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The Deep Dark Place
Fathers should leave warm memories—not nightmares. But Maggie Prosper has spent her life trying to forget hers: an occult-obsessed man whose absence left deep scars.
Years later, Maggie has finally found peace—until her father dies under strange circumstances at the family’s remote lakeside cabin. When her mother slips into a catatonic state, Maggie and her siblings are drawn back to the place they swore they’d never return.
The cabin is frozen in time, but something feels wrong. Forgotten memories resurface. A strange book. A hidden altar. And a presence in Gold Sun Lake that watches from the dark.
As the siblings uncover their father’s secrets, reality begins to unravel. Time warps. Dreams bleed into waking life. And something ancient stirs beneath the water.
To save her family, Maggie must face the darkness her father awakened—and step into the void he left behind.
One Click today to grab this heartpounding supernatural family drama.
Years later, Maggie has finally found peace—until her father dies under strange circumstances at the family’s remote lakeside cabin. When her mother slips into a catatonic state, Maggie and her siblings are drawn back to the place they swore they’d never return.
The cabin is frozen in time, but something feels wrong. Forgotten memories resurface. A strange book. A hidden altar. And a presence in Gold Sun Lake that watches from the dark.
As the siblings uncover their father’s secrets, reality begins to unravel. Time warps. Dreams bleed into waking life. And something ancient stirs beneath the water.
To save her family, Maggie must face the darkness her father awakened—and step into the void he left behind.
One Click today to grab this heartpounding supernatural family drama.
275 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 12, 2026
About the author
Sam Hval
4 books2 followersSam Hval writes fiction of all stripes, primarily focusing on horror, mystery, and thriller fiction. He believes there's nothing better than finishing a book and wondering if something lurks in the dark corner of your bedroom. He graduated from Eastern Washington University with a B.A. and M.A. in English. Originally from the much cooler temperatures of the Pacific Northwest, he has now found home in the heat of Odessa, Texas, teaching college writing and literature courses.
His debut psychological horror novel, THE DEEP DARK PLACE, releases February 12th, 2026 from Cloaked Press.
His debut psychological horror novel, THE DEEP DARK PLACE, releases February 12th, 2026 from Cloaked Press.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 7, 2025
The opening sentence throws you into the depths of the lake with vivacious imagery and a dark tone. Deep Dark Place will make you grapple with your deepest concerns about death. You feel, hear, and smell what it means to relive the memories of the dead. Or even scarier – is this our thoughts that summon the very essence of hauntings of the dead? There is a lot of fear to learn to grapple with quickly if you wish not to drown in the abyss of it all. Sam Hval delivers a horror narrative that goes beyond the sinister tropes and gives you subtext to really work through your deepest fear of forgetting the dead.
As soon as the opportunity was presented to read this ARC – I was enamored about this concept of how we pass down this generational fear. The century old humanity question of how we handle the concept of depth beyond the fears that our immortality is only breached through memory. Each chapter is lurking with intense pits of descriptions that will make you think, re-read, and think again about how much this narrative will get under your skin in the best way possible. As readers, we indulge in horrors to face our fears and this narrative really gets that. Think Stephen King meets The Haunting.
The characters are written with depth and poise that really nail the characteristics of believable characters. I would argue as a writer that writing real fictional characters is some of the hardest parts of the job. It comes with this careful decision to pick the positive and weakest traits that make us whole as a human. It is watching the characters grow and fall apart that really set them aside. So, what is father leaving behind that is creating this spiral of retching nightmares? Maggie has a lot of uncover about herself and the wills of death.
Maggie will surprise you as she goes down this spiral to understand her father’s death. The living is so fragile and there are many secrets to learn. Maggie’s references to bible are more eerie in concept as you analyze the texts she so carefully incorporates into her reasonings of being mentally frozen in the abyss. Look at the layers of meaning through imagery and diction that truly define this narrative and it’s eerie nature, “If the house had a face, it was the gaunt face of a deflated, emaciated corpse”. Because what is the nature of the house that really scares them from facing the truth about their father’s death?
