I wanted so much to give this book 4 stars but couldn’t because it felt a bit long and drawn out with little resolve not enough to get super excited for book 2.
Overall this book wasn’t bad. The author did give some good atmospheric scenes with moments of a little dread coming on but then never really did. The dialogue did get a bit immature which frustrated me. These were scientists and the dialogue felt like it belonged in a teen show at times. Emmett was by far my least favorite character, he was immature and annoying and I hated how he viewed Sienna. He’s definitely one of those “should lose their number and have nothing to do with anymore” exes but oh well.
I will read book 2 but I sincerely hope the author gives us more.

Briardark is a great book, though that comes with a caveat - almost nothing is revealed in this first part of a series, which was frustrating and actually became confusing at some point.

I loved the set up, which is creepy and immersive including paranormal expeditions, shape shifting forests, supernatural characters and probably most hauntingly mental health problems. It’s one of those books where you genuinely can’t figure out what’s going on. Trying to tie together the different timelines and storylines was fun - up to a point. Leaving all the answers for the next book just didn’t sit right with me.

Overall a fluid read, with a cool concept, a lot of intrigue and great characters who had depth. I however reached a point where I kept thinking “when will it make sense” and as the progress kept creeping closer to 100% the zero reveal bothered me more and more (I’m all for series and cliffhangers but this was a little extreme).

Attached below you will find my Goodreads review for Briardark. Thank you for sending this eARC to me, I adore reading and I am thankful you've given me the chance to read your works before publishing as I have just begun my professional reviewing journey. I cannot wait to read what comes of your writing the future.

As a fan of films like The Blair Witch project and Adam Neville's The Ritual this really piqued my interest. The POV chapters help sell the trek and what the party go through extremely well and the characters are all interesting enough to not want them to come to sticky ends.
Without going into spoiler territory I must admit to being surprised and a little disappointed when the story morphs into something I really wasn't expecting and didn't initially think was as captivating as the simple premise of a group of people against spooky goings on in the woods. However, the storytelling was strong enough to keep me on board and my only annoyance now is that I need to wait for the sequel!

If you liked Dark, 1899, or The OA TV shows, you’ll probably like Briardark. It’s not the same (different format, horror-vibe ), but it defies expectations and IS mind-bending, especially in the story’s second half.

It also ends with a cliffhanger, but the sequel is on the way to the shelves in 2024.

Dr. Siena Dupont and her team explore the Alpenglow glacier for research. Things get tricky when they discover a hiker dangling from a tree. Normally, they would call the rangers at Deadswitch Wilderness, but their satellite phone isn’t working. And then the body vanishes. As if it had never been there. Siena’s map no longer aligns with the trail. It also seems the landscape changed slightly here and there.

The second important character, Holden, has wasted his potential working in IT at the university. The job doesn’t pay well, and his relationships suck. When he comes across old audio files on a discarded hard drive, he can’t resist the temptation to unravel the mystery. Dr. Siena Dupont recorded the files under huge stress and emotional turmoil. They give glimpses of the expedition and traumatic events, including the death of Dr. Siena’s colleague.

At first glance, the story seems familiar. A regular guy wants to solve a mystery (actually more than one, because another group of people has disappeared without a trace somewhere in the Deadswitch Wilderness). Things get complicated. Except that the author sets an ominous tone here and raises certain expectations that soon prove to be inaccurate. The story is much more complicated and mind-bending than expected, playing with time and twisting reality.

Briardark impressed me with the tight plotting and wide cast of compelling characters. While I had no clue where the story was going, I felt it was going somewhere instead of simply trying to confuse the reader. I didn’t get the resolution, but the way plotlines converge, I expect exciting things to happen in the sequel.

The story is packed with tension and credible characters that propel readers forward. But it also has some flaws: it offers no conclusion, and some characters are more interesting than others. I'm using the word mind-bending to describe it because I like mind-bending stuff (like the shows mentioned at the beginning of the post). Some readers, though, may call it confusing and DNF the story.

