What’s that creepy, murdery thing in the woods always feels like it should be a great premise for a novel, but unfortunately we frequently get something like this book, which fails to build much in the way of atmosphere and leads us to a vague and anticlimactic finish.

Indeed, there’s nothing especially creepy about this, even if what’s happening theoretically should be. There’s no real mystery either, or at least none that culminates into any sort of intriguing reveal.

The slow pace is fine, but this kind of gothic build requires a sense of foreboding and menace for the slow build to have the desired effect. Lacking that, it just feels like a slog. And what happens at the end isn’t much, and feels more like the author couldn’t figure out where their story should lead than like any kind of worthy conclusion.

I had such high hopes for this one, but this unfortunately fell flat for me for several reasons. Firstly, the beginning was wonderful! The premise was so interesting and the storyline of the mystery hooked me from the start. The lead up was phenomenal, but the all the excitement and the tension kind of peters out in the second half, for various reasons that I won’t say in fear of spoilers. Secondly, I didn’t like the main character, Dr. Alice. I’m not sure if we as readers were supposed to dislike her, but I really couldn’t stand her to the point that I would avoid picking up the book again.

All told, this wasn’t a bad book, it just wasn’t the book for me. Others will probably enjoy this one though!

The promise of this story had so much potential, but it just didn’t deliver for me.

This story focuses on two alternating perspectives - one of a military unit lost in the for in the 1600s and another of a modern day group of women seeking to discover the history of the lost military group. This story sets you up to expect dark twists and monstrous beings as both groups discover the fatal mysteries of the woods. It seemed to me to have a feel crossed between Annihilation, though not science fiction, and The Blair Witch Project. However I quickly discovered that while the set up of the story gave these vibes, the execution just didn’t keep me interested or deliver enough mystery and excitement for my liking.

To be honest, I didn’t find much of this story to be memorable. I found that the scenes describing the monster and the hardships and horrors the characters experience tended to speed through too quickly and not give enough detail to really give them the scare they ought to have delivered. And I felt the deterioration of some of the characters relationships, especially the women in modern time, occurred to quick. By the end I felt both that the horror aspect of a dark woods was sped over and therefore this read was not all too memorable for me. The ending just didn’t wow me either to elevate the rest of the issues I had with it.

Overall, I really wanted to like this book based on its premise, but it was not a book written for me after all.

Thanks NetGalley and Revellion for an ARC of this book.

I have this a two out of five stars. At times it was interesting. But I didn’t like the main character she was annoying and selfish.

I could not finish this. The story wasn’t engaging enough for me. Maybe I will try rereading it at one point, but i doubt it.

This gave me major folklore vibes and I’m all here for it! Dual timelines, a haunted forest and a creepy story to be discovered, literally all I need. It gave me the creeps in the best way possible - read it now’

Really enjoyed this one, apparently much more than other people did. It's a slow-burn, but not in a bad way, and maintained my interest throughout. I liked the way the story was told from both the past and present, and felt satisfied with the ending.

I’m on the fence about this one. Overall the author has created a spooky and atmospheric book. Told in dual timelines I became invested in both. The book read like a a combination of The Ritual and The Blair Witch Project and that’s not a bad thing at all. I loved the dread and fear that surrounds the monster, it created a wonderful build up of foreboding that is integral to a horror novel. The reason I’m on the fence is the ending. It felt sudden and abrupt and almost unfinished to me and that is all I’m going to say. Read it and see what you think. This book was about the journey, not the destination for me. And it was a great journey. Thank you to @netgalley and Solaris publishers for an arc of this book.

The story is a delightfully eerie tale that taps into one of my favourite horror themes - the unsettling forest. This book skillfully weaves two timelines together. The first delves into the mysterious disappearance of a group of soldiers from centuries ago, while the other follows a modern-day group of women who venture into the same ominous woods.

Five scholars and forestry enthusiasts embark on an expedition to uncover the truth behind the soldiers’ vanishing act in the 1600s. These soldiers sought refuge in the woods after a brutal attack during a civil war, adding an immediate layer of intrigue. The setup captivates the reader’s curiosity, as this uncharted woodland remains largely disconnected from civilization.

Fiona Barnett masterfully maintains a delicate balance between an unsettling atmosphere and logical reasoning throughout the narrative. Unfortunately, the ending really didn't do it for me. There were a lot of unexplained loose ends.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It's well written and it's a good single story which Is what I was looking for. The reason I only gave it three stars is this, it's a little plain, the title teases you that it's a bit of a horror, no Joey moments (friends) to found here so I suppose it does open it up to a wider audience, but for me it wasn't that great but I feel like I will probably forget about this one by the time I've read another few books. Well done to the writer on her style.

Oh man, where do I start? This was supposed to be a quick read. And I guess it kinda was. Took me about 3 hours, including me going back and forth a few pages to reread some confusing parts. The thing is... that was 3 hours over two days, because I kept putting my Kindle down. And that's not a good sign at all.

First of all, the story was – how should I put it – uninteresting. Nothing was happening. Technically, something was: people died/disappeared, the characters told stories about the woods, and they bickered among each other. But it was all very tell-y and not show-y.

