The Adirondack Witch

by Patrick Reuman

Three friends set out on a mountain hiking adventure meant to pull one of their minds away from the sorrow of losing his wife. But things take a quick and sinister turn when they are forced to camp for the night at the mountain’s dark peak.

Something is out there, something evil. It hides in the black of the forest and it waits. It stalks.

And it wants all their lives.

Genres: Horror, Witches, Fiction, Audiobook

257 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 8, 2022

About the author

Patrick Reuman is a writer by day and a Medical Laboratory Scientist by night. He has been writing ever since he was 16 when a school assignment pushed his imagination toward creating his own stories. He has one child, a son, named Aidan. He hopes to continue writing while also plotting to take over the world.

Reviews

[LTJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

“The Adirondack Witch” by Patrick Reuman started out interesting. I immediately liked the main protagonist, Hank, and started to get into all the background info about him, his life, and his struggles right off the bat. Being a New Yorker as well, I also loved the references about the city that never sleeps and the interesting flashbacks as to what makes Hank tick.

Unfortunately, this novel spent more time with Hank and his past than actually trying to scare me. I thought it would be a slow burn of a read with an interesting payoff at the end but it failed to deliver in every way, shape, and form. I got major “The Blair Witch Project” vibes from this but it was nowhere near as scary as that.

To be honest, this should not be classified as a horror novel at all. The cover is amazing and is actually scarier than this entire novel. I’m not even kidding, I was 100 pages in and nothing scary or creepy happened. I was then 200 pages in before anything disturbing or horrific happens.

When you have a novel that takes over 200 pages of reading for anything remotely related to horror to actually happen, that is so misleading. It took way too long for something scary to happen as it started to drag on to the point of sheer boredom. With way too many repeated conversations and useless dialogue, it all felt like fluff just to pad this novel to 256 pages. Even all the other characters introduced lacked depth, substance, and overall purpose.

This was one of the most disappointing reads I’ve ever read as a horror enthusiast. This should be under maybe the psychological thriller genre or some other genre than horror as I feel it’s false advertising. It totally looks like a horror novel with a great cover that screams horror but ends up being flat. If you’re writing a horror novel, the actual horror needs to be front and center. In this novel, it truly felt like an afterthought.

When it comes to the main plot twist, it was so predictable, I literally guessed it back in earlier chapters before it was even revealed. The main plot twist needed to be significantly better if you’re centering a horror novel around an actual witch. This was such a letdown and when it comes to the ending, my goodness, it literally made me make several angry faces as I finally got to the end.

It was an abrupt ending with nothing really explained and felt like an insult to horror readers. It didn’t explain anything at all and just ends with a huge “THE END” in large font to confirm that yeah, that’s it. It’s finally over and you’re left with a boring novel pretending to be in a genre it never should have been put in the first place to begin with.

Even at the end, the author had to leave a note explaining the “why” behind this lame, abrupt ending. That also felt very out of place and if you need to explain it the way this author did to readers, it just takes you completely out of the reading experience.

Needless to say, I give “The Adirondack Witch” by Patrick Reuman a 1/5. It’s not scary enough, drags on like crazy, has too many characters that can confuse things, and is a dull read. It’s not horror at all as again, the scariest part of this novel is its cover. I would not recommend this to anyone that also loves horror as I’d say to stay far away from this one. If you’re looking for something scary to keep you up at night, I guarantee you will not find it here.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scary Crazy Ride!

Backstory:

Three friends (Hank, Scott, and Charlie) decide to go camping and trail climbing up into the Adironack mountains. Hank is mourning the loss of his wife and wants to get away from it all for awhile, so he talks his friends into going with him on the trip.

Once they get up into the mountain area they meet up with some other hikers and they all decide to hike together, but they things become creepy twisted when they wake up one morning and the sun has still not risen. The mountain is just as dark as when they went to sleep. Thinking that maybe their timing is off they decide to try and wait it out but nothing seems to be working for them so they decide to head back down the mountain.

