I could not recommend this book more highly. What an absolutely brilliant ride from start to finish - the storyline is unique and compelling with elements of English folklore woven into a creepily suspenseful storyline. The characters are wonderfully imperfect and deeply interesting and the timeline trickery is fabulously well done. Absolutely loved it and have already recommended it to everyone I know!

Outside

Sophie Wickham, aimless and friendless, lives in London working temp jobs and drinking too much in her evenings. She's shallow, selfish, and has few redeeming qualities. A chance encounter with a mysterious man is about to upend things entirely for Sophie.

Inside

One year ago Sophie woke, naked and stumbling, from the woods surrounding the rural village of Withered Hill. She has no memory of how she came to be there, and her multiple escape attempts have been thwarted, but the villagers have cared for Sophie and guided her in the ways of Withered Hill. But now the time has come for Sophie to leave, but she must prepare for one final rite before she can cross to the Outside.

Told using multiple timelines, Withered Hill was exactly the disturbing folk horror tale I was hoping it would be. There are moments of dread and horror, pagan sacrifices, shadows come to life, and even a weird English manor. The chapter headings make it clear where the reader is in the timeline, so things are never confusing from that aspect. (Things might be confusing because Withered Hill is a bit nuts, but that is something different.)

I loved this book. The ending took an unexpected twist that I really loved. The vibes were absolutely perfect for the Halloween season.

Sensitive readers should be aware that this book deals with topics like infant death, suicide, and both human and animal sacrifice.

Such a wild ride of past & present mixing along with the rules & tales of Withered Hill all colliding. Our ‘civilized’ realities coming up against what is far older & more ancient seems such a stark contrast. But aren’t people barbaric in their own rights? Isn’t there some value in fear like the bygone eras knew? This was a great horror fest from start to finish and I’ll definitely be getting a physical copy once it hits shelves!

I adore this book. Absolutely perfect folk horror novel.
This is the story of Sophie, a woman living in London, she quite a mess and her life is about to take a turn.
This book is best gone into blind, just let the story unfold. If you're a fan of any folk horror, this book is for you.
Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo for the ARC.

A 3.5 rating! I enjoyed this story line and at times felt very creeped out by the events taking place. The only reason I feel short of the four star rating is because of the pacing. At times I felt disinterested to pick up the book. I think this was because of all the switching back and forth of timelines and the timeline inside of Withered Hill not going in order. Overall it did what I wanted, a book to creep me out in time for Halloween.

I liked the way this story came together in the end but I found it hard to keep interest sometimes with the jumping around. A good creepy folktale all around though.

This book just wasn't for me. It seemed like it might be similar to The Watchers (which I LOVED), but this was poorly written (and sexualized) women with a little side of folk horror. Men who write women like they're objects just aren't for me. The idea was really great and it could have been executed well, it just really fell flat for me.

This was such a strange story with a very unexpected ending and I really enjoyed it. The tension as you are waiting to figure out how the before became the after. What is the secret of withered hill and how did our Heroine get there? Why is she there at all? And how can she get out?

A true folk horror novel is one of my favorite things on earth but they can be difficult to find. There fire I was delighted when I discovered Withered Hill. First, the cover! It features one of my beloved folk hates, so of course this was a must read for me.

Told in dual timelines, the events take place over the course of a year as we follow our protagonist Sophie, during her time from Outside to Inside the hamlet of Withered Hill. How did she end up in this strange town filled with pagan ritual? She has no memory of who she is and the townspeople and surrounding forest won’t let her leave. The chapters dealing with the Outside show a different Sophie, one who is reckless, irrisponsible, drinks too much and has a revolving door of lovers. How does she go from this to the much different girl Inside Withered Hill.

This book made me so happy. A folk horror novel with thriller elements, I devoured it. Both timelines intrigued me and kept me rapidly turning the pages until late into the night. This books horror is quiet and slowly builds to a shocking crescendo that both surprised and made sense. I loved the ancient folklore and pagan tradition and festivals that are sprinkled throughout Sophie’s time on the Inside. Quaint and horrific, they harken back to a time when Mother Nature must me offered gifts gifts and sacrifices to appease her and ensure a favorable crop for the community to flourish. And did I mention Owd Hob…….😱 I loved this one! Thank you to @netgalley for an arc of this novel in exchange for fair review.

