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breakaway71's review against another edition
3.0
Crime thriller meets small town horror, and it turns out the human element is far more horrific than the horror element. Original and terrifying on multiple levels. I really liked this. I’m also not going to sleep for a week.
fv_angela's review against another edition
3.0
Near the Bone is a quiet, slow-to-build horror story featuring monsters both human and fantastical. The main protagonist, Mattie, is a young woman living with her "husband" in the middle of nowhere. She's lived in terror of the repercussions of disobeying him for as long as she can remember, so she keeps her head down and follows her routines. Until they discover a monster on their mountain and three cryptozoologists show up to investigate.
I won't even go into content warnings, there are too many to name. But keep in mind, this is a horror novel, and expect blood, violence, and to be taken out of your comfort zone. As the story progresses readers do start to understand how Mattie came to be in the situation she is in, and how awful the man she lives with is. He is just as much of a monster as the predator in the woods they are all afraid of, maybe even more so.
The story ended as I expected it to, but I kind of wish there was just a short epilogue. I would have liked to see Mattie aka Samantha reunited with her sister. But I did enjoy this suspenseful, frightening tale and look forward to more from this author.
I won't even go into content warnings, there are too many to name. But keep in mind, this is a horror novel, and expect blood, violence, and to be taken out of your comfort zone. As the story progresses readers do start to understand how Mattie came to be in the situation she is in, and how awful the man she lives with is. He is just as much of a monster as the predator in the woods they are all afraid of, maybe even more so.
The story ended as I expected it to, but I kind of wish there was just a short epilogue. I would have liked to see Mattie aka Samantha reunited with her sister. But I did enjoy this suspenseful, frightening tale and look forward to more from this author.
kb_toys's review against another edition
3.0
Very creepy and atmospheric, poor Mattie has lived more than half her life with a monster and now a new monster comes to disrupt whatever semblance of a life they’ve built. Overall I liked the ominous creature and Mattie’s journey but there was a lot of repetition and i wanted more from the ending.
emilygaynier's review against another edition
5.0
I'm not really one for domestic violence in books, but I think it actually worked well for this story
I was listening to this as an audiobook and jumped at least twice when one of my coworkers appeared out of nowhere.
I read this because someone described it as the Hozier song In the Woods Somewhere as a horror novel and I loved that idea. I played the Last of Us videogame with his albums on repeat because it worked so well with the story and setting. I'm getting more into scary books and I think this is my first really scary book. I was on edge for a lot of the time and the monster was the perfect amount of unknown
When I reread this, I will be doing so physically and with Hozier playing in the background
I was listening to this as an audiobook and jumped at least twice when one of my coworkers appeared out of nowhere.
I read this because someone described it as the Hozier song In the Woods Somewhere as a horror novel and I loved that idea. I played the Last of Us videogame with his albums on repeat because it worked so well with the story and setting. I'm getting more into scary books and I think this is my first really scary book. I was on edge for a lot of the time and the monster was the perfect amount of unknown
When I reread this, I will be doing so physically and with Hozier playing in the background
sloanemolson1992's review against another edition
4.0
The first word out of my mouth when I read the last word was WHAT??? Cliffhanger endings frustrate me so bad, only because I need resolution. This book was so damn good up until that ending. GAHHHHH. Okay so this is a horror/thriller and I really did truly love it up until the last page. This book follows William and Mattie, a married couple who lives in a cabin on a remote mountain. They are secluded until something, and someone, show up on their mountain. Things aren’t as they seem and shit goes down. Crazy, scary shit. I am all about this book except for that last damn page. Grrrrrr.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
tamzinann's review against another edition
5.0
Christina Henry, I saw I was excited.
Read the back.. wasn't my thing. This was this month's choice for a book club I am in. I wasn't excited about it.
I could not, but this book down, it was captivating and enthralling. I kept holding my breathing, not releasing it.
Read the back.. wasn't my thing. This was this month's choice for a book club I am in. I wasn't excited about it.
I could not, but this book down, it was captivating and enthralling. I kept holding my breathing, not releasing it.
chelseariddle's review against another edition
3.0
I did enjoy the book but wanted a bit more on the creatures to balance out what we learned about her past. It was like The Village meets The Room, I honestly thought the creature was going to be a metaphor or something William concocted but I do appreciate the choice to let the mind wander.
eklektikam's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Gore, and Sexual assault
presenttensekrissy's review against another edition
4.0
Overall, this was an interesting book. It’s labeled as horror but I personally didn’t find it super scary. However, It was a bit open ended for me. I wanted more answers, but I can also appreciate the beauty in leaving some things to the imagination.
I do want to point out how the author did so well portraying what it’s like coming out of abuse. How hard it is to realize and remember you’re a free human. How the mind can still berate and gaslight you into thinking you can’t do anything, that you’re weak, or wrong etc. How scary it can be to just do something YOU want to do even when there’s no longer anyone who can stop you. That guilt that lingers even when you know it has no right to be there. It can be so difficult to break free of the mental chains that held you for so long.
Well done.
I do want to point out how the author did so well portraying what it’s like coming out of abuse. How hard it is to realize and remember you’re a free human. How the mind can still berate and gaslight you into thinking you can’t do anything, that you’re weak, or wrong etc. How scary it can be to just do something YOU want to do even when there’s no longer anyone who can stop you. That guilt that lingers even when you know it has no right to be there. It can be so difficult to break free of the mental chains that held you for so long.
Well done.