Though as they make their way down things are not what they seem as for some reason they see torches and a possible town that should not exist in their vicinity. Twisted and wild things begin to start happening to them that makes them wonder what is really going on as there is something in the shadows of the mountain waiting for them!

What has invaded their domain? Why is the mountain still in darkness? What is lurking out in the mountains? No spoilers here as you will need to read the book!

Thoughts:

This was one suspense building creepy story that sank its teeth into me the more I delved into the book. This is my second book by this author and I felt that the story was just steeped in mystery and suspense to the point that I would read chunks of the story during the night which kept my insomnia fueled.

The pace was slow and fast though but I just stayed with it as I was wanting to see what had invaded the hikers lives and what were the characters dealing with up on the mountain.

There is a major twist at the end of the book that sent me reeling and it was not what I was expecting and it pulled the rug out from under me! Another great book by this author! Giving this book four "Twisted Suspense" stars!

[Kirsty · Rating 1 out of 5]

10% in so far and if scott and charlie are real and not figments of Hank's imagination i'll be gobsmacked.

Update: at 25% now and dear lord where is the horror? Give me horror! Not just people talking and one dimensional characters. I feel like i need flash cards to remember who these other randomers are.

Plus scott and charlie cannot be real! (I will eat my words if they are.) No one ever speaks to them! They never go and do anything. They never say anything when others are around, at least not something that can be responded to.

Also after going through reviews on here shocked at the high rating, im dead certain a few are bots. You click on the profile and theres just the one book read (this one) and thats it. Oh and those have been copied and pasted to amazon.

Update: 100%

Oh my god i had it all figured out by 10% what a rubbish book. And stupid cliffhanger ending. Twist? What twist?

Also it rips off the blair witch films massively, and also seems to have taken some from the film of the ritual.

[Regina the Constant Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️ -Kindle Book

WARNING ⚠️ SPOILERS

I picked this book to read because of the title and description. I live in Upstate New York and I have hiked trails in the Adirondacks, so I thought this would be a great creepy read for Halloween. Unfortunately, the title and description are very misleading. This is not a horror story, but more of a psychological thriller. Right off the bat I knew his “friends” were a figment of his imagination, so that ruined the suspense. It was obvious there was no witch, just a crazy man killing the people he ran into. Even the killings were boring. This book had a lot of potential, but unfortunately it fell short. Even the ending was lackluster. Instead of him having killed his wife, you come to find out they’re just divorced!! How is that horror?! I’m being generous with 3 Stars.

[Mikala · Rating 4 out of 5]

These lost in the woods stories terrify me!!
Very "Blair witch project"-esque

My thoughts along the way...

10% Shoot is his friends not real? 😬
13% they're so not real 😭

Verrrrry creepy Oof.

Yeah this is pretty scary 😨 😳 😬

This would make SUCHHHH a good terrifying movie!!!!!

[The Morbid Mama ☠︎︎ · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was a lot of potential in this book, but the last chapter or two changed my whole outlook on it 😭 Super sad it didn’t end differently 😞 This one just wasn’t for me.

From the very first moment that Charlie and Scott show up, it’s very obvious that they aren’t real. I wish that you wouldn’t have been able to see that so early on because it may have helped a little bit in this book.

[Precious · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.75

Aw man this had so much potential..the premise was promising, a hiking trip from hell with possible witches I was hooked..initially 🤦🏽‍♀️

Let me just say that the writing is solid up til about 20% in I was sure that I would give this a higher rating because I was getting major Blair Witch/ Ritual vibes. But the book just took a turn and it sort of meandered. I mean for this to be a short read I got a bit bored and there wasn’t much moving the story forward.


The conclusion was predictable which isn’t necessarily a deal breaker for me if the journey is worth it, but not much happened. It had very little horror elements, at the core this is a story about dealing with heartbreak and how one deals with grief, a trope I enjoy in my horror stories, but this one just didn’t deliver for me.

[Shelly Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Just wow!

From the very beginning, this book had me at the edge of my seat!