A perfectly chilling, and nightmare-inducing folk horror perfect for the Halloween season. Told across multiple timelines, ‘before’ and ‘after’ and in a non-linear fashion, the story presents as with a creepy mystery that will have you reading page after page to uncover the truth. The ending will stay with you long after you finish. This was my first book by this author, but I will certainly be checking out more of his works into the future. I’d highly recommend this one for fans of horror or just anyone looking for a great read.

I was very concerned with Withered Hills seemingly chaotic timeliness, but when I got to the end it all made sense! I was kept guessing to the very end, while completely engaged with the eerie and unsettling inhabitants of quaint Withered Hill. Part mystery, part folk horror, and part sinister warning, Withered Hill definitely had me checking under my rugs.

This is one that has stayed with me after finishing it a week ago. Sophie Wickham has been living a narcissistic lifestyle when she stumbles out of the woods, naked and confused, and finds herself in the village of Withered Hill. With no recollection of how she got there and seemingly no way to leave, Sophie is terrified and at the mercy of the residents who are secretive and not at all alarmed by her predicament. It seems they've seen it all before.
The author tells his story by jumping timelines, which sounds confusing but isn't. This book extremely creepy and atmospheric, based on Pagan rituals and festivals. I'm probably dating myself, but think The Dark Secret of Harvest Home but far more disturbing. The ending will blow your mind!

I dnf-ed this book at 50% as I could not care about anything that was happening. I was so bored and the jumping around in time did not work for me. Normally I don't mind before and after, but this jumped all around in time inside (I think the outside chapters were in order of events, but I can't even remember now if they are). It was too much and every time I started getting into the story it would jump to a different time and it would lose all momentum. I think this would really be much better told linearly. Or maybe not, maybe there is a reason for all this jumping around but I didn't get far enough to understand why. But I couldn't do it anymore so I stopped.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for a copy of this book

Inside
A year ago, Sophie stumbled through the forest into the small village of Withered Hill. Naked, Muddy and with no recollection of her life outside of the village, she'll spend her time trying to regain the memories of her life before, while also navigating the townsfolk who appear to be quite odd and old school, drenched in pagan folklore. Though she's not a prisoner, she also cannot leave; is this the doing of the townspeople, or the something else that she feels watches her from the woods.
Outside
Sophie lives a dead-end life, full of alcohol, one-night stands and her slowly dwindling circle of friends. Her life takes a turn, however, when she starts receiving strange messages telling her that someone or something is coming for her. The happenings and messages become more intimidating and insistent, urging her to make her way to a place called Withered Hill.

This one intrigued me. I love the idea of a dual timeline when it's done well, and this one was. We get to see the story from before Withered Hill and then while inside Withered Hill. I've read a lot of dual timeline books, but this one felt like it was unique to a lot of the previous ones that I've read. I can't quite put my finger on why, but I'm here for it anyway. While this was marketed as a horror, I feel like it was more a mystery/suspense, with horror elements. There were different aspects of the story that dipped into horror, and I feel like the entire thing worked really well. In Withered Hill there's also snippets from the first day that Sophie arrived, and some from present day. Being as there's so many different timelines, I was waiting to be confused, but I wasn't, and I think that speaks volumes about Barnett's ability as a writer.

The characters were really well written. I loved how there were two different Sophie's that we were reading about. The hot mess before Withered Hill and the version of her that was in Withered Hill. I felt sorry for outside Sophie, as she clearly had issues that she needed help with. Instead, she chose to try and drink them away and hope they'd fix themselves. Sophie inside was such a likeable person. Even though she was trying to remember her life from before Withered Hill, I think it really shows that who someone is, isn't necessarily ingrained into their makeup, decisions and pathways that are taken can craft your personality and you become someone, you're not born someone. If that makes sense.

