What a gripping tale of mystery and evocative allure. This book captivates a lot of stages things we can't explain and where to go to find those answers.

I thought the book started out so good! I was gripped by the story and wanted to know more, so I just kept on reading. However, somewhere along the line, I got a little bit lost. I started to lose interest, which is such a shame, because the first half was great!
Unfortunately I had to DNF this book at some point.

This book started really well! I loved the dark, ominous atmosphere and the mystery that was set up. Theo was a really interesting, flawed character with an intriguing backstory and complicated relationships to explore. Her relationship with her parents and her grief over the disappearance of her little sister made her a super compelling character. I loved the set-up for a second chance romance subplot between her and her ex Delilah, and was hoping to see them resolve their past issues in a satisfying way. A creepy small-town mystery with a touch of sci-fi and sapphics was something I thought I was going to love, and the characters were all well-defined and engaging from the start.

However, after the first act of the book ended, the tone changed drastically. The secretive small-town setting was left behind in favour of high-stakes heists at extravagant galas and endless chase sequences in corridors. The sci-fi aspect was expanded on hugely and the eerie mystery and family-dynamic elements were forgotten. Theo stopped being a complex and reserved character with massive flaws and just started making sarcastic comments about everything and being heroic. While I still enjoyed the dynamic between the main cast of characters, and there was nothing necessarily wrong about the direction the plot took, it just felt very jarring after the much darker and grittier opening of the book. I thought we were going in a more eldritch, folk-horror direction, and then it felt quite disconcerting to be in the middle of a fast-paced, inter-dimensional rescue mission. I also felt like Theo's relationship with Delilah was never really built on. They never acknowledged their past or even talked about it in much detail, and their relationship never got much development beyond what happened the first time they were on page together, which was a massive disappointment to me.

The writing was good and there were definitely passages and sections that were done really nicely. The humour also worked well and I did laugh a couple of times because of Theo's inner monologue. I think the pacing was a little off, but for the most part that was more to do with the sudden change in tone than any massive structural issues.

Overall, this was an enjoyable book with a great cast of characters and an engaging plot. The first half of the book would probably have been 4 stars or possibly 5, but the second half didn't work as well in my opinion. However, if you prefer action-packed mysteries that focus on plot progression over ones that are heavier on tension, creepiness and character development, you will probably enjoy this!


Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The first half of this book was SO GOOD. I was captivated from the first chapter. And the fact that it was fairly close to where I live (North Carolina) made me happy. I thought that it was great that Pilot Mountain and Winston Salem were mentioned! Love the representation.

But, boy, the second half of the book just devolved quickly. Where the MC in the first half seemed believable, in the second half she seemed to totally change, become a different person almost. Yes, I understand that she was devoted to finding her sister but her careless disregard for her life seemed WAY over the top. It was less believable to me than the first part.

I wish that I could give this book more stars. In fact, I will tack a .75 to the 2 stars but that is just because the first half was great.

Reading more from this author could be something that I'm interested in for the future.

Kinda passe, honestly? Like it didn't really seem to have all that much ntrigue to it, but still it's not terrible or bad or anything

Sadly this book was not great. I will not be providing feedback on any other platform but this story was a DNF for me.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

If you read the book blurb for this book and weren't immediately interested in the concept, this is definitely not the book for you. With a few well-worn and explored tropes (woods that seem to have a life of their own, a broken and damaged heroine that has fallen from grace etc) this fantasy with some darker elements does well to offer something a little more than just the usual.

Would I call this a horror? No. While it certainly contains some darker threads throughout and a few somewhat gory scenes, the overall feel of the book is firmly within the fantasy realm. It is, however, definitely an adult book that covers some complex themes and topics.

The first 8-9 chapters, while building up a decent pace did make me dislike Theo a little. The raging alcoholism smacked of too convenient and something we'd all seen before. It hinted at the broken and battered cop trope that we see in a lot of crime stories, except Theo is a search and rescue ranger instead.

I also felt that the middle portion of the book slowed down to almost glacial pace while certain characters were dumping information to Theo so the reader could follow along. This felt clunky and really could have been handled in a more elegant way. It wasn't the worst case of info dumping I've read, but it certainly impacted my enjoyment of about 30% of the book.

The sucker-punch-to-the-feels moment (those who have read the book will know which one I mean) sadly lacked the reader buy-in needed to emotionally move me. Which is a shame because I did actually like the character in question.

And the ending... well, it kind of fizzled into nothingness.

That all being said, I did enjoy the writing and Megan was able to paint some vivid and truly amazing scenes within this story. I appreciated the intricate way certain elements of the story wove around the characters, just out of view and yet still there for the reader to experience.

I also enjoyed the animals that featured in the story, particularly Bear. I've always been a sucker for animals in stories.

Overall, the few issues I had with the story weren't enough to stop me finishing it, but I didn't love it. Would I read something else by Megan? You bet. This author is one to keep an eye on. I'm sure she'll just keep getting better with each story she brings out.

A few things I noticed:
12% - Flora (replace with Delilah) had gotten her 'big break'...
69% - ...couldn't even hear our pursuers over the roaring of the fire. (If you're referring to the church fire, they left that and are in the forest now. Could use some clarification here).
87% - ...humans trapped inside them.. (double fullstop)

**Note: I was provided an electronic copy of this book via NetGalley**

This was one of my favourite ARCs this year. I can’t say enough good things about the book. I recommend it to anyone who will listen.

The way this was written was absolutely magical. The characters had so much depth and the story itself was the right amount of horror.

This might have been the wrong book at the wrong time because everything about this I should have enjoyed but it just wasn't working for me. The beginning felt slow and I didn't really connect with the characters to be invested in the plot. I was also not following the plot, which makes me think it just wasn't the right time for me. I will say, the atmosphere was amazing. It was dark and eerie and really helped keep me reading.

Since I was so interested, I do plan to give it another try when I'm looking for a darker, slower story!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The first five chapters of this book were so effective! It hooked me into the story and the universe Bontrager was creating, and I wanted to know more. Unfortunately, as the book went on, I did find my interest wanning as the story got a bit off the tracks. I can see how people will love this story, though! It was a good time, and I would be interested in trying other works by this author.

content warnings: violence, gore, death, self-harm, alcohol abuse

rep: sapphic m/c & sapphic romance

Eye Of The Ouroboros is a cosmic horror novel featuring a alcoholic park ranger barely hanging on after feeling responsible for her sister going missing when they were children - she has devoted her entire life to finding her sister, and finding other missing people & children. It features liminal spaces & alternative universes.

The writing was pretty solid, a really interesting premise & I really enjoyed the vibe in the first half of the book especially. I was hoping it was going to continue in the vein on a small town, foresty eldritch type horror but it took a turn into a more loki tva type vibe which still has an appeal but sort of stopped the novel flowing quite so well. Like I said, I really enjoyed the premise but I felt like there was soo much handled & I feel like it could have benefited from being drawn out & fleshed out a little bit. The characters were great & had some really great dynamics.

A pretty good novel, but just lacked in some places.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Quill and Crow Publishing House for access to an eARC in exchange for my honest review (especially since this is hands down one of my favorite reads of the year so far!)!!!

what’s it about? ⬇️

It's been years since the day Theo's little sister Flora wandered out into the woods and was never seen or heard from again. Years since the beginning of Theo's obsession with following every possible lead she can chase down in the hopes of finding her. Even her job as a Ranger is a way that she can help others while continuing to search the trees that stole her sister from her for signs of her. On the outs with her parents who treat her like little more than a burden without their 'favored' daughter, her journalist ex-girlfriend who Theo believes her pursuit of the truth about Flora much too far, and others around town who look down on her for her lifestyle, Theo only has her dog (the best boy) Bear and her fellow ranger and best friend Quinn on her side.

