The Haunting of Velkwood by Gwendolyn Kiste is a pulse-pounding story that grips readers from the very first page.
I really enjoyed the writing style. I found myself gripped, turning the pages, not knowing what was to come next.
This story definitely had me interested from the beginning, but to get to the ending and the twist of it all. Amazing.

Thank You NetGalley and S&S/Saga Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This. Was. Terrifying. Terrifying. And I loved every single second of it. Every one. I'm not someone who likes horror movies, but man do I enjoy reading them. This is a new top favorite for me, no question

This was honestly really boring. The overall idea was cool, but I literally could not bring myself to care about any of the characters or what was going on. This also wasn't scary, so it hardly felt like a horror book….

Tainted suburbia.

The Haunting of Velkwood is easily the most unique horror story I’ve read yet. You and your best friends head back to college in the dead of night at the week’s end, and by Monday, your entire childhood is gone in a shimmering blink. Your family, your home, your neighbors, the streets you used to roam, the trees you used to nap against. All a mirage.

I understand the pull of home. Even if there is darkness. Even if there is sadness, longing, mourning. Home makes you who you are. I still roam the same cracked sidewalks that raised me as a child to this day, but with my own children. They play on the park I would camp out on late at night, watching the stars and meteors. There is something masochistic about haunting the place you used to live, unable to fully return, a piece of you still residing in those walls.

This book resonated with me. It was well paced, well plotted, deep and meaningful. I loved it. Saga Press really knows how to pick em.

The Haunting of Velkwood was a delightful and dark read. This novel was atmospheric, dealing with themes of grief, love, trauma, bystanders. I downloaded this to read a bit on a plane ride and didn't even notice when we took off, that's how involved I was in this story. Gwendolyn Kiste paints a gripping world and detailed characters, I devoured this entire book before we landed. This is the story how 4 girls changed a neighbor into ghosts, how 3 escaped but never left, and how the ghosts in our lives can push us to the future or keep us in the past. The only downside of this novel was I kept forgetting the MCs were in their 40s, it felt very much like a group of teenagers. I don't think this is bad, exactly, but when it was mentioned it jarred me a bit. Overall, i really loved this story. Kiste wrote a powerful novel that will stay with me for a while.

A haunted neighborhood and a secret among friends are intertwined in this unusual take on haunting. This was a quick read that kept me interested till the end.

This was a very unique take on a ghost story that left me feeling very emotional. I wasn't sure what to expect at first but I feel that the characters were done very well and made me very invested in their lives. I thought the research being done on this town was very interesting to see. The plot was slower moving but still intriguing, I wanted to know what caused this event to happen. I don't really cry in books but the end of this one pretty much made that happen, I really ended up loving this book and would recommend!

Gwendolyn Kiste's The Haunting of Velkwood stands out as a uniquely captivating ghost story, rich in unsettling descriptions and memorable characters that drew me right in!

I enjoyed this novel, I loved the premise of this novel – an entire haunted street, not just a house! It's got a slightly eerie vibes and a love story thrown in for good measure. It’s an easy read that I got thru it quickly!

I was honestly expecting a chiller, something that leaves you edge of your seat where you want to know more but are afraid to know more, anixous.

If you’re looking for a book that's spooky yet won't leave you cowering under the bed? Look no further - this one’s for you!

This book has been patiently waiting on my TBR pile for far too long, and thanks to Hurricane Milton's unexpected power and water outage, I finally had the time to dive in! 🌪️ This is my first foray into Kiste’s world, but it definitely won’t be my last—I'm excited to explore her other works this fall, especially since it’s the perfect season for spooky reads!

Reading by candlelight added a whole new layer of thrill, and let’s just say I freaked myself out enough to decide that finishing it in daylight was a must! 😂 This story was that gripping! I loved the page count, though I did find myself wishing for a bit more depth in certain storylines.

Throughout the book, I couldn’t help but think, “Wow, this is such an intriguing concept—imagine Yellowjackets colliding with the Upside Down!” Velkwood beautifully explores themes of hidden love, self-acceptance, and the shadows that lurk in those who choose silence over standing up for what’s right. Get ready for a hauntingly good time! 🖤✨I HIGHLY suggest this book and will be telling others to check it out. Thank you SAGA publishing and NetGalley for the ARC! I give it 3.5 stars.

