Welcome to Slater. An old mining town that forgot to die while everyone in it kept dying off. A place with a mysterious past full of hushed secrets, whispered rumours, and a well known origin story that may or may not be true. Slater is a town where time works differently, it traps things. This is the perfect setting for a coming of age story.

Isadora Chang tried to get out. She really did. And it worked for a couple years. She took an art scholarship. She recently botched her portfolio showcase by producing what she called a four canvas argument for a child therapist instead of work on the theme of Forgotten Places. Maybe her work, which she doesn't remember drawing at all, is closer to the theme than she wants to admit. She recognizes the people in the painting but she doesn't talk about that. She's brought back to Slater by the death of her father, she's only there for the inheritance. Something at or in or possibly under Slater has been waiting for her to return.

With creepy hints of Stephen King’s IT, Wen-Yi Lee takes us on a journey of exploration and identity. You can't read this without thinking about who you are, and remembering what it was like discovering or developing that.

If it takes a village to raise a child, I hope that village isn't Slater. There's a powerful family running things, you can tell them by their eyes. There's supposed to be a witch somewhere out in the woods. And there's an Angel, or, at least, what they call an Angel. It had something to do with the founding of the town but what exactly that was is the stuff of lore. Until it isn't.

There's a song coming from the mountain, almost welcoming Isadora home. She's heard it before, others have too. The song calls for you, dear reader, and there's no place like home. Pick this up and find out for yourself what it's all about.

The horror is perfect, the writing is lyrical, the characters are fascinating!

I love the morally grey characters, I love that they're not all "good" or "bad" but painfully, perfectly human.

This is an author to watch for! Definitely doing amazing things!

In THE DARK WE KNOW, Isadora returns home for her father's funeral, which forces her to face all the deaths she left behind—and what's killing them.

This supernatural horror features gorgeous writing and a deep exploration of heavy topics, including suicide, suicidal ideation, and child abuse. If you are looking for a dense, lyrical read with a strong use of dream sequencing and metaphorical/liminal space, this one is for you! I especially loved the thoughtful and nuanced take on bisexuality, but don't come in expecting any romance.

I felt the narrative was respectful of all topics addressed, but make sure you check out the triggers before reading.

A chilling and lyrical exploration of trauma, identity, and the darkness that lurks in the most unexpected places. This is a masterful blend of supernatural suspense and deeply human fears. The arc of involuntary creation adds a fresh and unnerving twist to the haunted artist trope, making Isa’s struggle both psychological and supernatural.
Lee’s writing shines in her depiction of Slater itself, a town that feels alive with malevolent intent. The oppressive atmosphere is palpable, and the town’s history as a former mining community lends itself well to the novel’s themes of buried secrets and the weight of the past. The author skillfully intertwines the town’s dark legacy with Isa’s personal history, creating a narrative that is as much about uncovering the truth of her friends’ deaths as it is about Isa reclaiming her identity and agency. This is a story about the ghosts we carry with us, the art that shapes us, and the courage it takes to face the darkness both within and without.

This is easily a 5 star read. What an addictive and haunting read it was. Although it was horror, it was not the kind of book that made me scream from fear, instead, it was a book that left me haunted. There are so many aspects that made this book 'unputtable'. Ultimately, this book, for me, is about grief, letting go and moving on; a book about breaking free and choosing who you want to be in a society that dictates us and judge our every move.

I love all of the characters and how multi-layered they are. They're not just black and white, good or bad, they're multi-dimensional and you can feel their anguish, their yearning to be the person that they want to become, their fears and their weaknesses. They're teens, and they act like one, but they realized their mistakes, correct them and move forward in life.

The eerie place of Slater, was another selling point for me. The worldbuilding is phenomenal, I could feel the chill in every place that they go to, the history behind it, the people that once lived in it. Slater itself was realistically made. From the atmosphere, to the imagery of the place, the history of the town, and the people that had lived in it, it made the reading more immersive.

This book didn't disappoint me. From the pacing, mystery, to even the writing, which was just so lyrical, eerie and enchanting. A girl who can connect with the ghost thru her drawings? All while she try to save the town and the ghost of the people that she loved, while trying to break free from the town that suffocated her.

Thank you so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to read such an amazing book. And to the author, Wen-yi Lee for this compelling and haunting world that you shared with us.

The Dark We Know by Wen-Yi Lee is a haunting exploration of trauma, identity, and the inescapable pull of the past. The novel centers around Isadora Chang, an art student who fled her oppressive hometown of Slater to escape its stifling atmosphere and the lingering grief of losing two childhood friends. Wen-Yi Lee skillfully intertwines the supernatural with real-world issues, creating a story that is as much about confronting personal demons as it is about battling literal ones.

