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The Duskroot
Lance, Brandon, and Chris venture into the woods of Holly Hills in search of their brother, Josh, who went missing on a solo hunting trip. What starts as a rescue mission quickly turns into a fight for survival, as something in the forest begins to take root.
65 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 13, 2025
8 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 21, 2025
I didn't expect that ending! I'm still in shock. Complete role reversal with this book. Do you ever wonder how it would feel to be hunted?
January 4, 2026
Two days past their brother Josh's return date from his solo hunting trip, his brothers, Lance, Brandon and Chris are worried. They're imagining all kinds of terrible situations Josh could be facing, and since they can think of little else, decide to go out to the area he camped in, to begin searching.
On the way up, the three stop at a gas station, and present a picture of Josh to the worker, asking the man if he's ever seen him before, explaining he may have stopped in on his way up to Holly Hills. The man replies he hasn't seen Josh, and tells the brothers not to go up to that area, but when pressed, refuses to elaborate past "it's not safe." What the brothers don't know, that the locals do, is the history of Holly Hills...
Long ago, supposedly, there lived a witch who was accused by the men in town of summoning a beast in the form of a giant stag, to "blight their crops and kill their sons." The woman, who had actually helped the men on many occasions, laughed at their accusations. They then proceed to string the large creature up in a tree, and set her home on fire. Legend has it, the burnt creature still stalks the woods, killing anyone who shows fear.
Meanwhile, after arriving, the brothers spot Josh's truck. They climb for several miles and spot his tent, unzipped, still full of his possessions, and his backpack. Over the course of the next couple days, the woods fall eerily silent, only the sound of crunching footsteps can be heard. The smell of something burnt wafts around them. The shadows appear to be moving, despite the lack of wind. As desperately as they search for their missing brother, they can't find him. But it seems something has indeed, found them... Can the brothers locate their missing sibling and make it out of Holly Hills before the woods claim more victims?
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I don't know that I've ever read anything else by this author, and I really enjoyed this. I definitely wished it was longer; I'd absolutely read a full-length novel of this book. There were some genuinely scary parts, especially the part about the father and son in the camper at night. 😳🦌 I had a couple questions left at the end, which I'll add below to avoid any spoilers.
----------SPOILER BELOW-----------
At the end, it's revealed Josh is okay, when he enters the same gas station, in a cruel twist of fate, now frantically looking for his three brothers, realizing they came searching for him (after seeing their vehicle in the lot maybe?) How did he escape the stag? Where was he for the last few days?
On the way up, the three stop at a gas station, and present a picture of Josh to the worker, asking the man if he's ever seen him before, explaining he may have stopped in on his way up to Holly Hills. The man replies he hasn't seen Josh, and tells the brothers not to go up to that area, but when pressed, refuses to elaborate past "it's not safe." What the brothers don't know, that the locals do, is the history of Holly Hills...
Long ago, supposedly, there lived a witch who was accused by the men in town of summoning a beast in the form of a giant stag, to "blight their crops and kill their sons." The woman, who had actually helped the men on many occasions, laughed at their accusations. They then proceed to string the large creature up in a tree, and set her home on fire. Legend has it, the burnt creature still stalks the woods, killing anyone who shows fear.
Meanwhile, after arriving, the brothers spot Josh's truck. They climb for several miles and spot his tent, unzipped, still full of his possessions, and his backpack. Over the course of the next couple days, the woods fall eerily silent, only the sound of crunching footsteps can be heard. The smell of something burnt wafts around them. The shadows appear to be moving, despite the lack of wind. As desperately as they search for their missing brother, they can't find him. But it seems something has indeed, found them... Can the brothers locate their missing sibling and make it out of Holly Hills before the woods claim more victims?
----------------------
I don't know that I've ever read anything else by this author, and I really enjoyed this. I definitely wished it was longer; I'd absolutely read a full-length novel of this book. There were some genuinely scary parts, especially the part about the father and son in the camper at night. 😳🦌 I had a couple questions left at the end, which I'll add below to avoid any spoilers.
----------SPOILER BELOW-----------
At the end, it's revealed Josh is okay, when he enters the same gas station, in a cruel twist of fate, now frantically looking for his three brothers, realizing they came searching for him (after seeing their vehicle in the lot maybe?) How did he escape the stag? Where was he for the last few days?
February 1, 2026
I will always be a fan of RJ Powell and I will love anything she writes. "The Duskroot" is no different.
This book is a little different than the rest of RJ's catalog and I did enjoy it being less splatterpunk and more seclusion horror.
Three brothers decide to go to the woods where their fourth brother was known to be hunting after not hearing from him only to discover the secret which hides in the woods of Holly Hills.
I probably won't be able to stand the smell of anything burning for awhile though.
This book is a little different than the rest of RJ's catalog and I did enjoy it being less splatterpunk and more seclusion horror.
Three brothers decide to go to the woods where their fourth brother was known to be hunting after not hearing from him only to discover the secret which hides in the woods of Holly Hills.
I probably won't be able to stand the smell of anything burning for awhile though.
January 5, 2026
A really enjoyable read and a complete 360 for R J Powell, it's so great to see a classic horror from one of my favourite Splatter authors.
It definitely still has a touch of RJ's gruesome fleshy flair but with a really mysterious, haunting, folklore fuelled story to boot.
The stag was giving me The Ritual vibes (the movie not the book) which I loved as I adored that creature.
Cant wait to see what else RJ brings in this genre.
It definitely still has a touch of RJ's gruesome fleshy flair but with a really mysterious, haunting, folklore fuelled story to boot.
The stag was giving me The Ritual vibes (the movie not the book) which I loved as I adored that creature.
Cant wait to see what else RJ brings in this genre.
January 4, 2026
Reminds me of the movie Ritual
January 8, 2026
Jaw dropping
This had me stuck , I needed to know what happened next. Then ending though , omg was not expecting !
This had me stuck , I needed to know what happened next. Then ending though , omg was not expecting !
January 11, 2026
I will never look at a can of beans the same way again...
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews