DNF @32%

Labyrinth vibes ❌
Boring✅
Annoying FMC✅

I really wanted to love this one. All the reviews looked positive and thought I'd gel with the folk horror aspect of the story but it really wasn't for me.

I struggled to get into this as the Labyrinth inspired aspect was very, very loose. The big reveal at the end is an old, well known Labyrinth theory so didn't add anything to the story for me.

Really enjoyed this book and I can't wait to pick up other books by the author. Really creepy, but equally wonderful and fast paced.

From the title alone, you may have an idea of this book being a horror, and in a way it very much is but not in the way you would think.
Leah is student in a god fearing town in Pennsylvania where her life revolves around school, the church and looking after her baby brother Owen. On top of this, girls keep going missing, grabbed by the menacing Lord of the Wood, a Jareth-esq fearsome character. When Owen is grabbed and taken into the woods and her mother shuns her for losing him, Leah knows she has to face the Lord and get Owen back.

This book does have some really horrifying themes (and a lot of TWs) but the strongest theme is that the true monsters that walk this world are human. Leah’s town is oppressed by religion, a cult that punishes and controls.
Once Leah steps into the woods, she has to face her own demons, whatever and whoever they are.
This is a gritty and dark book, addressing mature themes, and its complex and unexpected explorations make this something ‘more’ than what you expect.

The romance element to this book didn’t quite do it for me, and felt a little out of place of place with the rest of the story, but I admire a book addressing religious oppression, sexual shame, misogyny and violence and tackling difficult subjects. Sex is not an uncommon topic in YA but it’s not nearly addressed so maturely as Leah learns to forgive and love herself in a society trying to shame her.

This was a good read, not as much about the menacing Lord as the initial chapters would let you think, but still an unsettling, violent and provocative read that stays with you.

Thank you NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Titan Books for providing me with a review copy. This review is posted voluntarily and all opinions expressed are my own.

I loved this book dearly, I have read Not Good for Maidens and this follows in its footsteps of being a gothic lyrical folklore inspired tale. I think it suffers a little with the Labyrinth comparison. Jareth and the Lord of the Wood are two very different characters. One benign and one morally questionable. If you were expecting goblins you may be disappointed. But that didn’t matter in the end. It is a deeply poignant story about religious trauma and the nature of choice that feels very relevant given the current circumstances in which we find ourselves.

If you like ghosts, beautiful forest boys, kind hearted women and a prickly protagonist with a lot of issues to work through. You’ll love this book. I highly recommend it.

I really wanted to love this book, The Devil Makes Three is one of my favorite books and I had high expectations for My Throat an Open Grave, unfortunately I found the book a bit disappointing, it was too slow, nothing interesting really happened.
I was promised a Labyrinth inspired book but the only thing remotely similar was the fact the protagonist’s younger brother was taken by a mysterious figure and she has to strike a bargain to get him back.
I wanted more action more mystical things, goblins, magic, fantasy and this book had none of it.
The topics Tori wrote about are really important and relevant ones and I’m sure is going to resonate with a lot of people, maybe if I had known up ahead that this book would be so serious I wouldn’t have been as disappointed.
The prose was as enchanting as ever, Tori is a good author and I’m definitely going to read other books from her.

Thanks Netgalley and Titan Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review

This started off so promising but really lost its way after the first third. Starting off very creepy and dark but then morphed into more of a romance which really threw me off and almost seemed to lose its edge. Such a shame because I loved The Devil Makes Three. The writing was brilliant but just the story itself fell a bit flat for me.

This is a YA fantasy/horror book.

When the baby brother of our female main character is stolen away by the Lord of the woods, she has no choice, the town gets together and essentially forces her across the river to either retrieve him or die trying.

Once there, things are not what she expected. Can she compete the task she's been given to win her brother back and figure out what happened to all the girls that came before her.

This was okay. It's fairly short at only about 250 pages. But for me I think it suffers due to the comparison to Labyrinth that's in the description. Because other than the baby brother being stolen, it's nothing like Labyrinth in terms of characters, plot or even general vibes. It just meant I went into it expecting something completely different.

It's more a statement of the horrors of having to grow up in environments with certain strict beliefs.

The big reveal of her secret came too late for me, given it was very obvious what it was going to be.

3.5 stars - just don't go into it thinking it'll be anything like Labyrinth!

The small town of Winston, Pennsylvania, has a string of missing people, impure girls taken by the Lord of the Wood. When Leah wishes her little brother to be taken away, the Lord complies and Leah must go on a treck across the river into the woods, the Lord's own realm to save her family.