Combining local folklore with a psychological trip was brilliant. I was always guessing whether all of it was real, who would be next, and what the heck was going to happen next!!

And the ending? Holy Cow!!

This was a great, thrilling, read and I recommend you pick it up!!

[whatthe_didijustread · Rating 4 out of 5]

"People disappear out there, Hank. They disappear, and nobody ever finds them. And when they do turn up, they turn up dead. Not all of them. Some get found days later and become a hero in the news. But a lot of them don't. A lot of them disappear and stay gone. You be careful out there, friend."

-

Still reeling from the death of his wife, Hank decides to take a trip to the Adirondacks with two of his close friends. On a hike through the mountains, they meet a few other hikers and they all decide to reach the summit together. Night falls early and so they camp at the top of the mountain but when they wake up in the morning it's still dark outside. As members of their party start disappearing and a mysterious village with cult-like vibes randomly appears, will Hank and the rest of the hikers be able to find their way out of the wilderness before the dark consumes them or before something worse happens?

-

I did think the story was a little predictable but it honestly didn't change the fact that I enjoyed it.

If you like the Blair Witch Project, creepy hiking stories or unreliable narrators/MC's then this one's for you.

[Bailey Fox · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, so I read this book for a buddy group read. I had never heard of the author or the title before, and now that I finished it, I’m not surprised I had never heard of it. I was able to predict pretty much the entire story and the “twist” after reading just the first few chapters. It wasn’t a terrible read by any means- it was just way too predictable and obvious, and it didn’t have any true horror or twisty elements to it in my opinion. In all honesty, I actually enjoyed the chapters before the main character even got to the mountain way more than I enjoyed the chapters that actually took place on the mountain. There were some elements of this story that really did have potential to create a truly spooky and engrossing read, but I just feel like the author chose the wrong path each time. I don’t think I would recommend this to horror readers. It just wasn’t scary.

[Holly Horror · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really good. Blair Witch vibes, only better. I'm just a little confused with the ending 🤔

[TheseHauntedPages · Rating 1 out of 5]

Urgh what can I say other than this book is so disjointed and predictable.

It has such an abrupt ending as well that it didn't feel like it should have ended where it did and it left a lot of things unanswered.

I struggled through this as part of a book club read and wouldn't recommend.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had such high hopes for this book, but it was predictable. This book was like a mashup of “The Blair Witch Project” and “Identity.” You’ll be able to figure it out from the beginning using context clues and predictions.

[Tess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four stars for scaring the absolute shit out of me. Maybe it's growing up surrounded by bush, and spending so much time in it as a kid, but nothing stresses me out quite like settings like this.

While I found Hank pretty unlikable, and Charlie and Scott's reveal as figments of Hank's identity not a huge shock, I felt that this added to the narrative rather than taking away from it. It turned Hank's perspective into one that was clearly unreliable which added a layer of agitation as I read it.

I feel like on top of that, while Hank is clearly unstable and unable to manage his life or feelings, that allows a level of "well maybe the witch was real and did get them". Yes, the "darkness" can be a straightforward allegory for Hank's internal anguish and violence, I think it could *also* be read as Hank being an easy scapegoat for a larger evil.

All in all, a very engaging read that kept me second guessing and searching for clues and answers the whole way through.

My only critiques would be that the pacing is a little awkward, and the characters could have used a little more personality. Otherwise I thought it was a fun salute to the witch in the forest trope, a la the Blair Witch, The Ritual, The VVitch etc.

[Beth Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually kind of enjoyed this book. I still think of it from time to time. Yes there were a few things utterly ridiculous in there such as stopping at a drive-through before hiking Snowy mountain. This mountain is in Hamilton County New York, one of the least populated counties in the state, famous for not even having a traffic light, let alone a fast food restaurant. Also, the implication that the purpose of fire towers is to escape raging flames on a mountain.

I have, in fact, hiked snowy mountain, and there is something kind of creepy about how poorly constructed the trail is. It’s a hike that seems unending. The lack of daylight was a unique and truly frightening technique used by the author.

