I did not expect it to be this emotional when I got approved by Netgalley to get early access to this title. This was not just a horror story — it is a story with a big beating heart.

The four women of this story — Talitha, Brett, Grace and Enid — are all very relatable in their own ways. I love how the story makes us care for them, thereby making the story even more complex and nuanced. Deserves all the stars.

It's a story of haunting and ghosts that will touch your heart in more ways than one.

Talitha can never go home. Her neighborhood disappeared when she was in college and has been haunting her ever since. After she's approached by a paranormal investigator, she finds herself drawn back to her street and the ghosts that never left. I really liked the premise of this book. I thought it would be more like Skinamarink, liminal spaces, etc. but it was actually just a metaphor that was maybe too on the nose for me.

The Haunting of Velkwood is a unique ghost story! A mix of gothic, supernatural vibes but in a suburb. I really enjoyed that the haunting part was just a suburban street 😂 growing up in the burbs has its own horrors. This one reminded me of a very spooky Area X situation from Annihilation! I loved all the themes explored in it this one and highly recommend if you're looking for a very unique, and emotional ghost story. I do wish it was a little longer- the ending felt a bit rushed for me but overall it was great! 4.5

Thanks, netgalley for this arc!

This book dives deep into the feeling of grief and how people deal with their grief. Characters in the story all dealt with their grief in different ways, ultimately accepting their grief or living in it. The themes are heavy and emotional and will have you in your feels. The idea and plot are original and keeps your attention. Story is fast paced and packed with tension. I needed to know how the story finished and I was satisfied.

Kiste's Velkwood meets Stephen King's "The Dome"!! If you don't want to sleep tonight, start reading this book! From page one until the very end Kiste will keep you on the edge of your seat and, honestly, it's the best horror book I've read this year!!!

Three survivors of a tragedy return to their hometown to face the ghosts of their past. The (now) otherworldly town of Velkwood can only be visited by Talitha, her friends Grace and long time on again/off again lover Brett, who deal with a violent episode from their teen years while they’re monitored by a team of paranormal researchers.

Kiste always brings something fresh to ghost stories (just check out her 2017 novella PRETTY MARYS ALL IN A ROW), this time introducing us to spirits who themselves are haunted not only by their history but by their own neighborhood. Even stranger, these are ghosts who might not truly be dead. Dark malevolent presences are around every corner and enhance the phantasmagorical feel of this incredibly dark, surreal, but hopeful ride.

Those tired of standard ghost tales are in for a treat in Kiste’s take on loss, grief, and finding the strength to move forward.

Literary horror that reads like a speculative episode of twilight zone AND ghost hunters? Sign me up!

First, I’d like to thank Netgalley for the opportunity to read this arc. It is one of my most anticipated reads for 2024. This author is new to me, and after this I will definitely put her work higher on my tbr.

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…..

_The Haunting of Velkwood_ by Gwendolyn Kiste is engrossing, character-centered, and dark. Talitha Velkwood and best friends Brett and Grace are the sole survivors of a paranormal tragedy that claimed their childhood neighborhood and those living there. They also are the only ones who can return to their home, and after twenty years, they must return to face their pasts and their secrets to save their loved ones and themselves. This read had me engrossed from the beginning.

This is a story of Talithia Velkwood who carries her fear and childhood trauma where ever she goes. It has influenced all of her decisions personal and professional. She has no close friends, leaving behind her Brett and Grace: two women who share much of the same experiences as she. Reluctantly, she agrees to return to Velkwood Vacinity (named after her family): a neighborhood that disappeared, people and all. Can this be the opportunity to confront her past and finally move on? Is it possible to make amends to those you’ve lost? Or, as Thomas Wolfe stated, can you never go home again?

Gwendolyne Kiste—a three-time Bram Stoker Award winner—creates an interesting premise: a ghost town filled with ghosts that only allows Talitha, Brett, and Grace to enter. The more they stay there, the more they feel the pull to stay; the ghosts needing them as much as they may need them. If they are able to confront what occurred to them twenty years ago, will it be a freeing experience, or will it suck them in, to replay the same day forever?

It is obvious that this is a story about confronting the ghosts of the past. Kiste reminds the reader often about the parallels between the women and the neighborhood; both stuck and stewing in their own juices. This reiteration was the one aspect of the book that I found to be tedious. Otherwise, it is a good—and short—book to read.

I would like to thank NetGalley and S&S/Saga Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Not your average haunting. Such a cool take on the haunting story mixed with a Twilight zone-esque twist.

I read Reluctant Immortals earlier in the year and really enjoyed the author’s take on two classic horror characters.

Gwendolyn Kiste is an author to watch, I think. She is trying different things while remaining true to the genre.

I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for something a little unique! Thanks to NetGalley and Gwendolyn Kiste for the opportunity to read it. I have written this review voluntarily.

In Gwendolyn Kiste's chilling "The Haunting of Velkwood," whispers of the past creep through the cracks of the present, leaving a trail of unsettling truths. The Velkwood Vicinity, a once-ordinary suburban cul-de-sac, now stands shrouded in silence, its inhabitants forever trapped as ghostly echoes of their former lives. Twenty years ago, Talitha Velkwood, along with her two childhood friends, inexplicably escaped the nightmarish fate that engulfed their town. Now, haunted by memory and an overwhelming sense of loss, Talitha finds herself drawn back to the site of the tragedy, lured by the promise of answers and a chance to finally confront the demons of the place she once called home. You can't hold on to the past...but what if the past is holding on to you? Don't expect much in the way of answers or even a satisfactory sense of catharsis; that was not the path this author chose to take, and maybe that was the point-- and if so, I think that makes me love it even more.

