Bleak, unsettling and fantastically stressful in the best possible way. This felt almost dystopian and the familt dynamics and fractured relationships were pitch perfect. Perfect pick for a spooky season read.

reading this had me STRESSED. i wish i could have read it in the original language; something about the way its written makes me think there’s something rich in that version of the text. not that this text isn’t rich— interesting, original, and terrifying at times. shockingly bleak for a children’s book. there are unanswered questions, LOTS of death, and a broken family of two siblings, a dead mother, and a mia father. i loved this; truly, i wish there was more just because i got so attached to our main characters in such a short time, and i wanted to see them be okay— but that’s not what this book is doing, and i find that equally frustrating and incredible. a must read.

I can absolutely see the comparison to McCarthy’s The Road. This was bleak, yet hopeful by the end. So many valuable lessons can be learned from this fast paced journey that Bjerkland has provided us with— sometimes it’s better to run being a stand out for me. I believe that while this type of story has been reworked many different ways, this author still brought something fresh to the table. Well done!