I think one improvement to the book would have been to leave it as more of a scary supernatural story and skip the conclusion that explains the events based on the main character’s mental health decline.

Also, worth commenting that the details of the Adirondacks were poorly, if at all, researched. Local people will cringe.

[Dale Robertson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This just didnt pull me into the story. I read it all but towards the end, i found myself skipping chunks of the end chapters. Even doing this, i didnt seem to lose what was happening.

It's written well, but i just think it's overly long for the story that it is. You can guess pretty early on about a couple of Hank's buddies, Patrick makes it a bit TOO obvious. But when they got on the mountain, i just found the story dragged. I didnt find it particularly creepy or scary and the ending just left more questions than answers (it ended pretty ubrupt). There were quite a few times when i nearly gave up reading this but the mystery keep pulling my back, unfortunately i didnt think it was worth it in the end.

Unfortunately, not for me.

[Carolina Téllez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lucky me that I had no great expectations about this book because it was a waste of time.
Part of the story was predictable (the friends were a product of Hank’s imagination).
The “plot twist” kinda liked it but, the end has no explanation, just an abrupt ending.

[Dana McKee NOLA504NERDS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mourning the loss of his wife, Hank decides to go camping/climbing in the Adirondack Mountains. His friends Scott and Charlie join him. They meet other hikers there, wherein they all decide to hike together. That’s where the creepiness starts. Hank is left trying to decipher what is real and what’s a nightmare as these twisted events intensify. Clearly, there’s something lurking in the shadows of the Adirondack’s. This was a suspenseful and thrilling listen for sure. I will say, without giving spoilers, there were a couple of things that were blaringly obvious, which took some of the suspense away in my opinion. Of course, the author could’ve done that intentionally though to sway us from guessing the ending. The ending was an unexpected twist that I loved. I enjoyed the scary feel of this audiobook, as it gave me vibes from The Blair Witch Project and a bit of The Forest.

"History was told by the winners, those that lived, however they chose to tell it."

Joe Hempel was cast perfectly for this role. His pitch, pace, tone, and timing were spot on. I thought his characterizations were exemplary. He brought this story to life and made it intriguing. He did an excellent job of making you feel the intensity the author was striving for. Thank you to Fireside Audio for gifting me this fast paced and intense audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

4 Twisted Stars
Nola504Nerds Blog

[John J Questore · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read a few of Patrick's book, and this is one of the creepiest; partially because it's a little too close to home.

I've done a lot of hiking, and more camping than most (chalk it up to 40+ years of Scouting) - and have heard my share of weird noises, seen strange lights, and even saw a ghost at Gettysburg when I was younger; so reading about similar experiences brought back memories (although without the same conclusion).

Patrick takes a simple hike, and turns it into a true nightmare - but for who? That's the question.

This is also one of those stories that you will get more out of after reading it a second time - to catch the clues you may have overlooked (or missed) when you first read it.

[Lydia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, I got over halfway through the book and felt like my time was wasted. I knew from the first scene his friends were apart of that they were fake, there wasn't even a chance to pull off that plot twist. The idea of awakening to darkness during the day was the best part of this book and with a different story could have lead to a fantastic plot.

[Audrey Shiffler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mind bending

If you’re looking for a mind bending ride with lots of twists and turns, look no further. Patrick Reuman takes you on a trippy ride that is both scary and maddening in equal measure. Loved it!

[Alia W · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning was promising. And that certainly was an ending but like was it??

[Midniterose58 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. I have been following the author for a long time, but only recently read a book by him. It wasA Place So Wicked. I did enjoy that one more, but still wasn’t great.

You have to get halfway into the book before Hank even gets to the mountain. All through the book I kept wondering about his friends Scott and Charlie. They didn’t seem real and surprise surprise, they aren’t.

There was no really likable characters, and the storyline was not well thought out, or researched. It seemed like the author watched a lot of B horror movies and took bits from each one.
Really bad bits. The ending so called twist, left me letdown and thinking WTF.

I’m not sure if I will read another of this author’s books. It’s doubtful, but I may try one more.

