At times the book was so splendidly spooky and magical...then there would be whole sections that dragged on and felt tedious.
If the book had been about 200 pages shorter, I think the pacing issue would have been gone, for me.

I still had a good time and I'm glad I read it.

Thank you, Netgalley for the ARC!

Thank you to Michael Coolwood, Coolwood Books, and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Hungry Dark was a mixed bag for me. On one hand, I really enjoyed the eerie, shadow-filled setting with all its mysteries. Michael did a decent job of setting the scene, and there were some moments where I did feel suspense, but I also found myself getting restless. The plot had some twists, but I found them predictable and overall it felt slow to me and I had a hard time staying engaged. I also wanted more from the world-building.

The characters were hit or miss for me as well. Everyone had some backstory presented, but not much, and generally felt quite one dimensional; the dialogue between characters felt stilted and awkward. I also had no idea the ages of any of the characters at any point, with the main character sometimes sounding as if her internal monologue was that of a teenager, and then simultaneously a woman in her 40’s who’s fed up with “the youths these days”.

I did love the representation of mental health and chronic illness, but this book was marketed as a story of radical empathy, and I honestly found the main character to be lacking empathy in most cases, outside of leading a pacifist lifestyle. She felt very judgmental towards a character who had wronged her, even when they were actively trying to grow and change.

All in all, The Hungry Dark had its moments, but it wasn’t enough to make it a memorable read. I’d say this was a 2.75 star read for me.

The Hungry Dark is a thrilling sci-fi adventure. Exiled to the edge of the world due to a chronic illness, Melita discovers solace in exploring the city of Tenebro, all while evading monsters and setting traps for her safety. The world-building elevates the story to a new level of enchantment, with the city of Tenebro and its monstrous inhabitants described in such vivid detail that it almost felt like I was running from them myself.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Hungry Dark follows Melita, a witch who was exiled from her home and forced into a new village that is soon attacked by humans. Having seen her home attacked and her community in constant danger, Melita and her bestfriend travel to find a solution. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of this one, but felt that the worldbuilding could have been more robust. The author excels at imagery and suspense, but it felt like struggled with character and world development. I think this book can really be a game changer with the right amount of beefing up.

Our main character Melita is a witch who has been forced into exile at the edge of the world. She takes joy in exploring the dead, and almost forgotten, city of Tenebro but with that comes many dangers. Vicious monsters prowl the city. Hidden traps designed to test your hold upon reality lie in wait. And The Hungry Dark surrounds everything, able to strip the flesh off the bones of any unlucky raiders lost without a source of light. Melita isn't afraid, Tenebro is where her powers shine brightest, where she can leave her problems behind...or can she?

I feel like this book had so much promise - interesting concepts combined with moments of beautifully poetic language.
However, the overall storyline was lacklustre and the characters were seriously underdeveloped.

The book mentions that Melita suffers from a chronic illness, and whilst the descriptions of the actual symptoms were very well done, the illness hardly seemed to affect her after the first chapter. I think including more of these struggles would have helped flesh Melita out a bit more as a character, as I found her hard to connect with. Her actions also felt rather nonsensical, and even contrary at times, which was quite frustrating to read. I didn't really understand her stoic pacifism - and it often just came across like blunt stupidity and self-sacrifice without good reason.

The actual world-building was so interesting. Creatures like the Capper, the giant mermaid, and the Fallen, were absolutely terrifying - like something from Silent Hill. I think if the author ever wished to they could write an excellent horror novel!

Overall, I think I would have enjoyed this more if the characterisation was further developed and the pacing slowed down quite a bit, to allow for more of the excellent prose and world-building!

Firstly the cover of this book is simply gorgeous! The Hungry Dark takes the reader on a journey deep underground. The world-building is lovely in places and also terrifying in others. The book covers some important themes and I felt chronic illness was particularly well presented. The idea of perseverance and hope is throughout the whole novel making for a deep yet lighthearted read. The book does at times show rather than tell and this took me out of the flow but overall I enjoyed the book. Thank you to NetGalley and Coolwood Books for an E-ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

After a rough patch of reading, The Hungry Dark was such a lovely book to read! I tore through it-- finished it in two days-- and really enjoyed the experience.
It dealt with heavy topics-- mental health, depression, and suicidal ideation-- in a very honest, but hopeful way. It felt real, but it was never miserable.
I also really enjoyed the setting! It felt very video game-y in a fun way! It felt very "level-ed" and like the characters were progressing in power. Also, the enemies were a bit scary and I was a little spooked while reading.
Overall, I thought this was really fun and touching! A very solid fantasy!

This was so different than what I usually read! I did enjoy myself, it was easy to read, and the main character was awesome! It's not often you see a main character struggle with what Melita struggles with. I could have done with a little more tell not show, but it didn't hinder my enjoyment. All in all, a solid read!

This book delves into the captivating tale of Melita, a witch who, due to exile, finds herself residing in a village inhabited by others of her kind. When the village comes under attack by humans, she embarks on a journey to the remnants of an ancient underground city in pursuit of a valuable artifact that might aid her people in their struggle against the human threat.

The author employs a minimalistic approach to worldbuilding, sharing only the essentials about the book's setting. Occasionally, the book veers into an overly earnest or sincere tone, which contrasts with the subtlety found throughout most of the narrative. These moments, though sporadic, have the potential to dilute emotional impact but don't disrupt the overall reading experience.

This book is overall worthwhile if you're looking for a faster read, but still something a bit light.

I received this ARC through NetGalley.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for providing me with an e-ARC of this book.

The story follows Melita, a witch who consumes bones for brief bursts of her magical power. When their pacifist village is attacked, she and her best friend embark on a journey through the enigmatic and perilous Tenebro, with the hope of reaching the distant city of Sirmo to save their community.

As a child, I loved tales of hidden, underground, or undiscovered places, and the descriptions of Tenebro in this book stirred up that nostalgic feeling. There was so much creativity in the creatures or monsters they faced, some descriptions bordering on horror which I found engaging. One scene in particular definitely made me leave the light on that night. Also, mirroring the praise from other reviewers, the author handles challenging themes such as depression, chronic pain, and disability with sensitivity.

However, the book encounters some issues in terms of its writing. While the descriptions are vivid and evocative, the dialogue among the group of characters at times feels clunky. There are instances where the progression of the plot is both "told" and "shown" when one approach would have sufficed. This did disrupt the flow of the story for me. Additionally, I felt that there wasn't enough downtime for character development, exploration of their motivations, or moments for internal reflection. With the characters experiencing complex emotions. especially taking into consideration the challenging themes listed above, I feel this could have been expanded on further.

In summary, this book offers an intriguing journey through a vividly depicted world with some compelling and sensitive themes. I feel however, it would benefit from a more refined approach to dialogue and a greater focus on character development.

What would you do to save the only people who treated you with kindness? The Hungry Dark, the first book in the Magic, Monsters, and Radical Empathy series by Michael Coalwood, is a thrilling tale which explores a haunted world and the idea that hope still remains in it.

For fans of deep worldbuilding, Coalwood’s world in The Hungry Dark is full of it. Throughout the novel, the reader is truly taken on a journey with each page. As the main character, Melita, takes on a dangerous, self-assigned mission into the underground urban labyrinth of Tenebro, the details of the world which we find her in are revealed, from the fire witches and the curse which befalls them to the complicated politics of the exile village of Ekzilo and its neighbors. Every piece of worldbuilding made me crave even more, not because I was confused, but intrigued.

For those of you who may enjoy a thriller-eqsue aspect to your reading, there are certainly elements in the story which will spark your interest. As Melita moves through the floors of Tenebro, powerful creatures fueled by the titular Hungry Dark warp reality in a series of traps. The description of these traps are well-done, and are introduced in ways which will keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat.

What truly struck me was the way The Hungry Dark tackled the concept of chronic illness. The narrative weaves the struggle one has against a body which is slowly failing them within the struggle to fight off monsters and creatures who mean harm. And, even more striking, the subplot involving chronic illness isn’t about a cure or another magical way to get better, but just trying to coexist with it. As someone who has been dealing with some chronic pain and fatigue for years, it was truly a breath of fresh air.

That does not mean the book is without fault, however. The writing style can feel a bit clunky at times, with thicker paragraphs that slow the pace down a bit too much during pivotal moments, such as during some of the fight scenes and emotional moments. In addition, while the book does often tackle its themes well, there were times where these themes feel a bit bluntly added into the narrative and dialogue, and didn't really fit in with the feeling in those scenes. For those who prefer being shown themes rather than told them, this may not be your cup of tea. Overall, though, I'm definitely interested in this story and I certainly look forward to seeing how the series evolves past this first book, given how the ending felt a bit more certain than the first books in some other series.