Until, that is, things start happening out in the woods. Things no one seems able to explain. Things that have people she's shut out coming back into her life just as new avenues open up in her search for her sister. They were always told growing up not to follow any unattached stairs or doors they might spot in the woods, but when no paths in her own world have gotten her any closer to finding Flora, Theo might just have to rely on some dangerous new paths to finally get the job done. Will she ever find Flora? And will she and her friends make it through their flights through different worlds in one piece?

my thoughts? ⬇️

Theo Buchanan is probably one of the last people others would picture when they imagine a standard heroic protagonist. She's cranky, she's gruff, she's introverted and awkward with people--even the ones she's sent out to help--and she spends most of her time when she's not working drinking or obsessing over the next lead that might help her to find her missing sister...if not both. But it's these traits and so much more that come together to make Theo one of my favorite antiheroes of all time. She is a shut in who pretends who despise the world around her as a whole, but she has so much emotion bottled up inside her just waiting to be dragged to the surface, and her relationships with each of the other leading characters in the story meant the world to me--especially with Quinn, Delilah, Flora, and of course, Bear.

Megan Bontra immediately cemented herself as a favorite new author of mine with this one with her amazing characters, excellent pacing, and a story that had me by the throat from beginning to end. I laughed, I sobbed, I screamed and raged and felt so, so full of love. And even aside from all of that, I have always had such a heart for cosmic horror and liminal space horror, and Eye of the Ouroboros plays with these and more horror archetypes beautifully. This was a one in a million book for me and I need roughly 87,000 more just like it, please and thank you.

based on your other likes? ⬇️

If you like any of these listed below, I think you might enjoy this and vice versa!

🔦 Control from Remedy Entertainment. (video game, lots of liminal space horror/thriller elements, some of my favorite parts are suuuuuper similar.)
🔦Loki (MCU TV show, also lots of liminal space vibes, time slips, messy main character)
🔦 Badlands Cola (podcast, liminal space horror, time slipping, very messy cast, a little culty.)
🔦 Alan Wake/Alan Wake 2 from Remedy Entertainment. (video game, journey to find 'the light' in a town trapped in darkness, very fun vibes.)
🔦 Harbor (podcast, cryptids, small town messes, badass main cast reaching their breaking points. very, very fun. EotO just reminded me of it a lot.)
🔦 Monster of the Week from Evil Hat Productions. (table top rpg. based around structures of content like buffy the vampire slayer or supernatural. some character 'playbook' archetypes are very similar to characters in EotO and honestly, the whole book felt like one long, incredible game of MotW.)

trigger warnings ⬇️

violence, death, gore, blood, grief, murder, injury/injury detail, body horror, addiction, alcohol, alcohol abuse, alcoholism, emotional abuse, self harm, vomit, car accident.

thank you to netgalley, the publisher, and to megan bontrager for the advanced reader copy of "eye of the ouroboros". bontrager is gifted in writing descriptive prose; i will definitely have to hand that to her. her writing is beautiful, really. furthermore, i enjoyed the reddit horror story vibe that bontrager's tale had, as someone who spends hours listening to compilations of them on youtube. what made me decide to lower my rating is the inconsistent pacing and the conclusion that felt, to me, a bit rushed.

Interesting premise, good execution!

Eye of the Ouroboros follows park ranger Theo who is still searching for her sister who disappeared many years ago. She starts seeing strange, unexplainable things happening throughout the woods where her sister disappeared and in investigating these happenings, she learns they are caused by the Federal Bureau of Reality. They will stop at nothing to eliminate those who find out about their existence.

