
Member Reviews

Thank you so much to Quill & Crow Publishing House for the earc, all opinions are my own.
I would categorize this in my mind as a cult horror book. Hyacinth lives in a small village surrounded by the forest, she lives with her mother, father, and 3 sisters. As you are old enough to wed, you move onto the next village to expand your family line into the surrounding areas. Innocent enough.. except the trees have teeth. Hyacinth's father is a Woodsmen, a member of the village that goes into the forest to offer sacrifices and clear the pathways. One night, Hyacinth and her friend go into the forest, when she finds herself surrounded by her father.. and her friend dead. It is found out that she broke the rules of the village Elders, her husband is hung as a sacrifice, and an example, and Hyacinth is married to a dirty Elder and shipped off to the next village.
They arrive as a newly married couple, through the forest, and reach the cliffs, where the deep waits. Horrors on all sides, between the forest and the sea. She seems to find her community here, making friends with the other elder's wives, and generally being a good villager. Except trouble continues to follow her.
Extremely dark and gory, I slowed down and savored this book. The visuals that L.V. Russell wrote were so detailed. The women in this book seem to be in the back seat, but they are calling the shots all along.

Unfortunately this book was just not for me. The title, cover and description all caught my attention. I wanted to pick it up because of the creepy woods aspect but I found that to be a bit lacking. It was atmospheric but we never really find out the reason why the woods became so dangerous. I didn't particularly care for our main character Hyacinth and I don't feel that there was any character development. She just felt kind of spoiled and angsty and I really don't enjoy reading from those points of view. The plot also felt a bit weak with things conveniently happening again and again and unfortunately the ending was lacking as well.
I want to thank NetGalley for the ARC and opportunity to review.

in a completely deranged way, this makes a good palate cleanser.
Thank you so much to Quill & Crow Publishing House, L.V. Russell & NetGalley for the arc!
This is a book you can lose yourself in and just let your mind enjoy the ride as you read. There’s no deep plot, just a wicked story of people living in a folkloric world with vengeful gods.
Hyacinth lives in a town the near the woods, which contain the Teeth, who are ancient gods that eat sinners. Hyacinth and a friend device a plan to run away through the woods, but her friend, Abelia, is taken by the Teeth before she could ever try to run. Hyacinths dad, a woodsman protecting the town at night from the Teeth, finds them and brings only Hyacinth home. Hyacinth would be hung for trying to run, so her father quietly takes the blame, resulting in him being hung and Hyacith being sent off in an arranged marriage to a new town.
Her new husband is rumored to be wicked, and his punishment as well, is being married to Hyacinth, but is there under the guise of the new town needing another Elder. There’s another dangerous god in this town as well as the Teeth, the Deep. Viscous waves of the ocean that rip skin from bone, flood the city, and require boatman to feed them out in the middle of sea.
Instead of standing out as much as she had back home, Hyacinth tries to bond with the women of the town and find a community, but they’re a bit more fanatical about their religion than she can fake. A man that’s not her husband gets her attention, and then as a pair, encourage a lot of rumors and cause a rift in the towns normal day to day.
As the gods become more hungry, more angry, the town grows more fanatical trying to remove sin from their circles to appease the gods, but do not see their own hypocrisy. Natural disasters, gruesome deaths, sacrifices go on in detail as they try to satisfy the gods.

The Bone Drenched Woods is proof that indie publishers know what they’re doing, snapping up some incredibly talented authors and amazing stories.
L.V. Russell’s writing is literally *chef’s kiss,* that perfect spot right before prose gets too flowery and purple and is instead a joy to read. Her characters feel as though they’ve been plucked from real life. They’re layered, complex, and flawed, and the main character, Hyacinth, is especially so.
Hyacinth might be my favorite FMC from the books I’ve read with a similar feel to this one (horror, folk horror, mistreated young woman, feminine rage, mysterious happenings). She makes mistakes (big ones!) but she actually learns from them, and she knows how and when to use her rage. She behaves in a way that actually makes sense given her personality, upbringing, and surroundings. Nothing she did felt like it was out of left field and honestly that was refreshing.
The world Hyacinth lives in is fascinating, with all the carved bones used for protection, the worship of the oak trees, and the arranged marriages immediately followed by deadly treks through the dangerous woods. It was all very eerie and mysterious and when I read the book in my somewhat wooded backyard, I felt like I was being watched which was super creepy.
And the men in this book. Ugh. The Elders were just a bunch of terrible men who did what they wanted and dictated the lives of others, much like some men we all may know in the real world *wink, wink, nudge, nudge.* I felt in a sort of vague way like I was reading why we choose the bear: the book. Except the bear is mysterious, terrifying, and hungry woods that will eat the flesh from our bones. And some of us still choose them.

