Do you ever read a book and know that it is amazing but just not for you?

I am not opposed to bashing a book. There have been two recent books where I have rooted for the bad guy, despite there being nothing redeeming about said bad guy. This is not the case. I mean, I do root for the elk woman, but I also didn't hate the men. They made a mistake, a stupid mistake.

I did struggle with the Lewis section. It was just gross and I was unable to enter his state of mind that would allow that amount of gratuitous violence.

This is not for me but I see how others would like it. I have heard such amazing things about this novel but I should have known better.

Thank you to Saga Press and NetGalley for the DRC. All opinions are my own.

3 stars!

This harrowing story of a vengeful spirit had some really intense, awesome moments! However, I really struggled with the writing style and it significantly impacted my reading experience.

I've been aware of Stephen Graham Jones for a long time and went to see him talk at a book event a few months ago, which made me want to give his books a shot. Conceptually and atmospherically I really enjoyed this. Hannibal ingrained a love of elk-related horror into me so I was unbelievably down for a vengeful elk spirit. The kind of escalation of cruelty was really compelling and chilling, very much a car crash in slow motion. My main issue with this book is the writing style, which I know is an issue for a lot of people. It's really unique and I'm sure it works for some people, but I just had so much trouble keeping up with what was happening. At times I had to look up a summary to confirm what I thought was happening, and I never really got a grip on the characters or their personalities.

I understand why the feelings on this book are so mixed, because I bet if you can get behind the writing style it's amazing. If you can't, the whole story really feels distant in a way that detracts from the story's impact.

Thank you to Stephen Graham Jones and Saga Press for this ARC in exchange for my full, honest review!

Happy reading!