Horrifying and very strange. Mysterious and weird. I highly recommend this book for genre fans looking for something way out of the ordinary.

I received an eARC of this book and sadly it was a DNF for me. I got to about 30% and gave up I was so bored. I was intrigued initially because it was compared to the last of us, but from what little I understood the book focus is more on the mind of the disease which makes the writing weird and hard to read.

This book is for everyone who loves an extremely weird story, oftentimes creepy, and loves birds!

"Come with us. If you want to stay, you have to die."

The author blended a few genres here — the story is something between science fiction and fantasy, somewhat a mystery, and a lighter horror. I would definitely classify it as dystopian as well. The unique premise is the selling point of this story. However, I thought it was going to be bizarre and complex, but I ended up feeling unimpressed. I loved the exploration of community decline after some kind of an epidemic happens, how different characters reacted differently, how some type of a cult formed. Some actions were pretty disturbing, some scenes grotesque.
Also, I must admit I skimmed some parts. Birdwatching takes up a lot of the story and, while interesting, it was a bit too much for me. I didn't care for so many descriptions of different birds and eventually started ignoring them as they added little to the plot. The characters were fine but not really memorable, and the overall writing style was okay. Didn't impress me but this is a debut book so I kept that in mind! Although I appreciate the message behind the story, I wasn't entirely satisfied with the ending either.

Overall, it's an interesting story that would probably appeal to bird lovers and those who love experimenting with their reads, but I wouldn't recommend this to every reader!

Thank you for the ARC. No spoilers ahead. This was definitely an interesting and different read. There is a lot of talk of birds, a little too much for me but someone into birding would likely find it entertaining. I found myself getting a bit lost in the descriptions of the birds but it had the interesting effect of causing a feeling of disorientation. I would be deep into trying to picture these birds and then was suddenly reading very creepy passages (I won’t spoil!). The book has a very eerie and disturbing feel to it that kept me going. I definitely liked it for how different it was and the thriller/horror vibe. A solid read.

The idea of this story is better than the reality of this story. It had an interesting start as multiple character POVs were introduced, but at some point it got tedious trying to figure out which POV I was reading.

Long story short, I skipped my way through the chapters and read the ending. I'm definitely okay with my decision to abandon this one.

I received a digital ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

An intriguing premise that got lost in the soup. Ultimately boring, unfulfilling, and not really what I would classify as horror.

This book has a definitely creepy set up but the execution ends up making the whole thing a bit muddled. So much time is spent on describing things in minute detail that any suspenseful or scary elements are lost in the minutiae.

The blurb is giving M. Night Shyamalan's theatrical vibes mixed with Under The Dome by Stephen King. The blurb was just so damn good and everything I want in a speculative horror novel. Unfortunately, I don't feel like Belardes delivered on that.

The book is very disjointed, as many other reviewers have said. I wish I had listened to them before requesting this book on Netgalley. There's a lot going on but nothing going on at the same time. I really, really wanted to love this and maybe I set the bar too high prior to reading the ARC, but it fell so flat of my expectations that I nearly screamed.

I'll be totally honest, I couldn't get into this book. To be fair, horror isn't typically my genre, but this one sounding too intriguing to pass up. I really wanted to like it; the initial atmosphere setup was great, and I was really into the idea of the eco-horror, especially something coming from the ocean (because I am truly terrified of the ocean). But there was just too much going on; too many POV shifts without any real clarity, too many different topics trying to be covered...it's described as being similar to The Last of Us, which I loved because of the human survival stories, and I was hoping that's what I would be getting with this book. I didn't feel it at all. This might be someone's cup of tea, but unfortunately it's not mine.

You'll want to stare into the void and never look back after reading this gorgeously written eco-horror book.

Deading started as a social media trend where teens pretended to be 💀, eyes open, in random places like elevators, sidewalks, etc. However, when an entire town starts doing it, something is clearly wrong.

😱 "Mr. Christiano on the ground shoots staples into his stomach, then chest, horror glazing his eyes." 😱

I love the POV shifts between characters who are flawed, but ultimately trying their best. We have teenage brothers who are struggling with their Mexican identity in a small American town. We have an older Japanese woman who views this eco catastrophe in a very different way.

🏺My favorite POV is a Greek choir of goth teens. I wanted to join them! If I read this book as a teen this would have been my whole personality.

🖤"We told the adults that we were talking something new, something serious, something so dark & filled with ritual that all of us could be the influencers of a new death, a new future."🖤

I love the intersection of eco-horror, sci-fi, and fantasy here. The gorgeous prose elevated this book in a way that had me staring into the void throughout.

DNF @ 46%

I feel like I have absolutely no idea what’s going on in this book. It’s all over the place.

There is an excess of descriptions and pretty much no horror. I’m almost halfway through the book and it’s mostly been internal monologue by characters they keep getting thrown in.

None of these characters felt memorable, the plot kept disappearing, and setting would have been incredible if it was given some more attention that wasn’t about the bird population.

This was a strange book. Unsettling and kind of like a fever dream, but the writing was solid enough to not make it confusing, even if I did not quite know what was going on half the time.

I can see that novel won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I can also see why some people would really love this. I really liked how unsettling it is and how quickly the community unravels. I liked spending time with the various characters and really feeling like I was in some of their heads, whilst others kept me at a distance. I found it compelling and it kept my attention.

I do think the vagueness did not work across the board and I felt like I did want a bit more explanation, especially at the end. The last 50 pages were just a bit all over the place.

I have to admit this is not quite my type of book, but it did not push things too far for me and overall it kept me reading. If the synopsis sounds interesting to you, it is definitely worth reading.