Isa is a compelling protagonist, whose journey back to Slater is fraught with tension and unease. Her return is triggered by the death of her abusive father, but it's the revelation from Mason, her last surviving friend, that truly sets the plot in motion. The pacing is well-managed, gradually ramping up the suspense as Isa becomes increasingly entangled in the town’s dark mysteries. The supernatural elements are chilling and well-crafted, with the eerie songs on the wind and Isa's inexplicable sketches adding layers of dread to the narrative.

What makes this book stand out is its deep emotional core. Isa's struggle with her bisexuality, her complicated feelings towards her hometown, and her unresolved grief all add a richness to the story. Wen-Yi Lee does an excellent job of portraying Slater as more than just a creepy backdrop; it’s a character in its own right, a place that feeds on the pain of its inhabitants.

However, the novel occasionally stumbles with its pacing, especially in the middle sections where the build-up to the climax feels slightly prolonged. Some readers might find the resolution too tidy, given the complex emotions and themes explored throughout the book.

Overall, The Dark We Know is a gripping and atmospheric read, perfect for fans of supernatural thrillers with a strong emotional undercurrent. Wen-Yi Lee delivers a story that lingers long after the final page, much like the dark secrets buried in Slater.

Beautiful & raw & lyrical & twisty & unexpected & vulnerable & it's rooted itself inside me like the most gorgeous, terrifying dream. I will read anything Wen writes, and that's a threat.

I was given an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Gillian Flynn Books for my honest review.
The Dark We Know has tons of creepy small town atmosphere. Wen-yi Lee really lets the reader into Isa's head with her descriptions. In the beginning, these somewhat confusing, but once the book progresses, they even out. The writing is quite lyrical at times. A solid YA horror novel, Lee should gather many new fans for this outing. 4 stars.

This book was not so dark in the horror sense as I expected but, it does have mentions of very dark subjects. There are a lot of suicides in the town of Slater. Why are so many children hurting themselves in this abandoned mining town? Is something sinister luring them with dark thoughts? I found the pacing of this story to be a bit slow at times and sometimes keeping up with the different names and founders of the town got a little confusing. I found the overall theme beautiful and inspiring. To me, the Angel was a metaphor for depression and the battle we all must choose to win each day. "...perhaps we become what hurt us, take on its curses. But we get to choose what to do with the hurt."

3 stars

Come to this book for Lee's stylistic prowess, but do not expect the level of suspense typical of most YA horror.

Isa has a complicated relationship to her now deceased father, her hometown, and, frankly, herself, and from the jump, she's thrust into facing all three. While the book begins with a compelling setup and maintains an intriguing setting and sinister tone, the pacing slows a bit too much for my taste. Quicker pacing and added suspense would have enhanced the thrills beyond just the noticeable creepiness.

I enjoy this writer's style so much that while this plotting isn't my favorite, I wouldn't hesitate to read more from Lee.

Readers should be aware of the TWs before jumping in, suicide/suicidal ideation and self-harm, especially.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Wen-yi Lee for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Dark We Know coming out August 13, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I really love spooky and horror books. I’ve read a lot of them. I haven’t read too many with an Asian MC, so I really enjoyed that aspect of the book. I think the writing was really descriptive and lyrical. I loved the atmosphere of the small town and the creepy things that occur. I liked the book, but there were some elements missing for me. It wasn’t as scary as i thought it would be. I thought there would be more horror based on the title and summary. I think some things seemed more metaphorical and I didn’t quite understand it. There were also things that Isa went through where it seemed like only she could go through those things. I was hoping for a little more from the other characters. So I liked it, but wanted a little more. I would check out other books by this author.

isadora chang never planned on returning to slater. between her bisexuality and her two of her childhood friends dying, the former mining town doesn’t feel very welcoming to her. but when isa’s abusive father dies, she comes back just to collect the inheritance. while there, though, she runs into mason, the local medium’s son, who says their friends were killed by a supernatural being, and the two need to put a stop to it before it claims more of the town’s children.

first, i want to highlight that this book was no light read (not that any horror book is). content warnings include suicide, violence, child abuse, child death, religious trauma, and transphobia. i think the author gave each of these topics respect. i also want to say that i appreciate that, while deadnaming is present in this book, the deadname isn’t found on page. rather, the part of the dialogue containing the deadname is replaced by an em dash. i thought this was a great way of showing the injustices that character faced while still respecting him.

the horror aspect was very unique. as i mentioned before, this book includes depictions of religious trauma, and the religion (more like cult) followed by many in the town is directly tied to the horror aspect. i loved seeing how this element unfolded.

i’d recommend this to ya horror readers, and i’d be interested in reading more from wen-yi lee!

