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Butcherbird
Something is drawing Jena Benedict’s family to darkness. Her mother, father, brother and baby sister are killed in a barn fire, and Grandmother Rose banishes Jena from the farm. Now, twenty years on, Rose is dying, and Jena returns home wanting answers about what really happened on the night of the fire and why she was sent away.
Will, Rose’s live-in caregiver, has similar questions. He hunts for the supernatural, and he knows something sinister lurks in the Benedict homestead. Together, Jena and Will unearth the mysteries around a skull, a pocket-watch, a tale of the Dark Man and a tiding of magpies. And in doing so, they set loose an evil entity determined to destroy Rose and her whole clan.
Full of tension and psychological thrills, Butcherbird is a novel about uncovering truths and unshackling guilt.
Will, Rose’s live-in caregiver, has similar questions. He hunts for the supernatural, and he knows something sinister lurks in the Benedict homestead. Together, Jena and Will unearth the mysteries around a skull, a pocket-watch, a tale of the Dark Man and a tiding of magpies. And in doing so, they set loose an evil entity determined to destroy Rose and her whole clan.
Full of tension and psychological thrills, Butcherbird is a novel about uncovering truths and unshackling guilt.
350 pages, Paperback
First published August 2, 2021
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882 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
November 16, 2022
I read this in two sittings! Loved the rural New Zealand setting and sprinkles of kiwi culture throughout, it was quite refreshing. I’m not a huge fan of the supernatural but I quite enjoyed this. I just wished the characters had been fleshed out a lot more and I was left with lots of questions. Overall a great read.
September 13, 2021
Yay, New Zealand horror! Especially New Zealand horror with magpies and the most stylish cover ever. I actually reviewed this book for Strange Horizons - will link the review here when it comes out - but I've been a bit behind updating my Goodreads reads, if that makes sense, so leaving a few short comments here now.
This isn't the first book from Cassie Hart that I've read, and it's not the first magpie-containing book by her that I've read either. And, you know, magpies are a bit of a maligned bird. I know some people have trouble with them but I never have. I find that generally if you're polite to them they'll be polite back, but the magpies of Butcherbird are rather more Hitchcock than harmless, as they swarm the protagonist Jena and generally scare the shit out of her, for reasons that she comes to understand as the book goes on. The trauma of being mobbed by magpies is, however, a minor one when compared with the many traumas that Jena experiences. Well. I say "experiences" and that's true, but the interesting part of her character - and sadly, the all too believable part - is how she fits the pieces of herself around that trauma, papering over the parts of herself that might cause trouble in the hopes of staving off further misery and disappointment. It doesn't work, of course, but the generational horror of what's happening at the family farm, warping each iteration of the family that lives there, is really well done and horribly convincing.
This isn't the first book from Cassie Hart that I've read, and it's not the first magpie-containing book by her that I've read either. And, you know, magpies are a bit of a maligned bird. I know some people have trouble with them but I never have. I find that generally if you're polite to them they'll be polite back, but the magpies of Butcherbird are rather more Hitchcock than harmless, as they swarm the protagonist Jena and generally scare the shit out of her, for reasons that she comes to understand as the book goes on. The trauma of being mobbed by magpies is, however, a minor one when compared with the many traumas that Jena experiences. Well. I say "experiences" and that's true, but the interesting part of her character - and sadly, the all too believable part - is how she fits the pieces of herself around that trauma, papering over the parts of herself that might cause trouble in the hopes of staving off further misery and disappointment. It doesn't work, of course, but the generational horror of what's happening at the family farm, warping each iteration of the family that lives there, is really well done and horribly convincing.
August 20, 2021
Butcherbird is a gripping, creepy, and yet darkly funny story of family secrets, possession, magpies, and familial love and distance. It's fast-paced and unnerving, unfolding the secrets of a woman who lost her family as a child, and her elderly grandmother.
I am glad I already stopped cooking meat long before I read Butcherbird, because I will never look at mince the same way again.
Highly recommended.
(Disclaimer: the author is a long-time friend. I bought this book with my own money.)
I am glad I already stopped cooking meat long before I read Butcherbird, because I will never look at mince the same way again.
Highly recommended.
(Disclaimer: the author is a long-time friend. I bought this book with my own money.)
