Gave me all The Cabin In the Woods vibes. I liked the use of slavic folklore but there was little character development and by half way I'd lost a lot of interest. If you're looking for a surface level, unthinking, quick read then this does tick those boxes. Just don't expect too much.

This book has set on my kindle for so long, it was simply time to read it. If for no other reason than it seemed perfectly suited for October. But to be fair, there were other reasons. It’s always good to try a new author, sure, but mainly I was interested in his use of Slavic and Eastern European myths and legends here. And sure, he mixed it with cosmic for some reason, but even that was, technically, conceptually interesting.
So, the idea was there, an original idea, no less. A vacation place where you check in and might not check out, a traveling abode of nightmares, property and care of a grandmother of all witches herself, here recast as a cosmic deity of choices, decisions and options.
A smoking hot deity, because it’s that kind of a book, you know, where all the dudes are bros and all the ladies are…well, I can’t think of a polite PC counterpart to bros right now. Let’s just say, they are all like the grown-up versions of prototypical sorority sisters and fraternity brothers. They are more developed as characters as you’d expect from such a book, but not in any especially interesting ways. And when I say such a book, I mean an in your face, bloody, gory, violent slasher of a scenario where the characters set off to partay and end up being sliced and diced in variously creative ways.
Which is to say, not the sort of scary story I enjoy. At all. Despite the intriguing mythological uses. But then again, objectively speaking, for that kind of book that it is…it was well done. So, you get a somewhat high-end version of cheap schlock. With plethora of guts and gore and murder and dismemberment and hot lesbians, to appeal the fans of the more visceral side of genre fiction. Also, a quick read, 50K word count translating into something like 224 pages. Stands to mention because for the longest time there was no page count available for this book anywhere and if you’re like me, you want to know these things prior to reading. Ok, another B movie equivalent of a book read and reviewed. Thanks Netgalley.

I thought Dire Branches had a good start. I enjoyed most of the characters and liked the premise. Almost had a Cabin in the Woods type feel.

I lost the thread of the story in the middle. And chapter by chapter began to lost interest in the characters. The brother and sister duo were my favorite and I felt they were very sympathetic and written with genuine heart.

Although this wasn’t my cup of tea, I think many readers would enjoy the ominous setting of the forest and the character building.

Omg what did I just read! This captured me from page 1 of the prologue. A weekend getaway gone very wrong. I am a huge horror fan but not so much sci-fi fan, but the mix of the two genres mixed perfectly. I read this book in a day. This book was absolutely amazing with the details that I could visualize everything going on as I read. Great job!!

A weekend out in the country in a B&B with her brother and her best friends is just what Skye needs to get over a bad breakup and get her head together. Hedwig House boasts plenty of space and a hot tub, free-flowing booze, drugs, and the hot B&B owner down the hill don’t hurt either.

Right off the bat, things seem off- the house seems to change in size and shape at its own whims, animalistic shadows appear in the woods, one of Skye’s friends starts sleepwalking and becomes aggressive to all in the house, her best friend takes a dip in the polluted lake and pays a steep price and yet another friend goes missing from his bedroom without a trace. After spending some time with the B&B owner down the hill, Skye receives answers to what is befalling the guests of Hedwig House, but how the group’s choices will seal their fate.

Dire Branches is a fun, modern take on the lore of Baba Yaga, the mythological witch of Slavic legend, which I enjoyed quite a bit. The author spent copious time building the world and fleshing out the characters in the book, so much that the action really doesn’t kick off until 45% into the book. By the time the first big incident occurs, you are invested in this group of characters.

The only drawbacks for me personally were that I would have liked more “character” building for the monsters and creatures in the story. I also would have liked to have a little more of an ending before adding the epilogue chapter. I have my theories about the outcome, and I guess that the point was for each reader to choose what they would do in that situation.

3/5 Stars
Thank you to #NetGalley and #AlienAgendaPublishing for providing me with a review copy of the novel. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Dire Branches is definitely one of those stories that you can’t think too deeply about. The plot centres around a group of couples taking a vacation to a remote, large house in the middle of the woods with no mobile phone signal which feels like a very overdone trope and to be honest, nothing happens which you could not guess from the basic premise alone. There’s no subtlety or nuance here, no metaphors or important observations about society – there’s paranormal creatures, death and a lot of gore.

Credit to author Brian Fatah Steele - the characterisations felt very well done. We have 3 couples (with one being brother and sister) and they all felt well rounded, realistic and differentiated. This can be tricky with quite a large cast of key characters but it’s done well here and nothing felt confusing – all of the characters had their own paths to follow and their own arch towards the end. Although the basic premise has been done to death, the paranormal alien side of it felt like a breathe of fresh air, rather than taking the standard ‘haunted house’ approach. That said, I don’t really feel like the creatures were fleshed out enough – I had trouble picturing them. There also wasn’t much tension established early on to create a good horror atmosphere.

