I thought this book was a great read for me as a horror lover. Fast paced and easy to follow the storyline.
English is my second language and I did not find this hard for me to read.

I enjoyed the premise and thought it was super creative. I just wish there had been more detail into the past of the “burden” and just detail surrounding it in general. Definitely worth the read.

The characters are a huge strong point to this story. Each character is relatable in their own way, and everyone is distinct and developed. I wasn't in love with the suspenseful moments, but I was invested in the story even though I wasn't "scared" by the book. The pacing is good, but the suspense simply wasn't to my personal taste. Overall a good read that keeps you interested where you can connect with the characters.

This book is so many of my favorite things combined into one- an isolated woods/camping setting in cold weather, a creature feature and a bit of a mystery sprinkled on top. So this felt like the perfect fit for me. The pacing was great, there wasn't any time to get bored and things ramp up quickly. I absolutely loved the creature and action sequences- I ended up literally on the edge of my seat a few times!

I did have trouble with the large cast- it took me a very long time to sort out which father belonged to which son and that really frustrated me. Also, I'm not sure if I missed something, but this "secret" that the fathers carried- I'm not sure why that would lead to their particular deaths...without writing any spoilers, I just think that was a bit far fetched. Also I'm not quite sure why they didn't plan better and take care of the problem say over the summer? It just really seemed like a gaping plot hole to me.

That being said, I had a lot of fun with this read. Once I got the characters sorted, I really liked them and how much back story we got for each. This book tackles a lot of very real, very heavy topics as well as being a horror story. The ending was pleasantly surprising- it's not often in this genre that you get a tidy wrap up- good or bad.

I love me some wilderness horror. A group of childhood friends thrown back together because of a burden passed on from their fathers. And what a burden! Not only is this a great horror story, it also does a fantastic job showing the characters dealing with trauma, guilt and grief. This book is on the shorter side but it cuts right to the action and never looks back.

Could not put this book down!!! This is definitely a must read. The characters and world were perfectly written. Keep an eye on this author.

This book pulled me in right from the beginning. Well written characters, a fast paced storyline that I couldn't stop reading, an excellent ending and a monster in the woods. What more could I possibly ask for? It's books like this that remind me why I enjoy horror stories so much! This was my first William F. Gray book but it definitely won't be my last!
Thank you, NetGalley, for this ARC. I had a lot of fun with this one!

Unfortunately I didn't understand from simply reading the premise that this book was going to go down the "creature feature" horror path. I am not a fan of creature feature type books so this review is not one to guide those who do enjoy this horror sub genre. Overall I really enjoyed the beginning, and I didn't want to stop reading (hoping against hope this would lead another direction) so the fact that I finished this book speaks highly of how good of a creature feature horror novel this was so I would highly recommend for those who enjoy. For those who don't, just FYI, don't trust the brief description. Thank you to Netgalley, publishers and author for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for this honest review.

An excellent story of grief, horror, and closure.

The character development is top-notch. The world in which the characters are placed, is vivid and unforgiving.

I really enjoyed all parts of this story.

#NetGalley #OurFathersBurden

The topics of mental health and addiction were very interesting and well done and I thought the plot was great. I loved the idea of “passing the torch.” This is a good read for fans of wilderness horror, I read it in a sitting and had a pretty good time!

In general, I like this novel. It's definitely a solid "middle of the road" score for me, which isn't a bad thing. It was an easy read that started off really strong. If it had kept that initial strength, I may have rated it higher.

However, once it really got going and more about the mystery behind everything was revealed, it felt like it lost a little bit of steam for me. I found the characters and their development to be a little shallow and predictable, and the ending to the horrors to be just too abrupt, with it all tying up a little too neatly for me. Maybe I'm mean, but I like a little more mess and nastiness in my horror.

Overall, though, a decent read, especially if you're craving some woodsy horror

A peculiar stew of native american mythology/lore, with mental and emotional issues, mystery and horror. Gray serves it hot, by delving into deep themes of family legacies and hidden secrets. Proceed with caution if you are sensitive to grief and loss, family secrets and betrayal, supernatural horror.

"Our Fathers' Burden" is a gory, blood-filled feast of a novel, with lots of head-chomping, limb-flailing, body-slinging carnage, as a group of men face the beast in the woods that their daddies' tried to warn them about. Complete with a six-pack of audio cassette tapes, each personalized for the son.

Things would have turned out a lot differently if only they knew how to follow directions.

I enjoyed the different timelines portrayed within the novel, and the focus on mental illness, which is treated so negligently for men in the United States. Warning that there are lots of discussions about suicides in this book.

I didn't get the "green glow" (I was thinking wtf aliens? at one point), and would have preferred if this were not a wendigo story, because it didn't seem to have the native evil spirit atmosphere that makes these creatures of the woods so fearsome. But all in all, I enjoyed the story and will definitely pick up more books by this author!

Dark, creature feature, camping, terror, grief, trauma, I mean what more could you ask for! I’m not sure if I want to go camping any time soon lol! Such a great story! I am looking forward to reading more from this author!!

Okay. I liked it, I didn't think the story was going to go that way and I think that was what made me a lot of noise and didn't let me enjoy the story.

I think when I read the synopsis I considered that the story was going to go ANOTHER way and not because of this... I can't say it so as not to spoil it.

But let's just say I thought it was going to be a bit murkier in terms of murders and things like that. And not. Be careful, I'm not saying that what really happens is shady, but I thought it was a different kind of story.

The story is very well told and makes you want to start another chapter as soon as you finish one chapter to find out what is happening because it leaves you with thousands of questions and you want to know more and more. That enchanted me.

We have several points of view, we also have the audio from the cassettes. And we go between the present and the past, and a little of the future.

Entertaining, dark, ideal for a low-key suspense movie.

Thanks Wicked House Publishing and NetGalley for the arc.

Oh man, there are few things I like more than a creature horror set in the woods. Our Fathers' Burden has an intriguing premise, and I was curious to read to see if the story would veer into the cliche, or if it would deliver on a tried and true horror convention.
Fortunately, this story kept me engaged from page one. I enjoyed the themes of mental health, generational trauma and grief interwoven as a subplot throughout, and I enjoyed every stage of reading this book. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from William F. Gray and from Wicked House Publishing!

Disappointingly, Our Fathers’ Burden fails to deliver on its promising premise. It left me feeling underwhelmed and was ultimately boring to read. Despite the potential for suspense and intrigue surrounding the mysterious box and the revelation of long-held secrets, the plot falls flat and lacks the necessary depth to engage. While the characters were interesting development is somewhat shallow, and the pacing tends to drag, resulting in a tedious experience that fails to captivate. That said, the concept is interesting and may be perfect for others.

This book is being voluntarily reviewed after receiving a free copy courtesy of NetGalley, the Publisher, and William F. Gray.

Thank you to netgalley for the DRC to review. All thoughts are my own, and just because I read this for free I treat it as if I paid for the book.
Cabin in the woods meets Yellowjackets!

Our fathers burden has a fascinating premise:

A group of estranged childhood friends have one thing in common, their fathers’ are dead and whatever secret they held is now the burden of their sons. The problem is, none of the boys know why they weren’t told. All that remains is a cassette tape, a cabin, and resentment. But something dark lurks within the woods, and they aren’t sure if they’ll make it home alive…

This isn’t for the faint of heart. It gets grim from page one and opens on Harry mourning his father who recently passed. Grief and guilt plague him and those feelings, along with instructions and tapes left by Don his late father draw him to the woods. A cabin he went to every year with his friends. But life gets in the way. Life brings the boys on different paths, but one thing unites them their dead fathers.


One thing I couldn’t shake was I didn’t find any of them particularly likable, but for whatever reason I still found myself rooting for them to uncover their father’s secret. However, the tapes are integral to the plot but are only featured in a few chapters. It’s okay though because the fight scenes make it worth it. I don’t want to give the reveal away, but when I realized what lurked in the woods I felt genuine dread.
The plot is fast paced, I read it in one sitting.

I really liked this take. There are a few errors I saw in the tapes section where the perspective didn't stay consistent but other than that I really enjoyed this book!

This book held my interest throughout and of course I wanted to hear what was on the mysterious tapes. Very well written I finished it in about 2 days. The only reason I did not give it 4 stars is because I am not a huge fan of the villain of the story and that is all I can say without spoilers. So that is just my own personal thing! Definitely will read more from this author.. Thanks for the ARC Netgalley!