THE DARK WE KNOW by Wen-yi Lee is a dark young adult horror novel. It's definitely a slow burn with a poetic, almost hypnotic style. It's in keeping with the plot and themes, which also get quite dark. This book might not be for everyone, but it's well written and captivating.

I loved this one! Wen-yi has a pitch perfect YA voice that makes me hunger for more stories from her. And as a side note? That cover? AMAZING.

Gorgeous gorgeous writing that so accurately captures the painful wavering between hope and hopelessness of being a teenager. Of bearing the burdens of different kinds of legacies and secrets. I could not put this down and life kept getting in the way!

This is moody and beautiful.

Isa returns home to Slater to bury her awful father and it strengthens the supernatural entity that haunts the town and steals its children. Including two of her best friends. Together with the remaining friend, Mason Kane, they have to chase down what hurts and haunts, diving deep into their town’s history. The real monsters are always people.

Mystical, profane, raw, and real, this book will creep around in your brain until you finish. Even then, a mark remains.

The book is dark and atmospheric. Characters are interesting and the setting is dark. Isadora returns to her town. But there is something sinister going on in it. Young people are going missing and dark entity has taken over the town. Before also she lost her two childhood friends. Spirits are trying to communicate with her. She is getting close to the truth and mystery. While the book was unpredictable. If you like atmospheric book with supernatural elements, generational trauma, mental health rep and sexual orientation diversity, read it.

Thanks to the Author and Publisher.

This is a tremendously enjoyable book, despite the confusing pacing and the harrowing description of mental issues. Although it's marketed as YA horror, it can easily be appreciated by adults too. The writing is both exciting and insightful, employing supernatural themes to convey deep thoughts on trauma and family relationships, as well as incite strong emotions on the intricacy of friendship (thankfully there's no real romance). The mystery element is well placed, driven by good characterization and a solid, twisty plot. The confusing pacing may be just my own (false) impression, not being accustomed to the short attention span of the internet generation!

This was pretty good spooky YA horror! I thought it was a really good exploration of trauma and had some good characters. I enjoyed the complication friendship dynamic and how that relationship developed. And of course I always enjoy a book with no romance (there is past relationships here but no romance subplot).

I didn’t find myself super engaged with the main plot/mystery - some of the elements felt a bit random and not meshed together enough for me? I also wanted a bit more exploration of her relationship with her parents. But overall I enjoyed it!

Biblically accurate angel 😬

This was HEAVY. A supernatural entity is driving struggling teenagers to end their lives, so there is suicide, suicide attempts and ideation, along with (of course) the death of loved ones and the related miasma of grief and guilt. This was a deeply emotional and personal read for me. There were so many painful and accurate depictions of mental health, the almost comfort? of depression and hibernating in misery, the struggle of finding joy and purpose but how there is still immense good in the world. The best horror has a message, not just violence and jump scares, and this one definitely does. I cried.

The atmosphere of Gothic Appalachian horror was also expertly done, though some parts jumped around a little for me and some scenes ended a bit abruptly. I wouldn't say this book is scary, but then again I was reading this at midnight and had to get up during an intense scene to turn a light back on, so there's that.

Also LOVED the bisexuality discussions between the MC and her friend and in her own thoughts.

The Dark We Know is a unique twist on small town horror. Isa has to return to her small, terrible town in order to claim her inheritance from her recently deceased, very abusive father. It's a town she was more than eager to escape, especially after losing two of her closest friends to apparent suicides. This is a small town where the children are taken too often, and Isa wasn't going to stick around. But now she's back to attend a funeral and finish her art project, after her midterm was sort of denied because it was way too freaky (some dead kids that she knows from her hometown). She finds out that Paige, one of the girls she drew and also heir to the town's aristocratic founding family, is now missing, her only remaining friend from childhood, Mason, is the only suspect, and he's been seeing ghosts and Isa is the only person who can help him break the cycle of violence and ghosts in this town. Are you still following? No? That's fine. It's a weird book.
It starts off a little slow, but it definitely picks up. There were a few things that felt like loose ends throughout the novel, just the smaller haunting things that seemed to fall back into the background, but for the most part it was good. I really liked the weird cult angle, even though it's never too overbearing on the plot. The little details were just weird and off enough that about a third of the way through, I went, wait, this isn't normal church, there's something weirder here. I liked how casual the queerness all was. Also, the way that Lee wrote the backstory woven throughout the book was in such a way that, even though I logically knew that what was done was done, I was still somehow hoping for a happy ending for Zack and Wren. The ending was maybe on the slightly anticlimactic side, but it was still a satisfying close. I have already put Lee's upcoming book on my TBR list.