This book is both moving and thought-provoking. It explores trauma and decision-making and features essential characters. The book is a powerful portrayal of vulnerability and the desire to succeed. It's a great horror story, and I can't wait to hold a physical copy.

Read & Reviewed this ARC from NetGalley

4.5 🌟

A woman's unwavering search for her sister cracks open world's that she never expected.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The writing was imaginative and truly pulled me into the world building of the Ouroboros.

My only gripe was that I wish it was longer to accommodate more building into the history and expanse of the Ouroboros and how Sator came to power in many realities. Why was his reality collapsing?

Anyways, this was a fun and magnetic read. Looking forward to more by this author!

Kept me at the edge of my seat the whole time! This isn’t my typical genre, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Loved the mystery, suspense and character development. Really liked the way it was written too. Highly recommend!

This book was an awesome read! Amazing story and very well written. The story was very thrilling, I couldn’t stop reading as I wanted to know what was coming next. If you’re a fan of the Control/Alan Wake games you’ll enjoy this book. Looking forward to reading any future works from the author.

I kept an eye (no pun intended) out for this book ever since I saw a post about it on twitter, and was lucky enough to get to read it early. At times it was hard to believe that this is in fact a debut novel as it was, all in all, a really solid read.

The story follows Theo(dora), a park ranger with a knack of finding lost people, rising to every challenge except the only one that really matters to her - finding her own sister. Flora disappeared into the woods when they were still both kids, and now Theo’s life revolves around trying to sold this years old case. With the disappearances reaching new scales and unexpected appearances littering the woods, the possibility of once again seeing her sister is more real than ever before - be everything has it’s price…

I am a simple girl, if you give me spooky stuff happening in a small town, I’m there. But this, mixed with parallel universes and bonds between sisters? Whoo boy, let’s go!
The story was fast paced and easy to read (just to me a while to actually sit down and read it, because of work, we all know how it is..), with vivid characters and immersive setting. I really appreciated how real Theo felt as a character, with her desperation, her anger, her problems and the way she was (not) solving them; it felt refreshing to read a lead that was not flat and perfectly shaped for their story.

I felt like the book had two somewhat separate parts, and then at least three epilogues, but besides a slight feeling of a disjointed story at one point, I have nothing bad to say about the book. GO READ IT.

A beautifully descriptive fantasy story with horror elements.

Theo, a search and rescue park ranger, has dedicated her life to tracking down lost hikers in the national forest. Her only hope is that one day she will find her sister who vanished in that same forest many years earlier. When she finds a missing girl who tells her music led her into the trees, Theo is more determined than ever to find her sister, at whatever cost.

The opening chapters started with existential dread and body horror and I was hooked. Ultimately, the story developed more into fantasy than horror, but I still enjoyed it. It became less about the horrors in the woods and more about what lay underneath, deep in the magical realm known as the Ouroboros. I wanted more of the mysterious objects in the forest, doors to parallel universes rather then espionage.

There were times I thought Theo had completely forgotten her sister, particularly at the dinner party scene. I thought the story lost it's way a bit around halfway through. Some parts where magically descriptive and others left me with unanswered questions. I would've liked more backstory involving Theo's sisters disappearance to better understand her struggle. An impressive debut.

*Huge thanks to Quill & Crow Publishing and Netgalley for the digital ARC of this one!*

I’ve always loved seeing the releases Quill & Crow Publishing have, but as of yet, haven’t dipped my toe into what they’ve released. Then, while cruising through Netgalley, I saw this one. The cover immediately had me excited, the title had me intrigued and then the synopsis screamed at me to read it. With this being Megan’s debut, I wasn’t worried, knowing full well that if Quill & Crow were releasing it, it would be a solid tale.

What I liked: Bontrager has delivered an unexpected gem. Not once did I get a sense that this was a debut, the storytelling – both depth and scope – were solid and controlled, which is a testament to what it is that Megan has created here.

The story follows Forest Ranger Theo, short for Theodora, a name she detests. Years ago, her sister Flora disappeared in the woods around the town they live in, so she’s made it her life mission to try and find what happened. Everyone blames Theo for Flora’s disappearance – even her parents, who treat her like she’s a blister that needs to be popped – so Theo gets hired on with the Rangers to be as close to the location as possible.

The woods there are strange. People go missing all the time. And it is Theo who finds them, looking harder and longer than anyone else. But with each person she finds, there’s little things she notices. From missing toes, to strange stories, it all adds up to something odd going on. Even the Forest Ranger handbook alludes to that. Rule #1 is for no Forest Ranger to take any set of stairs they may come across.