The elements of folk horror blended well with the small town, contemporary elements. Leah was a strong, if unreliable, narrator and I found myself devouring the book's evocative prose. While the premise is somewhat inspired by the 80s movie Labyrinth, it completely makes it its own thing. I appreciated the southern Gothic feel of Winston, Pennsylvania, and the themes of religious oppression and how small towns can smother anyone who doesn't fit in. I will say once the male MC arrived on the page, the book lost a bit of its horror atmosphere and focused more on developing a romance, which I wasn't as invested in. But overall, I really enjoyed this and recommend it to people who enjoyed Krystal Sutherland's House of Hollow.

This book invites you to fall under the spell of the Lord of the Wood, and boy did I ever. This was dark and creepy and twisted and I LOVED it. Steeped in religious trauma and painful isolation, this story is incredibly atmospheric and you just fall into this world. Leah was a complex main character who shows so much growth over the span of a short book - this is a real journey of self discovery. I also really loved the romance, which I wasn't expecting at all but which I felt was paced perfectly and the tone of which suited the story. I would highly recommend!!

When a book comes with content warnings regarding blood, gore and death, and specifies gore of deer, you know I’m intrigued. That makes me sound like a psychopath that likes animal death.. I’m not lol, but I’ve never seen a content warning like this before so I was very interested to see!

Despite being utterly gruesome in places, this book was actually beautifully written. It had such a classic gothic charm to the writing style whilst retelling a cosy fantasy. The combination of Labyrinth-esque charm and wonder mixed with folklore horror was perfect, and I loved the way these two concepts played together.

I may have to re-read this one and go in with some tabs because there were some incredible quotes!! My favourite one being:

“That’s my problem: I always trust the beautiful thing without stopping first to check its teeth.”

Despite being a relatively slow burn story, the pacing felt actually quite fast. The chapters were really short and the writing very easy to read, so it flew by! At only 250 pages too this has serious binge potential.

I loved following these characters along on their various journeys, although there were a couple of tiny interactions I felt didn’t seem quite right given the situation and the characters’ previous behaviours.

But the TWISTS. Woah.

I genuinely gasped at one pretty major reveal later on in the book, and it switched my opinion on the book and characters as a whole with just a few words.

This book is an excellent read and perfect for those wanting to dip their toes into horror without going too hard. If you loved Labyrinth as a kid, this is the book for you.

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH! The best Young Adult horror book I’ve read in a long time.

Set in Pennsylvania, the young girls of the town know they are supposed to be good and holy otherwise the Lord of the Woods will come for them and they will never be seen again, but Leah is struggling. When constantly looking after her brother one night becomes too much one night, she makes a plea with the Lord and he listens and takes him away. She must now follow her brother into the woods to make a bargain to get him back.

Many say this has a Labyrinth feel to it, but personally it reminded me more of M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village, which is one of my favourite films. This is dark and twisted and binge worthy. Within the horror, there is a romance which is innocent and pure. I loved the chemistry between Leah and Tristan, as they navigate the mystery from the reality.

This story is Rick in folk lore, obedience and religion. Leah’s home town is dripping in cultism and I think I would’ve run away long beforehand. The way the girls are treated there is archaic.

Once I started this book, I couldn’t put it down. I was sucked into Leah’s world and couldn’t see how she would ever survive her mistake. Yet Leah is a survivor and will fight for the truth until the end.

This is the first book I’ve read by Tori Bovalino but will definitely not be my last. Her writing is beautiful, enchanting and captures your imagination from the start.

Thank you @titanbooks & @netgalley for this amazing book!

My Throat an Open Grave s is a YA folk horror take on Labyrinth, mixed with an element of religious zealotism and a dose of unpredictability à la M. Night Shyamalam.

People in the small town of Winston, Pennsylvania, fear the Lord of the Woods, who will take babies left unattended according to local legend. When Leah Jones' baby brother Owen is taken, Leah is sent into the forest to make a bargain with the Lord of the Woods that will win her brother back.
While the pacing of the book was slow and events took a while to unfold, I was absolutely engrossed throughout and desperate to find out if Leah would be successful in bringing Owen back to Winston. Tori Bovalino's writing was haunting and poetic, and the book delivers a very important commentary on how society treats women.

Thanks to NetGalley and Titan Books for providing me with a review copy. This review is posted voluntarily and all opinions expressed are my own.

My students growing interest in the horror genre will definitely be fulfilled with this Labyrinth inspired gothic cult tale. Personally, not my favourite, but the rating is for my students.