Meli wears her heart on her sleeve just like this book. I loved the themes of addressing mental illness, self worth, and what you would sacrifice to help those that you love. I read this book at the perfect time in my life. I truly believe this book could be turned into an amazing anime. Thank you NetGalley and publishers for letting me read this ARC. I would suggest teens and young adults read this book. You can really draw parallels to the real world from this book about magic and monsters and witches.

For some reason I couldn't really get into this book. I think it's because the writing style didn't really gel with me!

Before I begin I just want to thank Net Galley and the author for allowing me an eArc of this book!

I'm not sure what I expected before I read this, but it certainly wasnt a suicidal witch who eats bones delving into the depths of a forgotten city, and making friends with a giant snake monster. Nonetheless, it was incredibly enjoyable.

It is rare you get to see the main character struggle the way Melita does, and while it may be hard to read occasionally, it is incredibly important. She is chronically ill and, evidently, has major mental health issues. Good representation does not make a good book, this just happens have it. Tenebro, this forgotten city plagued by the Hungry Dark was so intriguing, this is a fantasy novel but it often steered very close to horror territory, which I absolutely loved. I found myself on the edge of my seat constantly, genuinely scared of these horrfiying monsters Coolwood had managed to create (*cough cough* the Capper??). The relationships that are forged in this story were really interesting, particuarly between our main trio of Melita, Teya and Jaeson. Without spoiling too much I just wanted to say that Jaeson's character arc was exactly what I wanted for him, lucky me I suppose!

I really enjoyed the Hungry Dark, there were a few spelling and editing errors which shook me slightly, and occasionally certain information felt crowbarred in. For example when it was mentioned how women are supposed to be the workers and men stay at home in this world, love the idea but from what I remember it was a bit heavy handed. Can't particuarly critique it however, it barely took away from my enjoyment of the novel.

Overall, a wonderful read, can't wait to see more from Coolwood!

Disclaimer: I received an ARC copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for providing an honest and unbiased review.

The hungry dark revolves around a witch named melita with chronic health problems.
It explores the hatred of her kind by humans and her everyday struggles.

I have very mixed feelings about this book. The start was very engaging and showed a lot of promise - but then became honestly quite dull with no depth of character, The storyline was difficult to follow at times,

I wouldn't read this book again, but i would definitely try other books from this author

Every fire witch is cursed, but Melita considers herself more cursed than most.

This was fine. A little boring, but fine. I wouldn't actively recommend it to anyone, but I wouldn't warn them off either.

The Hungry Dark is a story about a witch named Melita who is chronically ill. She ends up adventuring down to the lost city of Tenebro to save her village from human attackers. She takes her friend Teya with her and together they face monsters, traps, and the Hungry Dark itself as they traverse the city in hopes to find a way to save her village.

This book has a lot of potential. It has an interesting premise and a beautiful cover. It has adventure, monsters, friendships, and an interesting villain within the Hungry Dark. I enjoyed the trap aspect of this book. Sometimes you don't know what's real and what's not and that was exciting.

I found the beginning really enticing, but found that it got a bit repetitive as the story continued. This led to boredom and a struggle to stay engaged at times. I also wanted more depth from the characters. Specifically, why are they fighting? What makes their village special to them personally? We do get a bit of this but it left me wanting more.

Additionally, I wanted to know more about Melitas disorder and how it was for her living with it during her every day life. She wants to escape from the pain, so I think showing us the pain she's gone through would add more depth and connect the reader to this character more.

Overall I think with added depth and explanation this book could be a good read for some people. For me personally, I had a hard time connecting with the characters on a deeper level and staying engaged throughout the story.

Thank you NetGalley and Coolwood Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own

Review of "The Hungry Dark" by Michael Coolwood

Disclaimer: I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for providing an honest and unbiased review.

"The Hungry Dark" left me with mixed feelings. It certainly has potential within its premise, but there are several aspects of the book that left me yearning for more.

A central issue I encountered was the character development. Unfortunately, I found most of the characters lacking the depth and complexity needed to make them truly engaging. This deficiency made it a challenge to fully invest in their journeys and experiences.

Furthermore, I found it challenging to become fully immersed in the narrative. The pacing seemed inconsistent, leading to moments of boredom and confusion. Additionally, the descriptive choices frequently left me with more questions than answers, which further hindered my engagement with the book.

In conclusion, "The Hungry Dark" offers an intriguing premise but falls short in terms of character development, world-building, and narrative engagement. While it may resonate differently with other readers, I personally struggled to establish a strong connection with the story.