This novel starts off strong as we learn about Theo and the relationship she has with her sister and family, and the guilt she harbors over her sister's disappearance. We start to see strange events in the woods that causes Theo to uncover the Federal Bureau of Reality and their involvement in her sister's disappearance. I think the premise of the Federal Bureau of Reality is super interesting, but I wish there was more time spent on their involvement in Flora's disappearance. The introduction of the FBR & the Ouroboros are incredible and make you want to read more about who they are, what they do, and how dangerous they might be - but as the novel progresses the execution falls flat. Some explanations are confusing and hard to follow, and if we're going to bring up the topic of multiple realities then I wish we spent more time exploring those realities, not just mentioning their existence. The concept of the Ouroboros is also still lost to me, I wish that was explained better.

Outside of the fantastical / horror elements, this story has strong character development and a strong cast of supporting characters. I really liked Theo and her friends, and I found myself rooting for their success. This is a story of love and loss, and found family. Where the world building falls short the characters and their relationships pick up the slack. This story will definitely pull on your heartstrings.

Thank you to NetGalley, Quill and Crow Publishing House, and Megan Bontrager for the eARC!

"The Eye of Ourobouros" by Megan Bontrager is a gripping debut that mixes cosmic horror, sci-fi, and thriller elements. The story centers on Theodora (Theo) Buchanan, a park ranger tormented by her sister Flora’s mysterious disappearance in the eerie woods of Mill Creek, West Virginia. Determined to find answers, Theo's search drags her into the dangerous world of the Ourobouros, a cosmic force representing life and destruction.

Bontrager’s writing is vivid and emotionally charged, making Theo a relatable and complex character. The supporting cast, including Theo’s dog Bear, her friend Quinn, and her ex-girlfriend Delilah, add depth and engagement to the story.

The world-building is imaginative and intriguing, especially the concept of the Ourobouros.

This book is great for fans of cosmic horror and sci-fi thrillers who enjoy deep characters and intricate plots. It's a thrilling mix of suspense, emotion, and speculative fiction that stays with you.

Thanks NetGalley and Quill and Crow Publishing for the eARC! The cover and synopsis of this book immediately sucked me in. Like others have said it’s giving /nosleep vibes and it delivered. I found it fast paced and loved the MC.

**A Deeply Emotional Journey Across Realities**

*Eye of the Ouroboros* surprised me with its heartfelt exploration of Theo's quest to find her missing sister, Flora, amidst a backdrop of alternate realities guarded by the Federal Bureau of Reality. Blending emotional depth with elements of horror and sci-fi, the novel skillfully navigates Theo's tumultuous journey and her unwavering determination.

Theo, flawed yet tenacious, anchors the narrative with her compelling quest, supported by the steadfast presence of her best friend, Quinn. As they encounter different versions of themselves and confront encroaching darkness, the story unfolds like a cinematic exploration of trauma and resilience. Megan Bontrager's descriptive prose vividly captures the complexities of relationships and the sacrifices made for love, despite occasional confusion in the world-building that adds to the narrative's suspense. *Eye of the Ouroboros* is a poignant and powerful read, resonating with its emotional depth and nuanced portrayal of queer characters navigating interdimensional challenges.

what a fantastic novel that mixes cosmic horror with conspiracy theories, secret government agencies, and inter-dimensional portals to a bizarre and terrifying alternate reality.

This novel blends the best of cosmic horrors with the mysteries of a secretive government agency who she must now escape. It's full of emotionally impactful grief and it's written so well it's easy to believe and suspend your disbelief. I highly recommend it.

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book.*

"Eye of Ouroboros" is the story of Theo, a police officer, whose sister had gone missing when they both were kids. Now she continues searching for her sister and when she rescues another little girl from the forest, she learns that there is more to the woods and the world than she thought. I enjoyed the first part of the book more than the rest, especially when story and world building turned supernatural entirely and became more urban fantasy-ish than anything else. The vibe of the beginning, the weird happenings in the forest, I enjoyed that much more. The love story of Theo and her ex-girlfriend was predictable and I overall found the majority of characters to be a bit flat.

Overall an interesting read which did not go where I expected it to go in parts. 3 stars