Creepy mystery in the woods! The description reminded me of Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer, but more readable and creepy. Good for people who like a supernatural bent to their mystery.

This creepy story was an original and modern haunting. When an entire neighborhood turns into a literal "ghost town" overnight, the world is shaken. It becomes an anomaly and there are many that rush to study it in hope of figuring out the cause. The other fascination to many is the three girls from the neighborhood that survived the cruel fate. They were all away at college when it happened and were spared but they are still haunted - - in a different way.

Talitha is one of the girls who was safely left behind when her neighborhood became a town of ghosts. She has lived her life in limbo since it happened. The guilt of leaving her sister behind with her mother in that town has eaten away at her day by day. When she's given an opportunity to return to the town via an investigator, she's forty years old and feels that her life needs resolution. To find that, she knows she has to go back. She also has to make peace with the the other two girls who were left as well but she hasn't been in touch with those two friends for years.

This was an inventive tale of family strife, personal struggles, coming of age, abuse, and more - - and it was all wrapped together in a blanket of creepiness that was a ghostly neighborhood. Told in alternating timelines with flashbacks to the past, the purpose of this book was to try to explain the events that happened to lead up to the night everything changed. There was a lot of heartbreak for these young women beforehand but it didn't end when the neighborhood changed, it just evolved.

Thank you to NetGalley for this early copy.

This review was actually a 4.5 star.

Talitha grew up on a street that one day, just disappeared. The street is known to keep people out that it doesn't want there, everyone but three girls: Talitha, Brett, and Grace. When a ghost researcher approaches Talitha and asks her to go back she can't say no, desperate to see whether her younger sister, Sophie is alive. But some things are better left in the past.

I loved this book. Each chapter, something interesting happened at the end that kept you wanting to read. It was a really hard book to put down. I loved the idea behind the street. It seemed sort of like "Annihilation" where there is a glimmer surrounding it and inside it, everything is different than the outside world.

I also really liked the character development as. we slowly learn more about Talitha and Brett's friendship. I all over, just absolutely loved this book! It was a great read and I think everyone would enjoy it although it is probably more tailored to people that like sci-fi, mystery, or ghost stories (although it isn't scary).

I enjoyed so much of this novel. The plot, the characters, the prose. But the ending fell apart for me. I felt that the neighborhood should have never had that sudden turn toward redemption. They didn’t deserve it, and it lessened the power Talitha and Brett and Grace had been working toward finally having the whole book. And then to have Talitha almost stay? After fighting for Brett for so long? It felt dishonest to her as a character and to me as the reader invested in her.

And I wanted more of Enid. Why was she willing to do all that she did for this trio of girls who never truly included her? Some light developmental editing on the back end would have pushed this toward five star territory for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Saga Press as well as the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
#NetGalley #SagaPress #HauntingofVelkwood #GwendolynKiste

Title: The Haunting Of Velkwood
Author: Gwendolyn Kiste
Publisher:Saga Press
Publication Date: March 5, 2024

Themes: family drama, gothic fiction, paranormal, LGBTQ, supernatural horror, black sheep, character driven

Trigger Warnings: family loss, ghosts and hauntings,

This was a different one! I have to say that it took me a while to write this review because I couldn’t figure out exactly what to say. This is a modern ghost story…kind of. This book tells the story of a single, suburban neighborhood that, one night, suddenly all become ghosts. Out of sheer luck, Talitha and her four friends leave for college the night before, which saves them from the same fate. Since that night, every paranormal tv show and publication wants to interview Talitha and her four friends. Finally, one day, Talitha agrees to go back to her childhood home. What follows is..interesting.

This wasn’t exactly an easy book to read. It was short but it took me longer than normal. The writing was beautiful and lyrical and I found myself wanting to linger over the prose so as to absorb it and not miss a thing. A very enjoyable process but not a quick one. In addition to being lyrical, this story was creepy! Why is American suburbia so creepy? I honestly don’t know. Maybe because of the weird uniformity? Who knows but it is. This author has captured that creepiness perfectly. I can’t wait to read more from her.

I do wish there had been a little less ambiguity and some more straightforward story-telling in some parts.

This was a very unique story and beautifully written! I highly recommend this one. I’m off to read Ms. Kiste’s other books

I was hoping to love this one but ended up liking it. The idea of an entire neighborhood disappearing entirely and only the 3 girls who lived there being the only ones able to enter the area was original and interesting. There were a couple creepy moments especially when Tabitha first entered Velkwood on her own. The book was interesting but even though it was short it did drag in a few places. Personally think the relationship between Brett and Talitha was well done and Talitha’s torture over her sister was meaningful. By the end though I still didn’t really understand the how/what happened to their neighborhood though we do find out who and why.

Overall it was an ok read. Thanks to the author and Saga Press for the e-arc I received via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I love Gwendolyn Kiste for the way she portrays her characters and the complexity of their personal relationships. The Haunting of Velkwood drew me in with the mystery of this ghost town and stood out in the ways it uses the haunting to unravel the layers of a traumatic past the characters would rather forget. Throughout the story, Kriste captures the wedge that denial, trauma, and poor coping puts between this group of friends as they struggle to process the events that occured on the day their town and families vanishes from the land of the living. But just as their survival was dependent on unity when they were kids, the only way to put their ghosts to rest is to confront their past together.

ARC received from NetGalley.

This was an entertaining story. I didn’t want to stop reading because I had to know what was going on. Some creepy elements mixed in with mystery and emotional moments made for a great read.

Talitha Velkwood and her two friends Brett and Grace left for college. They had gone home for spring break. That was twenty years ago. To their surprise, they were notified that something has happened. They did know that they had escaped a phenomenon that had the tabloids fascinated. Paranormal investigators were stumped. All of the residents on their street “ghosted.” The eight houses had not “ghosted” prevented by a boundary that no one could cross. Talitha wanders aimlessly through life, haunted by what she left behind. Why? What did she leave behind? Talitha gets invited by another paranormal investigator offers her the chance to revisit her home and possibly get the answer to what happened to the Velkwood Vicinity ( as is known as) . Talitha agrees but realizes that she face up to spectres of her past.

The author as written a unique 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. It is also about friendship and courage. It is an excellent horror story.

This book was completely unexpected. It drew me in from the very beginning wanting to know just how an entire street could go missing right after three girls left. Was this some Twilight Zone scene where the street disappears into another dimension? I had to know.

The author left little breadcrumbs all throughout the book that kept me following down this path to Velkwood. The ending was completely unexpected.

I enjoyed this book. I gifted it to one of my followers on Instagram. We're also going to be reading this as part of our book club chat for April. There will definitely be a lot to talk about.

I haven’t read enough books in this specific genre to compare, but it did remind me of gothic fantasy in a modern setting. It was giving me a little bit of Starling House, The Others, maybe even WandaVision? I have yet to see Yellowjackets, but it apparently matches the vibe.

TW: Evidence/references to parental abuse that happens off page, homophobia, lots of millipedes

We follow our main character, Talitha, as she is pulled back to her mysterious and haunted past. Memories of loved ones, untrustworthy neighbors, and secrets come to light. I loved the way the story slowly unfolds as you learn more about what happened, and why her childhood home is…definitely not normal anymore. The story goes so much deeper than ghosts and mystery- it examines the harm that can be done by small mindedness, manipulation, and silence.

I’m still trying to decide how I feel about the ending/explanation. I don’t want to say more in case of spoilers! But I thought the journey was really good and bingeable. It’s short too! I managed to borrow the audiobook to alternate with the E-book, and I thought the narrator was great.

I want to thank NetGalley and Saga Press for giving me access to this novel's e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Haunting of Velkwood is my first introduction to Gwendolyn Kiste. I honestly had no idea what to expect. I love to jump into a book with as little information as possible. So that’s what I did, and oh, did it get wonderfully weird.

The Haunting of Velkwood is a character-driven, genre-bending ghost story that will have you thinking about it long after you close the book for the final time. It has elements of supernatural suspense, science fiction, and, of course, horror. Not every author can pull off such a feat. Luckily, Gwendolyn Kirste almost does flawlessly.