January 19, 2022
There's something particularly frustrating about reading the work of a writer who doesn't trust their audience; the constant burgeoning excitement of glimpsing an interesting narrative thread around the corner, or a moment of well-executed character development, only to continue reading, crestfallen, as the author explains exactly what had so nearly been communicated organically.
Butcherbird is not a subtle novel. Hart hammers home what her characters are thinking and feeling across every page; characters interact in stilted and forced bouts of confrontational exposition that read with all the authenticity of American cheese; the mysteries are contrived and needless, fuelled by a wizened older woman electing to bleed information over the course of a novel for no reason other than to draw out the plot; and there's an almost complete lack of real horror here, in part because of the impossibility of building narrative tension when everything is telegraphed and explicated so aggressively, but more importantly the failure for the supernatural elements of the novel to reflect anything about the characters or world they inhabit. Great horror externalises our inner fears, giving them otherworldly form to amplify them and give them a form we can fight against; Butcherbird throws the birds from Hitchcock's classic and a literal boogeyman onto a farm on a clumsily collision course with our plucky protagonists, with no thought given as to what the demons that haunt this house mean to anyone. Occasionally Hart brushes against doing something clever, a line of striking dialogue or piece of evocative imagery, but she's never satisfied to leave well alone and for every interesting choice she makes, there's pages and pages of explaining exactly why she made it.
There's more that I could say, but it would all be elaborate ways of saying that this book isn't well written. It's not scary, it's not disturbing, it's not particularly enjoyable. The only saving grace is it's not very long, either.
Butcherbird is not a subtle novel. Hart hammers home what her characters are thinking and feeling across every page; characters interact in stilted and forced bouts of confrontational exposition that read with all the authenticity of American cheese; the mysteries are contrived and needless, fuelled by a wizened older woman electing to bleed information over the course of a novel for no reason other than to draw out the plot; and there's an almost complete lack of real horror here, in part because of the impossibility of building narrative tension when everything is telegraphed and explicated so aggressively, but more importantly the failure for the supernatural elements of the novel to reflect anything about the characters or world they inhabit. Great horror externalises our inner fears, giving them otherworldly form to amplify them and give them a form we can fight against; Butcherbird throws the birds from Hitchcock's classic and a literal boogeyman onto a farm on a clumsily collision course with our plucky protagonists, with no thought given as to what the demons that haunt this house mean to anyone. Occasionally Hart brushes against doing something clever, a line of striking dialogue or piece of evocative imagery, but she's never satisfied to leave well alone and for every interesting choice she makes, there's pages and pages of explaining exactly why she made it.
There's more that I could say, but it would all be elaborate ways of saying that this book isn't well written. It's not scary, it's not disturbing, it's not particularly enjoyable. The only saving grace is it's not very long, either.
August 17, 2021
Read an eARC from the publisher
Content warning: Arson, cancer, death of immediate family, self-disembowelment, alcoholism, murder, violence against birds
Jena Benedict returns to her family’s farm twenty years after a tragic fire which claimed the lives of her parents and her siblings. Her grandmother, her last familial connection to the property and tragedy, is dying of cancer and Rose knows more than she leads on. Will, Rose’s live-in caretaker, has a penchant for the supernatural and follows Jena down the rabbit hole of darkness that surrounds that fateful night.
Māori/Pākehā author Cassie Hart weaves a ghost story full of eerie birds, cursed jewelry, family secrets, and chills to keep the reader up at night from start to finish.
Jena is my favorite type of horror protagonist. She’s headstrong with a strong sense of who she is now despite the gaps left from her past. You want to root for her, but also completely understand when the truth of that night in the barn becomes too much to handle. I really like the interactions between her and Will in particular. Their interests are aligned, but their approaches are completely different. He wants to believe so badly in ghosts while she’s just searching for peace after decades of psychological and spiritual unrest. The way they butt heads feels so organic and works so well from the get-go.
Hart does a marvelous job balancing flashback, context, and atmosphere. She leads the reader on a journey where in both the reader and Jena piece together the truth. That being said, it’s not all tragedy, there are some darkly comedic moments (thinking of a certain rainstorm and a bottle of rum in particular). But the magic and supernatural elements here are so compelling. The elements fit in so well with the themes of family and keeping relatives safe.