I liked the idea of the character’s choices impacting the outcome of their lives but I felt this was a little vague at times and I didn’t understand which choices had affected what. I did really enjoy Cole’s journey though and thought that was the clearest of the 6. I was disappointed with the ending as it didn’t really show us enough of what happened next – it sort of fizzled out. I wish that the epilogue had incorporated something of the last chapter into it (seeing a particular character welcome them to the house for example).

Overall, Dire Branches is a fun enough read, just don’t go in expecting anything more! Thank you to NetGalley & Alien Agenda Publishing for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A group of friends take a trip together to spend a weekend at a B&B in the middle of nowhere. The location is so isolated that there is no cell or internet service (always a favorite when heading into a modern horror story). Sounds okay at first just a long weekend of relaxing. Things soon get strange though and slowly build to a terrifying gore filled weekend of horror. This is definitely a horror story that is not for the squeamish, but if you are looking for blood and gore this is a great choice.
It was very well written with great character development throughout. Since it happens to be Pride Month at the time I am writing this, I feel that I have to mention that the book also includes LGBT representation. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good blood filled horror story.

Imagine you are booking a nice weekend getaway without your brother and your best friends. The destination is a beautiful and huge cabin in the Appalachian foothills, and you packed enough food and booze to make this one memorable trip for all. Having recently broken up with your girlfriend, you find out the owner is a drop dead gorgeous woman named Marina. But soon you figure out something isn’t quite right with either Marina nor the house. It might just be that Baba Yaga is now haunting your nearly perfect vacation…

I absolutely breezed through this book. It took me about two days to finish it, which is pretty fast for me. It is highly entertaining and Steele has a way to suck you in straight away.

The book is filled with folklore, drama and gore! It took about the first 40% of the book to get to the good parts, but I rather enjoyed getting to know the characters and getting the gist of the story. I’m a big fan of mystical folklore, and Dire Branches hit the spot!

A big thanks to the publisher for the review copy.

I’m afraid this ended up becoming a bit too weird for my liking. I was excited about the premise - Baba Yaga and a group of teens on a boozy weekend in the Appalachian Mountains? Yes please! Unfortunately it wasn’t executed in a way that I enjoyed.

The beginning of the book was promising and engaging. I flew through and enjoyed the introduction of the setting and characters. It felt like a great set up for an epic read. Then when the cosmic horror elements came in it felt like everything slid into way too weird land. I enjoy cosmic horror but this was too strange for my standards and felt jumbled. Things didn’t seem to make sense which for me still need to even in a cosmic horror story. I just couldn’t buy into it.

This wasn’t for me but maybe it will be for you.

This was a spectacular read. Folklore mixed with cosmic horror mixed with psychological horror. I’m so glad I got the opportunity to read this one, it was unique but felt familiar, and the pacing and suspense were on point.

Beware the AirBnB with no reviews! I would guess that Hedwig House is one of those.....no reviews. After a bad breakup Skye, her brother and friends all gather at the rented Hedwig House down a long wooded road in the Appalachian foothills. They plan for a long weekend of relaxation, food, drink, weed and hot tubbing. No cell signal, no phone, no internet. The perfect getaway.
Soon enough the cracks start to show through the perfect façade of the house. Something feels off. One of the guests develops on odd taste for raw meat, while his wife becomes disgusted by her own skin after a dip in the nearby lake. The guests feel as if the trees are closing in, the strange flowers are crawling around like hungry dogs, they think they see heads suspended in the forest, the lake reeks of death. Skye learns the secret, but that doesn't mean it will save any of them.
I felt for these characters as their worlds fell apart, but I also laughed at the subtle doses of humor. It was funny to see how these people begin to accept this weirdness in order to try to cope and find a way out. I particularly loved the "F*&k you, Wyatt" moment. There's also a little nod to the Brother's Grimm in the pages as well. The only thing I wish for is a little bit of a hint at the end, a hint of what that final choice was.
#DireBranches #Netgalley

4.5 stars! Dire Branches is a fun modern take on the Baba Yaga folklore. It starts off as a story about a group of friends on vacation and for the first 40% of the book, not a lot happens besides character building. There’s a few hints of the horrors that await us but it takes a while to get going. That doesn’t mean it’s boring, but you need to stick around to see what’s really going on at the Hedwig House. Once the madness starts happening, things really get bonkers (in a good way). The flashes of horror we get earlier in the book start to take over and the second half is a blood-splattered good time! Monsters, cosmic horror, mystical folklore, and talk of multiverses fill the second half of the book which was the half I really enjoyed.

Overall the book is very well-written, the characters are well-developed and realistic in their actions, the folklore aspects were original. What starts off as a slow burn quickly shifts into a wild and crazy story of survival with a satisfying conclusion. This book was a ton of fun once it gets going and I would recommend it to fans of horror, cosmic horror, with a side of slasher.