Throughout this book it is drilled into the "kids in town" aka the reader "Don't go into the woods". But unless I missed it no one ever gives us a reason to explain why not. Maybe the author thought if left to the imagination this would be creepier, but for me it just made everything seem sort of fake or more like a parent controlling way and less like there's a scary reason why. None of the characters were particularly likable and even worse none were very well developed (I can love to hate a well developed unlikable character, but I just didn't like any of these underdeveloped characters. Or maybe I didn't like them because they were so underdeveloped). Basically there was just too much about this book that kept me from investing and even less understanding of why. It had potential, but in the end it was the fact that I didn't care what happened to anyone that ruined this one for me. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this free arc in exchange for this honest review.

The cover of this book is amazing! It would look great on a shelf! I enjoyed this one! It had some spooky moments and was hard to put down! Overall I thought it was middle of the road if not a bit basic of a story. It was gripping and thrilling though at moments and I think people will enjoy this short thriller!

The summary of the book really had me interested.
I feel like there’s something missing from the book. It’s good but it could have been better. It had a strong premise and good characters. It’s an interesting gothic read. I just wish it had more of something

I love the spilt of horror and thriller there was a perfect balance that left you creeped out and wanting more at the same time. I would love to read more from this author..

This was just an ok read for me. I never really got into the plot so it didn’t hold my interest for some reason, even though the writing was quite good. I didn’t care for any of the characters. With that said, the ending was successful and full of surprises. A worthwhile read that may appeal more to others.

So insanely creepy, dark and of course vicious. Thank you to Penzeler.Scarlett for the gifted ARC my honest review.

Unfortunately, I have been locked out of my netgalley account for a few months and was not able to see which books I had on my list, in order to properly read and review. I do apologize and am doing a 3 for neutral. Will update once I’m able to obtain a copy and read!

This horror/thriller caught my eye the first time I saw it. So brilliantly creepy and haunting! Ava’s story pulled me in and kept me entertained. Fast read as it kept me engaged.

BOOK REVIEW 🌟🌟🌟🌟

The fabulous cover of this horror/thriller caught my eye the first time I saw it. So brilliantly creepy and haunting!

Ava’s story pulled me in and kept me entertained. She returns home, with her daughter—Marjorie, to her parent’s home while divorcing her abusive husband. Her mysterious hometown is filled with urban legends and Marjorie is instantly pulled in by the stories and fascinated with the strange forest.

One legend claims that the founding families, who mine the area, received their riches by leaving gifts in the forest. This gothic suspense is a perfect Halloween read! This tale takes place in Oregon (which I love) and is dark and captivating. The author’s writing is mesmerizing! A must-read for anyone who likes hauntingly eerie tales.

Thank you to the author and Penzler Publishers/Scarlet for providing this gifted ARC through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

#ViciousCreatures #NetGalley #Scarlet #ashtonnoone #lovebooks #thrillerfiction #bookreviewersofinstagram #lovetoreadbooks #cantstopreading #honestreview #ireadbooks #ireviewbooks #ilovereading #bookstagrammer #bookreviewer #gothicsuspense #inexchangeforreview #thrilleraddict #bookaddict #crimeandcocktailsbookcrew #mysteryandthrills

In this haunting psychological thriller, a mother and daughter face a deadly secret lurking in the wilds of the Pacific Northwest

Ava Montgomery never wanted to return home. She fled Wildwood fourteen years ago after the discovery of Adam Albright’s body in the forest shattered her young life. But when a violent divorce sends her running back to her parents’ house with her troubled daughter Marjorie in tow, Ava discovers that not much has changed in the small Oregon town where she grew up.

Did I step in poop?

I mean, I can’t really explain my latest book fortune . The gratitude is radiating from my body and alligator size tears have dropped down my cheeks.

I wrote my first email requesting a specific book and I don’t know about you but I find this to be SO awkward . It’s like walking into a store and asking for something for free. I just can’t wrap my head around it but, I did it.

I really really really wanted Vicious Creatures and now, I have it .

Vicious Creatures, is like nothing you will ever read. I was instantly captivated with the writing style and my little peanut size brain never lost interest even once. I was completely consumed and hung on every word. The plot was fully executed and there was a feeling of satisfaction after I had concluded.

The thriller world needs to take note, Ashton Noone, is a true storyteller and he is going to take our community by storm.

Big Thank You to Penzler Publishers for sending my this fan-freaking-tastic ARC ! My mind was completely blown and I can not wait to see what Ashton Noone, comes out with next.

A gripping and spooky psychological thriller with elements of horror. It's a well plotted and riveting story that kept me on the edge.
Good setting and fleshed out characters.
It's a bit slow after the first part but it kept my attention till the end.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Don't go out into the woods, you may not come back was the constant mantra repeated through this book. Unfortunately, the author falls short of ever giving a reason. Unless you count a town of untrustworthy high school friends who have a bunch of secrets to hide. I didn't like any of the main character's so-called friends. They were hateful, arrogant, and deceitful. Even the one she had strong feelings for was awful. And letting her daughter kiss one of her possible relatives just so she can hide a childhood secret is just disgusting! This book was okay but just overall annoyed me at every turn. I wish I would have enjoyed it more. This is my honest review for receiving a free copy of this book.

Let me start by saying - this was a book I didn't want to put down!

The premise is cool, I love the "getting back to the old small town now everyone's from a dodgy clique is grown up" - I'm all here for that!