The way Hart works with cycles and folkloric elements also escalates the terror as the truth unfolds. There is precedent, there is history, but there is also the current situation unfolding. I won’t say too much because spoilers, but when certain elements begin coming together towards the end, I found myself reading the book through spread fingers. I had to see it through the end, but had a hard time watching in a horror-reader’s delight.
Content warning: Arson, cancer, death of immediate family, self-disembowelment, alcoholism, murder, violence against birds
Jena Benedict returns to her family’s farm twenty years after a tragic fire which claimed the lives of her parents and her siblings. Her grandmother, her last familial connection to the property and tragedy, is dying of cancer and Rose knows more than she leads on. Will, Rose’s live-in caretaker, has a penchant for the supernatural and follows Jena down the rabbit hole of darkness that surrounds that fateful night.
Māori/Pākehā author Cassie Hart weaves a ghost story full of eerie birds, cursed jewelry, family secrets, and chills to keep the reader up at night from start to finish.
Jena is my favorite type of horror protagonist. She’s headstrong with a strong sense of who she is now despite the gaps left from her past. You want to root for her, but also completely understand when the truth of that night in the barn becomes too much to handle. I really like the interactions between her and Will in particular. Their interests are aligned, but their approaches are completely different. He wants to believe so badly in ghosts while she’s just searching for peace after decades of psychological and spiritual unrest. The way they butt heads feels so organic and works so well from the get-go.
Hart does a marvelous job balancing flashback, context, and atmosphere. She leads the reader on a journey where in both the reader and Jena piece together the truth. That being said, it’s not all tragedy, there are some darkly comedic moments (thinking of a certain rainstorm and a bottle of rum in particular). But the magic and supernatural elements here are so compelling. The elements fit in so well with the themes of family and keeping relatives safe.
The way Hart works with cycles and folkloric elements also escalates the terror as the truth unfolds. There is precedent, there is history, but there is also the current situation unfolding. I won’t say too much because spoilers, but when certain elements begin coming together towards the end, I found myself reading the book through spread fingers. I had to see it through the end, but had a hard time watching in a horror-reader’s delight.
October 26, 2024
2.5 stars. It wasn’t a terrible book but had some plot holes that were hard to look past.
March 19, 2024
Book is below mid. Not a big fan of supernatural stuff and didn’t feel like there was good enough of a warning on the back to let me know. Characters weren’t really well described and hard to imagine. The whole book’s plot is run off the old woman who refuses to share any information, She doesn’t really have any reason to no share information other than being stubborn (and to make the book longer?) Feels like we could have sorted it all out in a day if the characters would just speak to each other. No clue what’s going on with the characters and then all of a sudden they run through every emotion and explain what they’re doing? Not a great way to build suspense. Boooooooring!
November 18, 2025
I eagerly devoured the first two thirds of this book, but after the climax all the tension in the story fell out for me and I struggled to get through the last forty-five pages.
The prose is easily digestible and the author was good at describing even mundane things in an unsettling way. Sometimes the dialogue felt unnatural or clunky, and a couple times a character would speak with knowledge they hadn't been told. But overall I enjoyed the writing style and loved that the environment and the birds were treated as characters/influential forces to the story. I also loved that Mt Taranaki was treated like a person with his own opinions on characters.
I would recommend this to anyone that wants to see a Māori author's take on horror, or who wants an easy and not super scary horror to dip their toe into the genre!
Content warning for a SA scene later in the book.
I look forward to whatever this author writes next!
3.5/5 stars, would have been a solid 4 if the ending had been more engaging.
The prose is easily digestible and the author was good at describing even mundane things in an unsettling way. Sometimes the dialogue felt unnatural or clunky, and a couple times a character would speak with knowledge they hadn't been told. But overall I enjoyed the writing style and loved that the environment and the birds were treated as characters/influential forces to the story. I also loved that Mt Taranaki was treated like a person with his own opinions on characters.
I would recommend this to anyone that wants to see a Māori author's take on horror, or who wants an easy and not super scary horror to dip their toe into the genre!
Content warning for a SA scene later in the book.
I look forward to whatever this author writes next!
3.5/5 stars, would have been a solid 4 if the ending had been more engaging.
July 31, 2022
Eldritch horror with demonic possession and druidic Grandmothers. And birds.