For me, Briardark was original and exciting, with good prose and great timing. I recommend it to fans of unsettling stories that push the genre's boundaries and readers of the uncanny.

ARC through Netgalley

Okie dokie. This was quite the book. First, I want to get it out of the way that it's marketed as horror and I wouldn't say there was anything horrifying. I think it's pretty solidly a sci-fi mystery. But maybe that's just me.

Second, you're left 100% hanging at the end. Literally no answer, total confusion.

.... but I hated none of that? The book was so good and really built characters and worlds. I think it also helped that I knew it was the first in a series. So I knew it wasn't going to be fully wrapped up at the end.

I do just wish there was more answers. A crumb, a morsel of something. Lol!

I'll be anxiously waiting for book #2

Wow! This was definitely one of my top reads for 2022!! This adventure-thriller-supernatural-mystery floored me and I had to force myself to put it down and go to work!

“Meet me in the briardark, beneath a moon we will embark, deeper till we’ve lost our way, until the sky turns bright as day. And then I’ll follow you way down, the moment we’re about to drown, we’ll meet a mother pure and gold, she’ll know our will and save our souls.”

The book starts out right away with a dark, creepy, ominous vibe. The reader is introduced to three different groups/stories that become intertwined the further you read.

At the halfway point there are still a lot of mysteries surround all the characters and their experiences in & out of Deadswitch/Briardark. Some aspects are starting to click together and clues are jumping out at the reader.

The whole time I was reading, I felt stressed excitement, and the ending is a cliffhanger which didn’t relieve any tension! How am I supposed to wait so long for the sequel?! 🤣

Definitely add this one to your 2023 Reading List, you won’t be disappointed!!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, & Compass and Fern Publishers

Don’t stray from the path! This book was wild! I love books set in the woods and bonus points for creepy, spooky elements!

Several years ago, five women entered the Deadswitch woods on a hiking trip, never to be seen again. Now, a group of scientists go into the same woods with dire consequences. Things do not make sense as their perception of time and world around them changes.

Simultaneously, an IT tech stumbles upon audio files from the group and feels like he needs to help find them.

Briardark is available January 16,2023.

Thank you to netgalley and compassandfern for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Five young women enter the Deadswitch wilderness and never return, disappearing without a trace. Present day, a team of researchers are entering the same woods to document Alpenglow glacier and take samples. Along the way they find a body, resembling one of the missing hikers. The body looks recent and then disappears altogether. After reaching their base cabin things start to get even stranger. The woods around them are changing. The briardark is haunting Deadswitch and is twisting time and space around them. Will the researchers make it out alive?

This book was dark and chilling. I love anything based in the forests, ESPECIALLY horror books. The only thing about this one is the cliffhanger...ugh...so much time to wait for the next book!



Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was, quite frankly, pretty wonderful, and easily one of the best horror books I've read this year. The first third of this book very well might have been one of the top reading experiences in general that I've had all year, and, relatedly, the only time all year I've legitimately thought that maybe I shouldn't read a book late at night. It was THAT good and captivating- I was hooked (and creeped out) pretty much immediately.

The entire book was tightly plotted with good, engaging characters and an amazing setting. It was super atmospheric, and while I didn't know where all the threads were leading (like, at all), I did get the sense that they were all leading <i>somewhere</i>. It felt purposeful and like it was building toward something - and I still think this, but the book didn't answer any of the questions it laid out. I know that this is the first in a series (and I will definitely be continuing said series), but I feel like even in a series, books should have a clear plot structure and also wrap some things up, and this just . . . didn't.

But it was wonderfully written and I loved the atmosphere, so I will be picking up the next to see where it's all leading, and I'm excited to get back into this eerie, mysterious world (in 2024, rip).

