The story was a bit slow at the start but after about 100 pages or so things start to pick up after Gabe, Laurie, and their daughter Kimmie get settled in at Golden Oaks at their families cabin on the edge of Oro Lake. It’s a small town with a strange environmental history that sets the stage for a supernatural creature feature with a Lovecraftion vibe. It is very well written, characters are all enjoyable, and gets intense as the lake monster comes to life. I will definitely be reading more books by this author.

"Beware the lake and all the horrors that lie beneath the surface".
The Barnes family (Gabe, his wife Laurie and daughter Kimmie) decide to go visit his childhood home town of Golden Oaks and Oslo Lake for a mini getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city. Gabe (after the disappearance of his father years prior) wants to make his old home a permanent place to live but is still undecided.
However, there is something sinister and otherworldly lurking beneath the surface of Oslo Lake and it is slowly manifesting and wreaking havoc on anyone who dares to get too close to it leaving terror and mayhem in its wake.
This story was a riveting, intense and suspenseful read that had me enthralled with intrigue from the beginning to the end with a thought provoking and dark plot along with a unique twist at the crux of the story. It was fast paced and I would recommend this to all avid horror readers (especially those who like supernatural and cosmic horror).

Thank you to Brigids Gate Press and Netgalley for a Ebook review copy.

I am happy to say I really loved this one! It would be a great summer read. The creature is so cool and unique. The vibes of it for some reason reminded me of Stephen King's story "The Raft", but it was truly its own creature. And the crows were such an awesome addition to how things fit together! Normally I don't love when authors a randomly compared to Stephen King, but I think the author really did have a style where the small town horror and each of its characters came to life.

I agree with other reviews that it is quite a slow burn story, but there is plenty of action and horror dispersed throughout that I was never bored. The author did a great job bringing that sticky, hot feeling of summer into the book.

The one thing I will say is that I wish we had gotten more history of the town and how this creature came to be--there is very little explanation of things and more backstory would have been cool. Also, sometimes things could get a little TOO descriptive when it came to random moments--- like at one point, we get a whole paragraph to describe a character making some Keurig coffee that just felt unnecessary. But mostly I just really loved reading this book!

I loved this book it gave me Steven King vibes! So eerie and spooky, but gory and horror esque! Maybe a bit on the long side but overall enjoyable. Thank you netgalley for letting me read this!

I received a free ebook copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for a review.

Positives first: the plot itself is mostly fine, the characters are mostly fine. I really liked the subversion with the ravens. The book has content warnings listed at the back, which I appreciate.

But the pacing is just so painfully slow. You know how in like monster/slasher movies you have the opening bits that are a bit slower, when they're trying to investigate it like a normal crime and they don't really know what's going on yet? Then people figure things out and the pacing cranks up? This book is permanently locked into the pace of those opening bits. Any time action happens and you expect the book to finally ramp up, it pulls back. Even over thirty chapters in to this forty-chapter book, the pace is still throttled. It's agonizing.

There's also this constant question of "should we move here?" which I quite frankly do not understand. Like, by the characters own admission they have been having a terrible vacation. Drownings, near-drownings, assaulted by hostile locals, people going missing, but hey should we stay here forever? It's even more frustrating because it contributes to the pacing problems. Things will actually be happening but we have to stop and have the same conversation we keep having over and over again that goes nowhere and I don't even know why we're having this conversation in the first place.

If you like or don't mind slow books, sure, go for it. It just wasn't for me.

This book had a great plot with intriguing characters. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.

Thank you Netgalley, Brigids Gate Press, LLC and Ben Monroe for the eArc of The Seething.

This is a slow paced deep dive into something that exists in the bottom of the lake. I really enjoyed the folklore element to this narrative as well as the tension building. This story is packed with claustrophobic scenes regarding water, a malevolence of a dark entity and some gory scenes as the characters of the story are picked off. I loved Ben's writing style and how he created a very atmospheric horror and Im really looking forward to reading more of his work

4 stars

This story is mostly about a father in family who visits his family home by a lake where grandpa disappeared and is presumed dead. There is a forbidden island and a strange presence in the water.

I did not like how in this story the 15 year old daughter is talked to/about like a little girl. I also did not like the petty revenge angle- I get there needs to be a villain, but its so petty and such a stupid 'man' issue.

I don't swim in lakes. I also don't swim in oceans, but that's beside the point. I've talked about this before but there was a lake near my hometown that made on top of a town that flooded, so every little...stick was a bone to me. Ben Monroe has guaranteed that I'll truly never swim in a lake.

Gabe's father disappeared and the case remains unsolved. Soon, Gabe and his family move into his late father's lake house in a sleepy little town. As they consider staying there permanently, the small town's secrets start to come to light....

This is one of those books that I can't talk about too much because I want to spill the entire story. it's that good.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A small town, a new start, and an ancient slithering horror living in the lake.

When a family decides to visit a family home in a small town, they begin thinking it's a place they might move to permanently. Their fifteen year old daughter, Kimmie, is conflicted but it's a chance for a fresh start away from a big city.

This will soon turn into a nightmarish hellscape as a black creature begins brutally killing people in and around the lake and, as we'll find out, the dead might be the lucky ones.

When Kimmie is attacked in the water but rescued, something has stayed with her and inside her. A part of this creatures essence. And it slowly starts taking her over leading to horrifying events.

This novel has a lot of the good horror stuff I like: small town horror, alien-like ancient creatures, bloody kills, and some twists and turns to keep the reader engaged. From the first chapter you know this is going to be a terror filled story and it doesn't disappoint. I highly recommend it.