September 4, 2021
8.29 on CAWPILE.
Great book. Love the creepy dark vibes. A page turner for me!
Great book. Love the creepy dark vibes. A page turner for me!
December 9, 2021
I'm not usually a horror fan but this was an absolute page turner. Butcherbird had me hooked from the very beginning with it's snappy chapters, well drawn and very real characters, more than a bit of mystery and enough spookiness to keep me on the edge of my seat but not enough to stop me from sleeping at night. Throw in some family secrets and I powered through to discover a satisfying but slightly open ended conclusion which makes me hope that maybe there is more to come from Jena and Will.
Read
September 26, 2021From the first page, each word is darkly foreshadowing, while drawing us into the rural New Zealand setting. As Jena's memories start coming back, we are taken on a journey that is gritty and disturbing, but with moments of dark humour, as she faces her past. I couldn't look away. This is a brave, enthralling story of violence, secrets, intergenerational trauma and guilt, dysfunctional families, and friendship and empowerment.
CW: Sexual violence, suicide, murder.
Disclaimer: I received an eArc from the publisher. Thoughts are my own.
CW: Sexual violence, suicide, murder.
Disclaimer: I received an eArc from the publisher. Thoughts are my own.
April 29, 2023
Probably 2.5 stars, 3 on a good day, but really I felt this novel was not ready to be published. There was the germ of a good idea, but it was not fully realised; the characters were not fully developed, nor was the story.
As the novel was published by Huia Publishers I thought it would have a Māori perspective, but apart from one character being identified as Māori, there was little I could identify as culturally Māori. In fact, [SPOILER ALERT] the discovery of an ancestral skeleton was surprisingly casually dealt with - I would have thought anyone – Māori, Pākeha or whoever – would have reacted to the discovery of a skeleton with some reverence, fear, awe or tapu, but this wasn't the case.
Apparently this novel was meant to have aspects of horror, but it didn't strike me that way.
There was so much more that could have been made of this novel: more made of what the watch represented and where it came from; more of the family's connection with the land; more of who actually was the haunted spirit. What was the history of the whenua? Ko wai ngā iwi? Who were the people of the land, and what happened there?
There was some good dialogue and action, so I hope the author can write some good fiction to follow this.
As the novel was published by Huia Publishers I thought it would have a Māori perspective, but apart from one character being identified as Māori, there was little I could identify as culturally Māori. In fact, [SPOILER ALERT] the discovery of an ancestral skeleton was surprisingly casually dealt with - I would have thought anyone – Māori, Pākeha or whoever – would have reacted to the discovery of a skeleton with some reverence, fear, awe or tapu, but this wasn't the case.
Apparently this novel was meant to have aspects of horror, but it didn't strike me that way.
There was so much more that could have been made of this novel: more made of what the watch represented and where it came from; more of the family's connection with the land; more of who actually was the haunted spirit. What was the history of the whenua? Ko wai ngā iwi? Who were the people of the land, and what happened there?
There was some good dialogue and action, so I hope the author can write some good fiction to follow this.
August 21, 2021
(Received ARC from Author)
I was originally excited to read "Butcherbird" because I have been missing New Zealand a lot during the Pandemic (I'm based in Australia). This story is filled with New Zealand, mainly because the author has written a book with the soul of her nation. An Indigenous Writer who brings her culture naturally, seamlessly, into her story.
Came for the culture; Stayed because I was HOOKED on the supernatural horror themes. "Butcherbird" has characters you invest in. There is family history unfolding on each page. There is an environment that unfolds around you as you read. And the supernatural themes slowly unravel like twine, until you feel permanently tied to the story.
Jena is the main character, a woman with a troubled history and a determination to live her life. Her immediate family died in a fire when she was young, leaving Jena and her grandmother Rose to survive. Rose sent Jena to live with her aunt without explanation. Many years later, Rose is dying and an adult Jena has questions: about that night, about the fire, about why Jena was sent away. And about the darkness sitting on the edges of the farm.
Hart's writing style is relaxed, welcoming, and never assuming. Her characters reveal themselves naturally through the story. As the reader, we are not dumped with information nor are we overtly teased with anticipation. The characters are as much a part of their environment as the book, with Rose's farm playing a role alongside the main characters. (I especially loved the mentions of Taranaki, so emotive and still so relevant).