Bontrager sets the stage well, so that, when a conspiracy-theory believing character pops up and introduces her to the idea of what ‘is’ happening, at first she things they’re nuts. And then she believes them.

It is from that point on, when we learn of the Federal Bureau of Reality, that the story really shines. Bontrager weaves in an action-fueled quest with different portals, a strange government agency nobody knows about and the truth to what happened to Flora. Tensions remain high until the end and as the story goes on, each character becomes more and more fleshed out. Including Theo’s on again, off again, former lover, the reporter Delilah, who tried to bring more exposure to Flora’s disappearance, but in turn seemed to use it as career leverage.

Everything ramps up, leading to the ending which was cathartic, heartbreaking and completely expected, even if you didn’t want it to be.

What I didn’t like: Some may find the introduction of the ‘FBR’ to be comical. Bontrager keeps it serious and utilizes that narrative to strengthen the story, but if you read the synopsis and smirk when you get to that section, then most likely this book won’t be for you.

Why you should buy this: A solid debut from start to finish, Bontrager accelerates out of the starting blocks and never slows down. Theo is a fantastic lead character – broken, battered, and depending on alcohol – they are a great case of why sometimes an initial unlikable lead can elevate a story when push comes to shove later on.

Bontrager’s debut is fantastic and one I think will make a lot of fans of dark fiction intertwined with fantastical elements very happy.

This book starts off so strong. At first, everything is dark and grim, our MC finds a missing girl in the woods, we find out her sister also went missing—cue lots of familial trauma. You’re all thinking, ‘oh damn we got a badass heroine with severe mommy issues who’s on a mission to find her sister.” Then, the book says “hold my beer.”—so, of course, you do—and we are off, full speed ahead, not looking before switching lanes, etc etc. I thoroughly enjoyed each shark we jumped.

However, right after the 50% mark things slow down a bit and start to feel more Oceans 11 than X-Files and it started to lose me. I’m not even that upset about it, it’s a good book but maybe we jumped one shark too many at some point.

This book started off strong, giving Reddit No Sleep vibes with the staircases in the forest, but ultimately fell a bit off the rails for me. I absolutely loved the first half. The atmosphere was great and the set up for the story was really good.

I found that as the book went on I found myself being more annoyed with the FMC than enjoying the story. I don't know how she got away with driving wasted but she did. Always had vodka on her and had a selfish, DGAF attitude, which is fine to some extent but this was just annoying.

Some of the parts got a little bit confusing and hard to follow. It felt a little bit rushed and didn't explain a few things. Didn't help that during a scene, some random & unrelated things were thrown in there. It took me out of the story a bit. I had to go back a couple times to remind myself what was happening in a few scenes.

It was an alright read, but didn't wow me as I had hoped.

In Eye of the Ouroboros, Theodora (Theo) dedicates her life to searching the woods her sister, among plenty of others, was lost in. With the help of friends and her undying motivation to find her sister, Theo starts to uncover the truth about those who go missing and where they disappear to.

This book is about loss, grief, abuse and a little bit of adventure. This book was well written, better than most, and for that I’m giving it 3 stars. However, for me the story didn’t interest me very much. It was a very cool concept, but I expected there to be more of a horror element and it was more so just thriller/spooky and a little bit of gore. I feel like I had to force myself into finishing it. I feel like it’s missing something but I can’t quite put my finger on it just yet.

I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Megan Bontrager and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read an ARC of "Eye of the Ouroboros."

What truly stood out to me about this book was the incredible sapphic representation, as well as the rich and immersive world-building. Megan Bontrager has crafted a world brimming with mystery and intrigue, where the line between reality and the unknown blurs seamlessly. The secrets and unhinged women were top tier!!!

The cast of characters in "Eye of the Ouroboros" is nothing short of exceptional. It was a joy to get to know them and watch them navigate the treacherous landscapes of the Infinite Corridor.

In conclusion, "Eye of the Ouroboros" is a triumph of storytelling, filled with gripping characters, intricate world-building, and a plot that keeps readers guessing right through. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this book and cannot wait to read more of Megan Bontrager's works in the future. "Eye of the Ouroboros" earns a solid four-star rating from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book!

This book started out really strong, with a solid mystery and characterisation. Unfortunately, it didn't hold through the whole book for me, which was odd, as on paper this is very much my perfect novel. The use of the ranger position and the wilderness, the lost children- I thought it was all stacking up to be a fantastical horror piece with lashings of drama. I feel like we did get a bit of this, but we also rapidly ended up in a storyline that seemed a little patchworked and a bit rapid at the end.

