I really wanted to like this one. Description makes it sound so good but it wasn't. Writing is tedious and I almost DNF a few times

We Ate the Dark is one of those books I am so excited to come across and even more thrilled to have read after finishing. It is an atmospheric story with love (sapphic and platonic) and grief at the heart while never sacrificing the true horror that awaits this group of friends. I found Pearson’s lyrical writing perfect for the southern gothic horror that lives in its pages. The background of small town North Carolina was a fitting backdrop for it’s magic. I was completely enamored by the characters and their own individual journeys through their grief and how to move forward while honoring the past.

We Ate the Dark is eerie and completely human.
A brilliant debut!
I hope this story continues in the future.

Not different in a bad way, just different! That being said, I was still hooked because the story and the writing were so unique!

Slow start to the book, lots and lots of character details that was hard to keep up with. Story line was interesting enough to keep up with though.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read We Ate the Dark by Mallory Pearson in exchange for my honest review.


I wanted to like this book because the premise was intriguing. Unfortunately, that was not my experience. I had a hard time reading it. It was worded beautifully, but sometimes the wording didn’t make sense and I found myself having to reread paragraphs. Also, even when it was easily understood, it was very wordy and too descriptive. The plot itself was pretty good once I started to skim some of the larger paragraphs which made the story more enjoyable. I would recommend this book but only if it was re-edited first.

For a little while, Jackass feels secure, but then she notices a person lurking where she had previously seen Glasswell standing. It must be seven feet or more tall, its smokey shape almost touching the above branches of the willow tree. She freezes as she witnesses it stutter forward and forcefully hit the truck's hood with one hand.

For some reasons I had to read and re-read, the story is very engaging, it has my 4 stars.

Unfortunately, this book was too much for me, particularly too long-winded. I felt like I read so much without making any sort of progress in the story, just the same situation, rehashed. The author can write beautifully, but it needed to be reined in by about 30%. Props for the properly creepy prologue, though.

Hmmm this was a very interesting read. Although it was a little bit off and I had a little trouble reading it. I almost dfn it I pushed through. I had to just to see ..

Unfortunately I could not finish this book and had to DNF. The long lengthy descriptions, synonyms, etc were too much. I know it was trying to be haunting, but I couldn't do with the amount of descriptions and similes was too much to keep going.

This was a DNF. It is severely overwritten and probably needs a hatchet rather than a scalpel. With apology, it's unreadable.

I liked the plot and the way the mystery unfolded. I never really knew where it was going or what would happen next. I liked the characters and the exploration of how they were eaten up by their grief and guilt. What pulled it down for me is the overly excessive descriptions. They were just too much.

I thought I would love this book as the author writes very poetically and it matched the kind of fantasy horror genre, but it wore thin as the book went on and made me skim parts of it to just get to the point. I did like the story of a missing sister and friends coming together to find out the truth, but some parts felt convoluted and I was having to step back to work out where I was in the story again. I did enjoy reading most of it but it wasn't a favourite and I probably wouldn't try and read again.

At about 25% in, I decided to dnf this book. While the writing was gorgeous and definitely intrigued me in the beginning, I did not like any of the characters and the plot dragged and didn’t seem to be moving forward. It was also unclear what the plot actually was with the friends trying to figure out more of Sofia’s death and Marya seeing ghosts (this likely was pieced together later on in the novel, but I didn’t feel any motivation to keep going - no hints that these subplots would pay off later on, which I need in a mystery). Thank you to NetGalley and 47North for the arc.

. I loved this book.
A story about everlasting friendship and family. Also a story about unending grief. Throw in the paranormal and a world beyond ours. It was sad but creepy at the same time.
3 friends reunite after their friend who disappeared 5 years ago has finally been found. Together they vow to find out what happened to her but it is not what it seems. Something otherworldly and evil was also involved.
At first the writing seemed a little too flowery and overly descriptive. But once the characters were introduced and the plot of the story started, I found the writing to be descriptive in a way that enhanced the story and helped the imagination to picture what was happening. I enjoyed all of the characters and that we got to see from each of their perspectives throughout the book.
I found parts of it very sad. But there were also parts of it that were very unsettling and creepy. I found myself thinking of the book even after I stopped reading it.
I give this book a 5/5. A wonderful debut from Mallory Pearson. I cannot wait to see what she comes out with next

This is disturbing! I was not expecting any of this. It has other worlds, grief, ghosts and haunts, and female friendship. You know I love books where someone has to come home to their small town to solve a mystery or whatever. This definately fits the bill. I felt for all of the characters. I would love to listen to this as an audiobook. It would be perfect.

The book was too wordy and it was a bit tougher to pick out the story line. And even tougher to keep the characters straight and follow what was happening with each of them. I think it could be a great book with some changes!

I really wanted to love this book, but ended up not finishing at about 40% through.

This book has everything I love, mystery, horror, found family and fantasy. Pearson has a wicked talent for world and character building. This book was a hard and heavy five star read for me. “Between two rolling mountains, split like a lip, a dirt road snakes its way through the trees to a leering house” I have lived in the Appalachian mountains all my life and reading this first line felt like coming home. This story is about love, loss, family, grief, the in between of death and dying and the monsters we might all just glimpse from the corners of our eyes. I cannot wait to see what Mallory Pearson gifts us next

After Sofia Lyon disappears and her remains are found stuffed in the hollow of an old garbled tree growing in the center of an abandoned house, Sofia’s twin sister and friends, Cass, Poppy, and Marya set out to find the murderer, but what they find is more terrifying than any murderer could be. You see, Sofia comes from a long line of women who dabble in the realm of casting spells and that knowledge may cost all of them their lives.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This one was definitely interesting. I really wanted to love this one, but it just wasn’t quite what I expected. Pearson wrote really poetically which was a very fun contrast to the darker vibes of the book.

A decent read. I was super excited for this one, but it fell just a little flat. Great story line, though!