“Healing is stopping the knife, but it’s also tending to the wound. It’s letting the disinfectant sting.”

The Dark We Know by Wen-yi Lee is a hauntingly lyrical, beautifully grotesque YA horror about the fragile threads we weave together through trauma and pain about grief and anger, around love and belonging, with prose that buries itself deep inside you and consumes your every thought well after it is over.

Art student Isadora Chang returns home to Slater, a dying mining town, after the death of her abusive father, and finds unearthed secrets and a dark supernatural creature in the small mountain town she left behind who has only grown stronger since she left. With the help of her childhood friend and medium, Mason, Isa has to finally solve the mystery that has haunted her all her life before it threatens to bury her with it.

All in all, Wen-yi Lee crafts a masterful story about generational and religious trauma and loss and longing through the intertwining of art, ghosts, and an emotionally driven prose that ultimately explores the different ways we heal and grow as human beings that will sit with me for a long time.

Thank you to Netgalley and Gillian Flynn Books for providing this e-arc in exchange for a honest review. All opinions in this review are my own.

There's a lot to like here! The emotional journey Isa goes through, along with the other characters, is compelling and powerful. However, there were issues for me with the world building in this, as well as the overall plot. I didn't get a clear sense of the town, or the people in it, aside from the main characters. I had a hard time following the mystery, and there were a few reveals/plot twists that felt unearned, or outright confusing, because there wasn't much foundation in the story. Still overall strong for a debut and I'd be very interested in reading whatever this author does next!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!

This story deals with pain and regrets. I wanted to read it for AAPI month but then I also turned into a good book for Mental Health Awareness month. This actually hit harder than I thought it would. I got annoyed with Isa a little in the beginning when she was talking with Mason but I also get her reasoning as the story goes on. Her leaning and never wanting to look back makes sense. I really liked Trish, even if sometimes I didn’t understand her character all the way, she seemed like a solid older sister and she obviously really cared about Isa and their mom.

This could be a potentially triggering book as it deals with suicide and extreme thoughts of self loathing. It also deals with abusive/neglecting parents. The way this plot went was very unique and I liked the idea that were presented. I don’t want to spoil too much since it’s a bit of a way till it comes out, but this was a good heavy read. I love the messages of friendship and love. Even if you can’t let go, there’s still reasons to push forward. The friend group that Isa, Mason, Wren, & Zack had was so sweet. I always wished I could have had childhood friends like a YA novel.

I rated this book 4 stars. I liked this book a lot. It was really well written and the characters were amazing. I recommend everyone to read this book.

I was really looking forward to this book after reading the blurb, and I can say that it did not disappoint! I look forward to reading more by this author.

The story here was interesting, mysterious, and emotional. It took the concept of angels and turned it sideways.

Every character was damaged, traumatized even, in some way. While understanding these folks are bound together by something they don't understand, it still fell odd.

I did enjoy the characters and their complicated relationships. I felt like darkness was certainly present here just not in the way you might anticipate.

The author is talented and wrote something richly textured that I hope you'll enjoy.

This is the first horror novel I’ve ever encountered with a Chinese female mc! Love seeing some Chinese representation in this genre! Returning to your hometown to find that all your childhood friends have been murdered by a supernatural entity the local medium begs for your help to stop the evil? I mean come on. That sounds like a peak fun horror reading experience.

“There’s a tangible shift in the world between Slater and everywhere else, something you don’t feel until you’ve been out and back again. A degree darker, a degree colder, the air a fraction thicker.”

I love small town horror settings but something about Slater just makes me even more uncomfortable. It’s a mining town and just the way it’s presented and described makes me feel like the whole place is off. The town has a lot of local history involving plague experiments and more recently, lots of disappearances. The setting is great. The creepy vibe is there from the start. But for some reason, I just couldn’t really get into this book and I don’t know why. For some reason, I just couldn’t get myself interested and invested and usually with horror that isn’t the case. There was nothing wrong with the book….I just couldn’t get into it. Nonetheless, this was very well written. Mason was SO unlikable, though I don’t think he was intended to be written as an unlikeable character. Nonetheless, could not stand him. Horrible attitude and super snarky and aggravating.