While I am a fan of closure, I recognize that life doesn’t grace us with it often, and we’re left to find the good from what we’re given. Briardark is navigating life with a poor hand: confusion, clarity, confusion, clarity, confusion, the end. And we’re left to make sense of what we experienced as best we can. Because the Briardark cannot BE explained.
Years after the Deadswitch Five vanish without a trace from the wilds of the forest, a team of four geomorphologists venture into that fated Deadswitch wilderness to study a glacier. And a OSU IT guy down on his lick stumbles upon a series of recordings and other corrupted files detailing the groups decent into madness.
Alternating POVs and jumping through time and space, we hear the stories of the Deadswitch Five, the geomorphologists, and the good hearted guy trying to save them all.
Masterfully told and, frankly, unputdownable.
4.5 stars.

Wow! This book is a story within a story within a story. So many POVs and so many moving parts. Yet, it felt cohesive and I enjoyed the alternating POVs and timelines. I dont feel like it’s a casual read because you truly need to be invested to not get lost but it’s worth it. My mind raced constantly with all the possibilities of how the story would unfold. The author’s information said it’s their passion project and I can feel that from reading it.

A little spooky and a ton of mystery surrounding the cast of the story makes this a good read for horror, thriller and mystery fans alike. There’s even a little romance sprinkled in. I did enjoy this read but the worst part is it ends on a cliffhanger. I was racing to the end and had no resolve. There is a second book set to come out in 2024, but I’m so curious as to what is happening in the Briardark. The wait will be murder.

Briardark is set to come out January 15, 2023.

Thanks to NetGalley, S.A. Harian, & Compass and Fern for this arc in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Wow, this book really captivated my attention from start to finish. I did not want to put it down, but I also didn’t want it to finish. I’m not one to gravitate towards Sci Fi & Fantasy books, but the dark, mystery-thriller vibe truly got me hooked.

Four researchers go to Deadswitch Wilderness for a career opportunity to study the Alpenglow glacier. A location where a group of previous hikers disappeared without a trace. Dr Siena Dupont and her team are trying to decide if they should get off this mountain after bizarre occurrences start to happen. But, how do they leave the mountain?

Holden, an IT employee at the University, gets hold of recordings from Siena. Intrigued by the content of the recordings, Holden is not ready to delete the files just yet. Does Holden know what he’s getting into by wanting to investigate what happened to the four researchers?

You’re left on a cliff hanger ending as you’re starting to get answers. *no pun intended* I’m looking forward to the other books in the series.

Big thank you to NetGalley and Compass and Fern for the ARC. Run to your bookstore as early as January 16th, 2023.

Raise your hand if you’ve ever been personally victimized by, Briardark. 🙋🏼‍♀️🙋🏼‍♀️🙋🏼‍♀️🙋🏼‍♀️🙋🏼‍♀️🙋🏼‍♀️🙋🏼‍♀️🙋🏼‍♀️

I say that, because this book was SO GOOD and the next book in the series won’t be out until 2024! I need to know what happens! Lol loved this book, the story was so unique and the different point of views really brought the story together. This one kept me turning the page, and I will be buying this when it comes out in January.

I was really excited to read based on the blurb alone because hikers stuck in the wilderness is right up my alley, but the story hit differently than I was expecting. There was for the most part almost no horror at all imo, and the first half of the book read more like a slow burn mystery novel. It had a few intriguing moments, enough to keep me pushing along, but not nearly what I had anticipated. I almost dnf a couple of times but I did feel like the second half of the book was a bit better than the first.

While this wasn’t the right book for my particular tastes, I think it would be a good fit if you like more of a slow burn mystery or something on the mild side of horror. I liked the author’s writing style, how she incorporated different points of view, and how she tied things together to lead into a second book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Compass and Fern, for gifting me this advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