The story definitely went in a way that I wasn't expecting and that was fantastic. It flowed really well and was a slow burn that had a great atmosphere build up. I'd put this as horror-lite as there was definite creep factor here, and a building sense of dread even though you didn't quite know what was happening or where things would go. Barnett did a great job at really making you feel that isolation that Outside Sophie was feeling and I think as the story progressed, it became darker and darker and all of sudden you realised that the lights had dimmed a bit and the creepiness and dread was slowly moving in. I love these kinds of stories because it really does just sneak up on you. The pacing was relatively slow to medium, but I feel that it worked for this story quite well and I kept wanting to pick it up at every chance that I got. It's an intriguing tale that really kept me guessing and I just wasn't a hundred percent sure where it was going. I really enjoyed the ride and the destination though.

All in all, this is a great book if you're still getting started in the horror genre, as I don't see it as strictly horror. It has creepy elements that are done well and an intriguing storyline that really keeps you guessing. It does have a slow to medium burn, but it works well for the story.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Well, this was a helluva ride. The cover is simple but stunning, the premise is beyond incredible, and the book itself…whew!

This is a dual-timeline POV of the protagonist, set before and after she finds herself in the titular Withered Hill, and slowly ties together the pieces of how she ended up there and how she eventually plots her escape. It’s based deeply in English Pagan folklore, which was a first for me (but hopefully not the last); and boy does the author know his stuff. This novel was utterly chilling. There were so many plot twists that had me questioning everything and anything. Every small detail had me mentally putting tacks and strings on a poster board to try and connect things together. And when it’s all revealed and you realize at last what the book was working towards…damn. It took my breath away.

If you’re looking for a good horror novel that will have you hiding in the back room of your workplace, praying a manager doesn’t come in as you try to squeeze in just one more page, this is the book for you.

Okay, I know you have heard me say a couple times this year that a book is in my top 10 for 2024…… well Withered Hill is easily in my top 5 and there are very few books this year that are going to rival it for my #1.

This book was folky and so, so dark and I could not get enough of it. I need more from this author in the horror genre immediately.

This is a book that I think you should go into as blind as possible so I’m keeping my review short and sweet. Read. This. Book.

Withered Hill is everything you didn’t know you needed (and then some.) I feel like I need to be in an emotional support group for readers that have finished this one. Check this book out if you like horror, nature, small towns, and mind fu*ks!

**Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo Horror for the eARC of this insane title!!**

Were introduced to two different timelines, “before Withered Hill” and “after Withered Hill”, all revolving around Sophie. A young woman living in London, trying to figure out her life and struggling with isolation and financial issues before mysteriously entering withered Hill. It immediately flashes forward to Sophie, walking into withered Hill, naked, covered in dirt and leaves, and completely unsure of where she is or who she is. She’s met with villagers who seem to raise no questions about her current state and tell her “This is just the way of things in Withered Hill.”

This is for fans of The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, Alice in Wonderland, and the movie Midsommar. I was so impressed by how well this novel incorporated classic folk horror references while being truly original. Even aspects of the book which I thought to be out of place had their purpose made clear. What a refreshing novel, I definitely planned to read this again.

As the synopsis alluded, this is definitely for fans of Midsommar. A perfect little fall read to get you into horror for October! I love the cover art and am really happy I got to read and ARC!

I really enjoyed this book. The folk horror core genre is one of my favorites and I thought that this book did a fantastic job to encapsulate the creepy vibes.

I love the cover of this book, and the overall premise had me SO excited to try this one out.
But the pacing and setup is unfortunately ruining my engagement. The back and forth of inside-outside could definitely be structured better. From what I read, the “outside” perspective is linear, but the “Inside” was bouncing around so there were really three timelines going on at once where we see Sophie’s life before Withered Hill, the beginning, and the end. Honestly I would’ve preferred the whole story to just be told in a more linear manner.

I also just found Sophie to be too unbearable as a character. I’m sure she gets what she deserves and undergoes some growth, but she *feels* like a character written to be an asshole, in a way that disrupted the immersion for me. She drinks to much, she’s rude to everyone(including her closest friends), she throws trash at pigeons, and there’s even a part where she says she prefers fast fashion so she can wear out cheap clothes and throw them away. Like the author is really throwing in every tidbit possible to make Sophie a hateable protagonist. It’s successful, but too heavy-handed, and but I find myself wanting nothing to do with her.

DNF. Maybe I will try this one again in the future because I really am intrigued by the story. I’d still recommend trying this one out for yourself and I would love t try this author again on another title!