If Winnie the pooh, Watership Down and the movie Ready Or Not had a baby, this would be the result!

The book centres around three friends who receive an invitation to visit Addington Isle, home to the author of their favourite children's book - Winterset Hollow.
However when they arrive, they discover that perhaps the book wasnt quite as fictional as they believed, and now they're invited to join in with the Barley day hunt.

I listened to the audio of this book and Alex Wyndham is spectacular as narrator. All the characters are easy to tell apart with differing pitches and accents, and I could just imagine his facial expressions as he was recording.

There are secrets and different threads to unwind throughout the story, but the whole thing had me intrigued from the very start with regards to Eamon's past.


This book should feature on every horror lovers TBR.

TW. does contain graphic scenes of violence towards animals and humans alike.


Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook.

The rerelease of Jonathan Edward Durham’s Winterset Hollow is set for October 6th for the expanded audiobook and second edition and I strongly recommend investing in this if you haven’t already.

I adore this story, which I first read in January 2025.

I never want to give anything away, but if you love the charm of The Wind in the Willows, the mindfxckery of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and the brutality of Battle Royale, I’d hope you love this as much as I do.

As someone that struggles with fiction audiobooks, I thought I would give this a shot because it’s a story I know and love, plus the full fictional “Winterset Hollow” by Edward Addington is also found in its entirety at the end of the book.

Alex Wyndham has done a great job narrating this, easily flitting between the marvellous prose and the poetry of the original story, making it easy for me to stay engaged where I usually struggle when listening to books.

The background of the picture I’ve butchered with my ugly mug is by @oconnoisseur (sorry) for the beautiful @suntupeditions released in 2024. Please check out their incredible work too!

Massive thanks to Hodder & Stoughton Audio and NetGalley.

I had been wanting to read this book for a while so was very excited when I saw the audiobook was being offered as an ARC by Hodder and Stoughton and Netgalley.

Imagine your favourite childhood characters, the ones that were animals. For me it was the Animals of Farthing Wood, but for you it might be a different collection, Winnie the Pooh, The Wind in the Willows or Beatrix Potter's characters. As an adult these stories have grown with you and become something you still run to for comfort, they remind you of safer, sweeter times. They bring a nostalgia for a childhood lost and the people along the way. For our characters, this books is a long-form poem, called Winterset Hollow.
Now imagine you receive a ticket to visit the island home of the author, a mansion with a sprawling estate, the place where the book was set and you go with your best friend who also loves the story and her boyfriend who is also a close buddy. The boat to the island is filled with other fans of the poem too, how exciting!
The author is long dead but you see a light on in the mansion and you head in that direction to explore first. You peek in through the glass and see, a life sized rabbit staring back at you. Dressed smartly and heading out to talk to you. This is the main character from Winterset Hollow.
What follows is a feast laid on by the characters of the poem for Barley Day, a yearly celebration of guests. A scene dripping with threat and tension, there is no pretence that this is going to end well,
Soon the book reaches the part you already know is coming. It explodes with violence. The majority of the book becomes a game of hunter and prey as the group tries to escape what appears to be a time honoured tradition.
I enjoyed this so much, the story itself was fun, but the audio really elevated it. I loved that the poem is used throughout and then told to us in full at the end. I felt this was so propulsive and thrilling and whilst the fight with the main villain was a little too overwrought the rest was so fun I forgave it that minor issue.
I need more books by this author.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I listened to Winterset Hollow on audio, and I have to say, I wasn’t completely sold on the narrator at first. But once the characterisation and voice acting really kicked in, I was won over — particularly the voices of the animals. They were absolutely nailed.

I couldn’t help thinking of the Redwall books I read growing up, although Winterset Hollow obviously takes that kind of animal-led storytelling in a MUCH darker direction. 😂

It’s not necessarily my favourite book, but I think it works incredibly well as a horror novel. In fact, if you’re into literary horror, this is a fantastic example of the genre. There are some genuinely gruesome moments, plenty of twists and surprises that come completely out of left field, and just when you think you’ve got a handle on where things are going… nope.

If literary horror, dark fairy-tale vibes, strange creatures and increasingly disturbing developments are your thing, I think you’re really, really going to enjoy this one.

Definitely one I’m glad I listened to on audio.

I found this book absolutely brutal and beautiful, and I really do thank Netgallery and the publisher for the advanced copy of the audio book.

