Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this title.

Authentic characters who deal with real-world issues are creatively blended with a decent amount of eeriness, mystery, and slowburn atmosphere. I did not get sucked into this book like I expected, but enjoyed the experience over-all. The author deftly explores small-town life, LGBTQIA+ topics, relationships of various sorts, and what it means to be brave. I look forward to recommending this to teen readers.

This bone chilling and heartbreaking novel captivated me from start to finish. It starts like many other horror stories: our main characters move to a mysterious town in the middle of nowhere that is suspicious of outsiders and definitely does not want them there. But Logan, Brandon, and Alejo aren’t strangers...not really. The story quickly branches as Logan tries to piece together her family’s past and town sweetheart Ashley Barton tries to find herself as she loses those closest to her one-by-one. Though a paranormal mystery at heart, this book is an impactful emotional journey that will stay with you long after you are done.

The book begins with an entity called The Dark and its host stalking one of its victims. We do not have any context for what The Dark might be or what its motives are, but it is a very effective start to the story. Not only does it set the tone for all that is about to unfold, it also establishes the focus of the story from the very beginning. Though we want to know who the host is, the reader is already aware that The Dark is behind the disappearances. As a result, the mystery is not as much a “who done it” as it is trying to figure out what The Dark is and how to stop it before it’s too late. Knowing that there is far more to understand from the beginning allows the story to take the reader on an emotional journey of loss, loneliness, closure and reconciliation without having to sacrifice the suspense that drives the story forward.

Of course, in order to have a strong emotional impact, a story usually has to have strong character development. When I read the description, I was worried that the story would be mostly action/suspense driven with a reliance on familiar character tropes. However, I was delighted to find a cast of deep, authentic-feeling characters whose personal journeys are at the heart of this story. Though they are all impactful in their own ways, the character I connected with most was Ashley Barton. At the beginning of the book, Ashley’s boyfriend Tristan goes missing without a trace. The lack of closure leaves Ashley emotionally stuck in a way even those closest to her fail to understand. As events unfold, Ashley’s relentless search for both Tristan and her sense of self without him leads to some of the most heartbreaking and powerful moments in a book packed full of them.

Overall, this paranormal adventure is well worth the read! Despite being labeled as a Young Adult book, I feel it is much closer to the New Adult category both in content and style. The paranormal elements are creepy and there is definitely some suspense and horror in the form of a possessed killer, but nothing that would phase hardcore horror/thriller lovers. Trigger warnings include child harm/murder, death, bigotry (homophobia), hate crimes, and depression.

As a thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books, I would like to give an unbiased review of Courtney Gould’s YA debut “The Dead and the Dark.” This story addressed some hard-hitting topics such as identity, and grief. Their presence in the novel added to its depth and complexity. Things I liked about the novel included the diversity in its characters ex. queer characters, non-nuclear family, and showed natural progress in characters explored their sexual identity. Narrated by Soneela Nankani this audiobook added to my enjoyment in reading this book. The narrator was able to express the feeling of a teenager in a small town and the isolation that comes with it. They made the character's experience come to life especially the fantastical pieces of the novel. I enjoyed this narrator and would gladly listen to other audiobooks narrated by them. Overall I gave this book four out of five stars on Goodreads.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to listen to this audiobook!


Unfortunately, as I went to download and read this title, I realised that it had archived in my NG app. I'm planning on reading this one in the very near future, so once I have I will be editing and updating my review.

I was lucky enough to end up getting an ARC of this book (in audio and ebook format) However, I was busy at the time and thought I would start the audiobook as I love to multitask. Unfortunately, I feel like I would have enjoyed the ebook more. Because weeks after listening to it, I have already forgotten most of it. The Dead and the Dark had a captivating ambiance and as teenagers disappear our main character is trying to figure out what is really going on in this creepy town. Again, it might have been my fault for choosing the audio instead of the ebook. Perhaps I'll take the time to re-read it in another format but I don't think I will considering my never-ending TBR.

<i>(Thank you for letting me read and review an ARC via Netgalley)

The dead and the dark is a story about a small town and family secrets.

