that the ingredients weren’t intriguing. The town of Barre is allegedly a cryptid magnet, with appearances from Mothman, strange dog people, an ancient tree god, and even a skin-stealing doppleganger of sorts who seems to show up right before all hell breaks loose. But instead of building dread or deepening the mystery, the book kept tossing weirdness at the wall to see what stuck. And for me, not much did.
I wanted eerie. I got erratic. Dropped it like it was hot at page 202, with a sigh and a side-eye.
October 30, 2026
1.5/5 stars
On the one hand, I have a lot of thoughts about this book and could’ve gone on a full rant here. On the other hand, I’m not here to kick down at indie-published books, so I’m trying to reign myself in. Consider this my brief outlet for disappointment and frustration over something that could’ve been a lot better than it was.
It took me almost a month to finish this 350 page book (probably 3x longer than it usually takes me to finish a book of the same length. I stayed hopeful until the very end, but every chapter made it more of a chore to continue…
The Story:
The Barre Incidents starts with such a strong premise, but quickly becomes an unfocused and chaotic mess… We follow Kara, who returns to her small hometown of Barre to mourn her father. Contrary to Kara, who left Barre as soon as she could, her father has been a lifetime resident of the town, working as a miner in the local granite-quarry. Upon her return to Barre, Kara experiences a string of inexplicable events and encounters, that introduce her to the supernatural secrets the town has been hiding. Soon she learns that her dad was (and ís) heavily involved in these secrets, and his soul might not be able to rest just yet. Helped by an old friend from childhood, Kara investigates.
What didn’t work:
I’m perfectly able to suspend my disbelief when it comes to fantasy and horror, as long as stories are consistent with their internal mythology and logic. Here I felt this wasn’t the case. There’s a line in the synopsis that gives the problem away already, so I don’t think this is a spoiler: “When cryptids, an interdimensional creature, and an old god creep out of the shadows…”
Lauren Bolger heavily mixes her mythology in this book, to the point where it feels like she got a little overenthusiastic in her research and attempted to cram in every supernatural creature that she felt was “cool” into a single story. We have shapeshifters and ghosts, and cryptids from modern American mythology including Mothman, alien visitors and Indrid Cold. But then all of the sudden the main baddie is . How the heck did they get in the mix?!
On multiple occasions, the introduction of a new cryptid/creature gave me complete whiplash. None of these creatures felt like they belonged in the same story, and the only place you’d usually find them together is in some monster-mashup-fan-fiction…
This unfocussed mismatched variety-show of cryptids might have worked in a fun and self-aware monster-adventure story. That isn’t what The Barre Incidents is going for. It aims to tell a serious horror-story with a core theme of grief. None of that came across… Partially that’s due to the unserious tone of the cryptid-mishmash, but more importantly, it was due to the poor character writing on Kara and her dad. Neither felt like true people, and there was no way for me to relate to their decisions, their actions or even their implied bond. You know I’m critical about grief representation, but this is the bare minimum: you need to show me grief and sorrow, not just tell me it is present…
TLDR: I hoped for a slow-burn horror story about grief and maybe some generational stuff concerning the miners occupational hazards etc. I got a low budget fan-made tribute episode of the X-files.
On the one hand, I have a lot of thoughts about this book and could’ve gone on a full rant here. On the other hand, I’m not here to kick down at indie-published books, so I’m trying to reign myself in. Consider this my brief outlet for disappointment and frustration over something that could’ve been a lot better than it was.
It took me almost a month to finish this 350 page book (probably 3x longer than it usually takes me to finish a book of the same length. I stayed hopeful until the very end, but every chapter made it more of a chore to continue…
The Story:
The Barre Incidents starts with such a strong premise, but quickly becomes an unfocused and chaotic mess… We follow Kara, who returns to her small hometown of Barre to mourn her father. Contrary to Kara, who left Barre as soon as she could, her father has been a lifetime resident of the town, working as a miner in the local granite-quarry. Upon her return to Barre, Kara experiences a string of inexplicable events and encounters, that introduce her to the supernatural secrets the town has been hiding. Soon she learns that her dad was (and ís) heavily involved in these secrets, and his soul might not be able to rest just yet. Helped by an old friend from childhood, Kara investigates.
What didn’t work:
I’m perfectly able to suspend my disbelief when it comes to fantasy and horror, as long as stories are consistent with their internal mythology and logic. Here I felt this wasn’t the case. There’s a line in the synopsis that gives the problem away already, so I don’t think this is a spoiler: “When cryptids, an interdimensional creature, and an old god creep out of the shadows…”
Lauren Bolger heavily mixes her mythology in this book, to the point where it feels like she got a little overenthusiastic in her research and attempted to cram in every supernatural creature that she felt was “cool” into a single story. We have shapeshifters and ghosts, and cryptids from modern American mythology including Mothman, alien visitors and Indrid Cold. But then all of the sudden the main baddie is . How the heck did they get in the mix?!
On multiple occasions, the introduction of a new cryptid/creature gave me complete whiplash. None of these creatures felt like they belonged in the same story, and the only place you’d usually find them together is in some monster-mashup-fan-fiction…
This unfocussed mismatched variety-show of cryptids might have worked in a fun and self-aware monster-adventure story. That isn’t what The Barre Incidents is going for. It aims to tell a serious horror-story with a core theme of grief. None of that came across… Partially that’s due to the unserious tone of the cryptid-mishmash, but more importantly, it was due to the poor character writing on Kara and her dad. Neither felt like true people, and there was no way for me to relate to their decisions, their actions or even their implied bond. You know I’m critical about grief representation, but this is the bare minimum: you need to show me grief and sorrow, not just tell me it is present…
TLDR: I hoped for a slow-burn horror story about grief and maybe some generational stuff concerning the miners occupational hazards etc. I got a low budget fan-made tribute episode of the X-files.