I’ve enjoyed other books by the author and My Throat An Open Grave sounded like something I’d really enjoy. I thought this was a gripping read, part horror, part fantasy. I loved this book. I enjoyed the world building. Winston is a strange town. It reminds me of the movie The Village where the villagers live like it’s another era and the modern world ticks by not far away. I also loved the world of the Lord of the Wood that Leah ends up in, nothing like she’s been raised to believe. What she learns makes her question everything and reveals some shocking truths about Winston and the people who live in it. I’d recommend this.

My Throat an Open Grave
Tori Bovalino
My Throat an Open Grave is a Labyrinth inspired horror with a cult-ish vibe! I was immediately sold the second I read it was inspired by one of my favourite movies of all time- Labyrinth! Leah is born in Winston- an old religious town who live in fear of the mysterious Lord of the Woods. In order to avoid his wrath, Leah and all the other towns girls are raised to be good- to be obedient, pure and proper god-fearing young women. As hard as she tries, one evening when taking care of her baby brother, Owen, a moment of weakness has her wishing him away- and the Lord of the Woods answers.
Wracked with guilt, Leah has to journey into the mysterious woods and enter a bargain to get him home.
I really enjoyed this book overall! It was very atmospheric and I liked the world building and mystery surrounding Winston. I liked how the plot also included a bit of murder mystery and ghosts besides the main plot of the bargain with The Lord of the Woods. There are also very interesting underlying themes of religious trauma and the oppression of women and how they are often villainised and have to suffer worse consequences for mistakes things while men are dismissed and even praised. There was quite a big, and rather heartbreaking, plot twist that I didn't see coming and it really made Leah's whole character make so much sense! I really recommend this book as a dark YA fantasy- it was so hard to put down and has so many important messages!!

I hae neer read such an enchanting, engaging, moving and yet scarry story like My Throat an Open Grave.
I was fascinated by the world Tori created and my only problem with the books was: NOT LONG ENOUGH!!
I wish I could have spent more time with Leah and Tristan, knowing more of this magical segment of the forest and its people.

The story was magical, terrifyingly honest with all the brutality a tight-knit community and their views can uphold. The writing itself is lyrical, attention-grabbing and moves so many emotions inside you: confusion, disbelief, hatred, hope and acceptance.

Tori Bovalino has talent for mixing eerie and dark elements with universal truths and emotion. Cannot wait for her next book!

Thank you so much for the publisher for sending me an ARC of the book and a finished copy. I am beyond grateful and genuinely loved this story!

If you loved Labyrinth or ever wished a goblin would take your sibling away, this is the book for you. Leah, exhausted looking after her brother, makes a wish and finds her brother gone. She is sent into the Woods to find him and what she finds there is nothing like what she was led to expect.

My Throat an Open Grave is a dark, atmospheric and empowering read. I adored Leah and how she grows and changes during her time in the woods. I loved the way she honours the women who have gone before her and holds their secrets. I loved the characters in the Forest, Ruth especially, although I also enjoyed the Lord of the Woods and the romance. The ending to this book made me happy squeal, I'm so pleased that it ended as it did for Leah.

"My Throat an Open Grave" follows Leah, a resident of a small, peculiar, and deeply religious town, where she juggles school, work, church, and caring for her brother, Owen. Despite her discontent, Leah accepts her circumstances as the norm. However, looming over the village is the legend of the Lord of the Woods, who supposedly claims those who stray from goodness. One fateful night, unable to soothe Owen's cries, Leah succumbs to a forbidden wish, leading to his disappearance.

As a fan of 'Labyrinth,' the premise immediately intrigued me. The narrative centres on Leah, whose repetitive self-deprecation gradually becomes understandable as her backstory unfolds. Influenced by her environment, Leah sees herself as inherently flawed, a perception reinforced by others, notably her neglectful mother. Witnessing Leah's journey towards self-acceptance and realization of her worth was both poignant and satisfying.

While the romance subplot was clearly outlined in the description, I found it overshadowed other aspects of the story. Personally, I found it less compelling and somewhat distracting, feeling unnecessary in the grand scheme of Leah's narrative arc. Nonetheless, it is a matter of personal preference, and others may find it enriching.

Labyrinth is one of my fav movies and I love folk horror. This i sa sort of romantic horror: even if the plot has echo of other stories it surprised and kept me hooked.
The romance was not the best part as I found too much insta-love but the plot and world building were excellent.
Tori Bovalino is an excellent storyteller and this story is recommended.
4,5 upped to 5
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine