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Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Christopher Golden for sending me an advanced copy of this to read. Road of Bones will be published on January 25.
Wowee is this book creepy and wild. I basically went in blind and really was taken for a ride. This book started out super normal and I thought it was a typical thriller, but it is not. This book is definitely horror and I want to categorize it more for you but I won’t because I don’t want to spoil it. If you’re into chilling and wild atmospheres, frightening descriptions that will stick with you and also gore. This book is for you.
Road of Bones features Teig and Prentiss who have traveled to Siberia to film a documentary about the Kolyma Highway, a road built on top of the bones of prisoners from Stalin’s gulag. This road is 1200 miles of frigid temperatures easily 60 below zero. The bodies of these prisoners were left where they fell, plowed under the permafrost. Teig and Prentiss pick up their guide and start their journey. When they finally reach the village they’ll be filming in, they discover it’s completely abandoned except for one small girl and a lot of other scary things that I won’t tell you about. Haha go read this book and then come talk to me about it!
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I really loved the start of this story. The suspense and anxiety kept building and i was so intrigued by it. It was a bit of a heart pounding read but… then it started to drag. about halfway through. My issue with this one is i didn’t understand the connection between what they found in this extremely remote area & what that really had to do with why they went, the road of bones. It seemed like separate things. And then it ended without really explaining what or why. There was a conclusion but… i still had many questions.
It was a good story & adrenaline inducing, i just would like to know more
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I received a copy of this through netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I started this novel on Christmas night and finished it New Year’s Day. I was trying to make it my last read of 2021 and then the book kinda fell off and it took me until January 1st to finish.
Mi will say this the story is interesting and the characters are not only relatable but also fun aspects of the story.
My only hold up is that I felt like the end dragged on and on. I felt like it could have ended sooner than it did.
With that said I still recommend.
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I love this book! The Road of Bones in Siberia were the ghost and bone are left from those brought from concentration camps. These are not the only things that haunt the small towns, The Parnee lurks in the shows of the of the woods.
I couldn't put this one down! The fast pace and creepiness of the isolated location, and what lurks beyond. I didn't want to I stop reading. Descriptions of the creatures led to great imagining of them, and I couldn't help but shiver at them! I like the characters and the relationships that were formed and questioned, as they try to survive.
Thank you to St. Martins Press and Netgalley for my review copy!
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I loved the premise of Road of Bones - Teig, a documentary film producer, needs one big break to get his career back on track and pay back his most loyal friend, cameraman Prentiss. Teig has the perfect idea for a new series, set in Siberia on the haunted Bone Road, the coldest place in the world, and he and Prentiss are on location with a local guide to get footage they can use to sell the show. Sounds great, right? Things get really creepy when the group arrives in Oymyakon, their guide's hometown, and discover the village has been recently abandoned - food laid out frozen on dinner tables, doors left wide open, bare footprints leading off into the surrounding forest. The only resident left is their guide's nine year old niece, found hiding in a basement and in shock.
The freezing cold, isolated location with the gruesome history is perfect for a horror novel, though in the end I'm not completely sure of how Road of Bones and the gulags tied in with the story, aside from being the thing that originally drew Teig to that place. While horrifying, the horror in the story is tied to the forest, and ancient gods and monsters. This was a good genre novel (except lots of gore and action), but I found myself wanting a bit more from the story than what was delivered - how was the monster released (or did it escape)? Was there any kind of tie between the history of the Road of Bones and what was in the forest? What about the old woman who spent her winter nights blessing the road and releasing spirits? Was the goddess/animals part of local legends or culture? Were there other mysterious events in that area?
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The concept of this book reminded me of a show I watched with Ewan McGregor, where he travelled the Road of Bones on a motorcycle. However, the similarities ended there. This story was also reminiscent of Stephen King's oeuvre, because it included both horror and supernatural elements. The story follows two men who intend to travel the Road of bones in Siberia in a truck and film it. However, things go horribly wrong, and this is where the supernatural elements come to play. The book was engaging, horrifying, and interesting, and taught me a lot about Russian folklore, which I did not expect. I would recommend this as a creepy intro to the genre, and would suggest that anyone read it if they want something deliciously spooky and compelling.
This ebook was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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The cover of this book caught my attention at first. Then I read the blurb and knew I had to read this story. This was my first book from Christopher Golden and I can say I will definitely be reading more of his work.
The fact that this supernatural thriller is based on some historical facts made my chills have chills! Goosebumps on top of my Goosebumps!
You will follow Teig and Prentiss on their thrilling journey on the Road of Bones. Their main focus was to document their journey and hopefully change their lives and careers forever. Well, it definitely change their lives but not in the way they expected. Crazy, mind-blowing things start to happen and they don't stop.
I enjoyed this book and devoured it within 24 hours.
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if you like horror based around folklore, this book will definitely strike your fancy. it starts out as a slow burn that eventually transforms into the kind of suspenseful creepiness that makes you physically uncomfortable, only to explode into a frenzied mess of bloody, dark siberian folklore.
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Honestly, really struggled with this one. It just wasn't believable. The reason i gave it 2 stars, is for the cover because i absolutely love it!
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As someone who lives in a cold climate and has a husband that works in climate that is described in the book. A bit of it was a little ….. dramatic. Which kept throwing me off.
The first 25% of the book definitely could have been cut back some because I found myself asking, what is the point of this.
Over all the story was good… not great because it felt very choppy and clunky at times, and at about 80% it felt rushed to finish and the characters names were mixed up in a few places which is a simple mistake that definitely should be revised.
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A read that kept my attention but fell a little flat.
I simply wasn’t for the supernatural interpretation in this one but do recommend as it do feel there is a reader for every book.
I feel I would have preferred watching a documentary on the actual Road of Bones; the Russian route is known as the "road of bones", named after the thousands of prisoners who died building it, their bodies buried just beneath its surface.
The cover is gorgeous 🖤
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4.5 Stars
“Stalin wanted a road built between Magadan and Yakutsk…hundreds of thousands were put to work building the Kolyma Highway. Over the years, as many as six hundred thousand people died while constructing the road, most by freezing to death. Their bodies were buried where they fell, plowed under the permafrost. Hundreds of frozen corpses lay beneath the Road of Bones…”
In a last-ditch effort to regain his reputation as well as repay his best friend, American documentarian Felix “Teig” Teigland travels to the frozen wilderness of Siberia to film a haunted history of they Kolyma Highway or better known as Stalin’s Road of Bones. But what Teig didn’t count on was there are more things to fear than the bitter deadly cold of the Siberian wastelands…there is a darkness in the forest most do not speak of…a darkness that will take hold of Teig and his dear friend Prentiss…a darkness that will take hold and haunt Teig till the end of his days…
Road of Bones is a chilling folklore horror story that will stay with you long after the last page is read! The author did a spooktacular job of weaving a tale guaranteed to make the reader keep the lights on and the fire hot during cold winter nights! Thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend to fans of this genre!
**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **
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A horror story alone the lines of Adam Nevill, Nick Antosca, Stephen Graham Jones. A haunting, bloody story centered around the folklore of Siberia, the coldest place in the world. Teig is in Siberia for a last ditch attempt at a tv show with his friend Prentiss who he also owes almost $10k. The show? A documentary about the Kolyma Highway or Road of Bones as it’s haunted last has dubbed it, the 1200 mile stretch of road built on the literal backs of the gulag prisoners forced to build it who died along the way and were buried into the road itself. This very quickly turns very dark, just the way I like my horror. I had never heard of the folklore or Highway this story is built on which almost made it more fun because I got to read about the horrors the horror is based on in the book and on Google.
For fans of folklore, mythology, horror, ghost stories.
Thanks so much to St Martins Press/Minotaur Books/NetGalley for my copy to read in exchange for an honest review.
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Thank you #Netgalley for the advance reader copy of Road of Bones by Christopher Golden in exchange for an honest review. I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. I started reading it and was fascinated by the landscape of below freezing Siberia and a road made by the death of so many people. I felt like I knew the direction it was headed until it just completely did a 180 and took the story in a totally different place. Right as it started getting spooky, a storm started happening outside my window. We got a bunch of snow and wind and the book kept getting more intense. I could not stop reading it. I really enjoyed this book.
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A 1200 mile road where rumors say bones of the dead lie beneath. An abandoned town except for one lone nine year old girl and a team chased by creepy hybrid creatures and the ghosts that lay beneath the road. Temperature so cold you could freeze to death within minutes.
Dark, disturbing, heart pounding, supernatural horror novel that left me shaking in my boots. This writing was very descriptive which usually isn't my thing but I really liked it in this novel. I could vividly see the landscape of Siberia. The graphic descriptions of the weather and how it affects the body is terrifying. There's also some gory that made my face scrunch up and saying ewwwee. (spurting blood... snapped necks yikes!).
I found the story to be fast paced. I had to know what these mystical creatures were and what their purpose was. I found the story to be creative and different than anything I've ever read. This one definitely had me spooked though. My kids have a habit of jumping out at me at random times shouting BOO! and all I could think while I read this was.... please don't do that or I will scream. Another thing that makes this stand out. The Road of Bones exists and if you read this book I recommend googling it so you can get an idea of what it looks like. It will make the book even more eerie.
Overall I enjoyed this one. Those who are a fan of horror will enjoy this one. This is the type of book that would make a fantastic movie that would certainly have me hiding under blankets while I watched.
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This horror novel is creepy, atmospheric and as dark as a Siberian winter night. Teig drags his producer and best friend Prentiss to the middle of nowhere in Siberia to scout for a documentary. The titular Road of Bones is actually real but, considering how inaccessible it is, it could as well be on Mars. Teig and Prentiss start off by facing an environment that seems intent on killing them, only to keep getting in deeper and deeper danger. First, they find an abandoned town and things go downhill from there. I liked how the characters are well fleshed out. They make horrible decisions but, under the circumstances, I’m not sure I would have done differently. I liked how the author represents the forces at the heart of the story and, especially, how well he describes the environment and the most intense cold. This book is a horrible nightmare and it’s impossible to put down.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/#St. Martin's Press!