"Carve the bones. One for the gate, one for the door, two for the mantel, and three for the floor…"
Hyacinth lives in village close to the woods. Where the 'Teeth' are referred to as a terror to be frightened of. All villagers live in fear of the 'Teeth' and are in a hierarchy of elders (men ruling over all) and those that are slated to protect the village from the teeth.
This book follows Hyacinth alleged witch by all. Whom is taken away from her family.
This book had just vibes, if you like a gruesome 'fairy tale esk folklore' this is for you. The writing spoke to gruesome scenes with no growth or expansion of what was right in front of Hyacinth. We don't really learn that much more about her. We get some world building to this strange village but not much to go on.
However, there is no plot, character growth, or satisfying ending. I wouldn't really even classify this as a character based story. Hyacinth felt like a very flat character to me, there wasn't much depth. There wasn't even a big reveal. The ending is so unsatisfying.
Such a bummer, between the cover and the setup I think this had great potential. I just wasn't motivated to pick this one back up.
Thank you to Netgalley and Quill & Crow Publishing House | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) title. This is my honest review.

This was beautifully dark and twisted. Stuck in a life of impossible choices and forced to a life she never wanted, she will need to learn to survive on her own terms.

I loved this, even though I didn't end up finishing it. If I had, it would definitely have been a 5* book.

Unfortunately I did not read much of this before I decided that it just wasn't for me. I don't have any particular reason to discourage others from reading this, I just realised that it was much more about female suffering than I expected and I don't enjoy stories that excessively lean into that.

Thankyou to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC.
I think I had a way more different idea of what this book would become and I am quite happy with the turn of the tables on it. I love the gothic, and I mean it. I feel like I've been spoonfed nice prose containig horror and I really enjoyed the meal. It may be a bit predictable at the end, but you know, I like women getting unhinged on gothic stories. I would never fix the MC. I have reccommended it to my girlfriend already.

Thank you so much for letting me read the Arc of this book! I really enjoyed the dark atmosphere, the folklore aspects, and thought it was wonderfully gruesome and detailed. I love a good, spooky wood!

While the cover and title drew me in, the story seemed to fall apart the further I read. Perhaps, someone else may enjoy it, but personally, it wasn't for me.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Thankyou to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.
Wasn't sure what to expect from this I requested the ARC on a whim but was pleasantly surprised.
The atmosphere was set very well, creepy and dark. I loved the FMC, not afraid to speak her mind in a world where woman are mostly silenced and submissive.
The only little issues I personally had were that I wanted a little more fleshed out backstory on both the characters and the lore. And sometimes the some of the events felt a little muddled and random in places.
All over a great short read though for those looking for folklore, creepy, horror.

This was a deliciously dark and atmospheric read. It had all the right pieces: a haunting setting, bone-chilling folklore, and a fiercely unyielding protagonist. But the pacing dragged, and the ending felt more like a whimper than a roar.
Carve the bones.
One for the gate,
one for the door,
two for the mantel,
and three for the floor…
Hyacinth Turning lives in fear of the Teeth, the ravenous horrors lurking beyond the village, and the Elders who preach obedience in hare-skin masks. But Hyacinth is not built for obedience. When tragedy strikes, she is wed off and cast out to a distant seaside settlement where something far worse than the Teeth lurks in the deep.
As the body count rises and suspicion circles Hyacinth, her refusal to conform marks her as a threat. Torn between a husband who wants her gone, a community that wants her dead, and a past that won’t stay buried, Hyacinth wants only one thing: to choose her own fate.
The world-building was immersive and strange in the best way. Think folk horror meets feminist rebellion. But the payoff just didn’t land. If you love atmosphere and slow-building dread, this might still be worth a try. Just don't expect a climactic bite.