After returning to college for a weekend at home Talitha and her childhood friends Brett and Grace find out their whole town disappeared from the map leaving only a shimmer where it used to be. As it’s investigated it is found only the three can enter the perimeter and the ghost town again. As Talitha decides to return to find the fate of a little sister she left behind she realizes something much bigger is trying to keep her there. This was an amazing read fast and creepy with the right amount of mystery as the main characters past unfolds. Well done 4⭐️.

This was an interesting twist on a haunting where it’s not a house that’s haunted but a whole neighborhood…and no one can ever enter except those that escaped years before. In fact the neighborhood desperately wants them to…it’s getting hungry.

Very quick read for me. I found myself turning the pages eager to figure out the mysteries of the Velkwood Vicinity. And there were many…almost too many. A lot of little plot devices up in the air: the weird girl, the stepdad, the neighborhood, the magic, the relationships, what exactly happened…so many different sidebars to parse out it took away from the overarching story a bit. While much of it contributed to the ultimate mystery it was one too many ingredients in the pot for me.

Such a great haunted house story. A very unique premise and it kept me enthralled the entire time I was reading.

Thank you SagaPress for the book to read & review! So i requested this book thinking it would be a perfect read for spooky season. This ending up being so much more than that! This starts out with a "haunted neighborhood" and some researchers/"ghost hunters" convincing Talitha to go back to her neighborhood/house. Needless to say, she goes back! Upon meeting old childhood classmate Enid who states, "perhaps we're all ghosts" really made Talitha ponder everything.
Fast forward a few chapters and Talitha's best friend, Brett, has come to join her in exploring the neighborhood which is slowly expanding. Talitha says to Brett, "That's why this place is changing, because we're too exhausted to keep our own secrets anymore." What does this mean? What are the secrets? I'll let you read and find out!
This story sucked me in from page 1 and I couldn't put it down! I'll definitely be reading more from this author!

3.75

The Haunting of Velkwood features a suburban neighborhood turned into a ghost story and middle aged main characters who have to confront the abuses and trauma of their childhoods in order to move forward.

I found this to be an easy and engaging read and loved the way Kiste built up the tension throughout the story and had the reader question what actually happened in Velkwood all those years ago. I do think the ending fell apart a bit for my tastes, but I still enjoyed the journey.

After enjoying both this and Reluctant Immortals, I think Gwendolyn Kiste has become an auto-read author for me.

Took a couple of tries but I enjoyed this book. It didn’t suck me in but didn’t put me into a rut. I would likely give this author another try and see if my thoughts are changed about how engaged I was with the style.

This was not my taste but I will absolutely recommend this title. Beautifully written. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy.

3.75
I liked the The Haunting Of Velkwood very much. The story was an unique take on trauma and abuse and how much they impact our lives. A very thought provoking, emotional story.

Kiste has such a distinct writing style to me and I have loved everything I have read of hers, this was no exception. She has a way to pull you into the settings she writes, so that you can see everything so vividly. But while you can see everything, you are also supremely unsettled. I loved the pieces of the story that take place inside the neighborhood. As you try and piece it all togehter, you can feel time running out and it kept the pages turning. She is also able to make you feel like you know her characters, so I was very invested in the characters. I will read anything else that Kiste puts out and I can't recommend this one enough.

The very best horror reveals deep truths about the world in a way that allows us to confront our own beliefs, histories, and actions. THIS is the very best horror.

Gwendolyn gives us a story that shows the control that the past exerts in our lives. And how each of us has the power to confront the past and grow beyond it. If we are willing to.

She has created three dimensional characters that we empathize with and placed them in a situation that is totally fantastic, yet entirely believable because the real story isn’t overwhelmed by the supernatural aspects. This is a story about life long relationships and how they guide us, even in their absence.

I absolutely loved this book and plan on reading her other books soon.

This one was bizarre and heartbreaking. Velkwood is a neighborhood with a tragic past. It really shouldn't exist, and yet it still does. The Haunting of Velkwood is a unique take on the haunted house trope.

Talitha has been running from the ghosts of her past for twenty years. She was one of only 3 survivors to escape from Velkwood, the neighborhood that claimed the lives of both her mother and young sister.

An entire subdivision is gone but somehow still remains. The homes still inhabited, existing day to day as if nothing ever happened. But no one leaves, and no one goes in until now. It's time for Talitha Velkwood to go home.


On its surface, this is a ghost story, but it's also a story about accepting and facing our pasts. Whether we like it or not, our pasts shape us. Without a past, there is no future.

I loved this story and appreciated how unique it was, I personally haven't read any other stories like this!