Talitha Velkwood hasn’t been home in 20 years. That’s easy to avoid when your home, your neighbors’ homes, and your street are gone. Even easier if you’re one of three people who didn’t disappear along with it. But going home is exactly what Talitha is going to do. Arriving March 5th from Saga Press, Gwendolyn Kiste’s newest release is an expansive take on one of horror’s most classic subgenres. The Haunting of Velkwood is not a haunted house—it’s a haunted street.

The Velkwood Vicinity is a supernatural phenomena. One day, it was a normal street. The next, it was a ghost. When I read a haunted house story, I’m always looking for the house to be its own character. Sure, I’m interested in the ghosts, too. Who isn’t? But when the setting is done right, the house comes alive. By having the entire street, houses and all, become a ghost, Kiste checked that box for me immediately. And then some.

The questions I asked myself while reading took on new shapes. It wasn’t just, “What happened here?” It was, “What happened here that could cause all of this?” It has to be big, right? That’s the thing about a haunting—it’s personal. But not in Velkwood. In Velkwood, it’s streetwide. And while I asked, “Why?” I also had to ask, “How?” How does something like this happen? What are the implications of something like this? You can’t hide it; it’s not an urban legend. You can’t walk that street. People didn’t leave.

I wasn’t the only one asking these questions. Talitha, along with her fellow survivors and former friends Brett and Grace, became minor celebrities. How did they get out? Do they know what happened? Will they go back? It’s that last question that starts this book. Those three are the only ones able to enter the Velkwood Vicinity. Grace has actually been back. But she won’t go, now. And neither will Brett. So when a researcher, flush with grant money, knocks on Talitha’s door—she’s the last chance. And she says yes.

One of the coolest choices Kiste made is that the Velkwood Vicinity isn’t just a haunted place. It’s a haunted time. What that researcher is asking Talitha to do is re-enter her past. That’s a step beyond simply facing it. The time aspect creates an emotional tide beneath the mystery. We aren’t simply finding out what happened twenty years ago; we’re living it. That looking back, the nostalgic lens is quickly becoming one of my favorites in horror. When done well, it can pack a gut-wrenching punch. It’s done well, here.

And of course, it’s not just the place that’s from the past. Brett and Grace are, too. Talitha and Brett’s relationship in particular is one of the strongest threads in Velkwood. Losing the closeness you once had with someone is a particular kind of pain. The person isn’t what is gone, just the way you used to exist together. It’s complicated. It’s messy. It hurts. I won’t assume every reader has experienced this. But I don’t think the poignancy will be lost if you’ve been lucky enough to avoid it. And these two aside—all three girls lost their families. That’s another level of complicated entirely. And with that, so much more grief.

I really loved this book. The voice and tone was, in my opinion, perfect. If it wasn’t an advanced reader’s copy, I could have filled this review with quotes. This was my first read from Gwendolyn Kiste, so I’m not sure if she is always this quotable, but I definitely intend to find out. Most importantly, this fit what I’m wanting out of horror these days. Horror, to me, is about more than the scares. It’s the whole range of human emotion, especially the harder ones. The Haunting of Velkwood hits that ghostly nail on its ghostly head.

The Haunting of Velkwood is available March 5, 2024.

Photo courtesy of Saga Press.

I literally read this straight through in less than 24 hours. Actually I think I read it in one night.

The perfect combination of spooky, lyrical, and family-secrets-y.

"The Haunting of Velkwood" by Gwendolyn Kiste invites readers into a spine-chilling suburban mystery. T

Talitha Velkwood, haunted by a tragic past that claimed her old neighborhood, including her mother and sister Sophie, is lured back into the eerie Velkwood neighborhood. The creepy atmosphere grips you as Talitha, alongside her estranged friend Brett, faces the unsettling mystery of that fateful night. The narrative skillfully intertwines the present and past, unraveling the secrets of a neighborhood that held them captive. I thought it was hard to put down, and while I wish there had been a bit more, it was a solid 4 stars for me.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is so not my usual genre but I've been trying to branch out and become a more well-rounded reader. I really enjoyed this book. It was horror but a splash of sci-fi. An unexplainable occurrence happens and a small town disappears along with everyone in it. I liked the way that the author uses the story to deal with tough issues like abuse, I thought that it was well done.