I was expecting this to be a bit more of a horror and mystery theme. I do like how it flips points of views between the darkness, Ashley and Logan. I think this added to the story. However I think there was a bit of unneeded filler and I found myself getting bored during it and losing interest. This is where I enjoyed the print over the audiobook. When you can skim it quicker than having to listen to every single word read. I think one of the things that helped redeem this story for me in that area was I didn’t see the end coming. I was sure I knew who the killer was and it was a nice suprise finding out there were surprises I didn’t see coming.

I also believe the author did a good job of putting a spot light on how people in some small towns treat members of lgbt+ community. It shows it both in the past when Alejandro and Brandon were growing up in snake bite but also in the present when they return.

Overall I wish I had enjoyed this story more because it’s not a bad story. Just too slow for me at times which is never a good sign for me when it comes to mystery novels. I feel like it pulls me from the story.

Narration review

The in my review I found it slower to get through the slow parts of the novel and get filler. If your a bigger fan of audiobooks over print then I would say this is the better route to go when it comes to this book. But if your like me and enjoy both my recommendation is the print edition.

I received a copy through netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review

This one was a bit of surprise for me. I know it was going to be dark but it was much creepier and darker than expected. The author did a fantastic job of bringing the atmosphere to life and that eeriness of the book really came through in the writing. I really loved the mystery aspect of the story too. There are so many twists and turns in this one. Overall this was a really creepy book and I enjoyed it. The narrator was fantastic.

This was a perfect YA Paranormal mystery. I loved the storyline, and was so interested in both the Dead...and the Dark. It had some twists and turns that I didn't see coming, and overall I was very satisfied with the ending. It wasn't too scary, but did have a good amount of creepy sprinkled in throughout the book. Overall I really enjoyed my reading experience.

This was absolutely dark and disturbing and I Loved it! With fall and the spooky season upon us, I would highly recommend this to readers.

This book didn't really work for me. The plot seemed very drawn out and boring. The characters seemed more like caricatures of how we are supposed to view small town people. The fathers' relationship felt flat to me and I would have liked more depth. Logan was the bright spot in the story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this advance listener copy in exchange for my honest review.

What a fantastic book! I loved it from the first sentence. It was a fresh, new story and I've never read anything like it. I'm always looking for good horror and this was definitely it. Ghosts, evil entities and a great whodunnit mystery. It was also an LGBTQ+ coming of age story, which was a fantastic element.

In the Dead and the Dark, we meet Logan and her ghost hunting dads, who have their own television show. One of Logan's dads, Brandon, returns to his home town of Snakebite, Oregon to investigate some peculiar goings on. Once Logan and her other dad, Alejo finally join him, kids have started to disappear and things are getting really weird. Logan becomes entangled with some of the town's kids, where she meets Ashley. Ashley's boyfriend, Tristan was the first kid to go missing in Snakebite and Ashley desperately wants to find out what happened to him. Logan and Ashley develop a friendship and team up to try to solve the mystery.

The characters in this story are so believable and I found myself rooting for Logan, her dads and Ashley. The twist was one I definitely didn't see coming. It was a unique story with great writing.

As for the audio, eh. It wasn't great. She was listenable, but I wouldn't seek her out as a narrator.

Overall, 4.25 stars This was such a fun read!