The horror elements slowly creep up on you, building momentum towards the final 50-pages of spellbound intensity. There is realism in the horror without making excuses for real-life horror. Just be warned: Hart does not explain everything and yet that works very well with this book. In the same way as a Studio Ghibli film, "Butcherbird" gives you an ending with room for some characters to grow; either as a sequel or with your own imagination.
Enjoyed the story. Loved the writing style. I am looking forward to more books!
I was originally excited to read "Butcherbird" because I have been missing New Zealand a lot during the Pandemic (I'm based in Australia). This story is filled with New Zealand, mainly because the author has written a book with the soul of her nation. An Indigenous Writer who brings her culture naturally, seamlessly, into her story.
Came for the culture; Stayed because I was HOOKED on the supernatural horror themes. "Butcherbird" has characters you invest in. There is family history unfolding on each page. There is an environment that unfolds around you as you read. And the supernatural themes slowly unravel like twine, until you feel permanently tied to the story.
Jena is the main character, a woman with a troubled history and a determination to live her life. Her immediate family died in a fire when she was young, leaving Jena and her grandmother Rose to survive. Rose sent Jena to live with her aunt without explanation. Many years later, Rose is dying and an adult Jena has questions: about that night, about the fire, about why Jena was sent away. And about the darkness sitting on the edges of the farm.
Hart's writing style is relaxed, welcoming, and never assuming. Her characters reveal themselves naturally through the story. As the reader, we are not dumped with information nor are we overtly teased with anticipation. The characters are as much a part of their environment as the book, with Rose's farm playing a role alongside the main characters. (I especially loved the mentions of Taranaki, so emotive and still so relevant).
The horror elements slowly creep up on you, building momentum towards the final 50-pages of spellbound intensity. There is realism in the horror without making excuses for real-life horror. Just be warned: Hart does not explain everything and yet that works very well with this book. In the same way as a Studio Ghibli film, "Butcherbird" gives you an ending with room for some characters to grow; either as a sequel or with your own imagination.
Enjoyed the story. Loved the writing style. I am looking forward to more books!
August 26, 2021
📢Māori Author📢
📚📚📚Butcherbird by Cassie Hart (Kāi Tahu)📚📚📚
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🐈: Fun fact: the author likes coffee, cats and zombies.
👩🏽⚕️: So gripping, thrilling and DARK
•
Jena has a dark past to confront at her family farm in Taranaki. Something happened there before she was sent away and she and Cade, her boyfriend, return to settle things with her grandmother who is dying. Alongside Will, her grandmothers carer, Jena confronts the chilling history which begins to haunt her once more.
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I really enjoyed this novel. I raced through it because I was so eager to see who was the baddie and how the plot would come together. After only a few chapters I was hooked into the spookiness and needed to keep turning the pages. I wasn’t disappointed. I didn’t suspect any of the plot and I didn’t predict the supernatural forces at play either. There were so many surprises in this novel and I loved the tension that was created from early on. Jena was a hearty main character with incredible grit and I admired her ability to soldier on and get the job done. I reckon this would make a great movie! Hart writes some deeply disturbing and dark scenes and I can’t say I will ever look at mince meat or magpies in the same way again. 👀
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I highly recommend this new novel and thanks to @huiapublishers for sending it to me to review!
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#indigenousauthors #femaleauthors #maorilit #nzlit #bookstagram #taleswiththomas #catsofinstagram #currentlyreading #fiction #womenreading #brownauthors #huia
📚📚📚Butcherbird by Cassie Hart (Kāi Tahu)📚📚📚
•
🐈: Fun fact: the author likes coffee, cats and zombies.
👩🏽⚕️: So gripping, thrilling and DARK
•
Jena has a dark past to confront at her family farm in Taranaki. Something happened there before she was sent away and she and Cade, her boyfriend, return to settle things with her grandmother who is dying. Alongside Will, her grandmothers carer, Jena confronts the chilling history which begins to haunt her once more.