Another book I would argue deserves to be judged by the cover. It is dark, vague, and with subtle references to what we may find in the depths of Maggie’s heart and her father’s woes. Cloaked Press did a fantastic job with the color scheme of the cover and text to really invite you into the eeriness of it all. Thank you Cloaked Press for this advanced digital copy. All opinions are of my own.
For more Arc impressions, reviews, and more, please visit my blog, Brujeria’s Library at, https://brujerialibrary.wordpress.com/
As soon as the opportunity was presented to read this ARC – I was enamored about this concept of how we pass down this generational fear. The century old humanity question of how we handle the concept of depth beyond the fears that our immortality is only breached through memory. Each chapter is lurking with intense pits of descriptions that will make you think, re-read, and think again about how much this narrative will get under your skin in the best way possible. As readers, we indulge in horrors to face our fears and this narrative really gets that. Think Stephen King meets The Haunting.
The characters are written with depth and poise that really nail the characteristics of believable characters. I would argue as a writer that writing real fictional characters is some of the hardest parts of the job. It comes with this careful decision to pick the positive and weakest traits that make us whole as a human. It is watching the characters grow and fall apart that really set them aside. So, what is father leaving behind that is creating this spiral of retching nightmares? Maggie has a lot of uncover about herself and the wills of death.
Maggie will surprise you as she goes down this spiral to understand her father’s death. The living is so fragile and there are many secrets to learn. Maggie’s references to bible are more eerie in concept as you analyze the texts she so carefully incorporates into her reasonings of being mentally frozen in the abyss. Look at the layers of meaning through imagery and diction that truly define this narrative and it’s eerie nature, “If the house had a face, it was the gaunt face of a deflated, emaciated corpse”. Because what is the nature of the house that really scares them from facing the truth about their father’s death?
Another book I would argue deserves to be judged by the cover. It is dark, vague, and with subtle references to what we may find in the depths of Maggie’s heart and her father’s woes. Cloaked Press did a fantastic job with the color scheme of the cover and text to really invite you into the eeriness of it all. Thank you Cloaked Press for this advanced digital copy. All opinions are of my own.
For more Arc impressions, reviews, and more, please visit my blog, Brujeria’s Library at, https://brujerialibrary.wordpress.com/
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This was a slower read, not full of fast paced action. But it is very well written, despite it not really being my type of book in the end! I do think that readers who like to think about the unexplained and be slightly disturbed would enjoy this. All of the characters felt like they were very real people. The author also describes it as an unconventional book!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Tragic story.
Entertaining read that made me think.
At first I was skeptical, the 5-year-old's thoughts seemed too advanced for their age... but that's my experience, this author was probably more eloquent than most at an early age.
The beginning of the story gave me Meddling Kids vibes, but I found this story easier to follow. The book jumps back and forth in time which helps set the scene for the climax. It's a fairly easy read in the best way possible, as I'm easily lost or distracted.
I started thinking "What the fuck is happening?" and I googled some things to see if they were real or just great imagination by the author. Then I felt like I was watching a good horror movie filled with dread. The story ends in tragedy and hope. I think I'll actually read it again now that I am starting to understand it. I rarely want to use my precious time to re-read a book, but this has layers good for pondering.
Entertaining read that made me think.
At first I was skeptical, the 5-year-old's thoughts seemed too advanced for their age... but that's my experience, this author was probably more eloquent than most at an early age.
The beginning of the story gave me Meddling Kids vibes, but I found this story easier to follow. The book jumps back and forth in time which helps set the scene for the climax. It's a fairly easy read in the best way possible, as I'm easily lost or distracted.
I started thinking "What the fuck is happening?" and I googled some things to see if they were real or just great imagination by the author. Then I felt like I was watching a good horror movie filled with dread. The story ends in tragedy and hope. I think I'll actually read it again now that I am starting to understand it. I rarely want to use my precious time to re-read a book, but this has layers good for pondering.
January 11, 2026
A very good read! I think I would have liked more of the horror and less of the family dynamics, but I enjoyed it a lot!