Also, I personally didn’t find this scary enough. But I’m also a pretty seasoned horror reader, and I’ve read a lot of haunted house and small town horror in my day. It does take more for a book to scare me, so this may not be the case for someone else who gives this a try. This just didn’t have the urgency I was seeking, at least not for me. This was just a little too….weird for me. And not scary enough. But, this wasn’t at all a bad read, and just because it wasn’t for me, doesn’t mean that others might not enjoy this more than I did!

Thank you to Netgalley and Gillian Flynn Books for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review.

Oh boy, did I LOVE this book!
For starters, the MC's voice was so clear, so vivid, almost loud to the point I couldn't ignore her or stop thinking about it. I related to so much about Isa and the way she felt, her family dinamics, her pursuit for her self, the right to be herself and be accepted. That was one of the things that most resonated with me and that made me not want to put this down.
And then there was that all vibe about the small quarry town and its people, their religiousness that was verging on the fundamentalist obsessive, the secrets the entire town kept or pretended not to know, the weird deaths, the complete absurdity of them and how most people just chose to ignore what was blatantly obvious. The caste system within the citizens of that town, too, written in such a subtil manner. The writing is extremely good, in this book, as a matter of fact, in terms of prose and imagery and the way the narrative is woven together.
Then there was 80s, 90s Stephen King vibe, and to me, this book was filled with it. I felt very much back in my late teens, early 20s reading the King like there was no tomorrow, experiencing the exact same fremits as I followed along the trail of crumbs the author kept putting in my way. This was hands down one of the best reads of the year, for me, and I will be very curious to see where the author goes next.
Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC copy of this novel. The opinions stated in this review are my own and honest.

A hauntingly beautiful YA horror that explores grief, depression, and belonging. Wen-yi Lee is a master of prose, and I devoured every haunting word. Truly a stunning debut that will linger with me for a long time to come.

"It doesn’t seem fair, that grief is so everlasting, while the happiness seems to fade as the moment does."

(this quote is taken from the arc and might be subject to change)

Damn, that was a wild ride!

Unlike my buddy reader, Mai, I'm a huge fan of this specific genre of horror. (Think The Ring mixed in with Silent Hill vibes.) So, this was straight up my alley.

I'll admit though, the first half was a very (almost excruciatingly) slow build. It read very YA and very melodramatic to the point where I was feeling pretty meh about it.

But despite all of that, the author has such a talented grasp on language that her words flow beautifully onto the page. It's both emotional and philosophical. I was in awe. I highlighted several quotes that I'll share at the end of this review.

Anyway.

Then the midpoint happened, and the second half was a roller coaster ride.

I was here for it. I was here for all of it: the cult-like religion that choked the town and its people, the creepy Angel ghost that reminded me of pyramid head, Samara, and Weeping Angels from Doctor Who rolled into one villain, the exploration of grief and death, the loss of childhood innocence (if there ever was one), coming into terms with a queer identity, life as a mixed-race kid whose BIPOC identity is stifled, parental abuse and neglect.

Lord, the themes were theme-ing and the vibes were vibing! If the first half didn't have such a slow start, I'd easily give this 5 stars.

I can't wait to read more from Wen-yi Lee! Off to check out her short stories now.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes: (taken from the arc and might be subject to change)

"There’s comfort in a familiarity that never needs explanation, never comes with the fear that revealing yourself will change everything."

"Learning to sympathize with my mother will definitely, completely make the rest of my life more complicated. But maybe she deserves that just like my friends and I do. To be seen as a whole person instead of one story, one label, one past wrong."

"For the longest time, I thought that nothing can hurt you if it can’t get to you. But the things that hurt leave their bruises. Healing is stopping the knife, but it’s also tending to the wound. It’s letting the disinfectant sting. It’s wrapping it in gauze, even if it shows you’re fragile. It’s giving it time and care until it closes over itself."