***Spoilers ahead***

Briardark starts with a heart pounding run through the forest. It's visualization immediately grabs my attention and the heightened intensity of that first chapter makes me think, "Wow, what will happen next?" I am hooked already.
The story proceeds in a multiviewpoint manner. The tale unravels from the view of Sienna and her crew, who are out in the wilderness, and also from Holden's point of view, a student perusing the files of the event. The multiple narrative angle makes me think that I am in for a slow and unreliable reveal of the plot. My interest is peaked further as I wonder what surprises await.
The middle of the story slows down considerably as strange things start to happen without explanation. The two aspects of the plot, Holden and the scientists in the forest, start to intertwine. The why of the story never gets explained though. There are hints to what the cause is but everything is left opened and unfinished at the end.
I was really enjoying the book at first. Then it began to disappoint, as there was no real horror or monster or evil entity. There was no explanations of why anything happened. Then it just ended. I understand that it is a part of a series and I generally like to read book series. However in most series, the book has an ending that satisfies, yet makes you want to continue reading. This book just ends with no reasoning or satisfaction which is disappointing to me. Will I read book two? I'm not sure. Although I am interested in seeing the explanations for everything, I'm wary that there won't be any satisfactory answers. I enjoyed the book, the pacing of the story, the graphic descriptions of the setting, and the characters. I just feel that the plot was an afterthought as it is missing the why of it all. If you don't mind vague endings, you'll probably enjoy this as the book is a solid story. It's the cliffhanger that killed it for me.
Thanks to Netgalley and Compass and Fern publishers for the advanced copy of the book. The opinions are my own.

For a book that ends without really knowing what's what.....I loved it. Now I'm super anxious for the next one. I love trilogies BUT not when I have to wait for the next book lol. I guess that's the authors plan. Look forward to what's next.

I loved this dark, disturbing, and atmospheric read, even if I still have no idea what happened. A group of hikers disappeared 7 years ago. Now, Dr. Siena Dupont goes up the same path to conduct scientific research at a glacier. Then, Holden in IT, gets the recordings of what happened, even if it’s not clear when, or how, or why. I’m the type of reader who doesn’t mind suspending disbelief as much as needed, as long as there is internal logic to the novel. I also find stories about time paradoxes and anomalies as entertaining as perplexing. A terrain that keeps changing, people who go missing, a dead body that disappears, plants that seem alive… if I listed everything that happens, this review would be as long as the book. So, to recap, I didn’t know what was going on and I probably couldn’t tell you what happened, but I loved the read. This is the Southern Reach trilogy done right. Addictive, suspenseful, horrific, mysterious, and full of characters that you can root for, even while you hate them. Readers who look for logical plots with a tidy ending won’t like it but, if you only want to have fun and be entertained, it is worth it.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Compass and Fern!

This was quite a story to get lost in. It took me a bit to really get into the story, but once it got going, it was definitely worth reading. The character development was great, the world setting was brilliant, and the story became bewitching. It is about an expedition that does not go according to plan.

Dr. Siena Dupont and her team, also her personal friends, are on an expedition to the Alpenglow glacier. Siena, Cameron, Isaac, and Emmett, are met with odd occurrences and try to piece together what is happening. First, the glacier is completely gone. Second, there is a dead body hanging in a tree. Third, a couple of them keep seeing shadows in the forest.

While the four are exploring and trying to understand what is happening, far away, Holden Sharpe, who works in the IT department of a University, comes across some audio files that Dr. Dupont recorded and somehow found their way to Holden. He and a co-worker, Angel, are also putting together what has happened to Dr. Dupont and her team.

Unfortunately, this book stops on a cliffhanger. I would have preferred a conclusion to this story of some sort, but I can understand that with the length of this first novel, it is best to break it into two novels. I will most definitely be reading the second book. I need to know what is happening, how everyone is connected to the events.

I would consider this book to be a light horror novel. There are lots of anxious scenes, a lot of foreboding thoughts and feelings, and an overall sense of dread toward the end of the story. I have a feeling the second one will be darker and lots more action.

Thank you #NetGalley and #CompassandFern for sending me the ebook. I really did enjoy this one!
#Briardark

The atmosphere is incredible. The entire time, you have this feeling of helplessness which is exactly what it sets out to do. I was spooked all throughout this book which is hard for me to find. Some of the characters I could have done without (Angel and Emmett) but I also know that they’re supposed to be a little unlikeable and eventually Angel grew on me. I also loved the relationship between Siena and Cam. I can totally see this becoming a favorite and a great book to take camping. I will definitely be purchasing a physical copy once this book releases