I really can’t recommend Adirondack Witch at all.

[Shahna (VanquishingVolumes) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sorry…but when a book leans into one of my least favorite tropes and it is very obvious within the first two chapters I’m not a reader who is going to have a good time. The plot felt stale, all over the place, and frankly not very exciting. I didn’t care what happened to any of the characters, and I kept waiting for “something” to happen.

[Nina Yuki · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐
Spoiler-free review

This book didn't end how I was expecting, but it creeped me out.

It made me look around outside while taking my dogs out before bed, hear noises that weren't there, use my flashlight at night more when it wasn't all that necessary, and just listen to sounds intently because I was scared.

I wanted to read this in the fall for a fun, spooky book, and it did its job because I keep picturing the witch when I close my eyes and feeling uneasy for no reason.

Also, I liked the psychological thriller aspect to this book, that it wasn't just horror.

Yup, definitely creeped out. I recommend you read this book exclusively at night, in the dark, with a candle lit. I read it on my Kindle, so I was able to read it in total darkness.

Total darkness...like I was on the mountain with them... 😳💀

[Stephanie Augustine · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are somethings about this book I thought were really well done and then some that were predictable. I will try my best to talk about it all without spoiling. But if you are looking for a good, creepy, outdoor book for the spooky season, this one should definitely be on your list. With The Blair Witch Project vibes (which kudos to the author for calling it out), this book definitely feeds off the paranoia of those lost in the woods. I really enjoyed the creepy factor of the pitch black woods and the dreams that Hank has. It definitely brought the images to mind. While this book doesn't drag on, I do wish it was just a tad bit longer. I wish there was a little more lore to the woods, besides the little research Hank did, and I wish the ending was just a tad bit longer.

Hank was definitely an unreliable character and that fed into this setting perfectly. With him being a drunk and grieving the loss of his wife, he decides to hike the Adirondack mountains with his two friends. There they meet up with others and after completing the hike, spend the night. Then one after one, his companions die and they can't figure out what is happening. I felt like all the companions played off of each other very nicely creating an unstable environment while trying to escape. However, I wish the ending was a little longer just to further hear Hank's story and the revelation of it all. I will say the little twist at the end, I did not see happening at all.

Overall, The Adirondack Witch by Patrick Reuman is the perfect quick read for this spooky season. This book definitely feds into the paranoia of being lost in the woods under paranormal circumstances. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of it and the descriptiveness. Hank is absolutely unreliable as a narrator which adds to the effect of is this really happening? The small twist at the end I didn't see coming and wish the end was a little longer to get a little bit more of the story. If you liked The Blair Witch Project, then you should definitely be on the top of the list.

AUDIO REVIEW
Joe Hempel killed this narration, but I'm not really surprised. I thought everyone had their own distinctive voice and hearing it brings a little more of the spook factor. If you like audiobooks this is one I'd definitely add to your list.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

By calling this predictable, I'm probably spoiling it but it is very predictable. Don't even try, just whatever thoughts cross your mind about where this is going, yeah that's probably it.

I was at first frustrated with other reviews for spoiling some things but it's glaringly obvious that Chuck and Scott are imaginary. Nobody directly interacts with them and when Hank does everyone else acts like he's being strange. It's not directly addressed in the book so it comes off like you're not supposed to realize it but it's really obvious. Like to the point where I started wondering if the author intended you to pick up on that and interpret the book in light of that but it just doesn't feel that way.

Besides that, I also guessed the even bigger twist though not the final twist so I'm 2 for 3 here. And the book felt like a certain kind of woodland horror movie, you know where the protagonists encounter random, disconnected, scary scenes but they're not really logically connected. And to me, the suspense was lost fairly quickly once the scary stuff happened in the woods because there's barely any logical connection between scenes so, eh, maybe they'll survive, maybe they won't but what's happening at any given time doesn't really effect what comes next so it's hard to care what's happening, has happened or will happen.