•
I really enjoyed this novel. I raced through it because I was so eager to see who was the baddie and how the plot would come together. After only a few chapters I was hooked into the spookiness and needed to keep turning the pages. I wasn’t disappointed. I didn’t suspect any of the plot and I didn’t predict the supernatural forces at play either. There were so many surprises in this novel and I loved the tension that was created from early on. Jena was a hearty main character with incredible grit and I admired her ability to soldier on and get the job done. I reckon this would make a great movie! Hart writes some deeply disturbing and dark scenes and I can’t say I will ever look at mince meat or magpies in the same way again. 👀
•
I highly recommend this new novel and thanks to @huiapublishers for sending it to me to review!
•
.
.
.
#indigenousauthors #femaleauthors #maorilit #nzlit #bookstagram #taleswiththomas #catsofinstagram #currentlyreading #fiction #womenreading #brownauthors #huia
June 22, 2025
Jenas family died horrifically in a fire that, by all accounts and purposes, she too should have died in too. However she was saved by a weak, child’s bladder, and a bunch of magpies that attacked her and stopped her returning to the barn that was engulfed in flames. Shortly after, her gran sent her away to live with her aunt and refused to let her return. Until her gran was dying and Jena decides to go back with her boyfriend Cade in tow. It’s not a happy reunion, but one that is necessary for Jena to find answers to the many questions she has from that night and the aftermath. But answers are much much darker and more twisted than she could ever have thought.
This book was incredible. The sense of foreboding that you get from the very first moment, plus expert descriptions that set this firmly in a highly believable setting.
This is a psychological mystery thriller would be how I would describe this. She struggles with mental health and relationship issues, as well as there being mystery surrounding the deaths and horror because honestly, this is so dark.
You won’t want to put this down.
This book was incredible. The sense of foreboding that you get from the very first moment, plus expert descriptions that set this firmly in a highly believable setting.
This is a psychological mystery thriller would be how I would describe this. She struggles with mental health and relationship issues, as well as there being mystery surrounding the deaths and horror because honestly, this is so dark.
You won’t want to put this down.
September 22, 2021
I am a big fan of Hart’s writing and was eager to read this as soon as it came out. I was not disappointed. Hart is an amazing writer with a real talent for creating truly gripping (and chilling!) stories, and characters that are so intricately human it’s hard to believe they’re not real. This is a beautifully paced New Zealand gothic tale, which explores a broad range of emotions. Grief, loss, family and belonging, Hart spills all of this, and more, across the page and draws us completely into the story. While there are indeed some horrific and supernatural elements, for me this book spoke far more about isolation and the need for community. Beautifully written and it will stay with me for a long time.
April 20, 2022
2.5/5. Pretty average in my opinion. The main character, Jena, was unlikeable and one dimensional. Her boyfriend Cade was even worse. The only good writing was in one small scene only about 3 pages long when Jena was drunk while messing around in the rain. The banter between drunk Jena and Will had was refreshing, even then that was only a few pages and the rest of the book was very one note. This was supposed to be a suspense novel (I think?) but there was nothing suspenseful about this story at all. Everything felt very flat, the parts that were supposed to be exciting were making me want to stop reading altogether. If you're wanting to support an NZ author, maybe, but otherwise I wouldn't recommend this.
May 20, 2022
When Jena gets the call that her grandmother is dying, she return back to the family home that she left after a tragedy that killed her parents and siblings. She is determined to find out what happened and to try to find some peace. However each secret she uncovers finds another buried beneath.
The initial 'every day' of this great book draws the reader in, and Cassie Hart skillfully levers off the lid of buried family secrets and what happens when family members feel unable to be honest with each other.
Whilst I found the start a little bit slow, the writing rapidly drew me in and before long I was lost in the farmlands of Taranaki, eager to get to the bottom of the mystery that was being uncovered. The twists and turns keep on coming and the pace of the story was just perfect.
The initial 'every day' of this great book draws the reader in, and Cassie Hart skillfully levers off the lid of buried family secrets and what happens when family members feel unable to be honest with each other.
Whilst I found the start a little bit slow, the writing rapidly drew me in and before long I was lost in the farmlands of Taranaki, eager to get to the bottom of the mystery that was being uncovered. The twists and turns keep on coming and the pace of the story was just perfect.