I did like the ending of the story, and felt that there was sufficient punch in the conclusion, but the beginning and end were the highlights of this one for me. The characters as well I felt were a little overdrawn, and I think it was just a matter of too much all at once. I really enjoyed the tone that the author took for this one, but unfortunately it just fell a little flat for me.

Title: Eye of the Ouroboros
Author: Megan Bontrager
Page Count: 310 pages
Time Length: N/A
Dates Read: 3/2-3/10
Format:E-book
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Review: This is an Arc supplied from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Right away, I was sucked into the story. Theo is a character that is mentally abused and uses alcohol as an escape. Her sister Feria was taken into the woods at a young age, and everyone, including Theo, blames herself. With every young girl, Theo pulls from the woods, and she hopes for any sign of her sister. Even after years and years, she won't give up. What she finds behind her sisters disappearance will change everything.

I love Theo as a whole character. Finally, a character that trusts in her friends and tells them everything that is going on. Even with all the twists and turns the story and setting takes it is easy to follow. The book is quite detailed with what is going on.

This will be a reread for me.




Quote: "Are you afraid of me?” I was. Intensely so. Even false idols could cause harm. Sometimes, more than real ones."

A really gripping read, I thought the characters were intriguing and I'm going to look out for more by this author.

Although I did enjoy the idea of this book, the pacing and the lack of depth made it a miss for me. I felt like I was constantly going back and re reading to make sure I hadn’t missed important details. I feel like the book in general felt scrambled and even rushed at times.

This is a very well-written, deeply creative horror/spec. fic. novel. I loved the way Bontrager puts the reader in the Appalachian woods--it was incredibly immersive. However, do be warned that the content warning for parental abuse/toxic families is VERY ubiquitous at the beginning, and the MC's relationship to her mother (and, to a lesser extent, father) leads to multiple scenes that can be hard to read.

I DNF this book at 31% although I enjoyed the idea behind the story the time spent in the fmc spoiled the horror aspects for me. I also found the descriptive writing to much. I appreciate descriptive writing but sometimes there can be way to much. That being said I think this book had the base to be a great book. But for me it wasn't there. I do look forward to seeing how this author improves with time and what she writes next.

Thank you NetGalley and Quill and Crow Publishing House for the ARC!
I was intrigued by this book. From the opening scene I was drawn in by our main character, Theo, and her very clear grief and guilt. I love the sub genre of people going missing in the woods, and this was a really interesting take on it. Moving through the beginning of this book, I wasn't sure about the pacing, but as I continued, I felt like the disjointedness of it was almost intentional. It is as patchy and jarring as the experiences of the missing in the woods. Bontrager clearly knows how to utilize the atmosphere and the usually lovely nature of the woods to create a horrific setting. I loved the obscurity of the town, almost like it was secondary to the woods. This gave it the "this could be/happen anywhere" effect that is essential to all great horror. In addition to the atmospheric and supernatural horror, it also encompassed a universally relevant horror, which is one that happens within the home, within families, and within ourselves. The true inescapable horror.
Brava, Megan Bontrager!

Eye of the Ouroboros is a character driven, impactful, thrilling read. From the loveable characters to the interesting, weird dimensions that Theo ends up in looking for her sister are unbelievably entertaining. Overall, I loved this book and look forward to reading more from this author.

I'm finding this a hard book to rate. It has a strong opening, I was hooked from the first chapter, and the concept of Theo feeling guiltly over her sister's disappearance and wanting to find her was intriguing. However, I was also confused for significant chunks. It's possible that I missed some things, but some important back story we don't get a lot of detail about. The MC's driving force is her sister's disappearance into the forest, but to me it was very unclear how this happened and how this was the MC's fault, as well as how long ago this happened. I think Theo left Flora home alone when she was supposed to watch her, but Flora was 13 and I presume a 13 year old has enough sense to be left at home alone? I find this aspect confusing.
The atmosphere is great, and the ideas were interesting. Creepy, based on local beliefs which I thought was interesting, and I enjoyed the plot and the characters. Theo, Wesley, Quinn and Delilah were well written characters.


Mild spoilers ahead:

However, I'm not sure how to feel about Theo's choices at the end and where her character went. I don't think it really brought home a character ARC, and it's not the ending I would have chosen with this set up. We never really get to a point where Theo acknowledges what happened to Flora was not her fault, she doesn't really forgive herself.