Kosa weaves elements of both Rapunzel and Hansel & Gretel into a unique retelling that honors the folktale vibe while updating it into a kickass modern horror story. It kicked off with a bang and ended with a BANG, and in between alternated between slowly building dread and super visceral and brutal horror. It was a tiny bit slow in parts, but it did serve to ratchet up the tension before hitting you with a fantastic twist or two, leading into an insane ending I did not see coming.

Enjoyed this one very much, another great horror suspense from author John Durgin. Never disappoints, highly recommend.

Wow! This Book! Took me a while to not think about what i read here. lol
There is the child hood Disney Rapunzel and then there is 'Kosa' Rapunzel retelling..
Dark, cruel and twisted horror. Packed with gore, spells, and a very wicked messed up witch. geez!
written in 3 parts we read about Kosa and her upbringing, the trauma and being locked away. Just heart breaking and infuriating at the same time. A Lot of character get un-alived/ I really recommend reading through the Trigger warning before jumping into this book. Defiantly not for the faint hearted or light stomached. This has a Hansel and Gretel accord to it; Cannibalism among other dark imagery. Its a horror fans delight! I did enjoy this a lot, vary hard to forget.



Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was dark, intriguing, and downright chilling. Things start a little slowly, but quickly ramp up. There's a tension that pulls you through, cover to cover. The descriptions make it feel like you're watching a movie unfold, instead of simply reading a book. The characters are unique, and interesting, and watching them react and change as things progressed really added to the depth of everything. The cast is completed with a new twist on the fairy tale archetype of the evil witch, but it's not a caricature, which would've been easy to slip into. (It honestly feels like it may have been inspired by a mix of fairy tales involving evil witches). The story itself has a smooth, fairly even pace until you've passed the halfway point, then it just flies towards the end. Perfect for dark, gorey, horror filled book lovers.

I absolutely loved this, and it is easily one of my favorite retellings. This book was definitely creepy! Fantastic writing style and pacing! Can't wait for my next book from Durgin.

I was really excited about his book. I loved the concept, I loved the writing, and I loved the creep factor...

The only thing I was soooooo annoyed at was the ending... I just felt like it was soooooo rushed! The author gave so many details about certain things regarding the plot and then when it all came to a head... IT WAS OVER. WAHHHHHH! The middle was definitely a little mid for me too because I found myself drifting in and out of the story... also NO EXPLANATION OR MENTION ABOUT THE CATS?!?! So NASTY and SO RUDE!

I asked myself during the last chapter, "that's it?!" The elements were all there for a damn good ending, but I was singing... "is that all there is.... yes I guess that's all there is..." (in Nathan Lane's voice of course)

Overall, great concept, but a meh ending.

This was such a creepy read in a good way. Really wowed me and will be picking up more from Durgin in the future.

A great horror read for fans of folk horror and dark atmospheric stories. There's just enough fantasy elements to stay engaging while also not delving so much into fantasy that it detracts from the horror. A genuinely creepy book, and reminded me of some of the original Grimm fairy tales at its essence!

I engulfed this book! When I first started this book I had no idea what it was about. I just loved the cover! This book is so good it will be on my reread list for the rest of my life! I would HIGHLY recommend it! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time!

This was an ARC from Netgalley and this is my honest review. Thank you to the Author and Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to read it. I was not paid for it.

This book pulled me right in and didn't let go til the end. I will definitely be looking for more from this author.

Rapunzel retelling but make it dark. Fairy tales are my favorite, but pair it with horror, I absolutely ate this up. This starts off crazy, then goes into a slow burn, but not boring slow. I enjoyed the character development and the whole build up. One thing I’ll say, don’t get attached to any of the characters, as they might not be there by the next chapter. I love when authors do that. I wish there was more lore added about the witches history, but it didn’t take away from the story. I loved seeing my mother tongue in this read. That’s what originally attracted me to this book, is the title. Kosa, which means hair. Loved it! Wish I read this around Halloween

Thanks so much to NetGalley and DarkLit Press for access to an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately, I've finally decided after leaving this book sitting at 63% for months because I wanted to finish but couldn't bring myself to push through it anymore to go ahead and DNF.

I was really excited at the prospect of a horror-heavy retelling of Rapunzel going into Kosa, and in theory, this is a genius book. The plot is interesting and John Durgin has come up with a lot of unique and twisted ways to tell the story while not straying so far from the inspiration that you don't see it at all. For me, I think Kosa fell flat because of the execution and the writing far more than the idea itself. The pacing was insanely slow for me through much of this book, and then in the moments when things would get really creepy or even a little scary, it felt like we flew through them with little to no description or explanation, and that was so frustrating because it ended up feeling like I was pushing through so much of the book for so little payoff when the horror vibes started to set in. And on top of that, these characters...they're very one dimensional and aren't given the space to really show what they're thinking or feeling, so instead it become a tell instead of a show, which takes a lot of fun out of the reading.

I would try another of John Durgin's books in the future, I think, but this one needed a lot more work on the character writing, pacing, and overall writing quality and ended up making a really awesome idea fall flat for me.

This one just fell flat for me. The writing was decent, but very plot-driven and a little more fast-paced than I liked. It didn't give me any time to get to know the characters and build suspense or creepiness. I wound up deciding not to finish the book. The cannibal cats were kind of adorable, though.

This book starts out as a bit of a slow burn but, once it gets to the real meat of the story, there's no stopping the horrific events that unfold.
A unique and unimaginably brutal tale, based on the children's fairytale, 'Rapunzel,' Kosa envelopes you into a warring world of dark magic and naive innocence. "Mother" is an ancient, powerful, menacing, altogether evil witch who will stop at nothing to hold onto her power, using Kosa in an extremely creepy way to maintain her disturbing needs.
If you love a creepy, witchy, good vs evil story, this is it!
Many trigger warnings include, but are not limited to:
Animal abuse/death
Child abuse/death
Kidnapping
Isolation
Orphaning
Suicide

This book was so immersive and anxiety-inducing throughout its entirety. With notes of a classic fairytale and absolutely vivid imagery we are pulled into a horrific twist on an already creepy tale.

Thank you to NetGalley and DarkLit Press for allowing me an ACR copy of Kosa. All opinions are my own.
If you like horror retellings of childhood stories, then this might be for you. I’ll be honest, it took me a while to get through this. Even though I have a pretty strong stomach for horror books (at least so far) there was something entirely unsettling about the storytelling. Which I promise is a kudos! But just be warned of triggers. Besides the horror aspect I was surprised to find how much this story prompts deeper though about greed, fear, and power of family.

It would have been helpful to have additional insight given regarding Marta and her practice. We see some of it once the story progresses, but I still felt like a huge opportunity was missed, and the information given to us felt glossed over. Even as I reached the end, I still felt that the lore and world-building didn’t feel complete.

A lot of the story is focused on the positive and very negative impact of family. It wasn’t made to be the spotlight, but a pretty close second. I appreciated how it never overshadowed the additional themes but kept reminding us as the story progressed.

There is a pretty decent amount of gore and uncomfortable situations spread throughout. It definitely keeps you on your toes and may make you pause once, or twice. They were artfully done in my opinion and absolutely kept the fear of the unknown on your toes.

I love fairy tale retellings, especially when it is made horror. This book was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed the subtle ties to Rapunzel that the author ultimately turned into a wholly unique story that was grotesque and pretty terrifying. The characters were really well developed, and I really enjoyed learning about the complexities of the main character and their moral conundrums. They way the story is spaced out in time is poignant as well. This is my third Josh Durgin book, and I continue to be a fan. His writing style is raw and descriptive, and his character development progresses throughout the story and always hits the mark for me. If you like dark fairy tales, retellings, or just an overall unique horror story, this is one to pick up and an author to continue to look out for.

Kosa is a fabulously grim Rapunzel retelling by the amazing John Durgin.
I think i loved this book even more than his previous ones.
There's something alluring in fairytale retellings. Original fairytales are generally dark and gruesome themselves (until they get a Disney makeover), and this tale lent itself beautifully to a twisted and horrifying story.
Like all of the author's books, it's perfectly paced, perfectly edited, as if John was born with a pen in his hand. He probably was lol
It's definitely a must read for every horror fiend.

Wonderfully scary, more than anything you'll read this year.
I'd call this one folklore horror because it has familiar themes and characters but the story is wholly original. The writing is top notch and very atmospheric. There are a few scenes that more sensitive readers might not like but I found them almost essential to the story. If you like frightening, creepy stories about wicked witches with lurking animals and vulnerable children then be sure to pick this one up.

In a secluded mansion hidden away from the outside world, young Kosa lives under the strict and overpowering rule of her enigmatic mother. For Kosa, the rules set by Mother are the guiding principles of her life, shaping her beliefs and actions.

This was very well-written and very atmospheric. I loved the tension that the author built.