Really enjoyed this one! So well written loved to hate some of the characters and the gore was written phenomenally! Great recommendation from the queen of horror Rachel Harrison.

🖤💀| REVIEW: This Wretched Valley by Jenny Kiefer

Releases 16/01/24
Gifted ARC from @netgalley

Summary:

Four ambitious climbers hike into the Kentucky wilderness. Seven months later, three mangled bodies are discovered. Were their deaths simple accidents or the result of something more sinister?

My Thoughts:

Anxiety inducing deju vu nightmares, I consumed this book in 2 sittings. I was surprised to find out it was inspired by the Dyatlov Pass Incident. Many great elements came together in this, survival horror with some fungal and supernatural elements.

Tapered off slightly around the 60 per cent mark for me but it quickly sped back up. Enjoyed the level of gore the pacing the descriptions and the ending will make you feel unsettled.

Great debut!

Would of liked more information about the incident cited somewhere and the history as a complete novice but that’s just personal preference.

Perfect for fans of: The Descent Film, The book Hollow by Mike Salt, The Catacombs by Jeremy Bates.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quirk Books for providing me with an ARC.

When a group of four colleagues set out to find a new rock climbing destination, an unimaginable, tragic amount of chaos ensues. Months later, three of four bodies are found in horrific states; all that's left of one is a skeleton, another lacks all its organs, and the third has no eyes, ears, tongue, or fingers. What happened to these hikers? And why hasn't the fourth been found yet? Only the valley knows.

This was such a creepy, suspenseful, action-packed read! There were multiple times that I physically cringed from the gore and violence. While I didn't necessarily like any of the characters, I was still on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what happened to all of them. I was hooked from the start, and I could not put this book down until the end.

The concept of the valley was terrifying and reminiscent of The Blair Witch Project. As someone who has never gone rock climbing, I still found the climbing parts to be easy to understand as Kiefer does a fantastic job of describing all of the actions and equipment. The one thing the book left me wanting more of was the backstory of the valley itself. Overall, this was such a strong debut and I'll be on the look out for Kiefer's next book!

A big, big thank you to the kind folks over at Quirk Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

What an adrenaline rush. Jenny Kiefer’s This Wretched Valley is a wild ride that takes off and doesn’t slow down. A take on the Dyatlov Pass incident, we follow four adults and their dog, Slade, into the Kentucky wilderness in the name of scientific research and exploration based on data that reflects an unknown rocky structure. What they don’t expect to find is the confounding valley in which this rockface lies. At every twist and turn, strange things occur, and conditions become bleak rather quickly. What authorities find makes little to no sense, and the explanation is not something anyone can predict.

I want to start by saying that never have I had such a visceral physical reaction while reading a book. A large part of this story centers around the discovery of this mysterious cliff face in a remote part of the Kentucky wilderness that could be established as a new climbing area. Dylan, one of the women on this excursion, is set on climbing this untraversed cliff and marking her own routes for future climbers. Multiple scenes depict her struggles while climbing and the dire circumstances that would occur should she fall. My hands were sweating so much, I had to put the book down multiple times before continuing on. I wish I would have thought to check my heart rate during these scenes given that Kiefer’s writing was so immersive, I felt as though I was about to fall off the cliff myself.

These scenes set the tempo and pace of this story quite high from the outset. Additionally, we know something isn’t quite right based on Slade’s behavior. Normally a mostly docile canine who frequently makes these trips with his owners, he begins to bark, whine, and refuse to enter certain parts of the woods. This of course triggered extreme alarm bells in my mind; the dog almost always knows best. This behavior easily created an air of uncertainty and downright dread from the first few pages, adding to the extreme feel of Dylan’s climbing excursions.

As things progress and instances of the uncanny increase in frequency and intensity, the sense of danger progresses as well. Each member of the party experiences their own misfortunes or witnesses different forms of strange happenings until all things converge towards the end of the novel. Kiefer does an excellent job of writing the wilderness as a character of its own, an entity that has stood the test of time. Through short scenes of flashbacks, we learn that not all has been right with this land for some time. I would even argue that this turns into a possession story of sorts, especially for Dylan who cannot stop thinking about climbing that rock even in the direst of circumstances.

These predatory qualities of the wilderness are not only frightening but downright unhinged at times. I expected a level of gore and violence since this is a horror novel set in the woods, but Kiefer far exceeded my expectations concerning creative, bloody horror. The closest any story has come to this level of environmental violence (in my experience) is Scott Smith’s The Ruins, one of the best horror books of the 2000s. However, one of the most refreshing aspects is the intelligence of those on this journey. Countless horror stories focus on things going wrong in the wilderness through the shortcomings or ill decisions of those who become victims. While some make poor choices in This Wretched Valley, the party of folks on this exploration make rather smart choices, yet still fall prey to the evils at play. A certain level of desperation is established through this use of intelligence which left me wondering just how this was all going to end. Of course, we know this is a tragic ending from the outset, but Kiefer’s storytelling abilities outlining the descent into bloody madness are not something that can be predicted.

Built on an atmosphere of unease, the uncanny, and clear horrors, This Wretched Valley by Jenny Kiefer is a whirlwind of a novel. Her creation of such a dangerous atmosphere sets a clear tone from page one, something that only escalates with each set of events that unfold. The valley in question feels like some form of an overgrown Venus fly trap carefully awaiting the landing of its next prey to devour without hesitance. Absolutely no one’s safety is ensured in such a place as this, a place so wretched.

I tore through this in about 4 hours! It's a gripping, claustrophobic thriller that doesn't skimp on character development even as it puts its small cast through hell

This was sadly a DNF at about 10% in, but only because I realized pretty quickly this isn't the type of book for me. However I have a lot of positives even though it isn't for me. The writing was really wonderful and I already felt like I knew the characters really well only being barely into the book. I also loved the setting and it felt very ominous and eerie from the start. The introduction/prologue was so captivating and drew me in immediately.

Sadly I just don't like books similar to The Ruins or overly gory/depressing horror books. People who like survival stories and are okay with more sad horror books where there isn't a happy or uplifting ending, will absolutely love this. This feels like classic horror and I can definitely see this being a really popular horror book this year.

Thank you NetGalley for an e-ARC of the book!

I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher in return for an honest review. This review is based entirely on my own thoughts and feelings.

Overall rating : 4*
Writing skill : 4*
Plot: 3*
Pace: 4*
Characters: 3*

This was a wild, fever-dream type story, never quite knowing where it was heading. A really great take on the lost in the woods type of book, with added horror and mystery. The pace was really good and the writing excellent. Although I know nothing of hiking and climbing gear, I could picture the scenes and scenarios really clearly. The characters were lacking a bit for me, I couldnt picture what any of them looked like, did we get any descriptions?!
That being said, if you liked The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King, and The Anomaly by Michael Rutger then this will be right up your street.

I was pretty excited to learn about this book, because while I'm a fan of horror I also used to do some climbing when I was younger, and the idea of both of them put together into one story was exciting. Having just finished this book and having a little time to process it I can admit that I'm still not 100% sure what I read; there were so many elements to it that it felt a little scattered, but I read it quickly and it was definitely interesting enough to hold my attention. I think this would have been really cool as a found footage novel, and while that's not what we got it was still a decent, and certainly unique, read. I think my main issue with this book is that in the end it's somewhat vague. We don't really get a why for the things that happen, and while I can appreciate that this was probably done on purpose I do find it slightly frustrating, because I LIKE a why in my horror novels. Even if it's just "atrocity happened here and now this place is evil", but we don't even get that much just "this place is evil" flat out. So if you're hoping for a reason know going in you're not going to get one. That being said it certainly was an interesting story, and while there are a few elements of it that left me scratching my head overall I think I did enjoy it. Kiefer brought something original to the horror genre in more than one way, and managed to create a sense of unease and horror without being overly violent. I think given a little more time Kiefer could turn into a horror novel star, and I'll certainly be curious to see what she comes up with next. I'll have no problem recommending this title to horror fans who come into my store, and I would love to see this turned into a movie, because I think it could be something good.

This is a story about pioneers.

Now THIS was a horror novel. I felt parts of this book in my bones- it was that distressing! The process of watching the cast decompensating while the setting prays on them was harrowing- if this was a movie I would’ve been screaming at the screen. I cannot wait for more by the author!

Thank you so much @netgalley & @quirkbooks for the eArc!

I finished this one a bit ago but I’ve been sitting on my thoughts ever since. It was entertaining and for the most part enjoyable! I found a big chunk of the book to really drag on for what felt like forever but I was still able get through it pretty quickly. It was very graphic at times, which personally didn’t bother me, but might other readers. Overall, I think it was just a very “ok” read for me!

Thank you to NetGalley and Quirk Books for this ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

This Wretched Valley is the upcoming debut novel by author Jenny Kiefer. This survival horror story does a great job of hooking the reader immediately. Right from the jump, we're treated to a visceral snapshot of what to expect for the next 300 pages. Despite having a glimpse of the character's fate from the beginning, I was still unable to stop guessing what might happen next.

This book is immersive and will put you right into the mess with the characters in the Kentucky wilderness. The background given to the climbing expedition was well done and gave someone like me (not well versed in that world) the context to understand the importance of what the characters have set out to do. There is a lot of time spent setting this up, but I assure you, the setup is worth it. There is a building sense of dread that is sure to give you anxiety and maybe even make you feel a little claustrophobic.

Well done and well deserving of your attention if you're a fan of survival horror with a paranormal twist.

4 out of 5 stars.

This book was a wild ride from start to finish!

It had me hooked from the first page. I loved how instead of chapters, it had the date and times of when things were happening. It gave us a timeline of events, and shows how quickly it all came about.

This book had me on the edge of my seat. It gave me goosebumps, and absolutely horrified me. As someone who doesn’t go camping much, this is a reason why. I’m terrified of the woods! And this book just amplified that fear tenfold.

Jenny Kiefer’s writing was phenomenal and she just drew me in with her attention to detail, imagery, and the fact that her detailing of the gore was so sickening (in a good way).

I’m so glad I got a chance to read this book early 👏🏻👏🏻

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.25 out of 5 stars

The book began pretty good. Clay, a former climber who had an injury cut off his dreams of future climbs, flies over the Kentucky wilderness and sees a rock wall that is not on any maps, one that appears to have never been climbed. He contacts his old friend, Dylan, who has just learned she's been signed with Petzl, a huge name in sports equipment. Clay asks Dylan to climb the wall and she can even bring along her boyfriend, Luke, and his dog, Slade. Clay brings Sylvia along to record everything.

Almost immediately after entering the woods, Slade starts acting weird, and eventually disappears when Dylan leaves the tent unzipped to go look at the rock wall. Luke is devastated, but Dylan is certain Slade will come back and wants to climb the wall. After a few attempts, she falls, banging Luke's head against the rock and he ends up spraining his ankle pretty severely.

After that, things fall apart one by one. Clay is obsessed with making his name in having discovered this rock and he despises the fact that everyone wants to take Luke to a hospital. Luke, meanwhile, has started having episodes where he just stares and stares.

The first half or three-quarters of the book were okay, but once we hit the last part, there are pages and pages of gore that I had to skim through.

All in all it was an interesting story.

It’s so exciting when authors take a mish mashery of the things I love and turn them into a book. How thoughtful!! First of all, I find the Dyatlov Pass incident FASCINATING - the mystery, the science, the theories. When a story is inspired by this I am all over it! The author does a great job of mixing geological anomalies, supernatural elements and physical horror without confusing the reader and we also have the characters slow descent into confusion and paranoia which both pulls you in and has you on edge. There are hints of Blair Witch, Lost, From, Yellowjackets and even the Donner Party legend. I fully embraced the joy of the unknown whilst also wanting to race through the book to find out just what the hell is going on here. I love anything that reminds us we barely know this world. This debut nailed it and I will be sitting here (im)patiently waiting for whatever @_jennykiefer throws at us next!!

Some of my favorite horror novels are the ones that play out like a movie. I SAW this book thanks to the writing. Absolutely unsettling given the number of people that go missing in wild spaces. Hell of a good time. Thank you to Quirk Books and NetGalley for advanced access. I will be purchasing a copy for my personal library upon publication.

I am obsessed with the Dyatlov Pass Incident, and I've been super in to mysteries set in national parks lately. This book looked to hit all my buttons. And it did...but it also wasn't exactly what I thought it was going to be. The editing was pretty bad, and that took me out of the story quite a bit. It was also more supernatural than I expected, and truly horrifying in parts. I think I'll try re-reading it once it's actually published.

Wow! This was such a surprise, big time, I sincerely loved the first half and maybe until 3/4's of the story and then I slowed down and kinda felt like what's going on here? It was super crazy with suspense and wonder how can this end? And all that about the man's dog..?.It was crazy but Weird crazy was my definition. I love weird things and had to stay with the story to see how it ends. Also I like books about rock climbing so that was a high to add. You want to say, NO WAY could she climb that rock and etc etc. It kept me on the edge. But some of it was true like and a lot of it wasn't but it was very interesting and I enjoyed most of it. Give it high 5!

I was lucky enough to win an e-ARC of THIS WRETCHED VALLEY by Jenny Kiefer through the PW Grab A Galley giveaway. Thank you for the early look, and have a safe and happy holiday season!

This book is amazing. I simultaneously was horrified and couldn't put it down. From the start things are wild and they don't slow down until the book ends.

Kiefer does an incredible job of building suspense, detailing gruesome injuries (via supernatural and natural means), and generally making me scared of the dark. This book should be number 1 on any horror fans list this year! I can't wait to see what else Kiefer writes.

*** I received an ARC from NetGalley and Quirk Books in exchange for an honest review ***

Take only pictures, leave only bones...

Did you grow up watching the Blair Witch Project? If you did and loved the vibe, then this is the perfect book for you!

Inspired by the Dyatlov Pass Incident, this book is a pure descent into madness where everyone becomes suspicious of the others.

The novel recounts the timeline of what happened. As the hours go by, you get this crawling creepy sensation getting under your skin. You feel the characters beginning to lose it. You know the feeling when you're home alone and suddenly all sounds are terrifying? This is what happens with this book!

Sentient forest, paranoïa, accidents, resentfulness... * Surprisingly *, this book hasn't cured my fear of heights. It only worsened it. I'm never gonna go rock climbing. Enven less in the wilderness, in the middle of nowhere.

The Blurb:
Clay is currently doing a PhD in Geology and just flew over an untouched spot. One of his old friend, Dylan, is an Instagram influencer doing rock climbing for a living. He needs someone to climb the wall so he can write his dissertation. Dylan just signed a contract with a huge rock climbing company and hopes this discovery will create enough waves that she won't have to focus on social medias only. Along with them, Sylvia and Luke join them.

The only problem is : they left weeks ago and no one has heard of them. Dylan's followers have been reporting her missing to the local police and mentionning weird live videos as proof that something went wrong.

What happened?

TW in spoilers as this could come off spoilerish. For anyone asking about the animal, please see below.
<spoiler> There is a dog in of book. The dog escapes right at the beginning and it is hinted multiple times that something dreadful happened to him. Let me reassure you that the dog is fine! </spoiler>