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating 5
This book had been on my shelf waiting to be read for months before I finally picked it up (not the book's fault but my own). I requested it on Netgalley after seeing the intriguing cover and reading the synopsis. I’m a mood reader and I never found myself in the mood for this one. After reading it, I am so upset with myself for waiting so long! I switched between the audiobook and the e-book and both versions were enjoyable.
The story had a nice flow to it and the pacing was on point. I never felt bored and even when listening to the audiobook my mind never wandered from the story. It definitely helps that the story follows multiple people because a lot gets missed when only following one. The author did a great job of describing the settings and surroundings. I could imagine the small judgemental town and I could easily picture the creepy cabin due to her descriptions. When listening to the audiobook I could feel the emotion that the narrator was conveying. The overall plot was definitely intriguing because I love watching paranormal shows on tv. So, reading a book about two ghost hunters and their daughter who couldn’t be interested sounded amazing. I wish I could go into more detail about the plot but this story is one that you should go into knowing as little as possible. That’s how I went into it and I loved it. I was questioning what would happen until the very last minute.
I really loved both Logan and Ashley’s characters. They were both strong, independent young women that can be seen as role models. Ashley was more quiet and soft spoken before she started hanging out with Logan. While Logan was always outspoken and would stick up for herself no matter who was picking on her. Logan had this fire in her that I loved reading about. She had a troubled past due to being adopted and having trouble connecting with one of her dad’s. She felt alone and misunderstood by the people she interacted with. Ashley grew up with her mom and lived a very sheltered life. This is why Logan seemed extreme to her because she was not used to that in her small town. Luckily, being forced to work with one another they were both able to broaden their way of thinking. The side characters were good but besides the dad’s none of them really stood out to me. Ashley’s childhood friends were your typical bully kids who did not want to accept the unknown. I would consider the dark a main character and what a great main character! I can’t say too much due to spoilers but I will say the dark had more depth then I thought it would.

Should you read “The Dead and the Dark”?
Yes! This is a great thriller, suspense, mystery read. I will warn you it is pretty dark but that just made me enjoy it even more. I love how diverse this book is and how real the characters come across.

3.5

I really liked the characters in this story, I thought they were really well developed but the mystery was missing something for me. Overall I found the book to be enjoyable and I would recommend for a fun fall/ spooky season read.

This one took me a while to get into. Early on, I found myself a little lost between the places/characters. After a couple chapters, I settled in and loved the storyline. Excellent narration, clear and crisp… easy to understand and enjoy.

UM yes please. Not going to lie, and this is totally on me, but this book was way darker than I expected. (I mean dark is literally in the title) This line, "She could still feel him here, like there was a line connecting them. Wherever he was, he just needed someone to find him. He just needed someone to bring him home." Stuck with me. It creeped me out, and also made me feel a sorrow I didnt even know was possible for these characters. I honestly was thoroughly surprised and did not predict the ending which was a welcome change for me. I also think the writing was brilliant. I felt like Gould truly wen above and beyond. I like how it was hard to like the characters sometimes, and it was hard to see the light in the story at other times. Overall this was just a Damn good book.

Unfortunately, I did not finish this audio, I found the narration to be a bit monotone without much differentiation between the characters of Logan and Ashley.

There is something not quite right in Snakebite, Oregon. It’s a little paranormal, a little sinister. There’s something in the air, it’s a town full of secrets, screams with loneliness, and I haven’t even mentioned longstanding prejudice and homophobia. That’s why Brandon and Alejo left many years ago.

And now they are back with their teenage daughter, Logan, trying to figure out why teens in the town keep going missing. Logan doesn’t want to be there. She’d rather be anywhere else. After travelling her whole life with her fathers, she wants to find a place to call home.

Tristan went missing and his girlfriend, Ashley, knows he’s not gone. She feels him all over town. She eventually meets Logan and the two join forces to try to figure out what is going on in Snakebite. Ashley wants to find her boyfriend, and Logan just wants to figure this out so she can get outta Dodge.

A creepy, sinister debut that was a twist between supernatural, horror, and crime, I enjoyed The Dead and The Dark very much. It felt a little like Riverdale in a good way. It had some twists and turns that I did not see coming, which is always a great surprise! Great way to ease from August to September and get ready for chilly autumn days, scary movies, and warm tea.

TL;DR: A fun, creepy, supernatural, perfectly-paced, horror-mystery with several surprising twists and lots of angsty teen (queer) romance and rebellion. My rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

I didn’t expect to love The Dead and the Dark as much as I did. Logan Ortiz-Woodley is pissed and confused when her dads move her from LA to the small backwards town they grew up in. She’s even more confused when it becomes clear that everyone in town hates her family, especially one of her dads with whom she herself has a fraught relationship. Teens have been disappearing and showing up dead in small town Snakebite, coinciding with Logan’s dad’s arrival in town. Logan links up with local it-girl and girlfriend of missing boy, Ashley Barton, to uncover the truth behind the evil forces at play in Snakebite.