The Deading is a apocalyptic/dystopian eco-horror that begins in a small sea side town when a species of snails invade. This novels starts off very odd making reference to a social media craze called "Deading". It is like the tide pod challenge but more disturbing (if that is at all possible). So I am not going to give more of the plot away but I just need that bit to show how wackadoodle the premise is. The novel was a rollercoaster for me. I was confused, scared, annoyed, flabbergasted, and frustrated. I wasn't sure we're it was headed. There were so many characters that gave me slight whiplash. However, in the end it really came together. The writing was well done, although threw me a little off kilter at times. Characters were engaging and although there were a number of the they didn't hinder things too much. I would recommend to someone looking for something different in the eco-horror subgenre. ✨3 stars.

The Deading has all the ingredients for a chilling horror: a small community, an inexplicable contagion, and full quarantine--no communication, no contact, no access at all to the outside world. The setting is a coastal town in central California, and the story starts with a gripping account of a social media trend where teens pretended to die that took place long before the adults and even the animals started pretending to drop dead. It then jumps to a local oyster farmer, who has unfortunately discovered a snail in his harvest ...

While a lot of the elements in this story seemed right up my alley, the blend of so many without any concrete explanations ended up falling a bit off the mark for me. I loved the ornithology throughout, and felt that these observations helped weave in all the unnatural happenings seamlessly. I appreciated some of the POV changes, but didn't understand why certain ones were necessary, and at some points it jarred me from the story. However, I think this very much is just a case of not every book will be for every reader. If you enjoy a good nature-takes-back, eerie story, give it a shot!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy for review.

The Deading by Nicholas Belardes #dnf #arc #thedeading

CW: death

In a small fishing town known for its aging birding community and the local oyster farm, a hidden evil emerges from the depths of the ocean. It begins with sea snails washing ashore, attacking whatever they cling to. This mysterious infection starts transforming the wildlife, the seascapes, and finally, the people.

Okay, I couldn’t finish this one. I got 62% into it when I gave up. Life is too short. I was expecting something like Mexican Gothic meets The Birds but this was not that. It was a very slow read, very little plot to speak of, and I didn’t care about a single character. And one of the characters is basically the dead essence of a man who was killed in the first chapter. Sounds kind of interesting but the execution was really lacking. I did think the parts about the bird watching were fun but this not the horror book it was marketed as. The cover, however, is fantastic.

Thank you to @erewhonbooks and @netgalley for the advance copy. (pub date 7/23/24)

I didn't like this. One of the strangest spacings I've seen in a book. Beginning was really slow and we got mostly some birds facts instead of plot. After the middle part things just start to happen really fast and by the end I just wanted it to be over. Had an interesting concept and ideas, but sadly I didn't really enjoy any of what the author did with them.

At least the books cover art is gorgeous so kudos to the designer.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the eARC of this title!**

While I really enjoyed the writing of this one and saw a lot of things that made me want to pick this author up again - the story was too difficult to connect with. I got Jeff Vandermeer vibes from The Deading (which is a huge compliment) and enjoyed the ~weird~ and horror elements of this one. I especially enjoyed the snails and the marine descriptions,

I lost interest during the 30 pages on birds and birding. Unless you are really, REALLY into birds - you will find yourself skimming this one pretty early on. I also found myself skimming the chapters that were told from the perspective of "the sea."

I really do see a lot of stuff in Belardes' writing that I love - this one just seemed to do too much too fast without every attempting to connect with the reader. I think SUPER fans of Jeff Vandermeer will really enjoy this book, and encourage those that love weird fiction and horror to check it out for themselves!

OK.........!!!!! One of the most cool books that i've ever read! I love it and i'd like to read more from the author!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Something strange is washing up on the shore of Baywood, a small beach town in Southern California. First, the snails, then the wildlife, then people are infected with a strange illness. What started as a viral trend by the students, “deading,” becomes an epidemic among the population, one that demands assimilation. The Deading follows the story of several survivors of Baywood as they try to navigate what is quickly becoming a terrifying ordeal.

In many ways, The Deading is a dense novel that involves the point of view of several, sometimes groups of characters, many of whom have their own writing style (some are in third person limited, one is first person, and some seem to be something between third person omniscient and limited). The constant switching made it hard for me to truly comprehend what was going on. There were several themes I only knew to pick out because they were specifically mentioned in the Author’s Note before the novel. Ultimately, I feel like The Deading was trying to do too many things at once, which muddled what Belardes was trying to say.

However, what does shine through is Belardes’ genuine love of nature and his concerns about climate change. Every POV character has their own well-developed motivations and despite the over-arching confusion on my end, I enjoyed the perspective from each character greatly.

Overall, while in my opinion, The Deading is somewhat of a challenging read, I still think it’s worth the time. If you enjoy Into the Drowning Deep, creature features, climate horror, or Hot Topic, this is a novel you may want to pick up.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

It wasn't so much what this book was about, but the writing style that failed to engage me. It was written in somewhat of a train-of-thought and I have never been able to click with that type of book. I found it incredibly difficult to differentiate the characters from one another, and if you were to ask me to list a distinguishing characteristics of any of them, I would fail to do so. Now I love descriptive books as much as the next person, but there are only so many times I can read a dozen species of birds when I begin to drift. It felt like an educational book on ecology at points rather than a work of fiction. I tend to really enjoy eco-horror and was looking forward to something reminiscent of the comped titles that were shown (specifically, 'The Last of Us'. While I could hint at the similarities, and there were bits of potential (especially during the first snail attack), they were too few and far between. Overall, this book just didn't click with me, although I could see it's target audience loving it.