Finally, general discussion for the bigger twist here that's only confirmed in the last few pages, I find unreliable narrators really frustrating. For more limited cases it can be done well but for something like this where it's entirely told from the unreliable narrator's point of view. It just kills the idea of reading a story because now nothing about the (fictional) story is solid. Once you find out that the character's unreliable then everything about the book is unreliable. Heck, how do you know the reveal that the character is unreliable actually happened in the story. It feels like a cheap attempt at ambiguity.

Anyway, I wasn't a fan.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise of The Adirondack Witch captured my interest immediately. That, and the fact that I grew up in the foothills of the Adirondacks, which meant I also heard my fair share of stories about what may be within the depths of the forest and mountains. So a story about a man who goes off to hike one of the peaks with his two best friends and then has encounters with the dark things that lurk in the shadows? Right up my alley!

It started out well with the protagonist, Hank, who had clearly been through some things recently. Readers are taken into the depths of his pain, and it’s easy to feel for him. The flashbacks into his past helped create a sympathetic characters. From the way it began, I expected a book with a slow burn, twists and turns, horror and fear, and a surprising ending.

But it didn’t play out that way. The story spent most of the time with Hank and his struggles than increasing the fear elements, so much that one of the “twists” was an easy and early guess for me. The bulk of it felt rather repetitive, similar scenes/conversations reframed in different ways. It wasn’t until roughly 200 pages into the novel that anything truly disturbing happened, and even then it was quite disjointed and confusing. To classify it as a horror novel feels a bit misleading, more of a psychological thriller.

Nor did the ending have the kind of payoff one expects in a horror novel. Little was explained, making it incredibly abrupt. There was a note from the author at the end, an explanation of the ending. It felt odd, that why’s of the ending needed to be laid out that way.

[Diana in SC · Rating 3 out of 5]

A frustrating horror novel
Audiobook version: 3 stars overall, 3 stars story, 5 stars narration

While the narration by Joe Hempel is excellent, I have issues with the writing in this novel. First, there were a few good things that I liked. I appreciate that the characters are well written and consistent. I also like how well the writer evokes emotions. Hank’s bleak perspective sucked me into the story pretty quickly. In addition, the eerie atmosphere is pretty well done and the book is rather scary.

Here are my issues with the text. First, it really bugs me how the writer assumes that the readers are stupid because he starts a gimmicky deception in the first two chapters that is extremely easy to see through and only acknowledges it in the final chapter. Next, there is an overabundance of repeated words and phrases, such as “he took a step back”, so it could have used a little more editing. Finally, the latter part of the book devolves into a series of hallucinatory experiences that don’t make much sense. I felt like I was getting cheated out of a coherent, internally consistent horror story. The story contained bits and pieces of tropes from various horror movies and books, but I don’t think it came together well.

The narrator Joe Hempel did a great job. His pacing is excellent, and he is very good at all the voices, action scenes, and emotions. Joe Hempel has a very pleasing voice, and he definitely elevated the story with his narration.

I requested and received a free audio copy via the publisher, and I voluntarily wrote this honest review. #TheFlockVIPReviewTeam #FiresideAudio

[Paul Bygrave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following a long period of depression over the death of his wife Mary, Hank goes on a hiking trip in the mountains to clear his head, taking along with him his friends Scott and Charlie. They join up with other hikers, are forced to camp on the mountain for the night, and then some seriously supernatural stuff starts happening.

The prose in this book is simple but effective, much like in the other works by Reuman I've read. He builds the atmosphere very well. He also did a good job making me feel for Hank when he writes about his relationship with Mary. Having said that, I came close to giving this three stars - it was the ending that really saved it. The final chapter recontextualised the entire story and made the whole thing far more interesting.

The pacing bugged me quite a bit. Over half the book really drags as the build-up to the horrors to come overstays its welcome. When the pace does pick up, basically in the final quarter or third or so (not the best judge of the fractions, to be honest), the book basically throws one thing after another right at you with very little time for Hank to take in and react to what's happening.

It's a well-written book with good characters, but without the twist ending, it would have been very middle ground for me.