As the mystery unravels and implicates both human and supernatural elements, Logan and Ashley discover more about themselves, their families, and their town.

Some parts very much feel like an angsty CW teen drama, but IN THE BEST WAY. Yet parts of the plot and characters’ backgrounds that should feel extra cheesy somehow work--like gay celebrity ghost hunter dads or small town cliche archetypes like the popular high school guy turned sheriff. The Dead and the Dark is an unequivocally fun read.

I received The Dead and the Dark as an audiobook ARC and found it an enjoyable listen. The pacing and narration was fast and engaging enough that I’m sure it would greatly appeal to fans of true crime or serialized mystery podcasts.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for giving me advance access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I can not recommend this audiobook enough! I listened to The Dead and the Dark in one day. This thriller/suspense book is one of best books of 2021.. I appreciate net gallery and selected publishers for this early copy

The Dead and the Dark is a horror novel about Logan and her two gay fathers, Brandon and Alejo, who are famous paranormal investigators on TV. They return to their home town of Snakebite after many years away in time for Snakebite in time for the town to start experiencing unusual activity: the weather is freakishly warm, and young adults are disappearing mysteriously. Most of the town immediately blames Brandon and Alejo, but Logan befriends a few local teens and tries to solve the mystery. Logan has always believed that her dads’ paranormal show was entirely a performance, but the longer she spends in Snakebite, the more she begins to wonder whether some of it might be real after all. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect out of this book when I first started it, but it didn’t take me very long to get invested. One of the biggest reasons for that, I think, is because of the worldbuilding that went into Snakebite as a location, and the supernatural elements of the town itself. It’s clear from the beginning that something supernatural is happening – early on, we get scenes from the perspective of a supernatural creature who appears to be possessing someone and leading them to violence. It takes awhile for the reader to get a clear view of what’s happening, but it still always felt consistent, and that definitely made me want to know more.

Logan and Ashley are the main characters of The Dead and the Dark, and while the two of them are very different from one another, I appreciated the effort made to make both feel like real people – not always making the right choices, but always trying to move forward, despite the challenges facing them. Logan has spent most of her life feeling like one of her fathers, Brandon, does not love her. She feels like he has kept his distance from her at all costs, like he doesn’t understand her and doesn’t want to, and that’s a major driving force for her. Instead of wanting to be close to her family, Logan just wants to get away from them and establish a life of her own. This perspective makes her hostile to most people that try to interact with her. Ashley has spent her entire life in Snakebite living on her mother’s ranch, and has always imagined that would be her future – marriage, children, and running the ranch. Her boyfriend is the first person to disappear though, and Ashley is beginning to re-evaluate the goals she has set for herself and her future. Because Ashley is so grounded in her life, she is uncomfortable with Brandon, Alejo, and Logan – to her, they are outsiders, and she is quick to blame them for everything that is happening in Snakebite. However, the two of them together form an interesting pair as they try to track down the cause of the disappearances, and the relationship that develops between the two of them was one of the most interesting and compelling pieces of the book.

Most of the narrative of The Dead and the Dark is fairly linear – the story is revealed by changing perspectives rather than changing timelines. The novel is about 10% from the perspective of The Dark and/or its victims, 45% from Ashley, and 45% from Logan. This really gives the narration a good, well-rounded perspective. It allows the reader to see each major event from several different perspectives, deepening the reader’s understanding of the event itself, and how it relates to Logan’s family as well as the people living in Snakebite. Towards the end, there is one major flashback to better explain how The Dark had come to be. I’ve seen some books that use flashbacks throughout more of the book, but in this case, I really liked that it is limited. It allows the reader to really live in the moment, rather than having too broad of a perspective on everything that happens.

In all, I’ll give The Dead and the Dark a 9 out of 10. This is a good horror with a compelling mystery at the heart of it, with memorable characters, and it addresses homosexuality and prejudice in a way that relates to all readers. I think most readers will enjoy something about it, as long as they aren’t specifically opposed to fantasy/horror.