Reviews

The Dark Between The Trees by Fiona Barnett

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whatyoutolkienabout's review

5.0

As always I want to start by saying that I was given a copy of this to review. My review is honest and left voluntarily and avoids spoilers. #Rebellion #Solaris #FionaBarnett #TheDarkBetweenTheTrees #Netgalley

I adore horror and it’s subgenres but the idea of folk and cosmic horrors are some of my favourites. The Dark Between the Trees merges these genres with elements of historical fiction and survival horror was to create a superbly atompsheric novel that is perfect for spooky season, or if you love horror all year.

Following dual narratives Barnett creates a bridge between time as we follow a small group of Parliamentarian soldiers in 1643 were seventeen men entered the woods but only two were ever found again and five women in present day in search of the evidence of the missing group and what really happened all those years ago.

Of course there are some tropes that may seem familiar, starting to feel watched while traversing the woods, the group beginning to fall out and so on but Barnett takes these tropes and makes them their own. The suspense is kept through-out and you are always left wondering who will survive or who will get out alive.

I particularly enjoyed the alternating chapters between past and present and seeing how both groups are seemingly following the same path as the other. It added to the sense of uncanny and unease. We already know that most of the soldiers are never seen again but we don’t know why and has the present day group follow the same route we begin to wonder if history will repeat itself.

I particularly loved the end. Again spoiler free, but how the idea of history continuing to repeat is presented in a sort of spiral starting again. Definitely one to read if you love folk horror and a well developed plot. The characters were not all likable and I did find myself a little detached from a few but it didn’t take away my enjoyment. I will definitely be recommending it to those who love a good atmospheric read.

amandalyncreek's review

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4.0

The dual timelines and multiple POVs kept the story moving forward and made it hard for me to put the book down. As a fan of gothic horror, I’ve read several books recently with a much slower pace, so this story didn’t feel slow to me at all.

The atmosphere was eerie and it was just what I hope to find in books within this genre. Honestly, the venture through a creepy wood setting is one of my favorite tropes.

I would have liked a bit more from the ending, but I did like it. Looking forward to more from this author in the future.

elisabeterkr's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

chaos_doll11's review against another edition

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Just got bored I'll try to read it again later.

lydiavsbooks's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Overall this was a decent read. Around the half way mark I have to be honest, I was pretty bored, but switching to the audiobook helped here. I wasn't expecting tonnes of plot but I was wanting a little more atmosphere and creepiness.

Dual timeline/pov is something I usually really like, and find it keeps the pace and tension up. But in this case it almost did the opposite. The two timelines followed too closely without much plot, it was just switching between one group of people lost in a woods and nothing else happening, to a second group of people lost in a woods with nothing else happening, and it effectively just dragged out both. I get why it was done, and it makes sense with the ending, but it felt like a slog.

I really liked the idea of the woods itself and the corrigal, but the folklore elements ended up feeling slightly lacking, and I think there was some missed potential there for it to ramp up the fear.

willrefuge's review

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3.0

6 / 10 ✪

https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2022/12/04/the-dark-between-the-trees-by-fiona-barnett-review/

Please beware minor spoilers for the Dark Between the Trees.

In 1643, two soldiers from the Roundhead company—a unit of Parliamentarian soldiers—stumble into the small village of Tapford, wounded and shaken. Here, the men are taken and gaoled for desertion. Only one man, Thomas Edgeworth, sees the sunrise the following day, his companion, Josiah Moody, having succumbed to his injuries during the night. Upon asking to speak with a local priest, he tells his tale, the one that eventually drew Dr. Alice Christopher to him—and to the Corrigal.

Onto the present day, which finds five women heading into the confines of Moresby Wood in an effort to trace the footsteps of the Roundhead company, as provided by Edgeworth, the sole survivor of the incident. In addition to the stories and legends passed down by locals over the years, the history of Roundhead company remains one of the most promising pieces of the puzzle—a tale that Alice has staked her entire career on.

And so, while Dr. Christopher leads her team of wardens and grad students into the Wood, some 350 years prior, Captain Alexander Davies leads his company of seventeen men into Moresby as well. Neither know what they’ll find here—though one has a much better idea.

Something dark lurks in Moresby Wood. Something ancient, something unnatural.

The Corrigal.

—

I was surprised by just how much of this book wasn’t about the Corrigal. I mean, the starring, almost titular villain, and it plays just a footnote to the real mystery of Moresby: that of the… what exactly?

There’s a witch in there—or so it’s said, as we never see one. Like the Corrigal, after a time it’s just abandoned in place of… a mystery.

But let’s not get too far ahead.

The Dark Between the Trees starts out as a gothic, atmospheric horror story, set in the disorientating and often claustrophobic confines of Moresby Wood—a place that might’ve been lightened up somewhat had anyone had the idea of climbing a tree. Plastered by rain and often choked by mist, the two groups follow more or less the same pathways along their journey to the center of the mystery—one to find what has befallen the other. There are two main POVs: that of Dr. Christopher’s group, and that of Captain Davies. They are told in alternating form, with the two groups progressing at around the same rate. It actually works quite well, for a time, as the tension and atmosphere of the tale plays well in the confines of the Wood.

The dueling legends of the Corrigal and the Witch wreak havoc with each group, albeit for different reasons. The scientists are divided in two on the legend—between skeptics and believers. The soldiers, on the other hand, are divided into three—those that fear the Witch (and through her the Devil), those that fear the Corrigal (an ancient beast predating religion), and those that scoff at both notions. It’s honestly hard for me to pick which group I related to more, as I think they’re all a bit disillusioned. The Witch never really materializes into anything. The Corrigal does, but likewise is dropped in favor of the more mysterious mystery. A mystery which I still don’t really understand even though it was the center of the last handful of chapters.

Okay, so what am I saying here? I realize it’s a bit confusing, as even I’m a bit confused. The story was good until it wasn’t. The atmosphere, the tension, the plot all start off strong, but wither long before the end. I experienced some genuinely terrifying moments when we are at last confronted by the Corrigal, but then it’s whisked away and never really holds the same place in the story again. The end was confusing. And a letdown. Not to mention a complete departure from the rest of the book. The pacing—again, which started off quite well, and continued that way for most of the tale—went to pieces near the close. The characters followed its lead.

So… pretty much what I’m saying is that the Dark Between the Trees is 50-80% of a good book. After that it’s a book, and after that it’s just confusing and dark. I… wouldn’t recommend it, but I’d keep an eye on the author, as this was her debut, and there’s a lot to like in this story. Just maybe not enough.