October 12, 2026
What a great story of friendship, family, and love. With a lot of weirdness. Like stone eyeballs and gods wearing skin suits and robot armor, like mothman and dog people, like a magic ring and a trip to Hel. I loved Kara and Alec. I am not a fan of romance, especially in my horror, but their relationship felt...natural...real. And it's a great ride! Gods and battles and magic with a lot of running and solving mysteries. All to save a ghost and not die. Nidhogg is AMAZING! What a great character to love/hate and FEAR. And Indrid Cold was super interesting.
October 16, 2026
My thoughts:
- This book is suffering an identity crisis. It doesn't know what it is, to the point even the synopsis doesn't make sense - "found footage" elements? Where??? Sometimes it felt very YA, but I don't think that was the intention.
- Clunky dialog, confusing action sequences, an odd mishmash of American folklore, urban legends, and Norse mythology, and an anticlimactic ending where the stakes felt incredibly low.
- I don't mind POV changes, but the single chapter from Alec's POV just annoyed me.
- The romance is terrible. This thirty-something woman acts like she's a teenager with her first crush. There's no real tension.
- Speaking of no tension, the utter lack of suspense is astonishing.
- Truly, the entire time I was too baffled or annoyed by the characters to even care if they were in danger.
- Sometimes the characters made huge leaps in logic, other times they're complete idiots. At no point did I understand any of Kara's choices or out-of-the-blue assertions.
I'm giving 2 stars only because I did finish the book. While I disliked many things about it, it didn't inspire the same level of hatred other books have before.
- This book is suffering an identity crisis. It doesn't know what it is, to the point even the synopsis doesn't make sense - "found footage" elements? Where??? Sometimes it felt very YA, but I don't think that was the intention.
- Clunky dialog, confusing action sequences, an odd mishmash of American folklore, urban legends, and Norse mythology, and an anticlimactic ending where the stakes felt incredibly low.
- I don't mind POV changes, but the single chapter from Alec's POV just annoyed me.
- The romance is terrible. This thirty-something woman acts like she's a teenager with her first crush. There's no real tension.
- Speaking of no tension, the utter lack of suspense is astonishing.
- Truly, the entire time I was too baffled or annoyed by the characters to even care if they were in danger.
- Sometimes the characters made huge leaps in logic, other times they're complete idiots. At no point did I understand any of Kara's choices or out-of-the-blue assertions.
I'm giving 2 stars only because I did finish the book. While I disliked many things about it, it didn't inspire the same level of hatred other books have before.
October 26, 2025
I love how original this story is! While I don’t usually gravitate toward books that include fantasy, the fantastical elements here were incredibly well done. The eerie atmosphere, the blend of grief and otherworldly mystery, and the tension in Barre all pulled me in right away.
Kara is such a compelling character. I could see myself in her at certain points, especially as she wrestled with grief, disbelief, and the unsettling realization that some legends might actually be true. The author does a great job layering emotional depth with haunting visuals and undertones.
It’s dark, strange, and beautifully written! A great read for anyone who loves cosmic horror with heart.
Kara is such a compelling character. I could see myself in her at certain points, especially as she wrestled with grief, disbelief, and the unsettling realization that some legends might actually be true. The author does a great job layering emotional depth with haunting visuals and undertones.
It’s dark, strange, and beautifully written! A great read for anyone who loves cosmic horror with heart.
January 22, 2026
The Barre Incidents wastes no time at all getting started. Kara's father has recently passed due to a disease he got from many years working in a rock quarry. After the funeral, she pays a visit to her father's grave with her 'we're just friends' friend, Alec, and the two experience what they believe to be an earthquake. However, no one else in town feels a thing. That's just the beginning of the strange goings-on that are about to drop.
You can read Steve's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
You can read Steve's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
January 22, 2026
The Barre Incidents wastes no time at all getting started. Kara's father has recently passed due to a disease he got from many years working in a rock quarry. After the funeral, she pays a visit to her father's grave with her 'we're just friends' friend, Alec, and the two experience what they believe to be an earthquake. However, no one else in town feels a thing. That's just the beginning of the strange goings-on that are about to drop.
You can read my full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
You can read my full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
January 2, 2026
I really wanted to like this book. Bolger is a talented writer, and I love the premise of the story. Unfortunately, I think this book needed a lot more editing before going to print. There was a bit too much going on, and I felt that the characters knew an unnatural amount of information about what to do next. Their actions felt driven by the author’s overall goal for the plot rather than organic, believable decisions.
November 16, 2025
What I love most about Lauren’s books is the depth of the descriptions in her writing, and the bold choices she takes! She’s not afraid to weave in many different layers to her books, and bring them back together in the end!
October 15, 2025
A strange and hypnotic ride, blending folk horror with dark fantasy that operates under a kind of fever dream logic. Was never sure where this was heading, but I enjoyed the heck out of it. Fun read!
October 22, 2025
Bolger has done it again!
April 15, 2026
First toe dip into cryptid stories and found myself pleasantly surprised and entertained. It fell a little flat at times and maybe it was kinda all over the place with the cryptid-ology but I liked it
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews