Thank you to NetGalley for sending me this ARC!

I have to say I DNF'd this at abut 30%....

I will preface by saying I love romantasy books TO A FAULT, but this felt confusing, rushed, and all around not believable. The premise is that a newlywed couple is supposed to be going on a hike with another friend, but they learn that others will be joining and sacrifcing the new bride. OKay im with it until she hides from the others and learns she has magic? It just seemed the magic aspect was thrown in and the author wrote her as if she knew exactly what to do and didn't ask real questions.

I felt disconnected from the MCs almost from the beginning. The three MCs have a love triangle thing going on that just doesn't make sense to me. We are told a lot of what is going on, but you don't get to feel it. Plus one of them is INSUFFERABLE.

There was too much going on for me personally, but maybe others would love this.

Big thanks to Netgalley and KP Robertson for the eARC in exchange for a review.

Well, this was something. Not Terrible but there was a lot of in- your- face changes and dramatic course corrections that felt rushed and out of no where.

Typical urban folks, BAM, magic.
Magic, BAM, sacrificial murder.

The characters were inconsistent with their personalities. The toxic masculinity was strong and played up as romantic. Mental health was portrayed as a light switch, on then off. Back to normal.

I think this could have been broken down into a duology or trilogy, rather than trying to fit all the arcs into one book. This would have made the read a little less jarring, when out of no where, ghosts exist with no pretext and 100% of every character and every person they have ever known has a nefarious connection.

I'm giving 2 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and BDA Publishing!

An interesting premise, with characters you grow to care about-I feel like there was a lot going on (which makes sense when you’re universe building for the first book of a series). Definitely interested to see where the author takes the story, as it ended with quite a cliffhanger.

4 stars. Thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was fast paced and addictive. Excited to read more in the series!

I really wanted to like this! It's a DNF for me but with huge regrets, and I feel really bad for doing so.

The scenario is good, the setup itself gripping; the female protagonist is relatable and I want to see how things pan out. The trouble is that it seems to move oddly, with the multiple perspectives giving it a jerky quality, and things speed along a little too fast. The writing can be abrupt and the 'baddies' a bit two-dimensional. Also the 'cult' aspect didn't seem to make much sense to me, as it was just There. It was a case of almost shouting at the page 'run, you fools!' from the first realization of Imminent Badness!

I think if there'd been some more background shown for everyone rather than simply described, that would have helped, but the book just didn't grab me. I'm so sorry!

This was a chaotic read, and unfortunately, not in a good way. Let me start by saying this could be a good book, just not in its current form, composed as it is of what seems like two separate reads at least and hitting almost 500 pages of just...disparate narrative threads.

The plot moves at a breakneck pace, which for once I didn't love, as things were just kind of happening without explanation or rationality. The reader is abruptly thrown into things; a couple is leaving on a hiking trip with what they think is only one other friend, but it turns out others are joining them, who happen to conduct annual sinister rituals in the woods? Like, the romantic interests know, but let the trip continue as planned; suddenly the people in their party are all wary of each other, and it's going unsaid that our protagonist is the planned sacrifice for the year. Okay.

The romance part was not my jam, offering a couple of ny least favorite tropes. It presented soulmate\destined love as part of a love triangle, which began messy, continued to be messy, and ended poorly. I would have preferred a polycule solution TBH, except that the third party was a super jealous and condescending man who wouldn't have been a healthy third.

There was a little too much going on in this story for me to particularly love any part of it. It's part wilderness thriller, folk horror, there's some romance threaded through plus shapeshifting and magic - and it was just too much, even allowing that it'll be a trilogy. The writing was pretty simplistic at times, which could have been fine for an NA book, but there wasn't even substance despite the length of the book, again because too much was thrown into the pot to cook any one part of it. There were also too many POVs, some of whom felt redundant in the narrative once they're all running around in the woods. I think with more editorial chopping and a choice to stick to one thing, for example, a wilderness horror plot, something more cohesive, it would have read better.

This wasn't my jam, but I hope the series finds its readers!

For a longer than average book (almost 500 pages), Between the Birches reads really fast. I feel like I finished it in no time because something was always happening, making me turn the pages faster to see what will happen next.

It took me a while to get into the story though, this is mainly due to the writing. It's not bad, but you can tell it's the author's first book. It can only go up from here, so I'm sure the writing will be much better in the sequel.

The plot had a lot of elements I love reading about, from cults, magic, ghosts and spooky forests to a love triangle. And okay, maybe even a dash of soulmates in there too.

I actually liked the story overall, once it really got going. I think the second half was stronger in that regard, especially the ending. Until that point I was on the fence about reading the next book, but the ending really made me exited to give it a try. I feel like the story's just getting started.

The romance was both a hit and a miss, the hit being Grady, the miss Tom. SORRY TOM. He was just...not it. He kept annoying me, and I know everyone would probably be annoying in his shoes but...

My favourite character though, is Fennick. Another huge reason to read the sequel. I don't know what it is about him, but I'm a fan. I'd love it if we got to see more of him in the next books. And you know what else? If I ship anyone with Beth, it's him.

*Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you, NetGalley and BDA Publishing, for the opportunity to review this title in exchange for an honest review.

I had a difficult time immersing myself in this story. The delivery was lacking; it was more 'tell' than 'show', a bit clunky, some parts felt random without much explanation. I did enjoy the unique premise.

I was not able to finish this book. I stopped reading at 24%.

The premise sounds interesting, but the delivery is lacking.

The beginning where everyone's running around the woods on this hike was unnecessarily convoluted, with changed plans, false starts, and skittles wrapper messages. Skittles are so brightly colored. Why would a skittles arrow pointing to a message on the wrapper be considered secretive messaging? Stuffing a note in a coat pocket would have made more sense.

The story would benefit from that whole section being simplified.

The relationships between the characters just aren't believable to me and ring hollow. It's not bad that everyone keeps swinging back and forth between trusting eachother, but you have to sell it in a way that makes sense. Especially after telling us how close they all are. And I just wasn't getting that.

The whole Beth saying a name in her sleep and Tom accusing her of cheating until she runs off into the woods was so out of left field. You're married and I assume live together. If he's paranoid of Grady specifically then this makes no sense anyway.

It felt like a poor way of creating a situation for Beth and Grady.

This just goes back to the relationships not being believable for me.

There also seemed to be continuity issues with where people were in a scene. Like someone leaves to do something, everyone acknowledges it, then we switch POV, and all of a sudden they are there as if they never left.

All in all not a bad premise I just could not continue to read. Best of luck to the author and I appreciate the opportunity to check it out.

I had so much fun reading this book - yes, there was a lot going on, but it felt like the most exciting roller coaster from start to finish, and when that last line hit (that LAST LINE?!?!?) it felt JUST like that moment when the coaster comes to a stop and you're breathless and grinning. I am truly excited for the next installment!!

Many thanks to NetGalley and BDA Publishing for providing me with an eARC of Between the Birches in exchange for my honest review!

The deployment of a certain popular trope in this book does prevent me from enjoying it as much as I want to, but it still gets me invested enough in the emotion and tension of its tale that I'm able to come out of it on a positive note. KP Roberson blends folklore horror with romance in a way that pulls me into the interrelationships between Beth, Tom, and Grady as they navigate the murky and complicated space of love and magic that hangs between them and as they attempt to ward off ritualistic murderers. Now, this isn't the outright terrifying kind of horror, but more of the slow-burn sort that arises from the supernatural and cult-like atmosphere, which I vibed with.

However, this book ends up deploying the love triangle trope, which I typically struggle to get onboard for. Sure, there have been a few successful examples (e.g. the Legendborn series by Tracy Deonn), but otherwise I find it to be a tiresome trope. Here in Between the Birches, I do think it provides some interesting facets and suspense for the main characters, but still, the cliche existing in the first place presents quite the obstacle in my reading experience. I also think the brief POVs that have been handed over to a few minor characters are unnecessary, although this is a minor gripe in the grand scheme of things.

Overall, I'm officially rating Between the Birches: Awakening 3.25 out of 5 stars, which I'll round down to 3 stars on Goodreads. Despite my issues here, I'm glad I checked out this book, and I'm looking forward to the sequel.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 (3.75 rounded up)

I'm really torn about this book. I really enjoyed the overall story and I had a hard time putting it down, but it felt like it should have been two books.

The first third of the book was so incredibly fast-paced and so much happened! I feel this whole section could easily be it's own book. Due to the pacing at the beginning, I had a really hard time connecting with any of the characters. I feel if pacing was slowed down and more time was given to developing the characters/world building this would change.

However, despite the quick beginning of the book, things did slow to a better pace for the remaining two-thirds. This is where I finally started to connect to the characters and better understand what was going on. I got so invested in the story and I stayed up way too late reading because of it!

Overall, I recommend giving this book a try! I can't wait to read the next book I'm the trilogy and find out what happens!

*Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for the arc!

This book has way to much going on and not enough building for the random things that happen in it. The writing is choppy and can be difficult to read at some parts. There's cults, ritual sacrifices, ghosts, witches, magic, shapeshifters, and of course love triangles which is an overload for a 500 page book. The characters were either you liked them or you didn't and I'm ok with that. Overall it was a quick read but needed some more focus on the main plot.

This book is a slow burn! The writing was not goid and didn't get better!

The story of newlyweds and A fateful trip to the woods. There is alot gping on in the story like evil lurking, cults, frenemies, but the writing gets real old, really quickly.

This book doesn't keep you interested to want to continue due to the writing style!

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review

Beth is celebrating her 25th birthday on a weekend hiking trip with her husband Tom and their friend Grady, Early in the trip they are surprised by new members to their party as well as sinisiter truths that leave Beth questioning everything she claims to know about herself as well as those close to her.