The main protagonist and supporting characters are very likable. As the story unfolds, the common themes of surviving childhood trauma, finding a sense of belonging, and grief are present.

Talitha and her friends survived a supernatural event that killed everyone in her childhood neighborhood, Velkwood Vicinity, except them. She swears never to go back. A gentleman named Jack approaches her and convinces her to return for research. She ends up going back, and all the internal conflicts play out. I am trying to keep this spoiler-free, so if you like ghost stories, you know what to do.

This is a 4-star review, not a 5-star because some things were left unanswered. I hate that. Rio Youers destroyed me for a few weeks by leaving things open-ended in Westlake Soul. There was also a bit of repetition, and sometimes, the flow of the story hit a bump due to rough writing. Not very often, though! This is a solid 4 stars, and I enjoyed it, even with my minor gripes.

This book CRUSHED ME but in all the right ways. A strange and unique take on processing childhood trauma - an entirely unique experience with “Annihilation” trippy-vibes and characters you can’t help but love. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would gladly pick up this author again!

Gorgeous horror that brought me to tears so many times. Deserves a read by any and everyone who likes horror. Tysm for arc

The Haunting of Velkwood was a unique story where an entire neighborhood disappears and only people who lived there can enter but with lasting consequences. I found the story interesting and the characters well developed. There were a few plot holes I would like to have tied up better but overall an enjoyable story.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

The Haunting of Velkwood, by Gwendolyn Kiste, is not my typical genre as I am a very niche reader of fantasy and science fiction. When this book was offered for review from Saga Press, I was intrigued since horror would be new to me. It was not a long book and the description sounded good, so I thought I would give it a try. I can honestly say that I did not know what to expect from a horror novel, since the only one I read was Stephen King’s The Stand over 30 years ago. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It was eerie, at times depressing, unique, and it kept me guessing as to what would happen right to the end.

The story centers around Talitha Velkwood, who, along with her friends Brett and Grace, fled the street they lived on twenty years prior. They left to return to college, but clearly something had happened that caused them to leave so abruptly. Not long after, they received a call telling them the street was gone. It was shrouded in mist, and no one could enter, as the area actively repelled them. It was re-named Velkwood, and it was assumed no one left had survived. Refusing to return, the three friends drifted apart over the years. The area would only allow the three women to enter, and Grace was the only one to return. When she came out, she was clearly changed, moved away, and became a recluse.

Over the years, Talitha graduated college, but the trauma and the past never let go. She went through a series of jobs, and we ultimately meet her in a run-down neighborhood, living in a run-down apartment doing odd jobs. Brett moved on and became a successful businesswoman, transforming empty buildings into usable space. If the past haunted her, she never showed it.

When a paranormal researcher approaches Talitha to go back, she reluctantly agrees. She returns to her past, frozen in time from 20 years ago. The ghosts are there, she can see them all, and she finds her little sister. However, they cannot see her, save for one person. Enid was the strange girl on the block. A girl with some sort of power, the source of which is never revealed.

The story takes Talitha into a past she was never able to forget. A past full of pain and anger, and a place she never wanted to live. To a judgmental mother and nosy neighbors. Eventually, Brett does join her, and she, too, returns to an abusive past she would rather forget.

As they walk the street of Velkwood, the reader becomes immersed with both women in this eerie place. Ms. Kiste created a story that pulls you into not only their lives, but the lives of the people of Velkwood. You can feel time disappear as they cross the boundary into the street that no longer exists outside this bubble. Who will they encounter? What will they be shown? If they enter, can they ever leave? There are so many questions as the story progresses, and they are all answered. The excellence of the writing is the way Velkwood draws the reader to it, just as it does Talitha and Grace. We feel the creepy way the “people” are stuck in a time loop of 20 years ago and there is a strangeness to the land the houses were built on. It was eight houses of a planned development, so they know who everyone is and what they were doing. The street makes the reader wary of what is behind the closed doors and what will the women find of the family they left behind. It was both creepy and suspenseful. I had to keep reading to find out the secrets of Velkwood and how it intertwined with the lives of Talitha, Brett, and Grace.

The characters were very well fleshed out. We can feel the despair and hopelessness in Talitha when we first meet her. As the story progresses, she is constantly drawn to Velkwood in hopes of saving everyone, especially her little sister. She is steadfast in this hope, and draws Brett back to help her. Both women are intertwined in unexpected ways, and their fractured relationship is very complex. Enid is essential to the story as well, and even though she has some mysterious power which seems tied to Velkwood, what exactly she is the reader does not truly fond out. It only adds to overall strangeness and atmosphere Ms. Kiste created. I loved how she kept us in suspense of everything until the end. It made me keep reading because I wanted to hope right along with Talitha. When she went to Velkwood, I also wanted her to get out because it was haunting and gave off a sense of hopelessness, which I clearly felt as well.

The setting was chilling and well done. The pacing was perfect for the length of the book. The mist shrouding the street did let people see it, almost like a mirage, but would not let them in. It was only Talitha, Brett, and Grace that could pass through the veil to Velkwood. Every time they entered, it was a different part of the street, and different time of day than outside. If it were daytime going through, it could be nighttime when they arrived. Time passed differently as well, which was another added layer of complexity to the world Ms. Kiste created. I would highly recommend The Haunting of Velkwood to all readers. If you normally do not read horror as I did, I think you will find that it is a very enjoyable read, and the length is a perfect introduction to the genre.

Thank you to Saga Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, for the free copy for review

DNF at 50%
I was really looking forward to checking out this book, and ultimately I found myself to be very disappointed. I felt like the writing was really boring and despite the short length, it simultaneously felt like it was dragging so slow with little intrigue, but also the plot felt rushed at the same time. I struggled to find myself invested with any of the characters.

I don't really read horror or sci-fi and The Haunting of Velkwood definitely has aspects of both in it. Ultimately, for me it is more about the relationships in between the characters that captured me and kept me reading. After reading the novel as well, the title definitely has 2 meanings.

Even though it was out of my normal reading realm, I really enjoyed it. It is more creepy than true horror and reminded me a bit of the 80s movie Poltergeist.

Thank you to Saga Press for sending me an e-ARC of The Haunting of Velkwood!

Everything Gwendolyn Kiste writes is written so beautifully. I love that with every word she puts on page, a dark atmosphere is painted & you get washed with a feeling of grief.

The Haunting of Velkwood may be a haunting story, but not necessarily in the way that invokes fear. Sure, the idea of an entire town being haunted & practically removed from the map taking its residents with it is scary but this one is much more than that. There’s grief, there’s heartbreak & there’s even a love story.

I recommend everything Kiste writes & this one is no different.

(4.8 stars rounded up)

This is the second book I've read from Gwendolyn Kiste, and both books have had really interesting premises. In this one, a whole neighborhood disappears behind a nearly impenetrable veil that can only be crossed by the three women who escaped. Now, 20 years later, a researcher convinces the MC Talitha to return to her childhood home. Talitha and her friends Brett and Grace all left something behind the night they fled. In a way, all three are already haunted.

This is another book that "hurts so good." It was such an emotional and raw story. It deals with traumatic events in childhood, among other things. I appreciate that the author was able to include difficult topics in a way that wasn't gratuitous. This has to be one of the most unique haunting stories I've ever read. It's not just a house or one person who is haunted. It's a whole neighborhood.

I really liked the relationship between Talitha and Brett. It was layered and complex. So much about this book was heartbreaking. Definitely check trigger warnings on this one.

I enjoyed the sense of tension throughout the book as we slowly learn what happened to make the neighborhood disappear and why the three friends fled. I'm a sucker for a slow burn with amazing payoff and this delivered. The last few chapters, especially the climax of the story were some of my favorite parts of this book. One scene involving everyone in the Velkwood Vicinity was particularly powerful. I loved the way everything came together.

This is one of those books that stays with you. Despite having a lot of dark subject matter, the overall message was positive. You can't change the past, but you can overcome and move forward.

The ending was just right, in my opinion. I fell in love with the strange world that Kiste brought us into. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.

I'd recommend this to anyone, especially if you're looking for a different kind of ghost story. Or if you enjoy horror that has to do with childhood.

Thank you to Saga Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC for review.