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Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and author Christopher Golden for this ARC.
"Stared at the darkness, the darkness within darkness, which nothing could illuminate."
Felix 'Teig' Teigland and Jack Prentiss head to Siberia to make a documentary highlighting the Kolyma Highway, better known as the Road of Bones—a 2000km highway aptly named for its history as a burying place for victims of Stalin's gulag. When Teig, Prentiss, and two locals that they've picked up along the way stop into a town where everyone has disappeared except for one little girl, they find out that the Road of Bones may very well be paved with theirs soon.
W o w. I am sleeping with my nightlight on tonight for real. There's something so deeply terrifying about the concept of being in the middle of nowhere with no one to help you. And Christopher Golden does an incredible job capitalizing on this specific fear. I'm honestly quite the scaredy cat but read thrillers/horror for the adrenaline boost and paranormal or supernatural thrillers are one of my favourites. Golden does an amazing job building the supernatural and horror elements around local folklore which I found to be such an intriguing aspect of the story. The pace of this story packed a real punch and I found myself reading as fast as I could, just hanging on the edge of my seat for every single word.
This is such an incredible, terrifying read going into the winter months. I felt double terrified sitting in my house with it being -20 outside right now. A must read for those interested in thrillers and horrors, particularly for those who enjoy supernatural elements.
"But wishing could not erase this night, no matter how unreal it seemed."
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Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Christopher Golden for the advanced copy of Road of Bones in exchange for my honest review.
Felix "Teig" Teigland goes to Siberia to make a documentary about the Kolyma Highway, aka the Road of Bones. The 1200-mile highway gets its name for being a graveyard for the hundreds of thousands of Soviet Union gulag prisoners, who died and were plowed beneath the permafrost road.
Felix's plan for his documentary is to capture local legends and ghost stories along the highway, riding to the town of Akhust, known as the coldest place on earth. When Teig and his documentary team arrive, they find a ghost town, with the exception of one nine-year-old girl who appears to be in shock. They're quickly met by wolves, but these wolves aren't supposed to be this fast, and something is amiss. As they flee and return to the Road of Bones, more unexplained events occur.
So, maybe this is on me, but I completely missed that this was a paranormal thriller. Definitely not my thing, but in fairness, the book's synopsis doesn't particularly lead me to believe there would be a supernatural element involved. That said, I feel Road of Bones may have fallen victim to being "mismarketed." I was VERY intrigued by the plot idea... documentary crew goes out to the coldest place in the world and darkness ensues, but it quickly lost me with the fantastical elements.
I also felt like the plot wasn't entirely cohesive, and I had more questions than answered when I finished it. It was ultimately well-written and definitely an intriguing storyline, it just wasn't really for me. Good, but not great.
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Road of Bones is truly a bone-chilling memorable horror tale set in the harsh and vastly unexplored setting of Siberia in a whole new atmosphere. It took me less than a day to finish it, despite my best intentions to take my time with it. Once the narrative picks up, it doesn’t let go of your attention until the haunting climax.
Felix Teigland, an American documentary producer, takes a road trip along with his friend and investor to a town in Siberia known to be the coldest place on Earth in the hopes of making a brand-new documentary capturing its spooky history and local folktales. The journey takes them on a lengthy highway connecting the desolate town to the rest of the civilization, a highway that serves as a burial ground for prisoners of the Russian Gulag. Once they reach the town, they observe no presence at all; Home-cooked meals left untouched, belongings left behind, and footsteps leading to the dark forest nearby. Only a little girl is left behind who remains in catatonic state. Quickly, the visitors are exposed to a horror unlike any they’ve experienced before, a horror borne of supernatural elements that will stop at nothing to get to them.
Christopher Golden’s Road of Bones rivals the best of the horror genre. The powerfully vivid descriptions of the extremely cold terrain fill you with a deep-rooted sense of gratitude for the warmth radiating from a sunny forecast. There is an eerie awareness of impending doom from the very first sentence of the story. As the story progresses, the characters become more relatable, the situation more immersive, and the fear more palpable. Ordinarily, supernatural horror thrillers can feel disconnected from reality. However, the behavior of the characters in the tense situations make you question what would you do in such a predicament in a manner that pushes away the disbelief.
Road of Bones thrills and scares with no bounds. The fact that the highway known as Road of Bones actually exists with a horrible backstory lends an appreciative credence to the storyline. You’ll be thinking about this haunted fable long after you’ve finished it. A surprising but undoubtedly stunning read from start to finish.
Full review posted with blurb image at: https://www.bestthrillerbooks.com/kashif-hussain/road-of-bones-by-christopher-golden
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From the very first scene to the last, the reader will be treated to a palm-sweating, chill inducing, anxiety-riddled spook thrill!
Grab a blanket and settle in for a dark and twisted ride along a notoriously desolate stretch of Siberian highway as two documentary filmmakers start off investigating ghosts and end up running for their lives!
Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4352705611