This one didn’t quite hit the mark for me. While the dark folk/gothic horror vibe was an interesting change of pace, the story never fully pulled me in. Hyacinth had potential as a lead, but I struggled to connect with her journey. There were moments of intrigue, but overall it felt a bit uneven. Not a bad read, just not one that’ll stick with me.

A huge thank you to Netgalley and Quill & Crow Publishing House for giving me a chance to read The Bone Drenched Woods by L.V. Russell in exchange for my honest review.
I loved going back to L.V. Russell's writing with a completely new story. Having read her book 'The quiet stillness of empty houses" I knew going in to expect a lot of atmospheric tension. gothic and eerie vibes and a quick pace to keep me on my toes. A small book in regards of pages but so engaging and thrilling nonetheless.
Hyacinth was wild and true and a real character through and through. I loved her, but I loved Morgan a little more. Their chemistry was amazing and i was rooting (pun intended) for them to make it to the end. But because i had a feeling of how the story would go, I kept my hopes tame. Every single character had something to give both to set the stage of the story and to highlight Hyacinth's difference that set her apart from anyone around her. I loved how even in such a dreadful narrative, there was enough room for loving and uncarring characters to shine through, to show exactly how a wicked world can birth both monsters and righteous people. The savagery of the Teeth and the Deep was bone-chilling and honestly this isn't an exaggeration or a pun attempt, as i literally had goose-bumps while reading the book.
If you want a quick little horror to keep you on your toes, this is something you don't want to miss !

This book was great! It was a unique dark folk/gothic horror that was different than what I typically read. Hyacinth was such a great character - I absolutely loved seeing her strength throughout the story. I need to read more folk horror now!

This book reminded me a lot of sleefoot and the forest of hands and teeth, but without a real plot or world building. I wish more had gone into it

Publishing date: 11.04.2025 (DD/MM/YYYY)
Thank you to NetGalley and Quill & Crow Publishing House for the ARC. My opinions are my own.
TLDR: Beliefs rule all, but is it really protecting the people? Or is it to control/scare people? 4 stars
Wow, just wow. This is a true work of art in book form. So glad I got to read the arc for this.
To summarize, in this world we fear entities from the woods that seem to kill and eat people and leave their bones. You can ward them off with bones from people or animals, and naturally by following the rules the elders set. Our main character questions the practices and beliefs and gets herself into trouble and situations she would rather not experience.
Pacing and progress wise, this is a very domestic book. You get to see the everyday (as disturbing as it is) and the challenges the villagers face every day. Sometimes something happens that stray from the domestic events, but it doesn't happen that often. And when it happens, it is usually a hint to the ending of the book and the fate of the villagers. Also a tiny trigger warning for highly patriarchal villages where the women are treated as lesser.
I did find the story very entertaining and it hooked me from the moment I saw one of my favorite types of stories shine through. The religious village with the girl/woman that questions the practices. Hyacinth is suspect and unhappy with all of their practices. She of course gets in trouble for every little thing, but not as much as I feared. It is riveting, I was absolutely hooked.
Horror wise this is uncanny and gorey. If you can think about a use for bones, they use them that way here. In every way shape and form. Lots of sacrifice, lots of violence, and lots of uncanny valley creatures lurking in the woods.
The only thing I didn't really enjoy is the ending. While expected, I wanted something more dramatic.
I think you will like this if you enjoyed books like Antenora and Slewfoot.
Giving this 4 stars. Enjoyed it lots, highly recommend.

A big thank you to Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) & NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!
This book feels very relevant right now with its overall feeling of existential doom and feminine rage. While it is a bit of a difficult book to consume I think it’s a very worthwhile read. It heavily touches on very real and very awful realities present in our world in such a poignant and scary way while still feeling like a work of horror fiction. It is very well written and evokes the thoughts and feelings intended in a such a profound way and is a very thought-provoking read—one I am glad to have read.