"From Bram Stoker Award-winning author Gwendolyn Kiste comes a chilling novel about three childhood friends who miraculously survive the night everyone in their suburban hometown turned into ghosts - perfect for fans of Yellowjackets.

The Velkwood Vicinity was the topic of occult theorists, tabloid one-hour documentaries, and even some pseudo-scientific investigations as the block of homes disappeared behind a near-impenetrable veil that only three survivors could enter - and only one has in the past twenty years, until now.

Talitha Velkwood has avoided anything to do with the tragedy that took her mother and eight-year-old sister, drifting from one job to another, never settling anywhere or with anyone, feeling as trapped by her past as if she was still there in the small town she so desperately wanted to escape from. When a new researcher tracks her down and offers to pay her to come back to enter the vicinity, Talitha claims she's just doing it for the money.

Of all the crackpot theories over the years, no one has discovered what happened the night Talitha, her estranged, former best friend Brett, and Grace, escaped their homes twenty years ago. Will she finally get the answers she's been looking for all these years, or is this just another dead end?

Award-winning author Gwendolyn Kiste has created a suburban ghost story about a small town that trapped three young women who must confront the past if they're going to have a future."

Yeah, so really it's own unique thing and not Yellowjackets at all...

Literary horror that reads like a speculative episode of twilight zone AND ghost hunters? Sign me up! This book tells the story of a town that seemingly fell off the face of the earth. And as if that wasn’t enough, throw in the haunted family trope. Now, I use the word trope but I don’t mean it in a bad way. This was an interesting blend. This also read like an extension of twin peaks if that makes sense…..

Content Warnings: Child Abuse (Psychological, Physical); Homophobia

I’m split on this novel. I thought the premise around Velkwood, with an entire neighborhood/street vanishing at the same time (save for 3 girls who managed to escape) was intriguing. The imagery used around the missing houses and people was also pretty good, psychologically creepy without being overly disturbing. I also felt the primary relationship between Talitha and Brett, two of the three survivors, was well written throughout the novel. You got their early history, why they couldn’t initially have an open, stable relationship, and that more than anything I wanted to see resolved (and it was).

However, I thought Talitha, the first-person narrator, was pretty boring. I didn’t think that initially, but as I spent more time with her, she just felt too back-and-forth about everything. I recognize on some level that’s the point. She’s not as stuck as one of the three girls, and far more stuck than another. She’s the one who is the most malleable and has the most reason for returning to Velkwood. I just found myself more drawn to the ancillary characters of Grace, Brett, and Enid. I wish they had been the focus of the story, in the end.

Likewise, the plot began to drag the longer the book went on. It was extremely tense after Talitha’s first visit to Velkwood, but became increasingly stretched out and thin. This may have been intentional, given the novel’s focus on themes of stagnation and decay, but it also meant it was hard to stay invested as the story went on.

The Haunting of Velkwood was a very interesting read. I wasn't really sure what to expect going in and it was definitely strange. A lot of time loop weirdness mixed with ghosts. Talitha, Brett, and Grace are all haunted by the past in different ways but this haunting is something everyone can see. Their childhood neighborhood has become a ghost and no one can enter it except for them. What I liked about it was the creepy atmosphere, the themes of coming to terms with past trauma and accepting who you are, and of course that it's sapphic. I liked that they faced their darkest moments and rather than hiding behind "we had no choice" or pretending it never happened they accepted who they were and what they did. What I didn't like was that it felt kind of slow. There wasn't a lot of urgency even in the climax. Nothing was really explained about how or why this happened. And I was hoping it would be scarier. Overall I think the main characters were well written and complex with realistic flaws, and if you want a spooky, atmospheric mystery then this would be perfect for you.

Sometimes a book is a horror story. And sometimes it is a sad ghost story. The Haunting of Velkwood is the latter.