August 11, 2022
this is a book with a concept that could have been excellent, but the execution just fell way short. a gothic modern horror set in the shadow of taranaki, complete with possession, hitchcockian magpies (the best birds! so much could have been done with them!), and family trauma...it should have been great. but the characters were one-note, their motivations and emotions weren't fleshed out to the point where the reader is able to care about them, and holy exposition, batman. the climax is pretty good, but it feels as if it comes on, happens, and leaves too quickly for it to really stick.
i had such high hopes for this one, but it just didn't live up.
i had such high hopes for this one, but it just didn't live up.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 25, 2022
Although this is not my usual reading genre I did enjoy this book.
It’s a story of guilt, family mysteries and secrets.
I really like the physical design of the book too.
I’ve given this a 3 as it is a good read and the writing style is simple and straightforward. It’s easy to become invested in the characters and the suspense of the ‘not knowing’ about Will is intriguing.
I found the last two or three chapters a bit too ‘tidy’ and the methods of resolution too simple. I wanted to know more about the methods of transfer and the expectation of any continuance.
I’m to avoid spoilers here.
Overall it’s a good read and an alluring tale.
It’s a story of guilt, family mysteries and secrets.
I really like the physical design of the book too.
I’ve given this a 3 as it is a good read and the writing style is simple and straightforward. It’s easy to become invested in the characters and the suspense of the ‘not knowing’ about Will is intriguing.
I found the last two or three chapters a bit too ‘tidy’ and the methods of resolution too simple. I wanted to know more about the methods of transfer and the expectation of any continuance.
I’m to avoid spoilers here.
Overall it’s a good read and an alluring tale.
August 20, 2021
Man, the setting took me straight back to my rural childhood. Well, except my childhood swamp wasn't , but other than that.
There were some real whaaaaaat? twists that had me gaping as the full horror of the situation unfurls. As a massive wuss, I appreciated that the horror is largely psychological, though there are small moments of gory imagery. The mince! omg. Aaaaaaah. Definitely a great NZ horror / supernatural suspense read.
There were some real whaaaaaat? twists that had me gaping as the full horror of the situation unfurls. As a massive wuss, I appreciated that the horror is largely psychological, though there are small moments of gory imagery. The mince! omg. Aaaaaaah. Definitely a great NZ horror / supernatural suspense read.
July 2, 2025
A slow-paced story that incorporates family drama with paranormal forces, tearing them apart and killing them off. The characters aren't very likable, damaged though they may be, so the reader has only justice to root for rather than characters. The explanations were insufficient, and one must wonder what's going on in the neighborhood when more than one person is possessed by different forces with different stories. Fantasy is one thing, but readers want to understand what's happening as well. It's an interesting idea and I was invested in the plot. It just had too many holes.
April 19, 2022
whizzed through this Easter weekend, the first half definitely holds its own, but I think the second half of the book (from the swamp onwards) feels a bit meh. I liked Jena and Will, and Cade was sufficiently annoying. I wish Rose was more fleshed out. felt repetitive and not enough action in some places, but it's a book I found that I couldn't put down, so I liked it. a good example of New Zealand lit
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 9, 2021
Hart weaves a creepy and empathic tapestry of family secrets and slowly revealed horror in this brilliant supernatural suspense. Memory and location, skulls and magpies, relationships and healing-this quiet rural story from Aotearoa New Zealand is rich with the many areas in which the author excels.
August 18, 2024
2⭐️ this COULD HAVE been such an amazing book with the overall premise & setting, but oh my god the characters were SO boring. another review said this book didn’t feel quite ready to be published which i think is a perfect way to describe it imo the writing was just not there and didn’t do the story justice. insanely dope cover though
December 29, 2025
I picked this book based on the title, but wasn't sure that I'd like the supernatural aspect that the blurb hinted at. But I was enthralled from the start - family trauma, family secrets, rural New Zealand beautifully described, and great character work. The supernatural aspect was really well done (it was really subtle even though it was a core theme). Highly recommend.
September 24, 2021
This is a pretty enjoyable and easy read.
The dialogue is a bit wooden and the characters are a little one dimensional - but the general mystery of the story pulls you along. I look forward to seeing what this author does next.
October 29, 2022
Halloween read #5: Disappointing. I'd hoped for some spooky, atmospheric reading from the other side of the world, but the writing killed it for me. Wooden characters, pedestrian writing, and an unsubtle narrative that doesn't trust the reader.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 13, 2021
Brilliant book, you think you know where it is going and then there is a twist, just loved it
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