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penwen97's review
4.0
The Dark Between the Trees is a literary horror that unsettles you with its rising sense of dread. Fiona Barnett's writing is atmospheric and evocative, which makes for an eerie and tension-filled story. The chapters alternate between two timelines. In 1643, a group of seventeen soldiers enters Moresby Wood after being ambushed. Only two are ever seen again. In the present time, a group of women go to the forest to try and discover what happen to the missing soldiers. I liked how there were often parallels between the two timelines. For example, in one chapter the soldiers reach a large oak tree and something disturbing happens there. Then in the next chapter, the women reach the same tree and experience the same event. That made it really feel like the women were following in the soldier's footsteps.
My favorite character was Sergeant Harper. I enjoyed his POV the most. Alice was insufferable with her ego and ridiculous expectations of the rest of her group. Still, her story was interesting and some of the things she experienced near the end of the book were very intriguing. I just wish those events had been explored a bit more.
I had to take one star away because of the open ending. So much is left unexplained. I wanted to know what was going on and what was in the cave, but you don't get to find out. Also, there were numerous times when the groups split up and you only follow one of the groups afterwards. I wish we had seen what happened to the other people as well.
Overall, I very much enjoyed this book, and I loved the author's writing style. I will definitely read more by Fiona Barnett. Hopefully her next book has a better ending though.
My favorite character was Sergeant Harper. I enjoyed his POV the most. Alice was insufferable with her ego and ridiculous expectations of the rest of her group. Still, her story was interesting and some of the things she experienced near the end of the book were very intriguing. I just wish those events had been explored a bit more.
I had to take one star away because of the open ending. So much is left unexplained. I wanted to know what was going on and what was in the cave, but you don't get to find out. Also, there were numerous times when the groups split up and you only follow one of the groups afterwards. I wish we had seen what happened to the other people as well.
Overall, I very much enjoyed this book, and I loved the author's writing style. I will definitely read more by Fiona Barnett. Hopefully her next book has a better ending though.
michadoaboutnothing's review
4.0
In 1643, 17 soldiers flee into Moresby Wood, only two are ever seen again and the tale they tell is beyond belief. Today, five women set out to find out what really happened all those years ago, but nothing could prepare them for what they encounter in Moresby Wood.
Aside from a few pacing issues, and feeling at a bit of a distance from some of the characters, I did really enjoy this book. It had a really cool concept and nicely set the scene in an eerie and inhospitable environment.
I enjoyed the back and forth between timelines, although both suffered from a rather lengthy, drawn out set-up. That said, in ways, it was quite fitting for the story, there was even a point where one of the characters remarks on how it felt as if they had been in the woods weeks rather than the actual two days, which made me pause and realise it had only been two days for both parties. So this pacing may have been intentional, but I still would have preferred it to have been slightly faster in getting to the point and connecting the two narratives, as this interconnected element was very interesting.
I was also surprised by my preference for the historic timeline over the present day. I struggled to get invested in the journey of the characters in the present day. Their group was at odds with one another from the start and not enough was revealed about any of them for me to really make a connection with any of them. The soldiers on the other hand, I found oddly compelling and found myself enjoying those chapters more.
The mythology and horror elements were cool, I would just have preferred to have seen them woven in earlier, but the reveal was nicely done, if a bit anticlimactic.
Overall, a fun, atmospheric gothic horror with a really cool concept.
Thank you NetGalley and Solaris for my e-arc of this title, received in exchange for an honest review.
Aside from a few pacing issues, and feeling at a bit of a distance from some of the characters, I did really enjoy this book. It had a really cool concept and nicely set the scene in an eerie and inhospitable environment.
I enjoyed the back and forth between timelines, although both suffered from a rather lengthy, drawn out set-up. That said, in ways, it was quite fitting for the story, there was even a point where one of the characters remarks on how it felt as if they had been in the woods weeks rather than the actual two days, which made me pause and realise it had only been two days for both parties. So this pacing may have been intentional, but I still would have preferred it to have been slightly faster in getting to the point and connecting the two narratives, as this interconnected element was very interesting.
I was also surprised by my preference for the historic timeline over the present day. I struggled to get invested in the journey of the characters in the present day. Their group was at odds with one another from the start and not enough was revealed about any of them for me to really make a connection with any of them. The soldiers on the other hand, I found oddly compelling and found myself enjoying those chapters more.
The mythology and horror elements were cool, I would just have preferred to have seen them woven in earlier, but the reveal was nicely done, if a bit anticlimactic.
Overall, a fun, atmospheric gothic horror with a really cool concept.
Thank you NetGalley and Solaris for my e-arc of this title, received in exchange for an honest review.
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