What I did not like:
- the writing is repetitive, and some phrases are repeated a lot within a couple of pages, which is a little annoying. That first made me think there will be something about it, like applying lipstick - every woman in the family did it within two pages or so - but it never signifying anything.
- some of the possible story side-plots are never mentioned or discussed - like the ex-husband, he never plays any part, why the mother is such an insufferable meanie, what did exactly Victoria do and why? It seems like a lot of missed opportunities to round the plot up neatly. some of them would have felt cathartic, let me tell you, because don't let me get started on the Mother...
- there is no clear motive for any of the twists, in my opinion. I guess it is left up to the reader to figure out - but that did not satisfy me.
- Overall the pacing seems off - too much time is spent on seemingly unimportant things and not enough on the stuff that really intrigues me - like the timeline of the daughter getting so close so fast within the new school. sometimes reading the next paragraph I was not sure if it is the next day? next week? and then it says, they have been in the town for 2 months and it just didn't seem like it adds up how the timing is described until now.

The writing itself was enjoyable and there was clearly a reason why I didn't want to put the book down, but I find it hard to pinpoint that.

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC!

I was hopeful that this would be a great suspense story unfortunately I was just bored. I had no emotional connection to the characters and really didn’t are how the story progressed. I did like the atmosphere and the town was interesting.

I enjoyed this book, though at times I found it a bit slow at times, but overall it was good. Ava has returned to her hometown with her daughter, she's in the midst of a divorce from her abusive husband and her parents still live there and offered her the place to stay. Ava quickly falls back into the crowd she hung out with during high school, all of them share a secret about a young man who had been found dead in the woods, the woods where others have also gone missing. The story is told in two timelines, present and fifteen years earlier which covers what happened to the young man, Adam, and how the friends were involved. Ava's daughter attends the same school she did and learns that the forest will give 'favors' to those that leave a gift, the size of the favor depends on what one is asking. Ava also rekindles her attraction/romance with Victoria, who was one of the friends that share the secret and is also was the popular girl at high school. Victoria is still popular and she's also wealthy, living in a mansion on the hill overlooking the town. Ava finds nasty messages painted on the door of the house and a knife is left, the same knife that had been left with Adam's body. I would recommend this book. Thanks to #Netgalley and #Scarlet for the ARC.

Fifteen years ago Adam died in the Reachwood forest, and Ava fled town in the wake of the rumors about her and her friends after the body is found. But now, in the midst of a messy divorce from her abusive husband, Ava has returned home with her fourteen year old daughter Marjorie, and someone (or many someones) are not happy she is back. The novel is told from Ava's point of view, but it bounces between the present and the past (to the weeks leading up to Adam's death).
The plot is compelling enough, and the mystery surrounding the forest was intriguing, but all the characters (including Ava) were so awful. All of the side characters are basically just caricatures (the evil rich company owner, the overbearing mother with dangerously over the top expectations, the teenage daughter following in her mother's bad behavior footsteps, etc), and Ava herself is so unbearable that I truly couldn't have cared less about the bad things that were happening to her.
I managed to slough through the terrible characters, so I could learn what happened in the end, but even that was unsatisfying. All of the answers were just vague maybe's, and non of them were remotely surprising. Overall, this one just fell flat due to the exceptionally bad characters.

This had great promise but was unfortunately not well executed. The setting is evocative, and the plotting is ok, but the characters and pacing really let it down. The writing is grindingly repetitive and the whole thing is far too long.

Points for the queer rep, however!

My thanks to Penzler Publishers and NetGalley for the ARC.

When Ava is forced to return to her hometown, a gold mining enclave surrounded by a menacing forest into which local children disappear every so often, she intends on leaving as quickly as possible. But she seems unable to escape the town’s strange pull and her daughter, Marjorie, seems strangely drawn to the thick forest, despite her mother’s warnings to stay away from its dangerous paths. And Ava knows how dangerous is can truly be. When she and her friends were in high school, one of them died mysteriously in its grip, and it seems someone hasn’t let go of the past.

The story is told along two timelines, both from Ava’s point of view: one in the present day and one in the past leading up to Adam’s death.

This book was compulsively readable. I finished it quickly, because I just could not put it down, eager to know what was going on. There’s plenty of twists and turns, and just a little hint of the possible paranormal in there, enough to keep things interesting, and it all added up to a great story that I eagerly devoured as each chapter went on.

Also the setting was amazing: a small town, ruled by three powerful families who control the main industry of the region, surrounded by a possibly haunted forest that lures people in and from time to time, seems to swallow them up. Tell me that doesn’t sound interesting!

The ending was really good and it wrapped up things nicely - enough questions were answered and there was enough ambiguity that we were able to fill in some blanks with our own assumptions, though they were pretty strongly guided by what the text revealed. I liked that, in that we were fed enough information to know everything, but there was just enough left open for interpretation. Just enough left open to let us guess a little.

This was a great thriller that I completely would recommend to anyone looking for a creepy, atmospheric, character-driven novel. You’ll find all of those things in this novel and more. I am looking forward to reading more from this author.

Vicious Creatures centres around many familiar tropes; a woman returning home years after a traumatic event, a small town ruled by a few old-money families and a local legend of evil within the woods.
All things we've likely seen and read of before, but still an engrossing tale.

Noone does a fantastic job of pacing the story, setting up mysteries and dropping in secrets consistently to keep the reader on their toes.
The writing is easy to read without being too pared back, no purple prose but still enough description to create a great atmosphere and setting.

Whilst I wasn't emotionally invested in Ava or daughter Marjorie, I found all the characters believable and the editing was fine tuned, holding my interest from start to finish.

Covering themes of motherhood, domestic abuse, homophobia and classism, Vicious Creatures is a sapphic thriller with a touch of horror well worth reading.