There were two timelines. One was set in the present day, and the other was set like 300-400 years in the past. The present-day story was sooo boring, sooo hard to get through. The characters weren't any better. I couldn't care less about any of them or their issues, honestly. Two of the characters, Sue and Kim, were so forgettable that I don't even know who they were and what they were doing. They were pretty much interchangeable in my head. And don't get me started on Nuria. She wasn't forgettable, alright, but she was quite unlikeable.

The other timeline, set in the past, is a bit more interesting, but there were so many characters and not enough differences between them that it was also hard to care at first. Eventually, it got a bit better, and I actually started speed-reading the women's chapters to get to the men's faster.

My second issue is that the story didn't really go anywhere. There was some semblance of a horror story in there, something about a family that disappeared in the woods, but it was never really fleshed out. The author also tried to provide some explanations for the mysteries near the very end, but again, it wasn't fully fleshed out and was definitely not enough. And just when things were getting kinda interesting... the book ends. Just like that. It was so frustrating.

The thing is, this is actually the author's first published book, so I kinda feel bad about this review. Her writing skills are really great. The descriptions were quite vivid, and I can imagine the forest right in front of me. I just couldn't FEEL any of the emotions I think I was supposed to feel, because the story, the characters, the plot – they were all subpar. I can say, unbiased, that she's a good writer, but a decent storyteller, she is not. Hopefully, that changes in the future.

Thanks NetGalley for the free ARC.

pleasantly surprised here. while the premise sets up something like annihilation by way of macbeth, i think
the prose is really strong and was the right kind of suspenseful

I dnfed this book. I might eventually pick it back up, but while I was reading it, I just wasn’t feeling it at the time. Hopefully when I go back to reading, I’ll be more in the mood for it.

The Dark Between The Trees has no hold on me. While I assume this book may be either good or bad, I will have no idea. I even checked out a few other reviews to see if other people were reading what I was reading but only found raving reviews. Unfortunately, I am not one of them.
This book lost my attention every turn. I understand some books have slow beginnings, but this was slow to the point I was having to drag my attention back to the page. Reading this book felt like a chore. Slowness aside, this book also had too much information being thrown at the reader that the split perspective chapters did nothing to help. It was hard to comprehend much less remember what was happening in the story to get a grasp of where it will be going. There's a difference between world building and info dumping and this book blurred that line beyond distinction. This book lured me in with the synopsis and I was excited to read about a grand adventure dabbling in horror and history. My two favorite things. I personally am not a fan of split POV's but I was willing to look past it. The Pov's were done really well actually. I just think they should have been done differently. The concept of this story was great, and it could have been greater. This book felt like the rough draft of the book rather than the final copy. The plot involving the soldiers held a great importance to the mystery of the forest. Dr. Alice Christopher, the leading historian, who was fascinated by the soldier's mystery and Nuria, the grad student, who held the soldier's accounts of the journey through the woods, should have told the soldier's perspective in their own time or had the author incorporate journal entries from them instead of writing from their perspective. It made the book choppy, slow, and unnecessary. The journal entries in place of the historical point of view would have been so much better considering it was a historian's search for answers that lead them to the woods in the first place.
So this book overall felt like a mess to me and was just not a book I'd be interested in reading again.

The Dark Between the Trees takes the suspense of The Blair Witch Project and combines it with the atmospheric dread of The Terror to deliver a truly chilling reading experience. Through its clever use of alternating time periods and perspectives, this novel explores thought-provoking questions about the nature of being trapped, the consequences of prioritizing ambition over safety, and the true value of pride. With its skillful manipulation of time and space, this unsettling tale takes you on a journey that will make you reassess your plans for a weekend hike. Prepare to be captivated by this intriguing and unsettling book.

"The Unnatural Wood" is a gripping and atmospheric gothic thriller that immerses readers in a haunting world of mystery and darkness. The diverse group of women embarking on an unsettling journey into the woods brings a dynamic and relatable dynamic to the story. As the boundaries of time and reality blur, the tension builds, keeping readers captivated until the very end. With its intriguing characters and eerie atmosphere, this book is a must-read for fans of surreal and thrilling tales.

This story left me wanting more and I did not want this to end. This grabbed me right from the start.
A group of women who do not get on due to there differing objectives their history and their perspectives, head into the woods to uncover a mystery. Some of the characters become more wild/unhinged and less rational as time and space warp around them. Then their stories from the past begin to appear.

I found some characters are more likable than others. Some I felt I could relate to and others I couldn't. I found myself losing hours in this book.

A bit too dark for my liking. A horrific gothic novel. Horror lovers will love. The characters are well written.

Folk and cosmic horror have seldom crossed paths in such a beautifully written, time shifting story as The Dark Between Trees.
Here we have two tales, one of a regiment of lost soldiers, and one a group of university historical researchers, in the same desolate forest, in two different time periods.
Our story follows both groups through the terror of being lost, all while being stalked. Timelines converge and shift, adding to the terror for both groups.
The creep factor is high with this story, the stalking terror setting you on the edge of your seat and keeps you there. Connecting with the characters and realizing what you’re going to lose is a double whammy. You cheer them on, have hope for their victory, and feel every ounce of sorrow as they move through these dangerous woods. I highly recommend this if you enjoy folk, cosmic, or creature horror, as it touches on all three.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced reader's copy and the opportunity to read this early. Review has been posted on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.