Thank you to Gillian Flynn Books and NetGalley for this arc.

Buddy read with Zana

The Diverse Baseline

June Prompt B: A book by a BIPOC Indie author

★★★★½ rounded up

This is a haunting, lyrical debut in the same vein as The Dead and the Dark. I'm a baby, and anything slightly scary causes me to lose sleep, so in this instance, I find YA horror to be more palatable to my tastes. This book still caused me to lose a bit of sleep.

Artsy Isa Chang returns to Slater, the small town where she grew up, for her father's funeral. His isn't the first death. Several young people are mysteriously missing or dead. Slater is an old mining town run by a very rich family.

While Isa finds making connections difficult, she grew up with three other close friends, two of which are now dead. The one that is still alive, Mason, grew up an outcast in town. His mother is the town medium, in a very close-knit white evangelical society. There's tension.

Some hear songs on the wind. Some hear it in the stone. Some are shamed. The Church knows something. Isa's mom knows something. Are you scared?

THE DARK WE KNOW is devastatingly beautiful. Wen is a one of a kind author, and I can’t wait for everyone to be blown away by her gorgeous words next year!

I may or may not be the author who just wanted to see how the arc looked, but I think it's a good book

Back in 2015, I was a pretty active lurker on r/nosleep. I very quickly became obsessed with stories that are now considered creepypasta classics, such as The Left Right Game and The New Fish. But my absolute favorite was Borrasca. The Dark We Know has the exact same creepy mining town vibes that Borrasca does, and for that alone I was ready to give this book the full five stars.

However, Wen-yi Lee takes her craft to a whole new level by putting a fresh, unique spin on the typical story of an isolated dying town. There's so many topics that this book tackles, and it does so in a well-flowing, seamless manner that manages to leave readers on the edge of their seats while also tantalizing them with enough breadcrumbs to lead them to the correct conclusion. And when that reveal comes, it comes with all the satisfaction of correctly guessing the killer or the ghost's motive in a really good horror movie.

I love Asian horror. I would consider myself connoisseur of it. And The Dark We Know is a shining example of what makes Asian horror really great. The ghosts are evil because in life they were oppressed by someone more powerful than them? Check. Complicated family dynamics? Check. The emotionally checked out/neglectful mother shown a little bit of grace and emphasized that she's also just a girl? Asian eldest daughter syndrome? Religious trauma? Check, check, check.

This book is so impressive! It's got truly satisfying (as in terrifying) small-mining-town horror, it's got well-developed characters and teen angst, it's got incisive racial commentary and discussions of white supremacy (without ever being simply didactic), and it's got some can't-stop-reading lore that drags you in and won't let you go.

3 ★ The Dark We Know is a solid read. I loved the atmosphere of the story and Wen-yi Lee's ability to capture specific moments in such a strong way. I find that nowadays young adult books usually have this specific type of first-person point-of-view writing style that I'm just not a fan of, but I really enjoyed how this book was written. It was written in a distinct voice, and Lee's talent for writing shined from the first page to the very last. There were interludes sprinkled throughout the story written with a collective "We" which I loved and found creative.

I'm not the biggest horror reader, but the premise and comps seemed intriguing enough to try. With horror or thriller books, I love it when the narrative is full of emotion, and my favorite books in the genre combine both emotion and speculative elements. Fortunately, The Dark We Know deals with emotional themes alongside the main plot, which made the book feel more authentic to me. I found the characters well-written, though I preferred the side characters (who are dead) to the main characters and wished there were more scenes with them.

I saw that the author compared her book to the song "seven" by Taylor Swift, and I definitely see the comparison. In fact, there is a scene that I feel is directly inspired by the lyrics, though I'm not sure if that was intentional.