Beyond the sad ghosts is a story about trauma, escaping your past, and the cruel apathy of suburbia.

This was a very easy to read. I was a bit offput by the exposition dump in the very beginning, but the story had many more mysteries to unfold.

Overall quite cinematic. It would make a killer movie. Blye Manor meets Wanda Vision.

The Haunting of Velkwood
By: Gwendolyn Kiste
Pub date- March 5, 2024
A haunting suburban ghost story of a town inexplicably frozen in time. A tragic coming of age story that forces the 3 people who lost everything and vowed to never return to confront the past if they want a future. I LOVED this book. It was creepy and atmospheric. It broke my heart multiple times as well a thoroughly creeped me out!

A beautifully, chilling story about three women returning to their nightmare of a neighborhood. A neighborhood that is often talked about, and not for good reasons. Returning to the dead end neighborhood causes problems amongst the neighbors and the women as they face their pasts.

This was a beautifully written book, a perfect blend of suspense, paranormal and horror made it one of the most original ghost stories I've read, I loved the refreshing take of the haunted house trope, whats better than one haunted house? A block full of em, weaved throughout the haunting prose is an underlying theme of facing the past you might not necessarily want too in order to move forward, I thought the whole premise of the story worked perfectly for this, the descriptions really encapsulated the whole melancholy mood and sense of sorrow the story had, the book felt draped in sepia tones, a completely absorbing emotional tale that kept me engaged throughout, Kistes writing is almost lyrical, it dances across the page and you can't help but get swept along, highly recommend to fans of suburban gothics who are looking for something a bit different, Thankyou to the wonderful sagapress for the eARC

A whole neighborhood disappears overnight with only three college-age residents who escaped. For decades the mystery of what happened to the Velkwood Vicinity has haunted not only its town but also the nation. When a group of researchers work with one of the survivors, Talitha Velkwood, to find out what happened and what's continuing to happen behind the mysterious veil around the Velkwood Vicinity. No one is allowed to enter the neighborhood except the three who escaped.

The Haunting of Velkwood is an interesting exploration of the ghosts that haunt us both in the past and present. It also looks at how to handle one's past when it won't seem to let you go. The Haunting of Velkwood is a horror novel with minimal scares, but the ghost stories still made me question the bumps in the night.

Thank you to Saga Press & Netgalley for a copy in exchange for review consideration.

Enjoyable and overall an exciting and unique read!! I can't say I've read anything quite like it. It was an intriguing mix of the paranormal, suspense, and a touch of horror; it just worked really, really well.

but I had a few issues: 1) some unanswered questions about the plot itself, or just some things I wish were either expanded upon or explained more, and 2) more background on Enid, her storyline was more superficial than I would have liked.

I'm curious to see if this is a book that sits with me and remains at the forefront of my mind--I could see this possibly be bumped up an extra star. Idk if that makes sense??

Twenty years ago, Talitha Velkwood and her friends Brett and Grace escaped the one-block street where they grew up, leaving behind a neighborhood that would become a scientific oddity and legend as a forcefield suddenly rose up, surrounding a street full of ghosts. Now, a group of researchers has tracked Talitha down because they hope to persuade her to go back. When she reluctantly agrees, Talitha finds that things aren't exactly as she thought she left them, and the past is coming to haunt her.
The book had an abrupt beginning, as it sort of drops you right into the story without a lot of detail about what's really going on. However, before too long the background begins unveiling at a steady pace, revealing the truth behind the mystery at a satisfying clip. The more the story goes on, the more engaging it becomes right up to climactic finale. This is a ghost story quite unlike any you've read before.

I LOVED the complexity of the characters. Kiste created relatable characters, some with interesting dynamics between them. Velkwood Street was eerie and the perfect setting for a spooky story and the imagery was top notch. However, I was left with many questions at the end, so I was a bit disappointed about that.