I was thoroughly intrigued by the premise of the book but was immediately put off by the extremely choppy writing style. I had a hard time staying immersed in the story since it felt like key plot elements were not well placed, and it overall affected the pacing of the book for me, and unfortunately this continued on for the rest of the book.

Between the Birches: Awakening starts out with choppy, unpolished writing, and unfortunately, never gets any better. This is the story of newlyweds Beth and Tom, and their friend Grady, and it fateful trip to the woods. There is a lot to get through, like evil lurking, secrets, cults, frenemies, but the tell-not-show style of writing gets real old, really quickly. This is a book that needed strong editing to both pare down the number of elements and to bring the storytelling itself from the first draft it appears to be.

Thanks to NetGalley and BDA Publishing for an ARC of this novel.

3.5 rounded down to 3.

It's been a while since I've read any fantasy novels, so I didn't really go into this one with too many expectations. I thought the premise sounded very intriguing, especially with the folklore and horror all wrapped in together.

Overall, I thought the concept was very good. The story was actually really fast-paced, and there were shorter chapters which help the story flow. I was highly entertained and was looking forward to seeing what would happen next.

However, I feel like overall it ended up falling short. It seemed like the author had too much going on, and this might have worked better as a longer series across several books than just a trilogy. There was literally everything in the novel - cults, ritual sacrifices, ghosts, witches, magic, shapeshifters, love triangles...it was a lot to develop the world, characters, and the plot in a mere 500 pages. A lot of things that happened that seemed extremely random, which left me confused and created minor plot holes since they weren't addressed later on. Additionally, the characters would have reactions to certain events happening that seemed life-altering, but then just move on and act as if other significant events weren't a big deal. It just came across as bizarre, which I think again has to do with how much the author wanted to include/accomplish in a short number of pages. I also didn't get much of a "folklore" aspect, since nothing was really explained/developed about the world or creatures. Normally I would prefer this style of storytelling, because I find that other authors tend to be too detailed; however, I think if there was more character and world-building, this would have resulted in a higher rating from me.

I will post a review to my Instagram once it is closer to publication day.

The story was disjointed. Reading through you get all the pieces of a story, but had to piece things together like a puzzle. Having sections for viewpoints of side characters for only two pages distracted more from the main story. The main characters for Beth, Tom, and Grady were well developed. You really felt a connection to them. I just wish the story had a better flow.

Editing Comments: The formatting for kindle was not done correctly. Images were unable to be seen, words ran together, The text switched from light to dark in sections, Chapter 20 was also a repeat of Grady’s section on the previous pages like it was copied and pasted in the wrong spot.

4.5 stars rounded up

<b>CWs:</b> animal death, depiction of mental health, loss of a loved one

<b><u>Summary</u></b>

Beth Newman is incredibly excited for her birthday weekend--her husband of five months is finally bringing her along on his sacred camping trip with the boys! She's known Tom and his friends for most of her life, having grown up in a relatively small town in the south together.

The couple's best friend, Grady, who's supposed to be accompanying them on this trip has been distant for the past few weeks. Sure, he used to have a crush on Beth in their high school days, but that certainly isn't reason enough to be making himself scarce around the newlywed couple.

When Beth and Tom pull up to see Grady, along with two of their friends who they were not expecting to be coming along (Paul and Jeff), Beth is confused by the concerned look on her husband's face. Grady's steely look is no comfort either.

Quickly, Beth discovers that magic is real--and she has a lot of it running through her veins. Grady has also unlocked the power of harnessing and using magic, and he's the one who needs to teach her how to manage this new aspect of her life. She learns of prophecies, cults, ominous old gods, ancestors, and that their lives are in grave danger if she can't learn to use her magic soon.

There are also a whole lot of spoilers, but I want everyone to experience all the twists and turns themselves hehehe

<b><u>Star Rating Breakdown</u></b>

+1: characters - <i>these characters had me giggling and kicking my feet one moment and then sobbing the next; they were so well written and I wanted to protect almost all of them with every fibre of my bring</i>

+1: prose - <i>the writing was just so,,,,bingeworthy?? KP is a blessing and i love her endlessly. i'm very sure she could write a chore list and maybe that would inspire me to actually get shit done around my apartment</i>

+0.75: plot - <i>it's such a twist on a classic oh my gods i need other people to read this so i can fangirl over it and stop annoying my coworkers lmao</i>

-0.5: pacing - <i>it is VERY fast paced, but honestly it fits with KP's style. there were a few chunks i had to read over again just to make sure i got it right/wasn't missing anything, but if fast paced is something you enjoy you will absolutely love BtB:A. it was just a tad too fast for me!</i>

+0.75: the gods - <i>I want so badly to know what the process was like in researching/coming up with Ja'azul and the ranks that served him</i>

+1: vibes - <i>the spice didn't overtake the plot, it all made sense, my little DnD player & GM brain was so happy, i just loved all of it so much and i cannot WAIT for it to be in everyone's hands hehehehe</i>