I have questions that sadly were never answered, but I absolutely have made peace with that, as this dark fairy tale kept me enthralled all the way to the final word.

The writing flowed, and the dramatic turns and twists came as no surprise, and yes, the brutality of the chase and the deaths lingered in my mind, but there was also something equally enchanting about the scenes.

I will confess, though, my heart broke for Patrick and Rowan, I don't know why, but their deaths really did stay with me.

I also found there were no heroes or villains here either, which is rare for a horror story. We just had characters claiming their dues after many years and those who sadly caught up in it all. Yes, there were some rude and selfish humans, and yes, there were some very blood thirsty animals (hounds included), but were they all just victims?

An incredible narrator, too, really made this a listening experience!

Barley Day is upon us all, and let's hope the spirit is kind and that we awaken to see a new day....

I’ve been wanting to read this for a couple of years now when it was indie published, but just hadn’t had a chance to- so when I saw it was available as an ALC I was excited to give it a chance.

The narrator was really good, but his accent didn’t quite work for the characters who were supposed to be American and midwestern to boot. So that took me out of it a little at the beginning, but not for long.

This was such a good, but heartbreaking story. I can’t hate Finn or the others, because I can understand what lead them down the path they took. In the same breathe Eamon and his two friends were so well developed and didn’t deserve what they were put through either.

It was a beautiful and tragic story.

Narrated by Alex Wyndham
Presented by Hodder & Stoughton Audio

Just as good second time around, and the audio was fantastic!!

I really love this book, and it was so much fun revisiting it in audio format.

Yes, I love the homicidal animals, but there's also a lot of depth to the story with important themes penetrating deeper than the surface horror.

My original thoughts can be found in my review for the paperback so this will just be a review for the audio version and my thoughts on a second reading.

I love that this is a story of belonging, and of connections. Friendship is big, and I liked being able to appreciate these things even more on a second read. Yes, it's a horror story, but it's not horror for horror's sake.

I was surprised by the choice of narrator at first, but it perfectly suited the story and I found it to be an entertaining performance that sucked me right in. No distractions while listening to this one - I wanted to catch every single word. The characters were well defined by voice, and there was just the right amount of urgency and drama as it was needed.

This really cemented my love for this story, and I can't recommend it highly enough. It's the perfect blend of cute fairytail and slasher horror.

Horror fans should get a kick out of this truly original offering.

With thanks to NetGalley for an audio ARC

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the Arc of Winterset Hollow by Jonathan Edward Durham.

This book lulled me in with its whimsical nature, and for a while I thought I knew exactly what sort of book I was reading. Talking animals, a mysterious island and a beloved childhood story brought to life, it was reminiscent of Narnia.

Then things changed! The further I read, the more it became Narnia meets The Hunger Games. The whimsy remained, but underneath it something much darker and more sinister began to emerge. Which I loved.

We follow Eamon and a group of people who are huge fans of the book Winterset Hollow and all grew up reading it, like you would The Wind in the Willows, for example. They all take part in a special trip where they’re expecting to step inside their childhood book but instead come across something far more sinister. Barley day, which is a day of animals celebrating and feasting, in the children’s story takes a turn for the worse and appears to be far darker than Eamon could possibly have imagined.

I really enjoyed Durham’s writing, particularly the rhyming poetry woven throughout the story. It gives the book this wonderful old-fashioned storybook quality, which makes the brutality that follows feel even more jarring.

There are some important themes within the book, one of fandom and the pedestal we put ‘celebs’ on almost claiming a part of them for ourselves thus forgetting they’re merely human. Escapism, an unhappy child losing themselves in a novel. Revenge, anger, friendship, loyalty, the hunted becoming the hunter and many more.

I thoroughly enjoyed this great story and would highly recommend.

This will be a review of the audiobook, as I have also read the digital copy of the novel.

Alex Wyndham has the voice and charisma of a life well lived, and he uses his voice to launch trauma right at you. I say this in the best possible way, because the way Alex read this story was like experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions. The lines are delivered with force, elegance and so much control of his own voice I almost lost part of my emotional range at some point. It was wonderful to do an immersive reading while listening at the same time, because it was like watching a movie. A great narrator knows how to deliver the punches the right way, and at the same time give the author a time to shine. I really felt like the two, narrator and author, fit together here. Bravo.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me forget to sleep, and give my honest feedback.