A light horror novel that had a unique story line but was not full of gore and blood. It was decent. Characters were written well. A good novel for a light scare

I absolutely loved this novel. Usually, reading about hauntings isn’t my thing because books with ghosts tend to be so tropey- however, Kiste’s novel is so intriguing and fresh that it takes haunting to a whole new level. A whole neighborhood disappears with the people that lived there and no one can enter it except for the three friends that used to live there and are the only survivors. I love the idea of childhood friends that return to their original home to try to understand what exactly happened twenty years ago. I love the dynamic that Talitha and Brett had, you couldn’t help but root for these childhood friends that realized years ago that maybe their feelings verged more than friendship but in the world they lived in, their love couldn’t ever be front and center. This is a character driven novel, but the lush, Gothic atmosphere will completely seduce you too. I couldn’t put this book down and read it in two days! That’s to say that I was completely mesmerized by the story and just wanted to bask in it, and I loved that it had The Virgin Suicides vibes but being told from the female perspective instead of the male gaze.

I recommend this book if you love hauntings, ghosts, Gothic feels, queer characters, and mystery soaked in suspense.

*Thank you so much to NetGalley and Saga Press for the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The Haunting of Velkwood is a horror-light novel that follows Talitha Velkwood who has been tasked by a research crew to return to her old neighborhood, which has been haunted for twenty years. The last time Talitha was home a catastrophic event placed her neighborhood behind a veil and turned the street into a ghost town. Only three people may enter, Talitha and her two best friends from childhood. The only problem for the researchers is that none of them want to, until Talitha sees a photo of her old house and is determined to see what still lives there. What follows is a story of family trauma, friendship, and coming to terms with who you are and the choices you have made.

I was hooked on this story from the first chapter, Kiste's writing style was conversational and descriptive in a way that was so easily consumable. I felt like I was getting a story told to me around a campfire. The reveals were well thought out and timely in a way that made the story never feel slow or stale and really kept the pace from page one.

Talitha's character arc was so satisfying and while I felt frustrated with her at times, the choices she made were in character for her. I really enjoyed her growth in terms of interpersonal relationships and seeing them really improve as she experiences revisiting her past and facing consequences.

The horror elements of this book were very light. There were not a lot of jump scares nor a lot of gore. The ghosts were used to create some tension, but these are not the haunt your dreams and threaten your life type of ghosts. It really worked within the story in this case, but if you are looking for a horror heavy book this is not it.

This premise of this book is probably one of the coolest I’ve ever heard. An entire suburban town disappearing behind an impenetrable veil, a supernatural tragedy called the Velkwood Vicinity. Everyone’s got their elaborate theories but ultimately this is something that no scientist or occult theorist can explain. Going further than a standard haunted house book, imagine an entire street of 8 houses affected by this cosmic supernatural event and all the people in it turned to ghosts. There are only three survivors, the three exceptions to the impassable veil. Talithia, one of the three, always had the option that there was no one behind the veil and everyone is dead and gone. But, after seeing what she thinks is her sister’s face through the window in a photograph of her house, agrees to go back for answers.

I had so many questions going into this. Is it a science experiment gone wrong, or is it paranormal? Are the people behind the veil ghosts or still alive? What caused the event and why were those three girls allowed to leave? At only 250 pages, this book doesn’t waste any time and jumps right to it. It’s also so compulsively readable and the mystery so enticing that you can’t put it down, not even at the beginning of the book (and books don’t usually get to the, I can’t put it down, level until you’re at the end when the action finally happens). This book is the opposite of a slow burn which is just how I like it. I don’t have the attention span for a slow burn. I had to resist skipping to the end to find out the explanation behind it all, and that’s the sign of a good book.

After so many horror and thriller novels with the same overdone tropes, this was so refreshing. We are at the point where everything has been done so it is hard to come up with a new concept, but Gwendolyn Kist managed to pull together something original. I started this at like 10 at night and was too tired to finish this all in one sitting like I wanted to, so I woke up the next morning thinking about how I couldn’t wait to finish it. You know it’s a good concept when that happens, because the mystery is just too good and you can’t wait for answers!

This book went by soooo fast and didn’t drag at all. Little bits of information get dropped pretty early on and you quickly learn that Talithia is a not so reliable narrator and knows more than she’s letting up. The best part was definitely the ending; I loved it!

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review.