December 16, 2025
✨Arc Review✨
This book gives all the background and different perspectives which is nice! The ending of this book was absolutely wild and unexpected! I did see the good news as her being pregnant but overall I enjoyed this read!
This book gives all the background and different perspectives which is nice! The ending of this book was absolutely wild and unexpected! I did see the good news as her being pregnant but overall I enjoyed this read!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I wanted to like this SO MUCH.
I received this book as an ARC, and I loved the premise.
However.
The pacing made it painful to get through. It was more about family trauma than horror, and some of the writing made it difficult to focus. Such as when a main character who never lived in Texas seemed to have trouble with temperature from living in Texas. Or when someone "wreathed on the floor"... they were so traumatized that they made festive decorations? A domino was "ajar" rather than "askew", and a WORD rasped from someone, rather than someone rasping the word? I'm all for poetic use of language, but these are just some of the instances that brought me out of the narration.
It was difficult to care about the characters, or believe in the surreal passage of time. Again, I like the idea. White people dabbling in mythologies they don't understand is a classic trope. But this was a challenge to finish.
I received this book as an ARC, and I loved the premise.
However.
The pacing made it painful to get through. It was more about family trauma than horror, and some of the writing made it difficult to focus. Such as when a main character who never lived in Texas seemed to have trouble with temperature from living in Texas. Or when someone "wreathed on the floor"... they were so traumatized that they made festive decorations? A domino was "ajar" rather than "askew", and a WORD rasped from someone, rather than someone rasping the word? I'm all for poetic use of language, but these are just some of the instances that brought me out of the narration.
It was difficult to care about the characters, or believe in the surreal passage of time. Again, I like the idea. White people dabbling in mythologies they don't understand is a classic trope. But this was a challenge to finish.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I'm new to the horror genre, and this was the perfect one for me. From a shockingly relatable trio of main characters, horror elements that sacrifice rational thinking on a stone slab in the basement, and an intrigue that kept me eating it up until the very last page, The Deep Dark Place is a book that really made me think, and helped scratch that itch I usually scratch by rewatching Mike Flanagan's Haunting of Hill House. I was never really sure what had actually happened in reality and what happened in the character's heads. Very atmospheric, and ends poignantly, with a very sweet epilogue that had me crying in the bus on the way to work. Wonderful work by Sam Hval.
Review of advance copy
The Deep Dark Place is a poignant reminder of the evils that can manifest from repressed and sometimes impossible to understand trauma. Through a nonlinear timeline, the narrative explores a family’s experience under the influence of the patriarch’s fixation on mysterious forces and how we can never truly leave certain parts of our past behind the way we want to. Each member of the family is granted their perspective to give the reader a glimpse into how the events from their childhood affect them throughout their life and makes the main characters feel like real people. A bit of a slow burn, the stories ending left me with lingering thoughts of what truly lies in their own deep dark places and how it can manifest through future generations. ARC copy.
Review of advance copy
Thank you to Cloaked Press and the author for the early e-copy of this book. A Deep Dark Place is described as a haunting, folkloric supernatural family drama. And while I appreciate a good, haunting tale, this one was not for me. It felt like a lot of telling and not a lot of doing. I had a hard time getting into the story because the characters felt incomplete and severely disconnected. I did give it 3 stars for the plot and the overall writing style - while it was not for me, I’m sure there are those who would enjoy it.
February 13, 2026
The Deep Dark Place was a wonderful read from the first page. It grabs you right away with a near tragedy and escalates as the family is once again brought together at the lake and things begin to spiral towards a truly unforgettable climax. Sam Hval's characters are well written, relatable, and achingly real. Perfect imagry, pacing, tone and story! A great book!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
The Deep Dark Place really digs deep into memories and fear. I loved every second of it.
February 22, 2026
This novel takes you on an existential journey of
life, death and the liminal space in between.
life, death and the liminal space in between.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This was such an awesome read! The characters are so well-developed and believable, and the creeping dread of this story is written so well! I enjoyed following along with the siblings as they find out what exactly their deceased father had been working on throughout their childhood. I absolutely adore the ending as well! All around a five star read! Thank you so much to Cloaked Press for the ARC!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews