Many thanks to Netgalley and publisher and author for my advance copу♥️


That Night in the Woods" is a scary book that takes place in the woods. The author, Kristopher Triana, does a great job of making you feel like you're there with the characters. He uses the woods to make the story feel creepy and uncertain.

The characters are well-written, and their relationships are complex. The author slowly builds up the tension, making you feel more and more uneasy as the story goes on. The climax is intense, but some readers might want more answers.

The ending is haunting and makes you think about the story long after you finish reading. Overall, "That Night in the Woods" is a suspenseful and scary book that's perfect for horror fans.

That Night in the Woods is a horror that follows five adult friends who all experienced a tragedy as teenagers on Halloween night. Unfortunately, this book did not hold my attention after the beginning and I was not scared in the least as I was in Kristopher Tirana’s other work (Gone to See the River Man).
The book is more character focused than action focused and that may just be a personal preference. I Would still recommend this book to fans of Triana.

This was as very interesting read. I’m a big fan of Triana so I was psyched to read this. I loved the setting. I loved that it took place during Halloween. There were plenty of unlikable characters but Triana knows how to write such people. I definitely didn’t see the end coming.

There’s nothing like a really creepy horror book that takes place on Halloween to really get you into the Christmas spirit!! LOL ANYWAYS, this was my first book by Kristopher Triana that I read and I knew that I really wanted to get into his horror books considering I’ve heard so many great things about them. When I first started reading this book, I did feel that it started off a little slow due to the character building and meeting all of our main characters and getting into where they were in their lives. However, once we got past the introductory parts and where it was leading up to for the main plot of the story, I was instantly hooked.

That Night In The Woods is a story about these group of adults who were best friends back in the mid 90s until a night in what’s called the “Suicide Woods” occurred that changed their lives and their friendship forever. Now we fast forward to them reuniting for the first time after this night 25 years ago, and figuring out what really happened to them that night and why they never spoke again. Eventually, it turns out that something sinister and terrifying happened to them that night that completely changed the course of their lives, and a lot of the characters in this friend group are wondering why they were all brought back together to talk about that night.

I genuinely really loved this book and how creepy the atmospheric setting was, and for someone who’s not into books that are extreme horror, I thought this book was perfect when it came to how much horror it actually contained. I was a little confused by the storyline towards the end of the book, but I thought the flashback scenes of that night were just so terrifying and creepy that it almost felt like you were there in the woods with the characters as they were trying to survive. I also thought some of the plot twists and turns were so crazy that I definitely did not see any of them coming. Overall, I really did enjoy this book, and even though this book wasn’t a perfect 5 stars for me due to the slow beginning and the confusion with some of the storyline towards the end and the turn that it took, I thoroughly had a great time reading this book and I can’t wait to read more Kristopher Triana books in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Cemetery Dance Publications for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I have loved every Triana book I've ever read, and while I still have a few to go from his backlist, one thing I love about his writing style is how he develops his characters. However, the characters and the pacing were my least favorite things about this book.

I felt like the pacing crawled, especially in the middle, and I just couldn't get invested in the story nor could I care much about the characters,

Of all the different kinds of horror stories, the slash-and-gore fest is the one I dislike the most. There seems to be no point to the violence, which intensifies, until it seems to head towards a deadly collision. It’s all a bit too overwhelming for my taste.



More than 25 years after high school, Scott Dwyer invites his old high school friends, Jenny, Tracy, Corey and Mark to his house in their old hometown to honour the memory of their old friend Steven who has died recently.



Something truly scary happened the last time they were all together in the woods behind Scott’s house, back in 1995 during Halloween. These woods were infamously called Suicide Woods, because a number of teenagers went into the woods and killed themselves.



Severely traumatized, the friends all fled town after high school, never returning until now. In all these years, they have had no contact with one another, never seen or spoken with another one of their friends, until now.



But this reunion is anything but innocent. The horror that terrorized them still awaits them. And this time it’s not about to let go.





The author brings us up to speed on the lives of Jenny, Tracy, Corey and Mark, in their early forties, as they face stagnation in their lives. It is clear that the thought of returning to their hometown scares them all for some reason, and yet their curiosity trumps their sense of reason.



Unfortunately, this update about each of these four characters comes over four long chapters, delaying the point at which the story actually starts. Also, what was the point in giving us all those details about the character’s personal lives, if it wasn’t going to matter at all except to let us know that they were all unhappy with their lives.



Even once they meet, the real point of the story takes a while to show up. The friends are too busy fantasizing about each other, and basically reverting to their teenage selves, forgetting that they should have evolved.



What the author says about places being haunted by the emotional impact of the deaths of the victims and of the feelings of the killers and those who survive the victims made sense.



The book needed to be proofread. There were lots of spelling and grammatical errors that could have been avoided. In describing Traci, the author uses the phrase, ‘extenuating those long legs,’ when he should have used the word, accentuating.



But some lines in the book were well written and stood out. Here’s a sample:



Blaming scary movies, heavy metal, video games, and gangster rap was just a pathetic effort to explain and understand human atrocity. If someone had murder in them, their influences were irrelevant. They would have gone on to kill, no matter what. Lust, greed, and politics were the true instigators.



Sometimes the mind forgets because it must do so to stay sane.



People say the beasts come out at night. But it’s not the night; it’s the darkness. Whether the darkness of the woods or the darkness of a movie theater—it’s all one. In darkness the evil things know they won’t be seen. In the shadows, they can do whatever they want to a little girl.



I plodded through this book, wishing it would end already, but only because I generally make it a point not to give up on a book. That Night in the Woods is the sort of book that might appeal to others. It just wasn’t for me.

This book was… special?

Not in the best way possible, because even if I ended it, I still have A LOT of questions.

I’m confused and find the structures and characters odd.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the e-book, though.

I really wanted to get to this one, as it seemed interesting. The downfall was that I requested so many ARCs that I could not get to all of them before the book was archived. If I can find this somewhere for a reasonable price, I will try to get it!

That Night in the Woods starts off promisingly. Flawed characters. A shared mystery. I really wanted to know what happened, but it took too long to get there, and in the end, the story went off the rails for me and fell flat. I had the same issue with Gone to See the River Man, so I believe this author's style probably just isn't for me. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC of That Night in the Woods. I wish everyone the best with it!

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of That Night in the Woods by Kristopher Triana in exchange for an honest review. Things are never what they seem and secrets never stay buried. This book was interesting and full of mystery. A fun read for the witching hour.

“𝗗𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝗽𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗵, 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘀, 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲.”


Triana has been hit or miss for me, and unfortunately this one was was a miss. I was intrigued at first, but by the end I was just glad it was over. The whole- group of friends get back together as adults to relive a terrible tragedy storyline- is very overdone. Being a huge fan of IT, I actually love these storylines, but I did not find the execution of this one very well done. I found it just got sillier and sillier as the whole cult idea unfolded and it just seemed to drag out so much longer than it needed to.

On a positive note, Trianas talent is clearly apparent on these pages, and his superb writing skills shone thru even tho I didn’t enjoy the story. I will definitely be reading more of his work

A night in the woods by Kristopher Tirana is a skin crawling and uncomfortable experience. He creates an environment thats engaging and nightmarishly enchanting.

I truly didn’t expect things to go so awry. Not my favorite read of the year but not every book is for every person.

Wow. Really enjoyed this book by Kristopher Triana. First solo novel of his I have read, and it was a good one. The characters were great, and the plot/pacing also worked very well. Will definitely be reading more of his books. #ThatNightintheWoods #NetGalley

Scott Dwyer reaches out to his old friends and flame to inform them of their friend’s passing. He invites them to join him for a memorial for Steven.

When Jennifer, Mark, Corey, and Traci arrive at Scott’s house, it’s like a family reunion. It’s full of memories, stories, hugs, tears, and remembering the old times and their beloved friend.

As Scott reads Steven’s will, things start to get tense and uncomfortable. The next day, they set out to fulfill Steven’s last wishes and things take a turn. Buried trauma, feelings, and pure terror come to play.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Writing horror is simple.

Writing horror beautifully, creating a seamless movie in a reader’s mind, and building an aura of wonder and terror around them is not.

That’s what makes Kristopher Triana one of my favorite authors.

The story moves so smoothly and steadily, my jaw dropped when the horrors of Suicide Forest came to play. Even amongst the gruesome and gore, the writing style stayed consistent.

I highly recommend this book and can’t wait to order my signed copy!

You can expect strangeness and a very tense experience from anything written by Kristopher Triana. You never feel quite clean after reading anything by them.

As teenagers, a group of friends decided it would be fun to spend Halloween in the Suicide Woods - a wooded area behind several of their houses where local teens frequently ended their lives. The night ended with most of the teens running out of the woods for their lives - except one.

Years later, Scott, who inherited his parents house adjoining the Suicide Woods, invites all the living friends back to his house for a funeral of sorts. But things weren't quite what they seemed all those years ago, and definitely aren't what they seem now. As the friends ban together for one last trip into Suicide Woods, they will find out that evil is real.

Sounds pretty good, right?! For some reason though, this book just did not do it for me. I just dragged my way through the text. Perhaps another time it would be better? I have another book by the author on my shelves, so we shall see.

Five high school friends get together for a reunion of sorts when a fellow classmate mysteriously dies. Returning to their hometown of Redford brings back many memories of the past but not all remembrances are good. The invitation to attend the memorial soon reveals a more sinister intent that surround a local forest known as Suicide Woods.

That Night In The Woods is a full length novel where the present and the past collide with horrific consequences. There’s something hauntingly intriguing about a group of old school friends entering untouched woods all the while experiencing supernatural horrors. Twisted branches and dying leaves create the ominous trails that lead the reader throughout this bewitching landscape of Suicide Woods.

Author Kristopher Triana has consistently immersed readers into his own style of story telling. Once invested, his descriptive brand has the same effect as a scary movie or a spooky ride. These exciting adrenaline rushes cause you to feel a little more alive.

That Night In The Woods has a true crime vibe seeping from its pages like a dark and distressing nonfiction story. The atmosphere established for this book makes for an ideal playground for bloodthirsty creatures, possessed voices and ritualistic ceremonies all lying dormant and waiting for you.

This novel is an example of pure concentrated evil. Morality, empathy, compassion and mercy are redeeming qualities that don’t exist here. It’s a lesson taught by Blue Oyster Cult: the inevitability of death and the foolishness of fearing it, exists within all of us.

“Then the door was open and the wind appeared.
The candles blew and then disappeared.
The curtains flew and then he appeared.
Saying don’t be afraid.” - Blue Oyster Cult
A five star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Horror Bookworm Recommendation.

That Night in the Woods is a pretty creepy book for the most part, but it is confusing here and there, as well as being too slow paced for me to get really into. I did not find the characters to be very likable either, and no character really stood out to me over any other. Will I read more by this author in the future? This is a possibility. As for if I would recommend That Night in the Woods? Sure, it was kind of enjoyable because of the creepy aspects.

Rating:
3/5

Thank you to Netgalley and Cemetery Dance Publications for the ARC. All opinions are my own and I am leaving this review of my own volition.

The file format provided was unfortunately too small in font for me to comfortably read and it didn’t support font enlargement so I was unable to read this title in this file format.

This book is a mystery/thriller with different point of views from the characters and beautifully written. The timelines were also very well written.

I read this book in a day and I never looked back! The twist and the plot were pretty easy to identify but the different POV's kept me intrigued to see how everything was going to unfold. A couple of the characters were so unlikable that it made it hard to feel bad or connect with them in any way. I do wish that the ending would've given a little more, I wanted to know how the characters dealt with the aftermath.

Overall I give this 5 out 5 because it really was a great book and I will definitely read more from this Author. I enjoyed the thrill of the plot and its twists.