The reason why I am only leaving three stars is because I have mixed opinions. While I loved the writing style, the atmosphere, and the themes explored, I didn't like this book as much as I had hoped. For a horror book, I felt it lacked suspense and tension. There were some intense scenes, but I never felt on the edge of my seat. The book also felt pretty confusing, like important information was left out, and could have benefitted from being a bit longer, as it was a relatively short read. Also, I don't typically enjoy books with religious elements, so those moments did not stick out.

Trigger warnings (provided by the author): Suicidal ideation & suicide, grief and depression, references to self-harm, pregnancy scare anxiety (side character/not main plot), domestic abuse, body horror, religious trauma and general trauma

Incredibly atmospheric from start to finish, this debut is a welcome addition to the YA gothic horror genre. With themes of love and pain and grief and trauma, with vivid description, beautiful prose, and distinct characters, THE DARK WE KNOW will resonate to those who read it.

Wow. Life is never easy for young adults in a small dying town that is hard to escape from, but this book takes it to the next level with a supernatural force that takes a portion of each generation into itself. And it is with the older generations approval as it is the "Angel" sent to make sure everyone follows the straight and narrow line and punishes those who stray. Isa was part of a group shattered by tragedy and now is back in town to figure it all out with the help of the only surviving member of their small group, Mason.

The author did a very good job in setting the mood of this story with just the right words for me to picture the dark and the stones and the rats. Very creepy, especially with the things Isa drew and the dead everywhere and the mountains singing in the background. Nicely creepy. It made for a quick read as I was eager to find out how the Angel came to be and what Isa, Mason, and the other young adults in the town could do about it. It was a good gothic horror book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book to read and review.

I really liked the creepy small town this book was set in, and I definitely wanted to know more about the history of the town. I also loved the horror aspect of the book, the generational trauma, the writing, everything was great! I especially loved the writing during the interludes with a different narrator, I remember highlighting a few sections there!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Zando / Gillian Flynn Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Wen-yi Lee's "The Dark We Know" is an atmospheric YA gothic horror that also focuses on themes of trauma and love. The story centers on Isa, who reluctantly returns to her hometown of Slater after her father's death, intending to settle her inheritance and leave. However, the town's eerie mysteries and buried secrets quickly ensnare her, forcing her to confront her past and the fractured relationships that haunt her. Before going into this book, I do want to provide a trigger warning for child abuse, as this is talked about a good amount in the book, especially in the beginning. Please refer to the author’s own review for more trigger warnings. With these trigger warnings in mind, I do recommend this book for those who have experiences being a minority in a small-town, as that is a big focus in this book. You may be able to connect to The main character (Isa) and her experiences.

Lee expertly weaves together past and present narratives, gradually unraveling the sinister history of Slater and its inhabitants. As Isa delves deeper into the town's secrets, she becomes entangled in a web of supernatural occurrences and dark revelations, leading to a gripping and atmospheric tale that keeps readers on the edge of their seats.

The book's strength lies in its richly drawn characters and hauntingly beautiful prose. Isa's journey is not just a physical one but also an emotional one, as she grapples with the weight of generational trauma (Asian parent and living in a small-town) and the complexities of love in the face of darkness. The interludes interspersed throughout the story provide additional layers to the story, offering different perspectives that add to the overall sense of unease and mystery. Lee's lyrical writing style infuses every page with a palpable sense of dread and longing, drawing you deeper into the eerie world of Slater. I think the writing is very beautiful and descriptive throughout the book, which is an absolute necessity when writing a gothic horror book. Lee was able to accurately portray the tense atmosphere needed in this kind of book, though I wish there had been some more background/development on the town itself as I found that to be very interesting, and I wanted more of it.

Some parts of the plot needed some time to fully develop, so there were some times when I was a bit confused about specific plot points, especially ones that seemed minor but became important later on in the story. It also takes a few chapters for the story/plot to really get going, but then it becomes incredibly engrossing and entertaining as you can’t wait to find out more of what’s going on.

Overall, "The Dark We Know" is a haunting and wonderfully crafted story that stays in your mind long after the final page. With its blend of horror and mystery, I definitely recommend this book to fans of gothic horror YA literature!