3.5 rounded up There was a lot packed into this quick read: family secrets, violence, forbidden love, betrayal. These were all wrapped up in a unique, yet somehow fitting plot. Eerie!

This book came in hot with comparisons to Yellowjackets and The Virgin Suicides, the kind of "for fans of" that feels almost TOO targeted to me specifically. Unfortunately this is one of those dangerous "for fans of Gone Girl" tactics that can raise expectations higher than is reasonable.

Here we have another entry in the canon of books I've been reading lately with a main character who is queer, traumatized, still down bad for a high school girlfriend (TWO decades later this time), from the lousiest small town ever, and...drifting through life without much going on. (Man, us millennial queers still have some issues from growing up in the nineties, huh?) This book had an unusual premise that resulted in some enjoyably atmospheric scenes, but suffered from a world that just felt too small. I get that the MC cares about very little, but it was annoying that the nature of the research taking place wasn't really delved into, and it was straight up galling the way she kept referring to "the researchers" as this sort of blurred mass of people none of whom (other than Jack) got even the basic dignity of a name. Like girl, even if you don't find it interesting, I do! What the heck!

There was rich potential in this concept, but it's hard to really delve into it with a main character who feels so whatever about pretty much everything. Everyone should have just left the town alone and gotten therapy.

My thanks to Saga Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

The Haunting of Velkwood by Gwendolyn Kiste is an interesting take on the classic ghost story except this time the ghosts may or may not be dead. twenty years ago, the events of one tragic night changed the lives of three girls forever and left a neighborhood adrift and in limbo, not quite living, yet not quite dead. how would one deal with the consequences of one reckless night and how could you face your demons again? for the last twenty years, Talitha has been living her life in limbo, unable to move forward and weighed down by regret. when a paranormal researcher offers her easy money, she decides to revisit her past.
i really enjoyed this one. the story moved quickly and never lagged or took itself too seriously. the atmosphere was suitably creepy and the characters were well written.
to sum up:
highly recommended
4 1/2 stars out of 5

What happens if you aren't seen for who you really are? Could it make you disappear? Could it make a whole neighborhood disappear?The Haunting of Velkwood is one of the most unique horror books I've ever read. The focus on female friendships is great for fans of My Best Friends' Exorcism and Yellowjackets but the horror is existential in a way that is hard to describe. I finished this novel several weeks ago and it has stayed with me quite vividly. Will be recommending to many people!

The Haunting of Velkwood is a fun, heart wrenching horror that focuses on the way trauma and family haunts us for the rest of our lives.
It's so compelling and almost impossible to put down-- I finished it in an afternoon!-- and it was so, so good. The mystery of the ghost neighborhood-- what happened and why it happened-- was unique and was such a good metaphor for the way our childhood traumas haunt us for the rest of our lives.
I also liked the ending! I was so happy with Talitha's choice, it was bittersweet but showed great personal growth.
I recommend!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.25/5

This was a really emotional and haunting story. I don't remember the last time I almost cried reading a book before this.

The haunting/ghosts in this book manifest in a fairly unique way. Although they are sort of a metaphor for the traumas/past clinging on, they still have sort of a magical quality to them.

If you're familiar with this type of story, some of the plot points can come off as a bit predictable, but the story still managed to pack a fair amount of surprises. Despite the predictability at times, the plot was still handled deftly and was steeped with emotion.

At the core of the story, lay the themes of the traumas of girlhood, how society fails to protect them, and how that lingers on at the edges of women's lives. The heart of the story is also a heartbreaking love story which I think will stay with me for a while. As a big fan of Yellowjackets, who was fairly disappointed with season 2, this story executes the themes in the way I wish Yellowjackets would have.

The book has a fairly small cast, but the characters are memorable and well-written. Brett deserves the world and her relationship with Tabitha was a highlight. I also really liked Enid and Sophie. I did wish Grace was expanded on a fair bit more and I didn't think Jack needed as much focus as he got, but I appreciated them as well.

Overall, The Haunting of Velkwood is heart heart-wrenching piece of horror and paranormal fiction. If you're a fan of Yellowjackets, emotional horror, or haunting queer love stories, I'd highly recommend picking this up.

What a great book! Women coming together to face a traumatic event from their past.

I just reviewed The Haunting of Velkwood by Gwendolyn Kiste. #HauntingOfVelkwood #NetGalley

From the moment the book opens with Talitha Velkwood meeting the man who would eventually take her home to the ghosts of her past, you will get sucked into a ghost story unlike any other.

20ish years ago, the Velkwood Vicinity came to be the mystery that it is today. A whole street of houses gone behind a mysterious veil that would push you away if you tried to get too close. After years of refusing to go back, Talitha Velkwood goes back to the street named after her family to face the ghosts who have been there all along. A picture of her house within this haunted street convinced her to go when she saw her baby sister in the window. But where the people still there? Was this a place stuck in time or were they all truly dead but not gone?

This book is hands down the best Ghost story I have read in years. The character development is top notch and being around the same age of the characters makes it that much more relatable when the discussions of social climates of the past are discussed. Definitely a must read for the year

Classifying this as a ghost story is a misnomer. It’s more about the past haunting three childhood friends. It’s a slow repetitive read that never fully grabbed my attention or forced me to care.