frankiecastanea's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
marrsia's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
atlastheninth's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Cozy Horror might just be my new favourite genre, I didn't know I needed that. That was such a nice mix of cozy/sweet scenes and really unsettling ones. Also sentient mountain and the cutest mountain lion? Fuck yeah.
But I'm just not really a fan of Insta love.
"The trees knew I was coming. They felt me below the mountain." "More than that, Celeste. They were calling you home."
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Alcohol, Death, and Alcoholism
Minor: Child death
dusksolace's review
adventurous
emotional
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
agentkp's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I quite enjoyed the lore of this one but it also felt way too fast and like things could be explored more deeply. There was no reason everything had to happen in literally 3 days. Which brings me to the thing i hated which was that insta love thing. The characters barely know each other and the MC was already thinking about falling in love and using that to give her strength through the journey when they had barely talked.
nej18's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
irisestacansado's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is everything I could dream of, from sweet romance to atmospheric horror. Siggy Chambers has imbued this book with so much care and craft that it practically oozes out of every word, sometimes through visceral descriptions that make me feel almost sick from the vividness to scenes that are so heartbreakingly caring. I find the idea of "cozy horror" to be broad and hard to define, but this book was often cozy, like settling down with a cup of tea after a scare (which, in my defense, is actually pretty close to some of the scenes). Parts of this made me feel like I was immersed in a ttrpg in the best way possible. This made me ache for Celeste, and a scene that I posted on Twitter had me in tears because of how much like home it felt.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Child death, and Violence
Minor: Vomit
ladyknightmeg's review
5.0
Can a book be both cozy and terrifying?
I have to preface this spoiler-free review by saying this book made me both hungry and scared.
Hungry, because Siggy Chambers writes the BEST food descriptions. I’m telling you, you will want all the pie while reading this.
Scared because, well, this is a portal fantasy book that mixes in monstrous folklore.
The. Monsters. Are. Scary.
The only reason I didn’t devour it in one sitting, is because at about 1/3 of the way into the book, I could no longer read it right before bed, which is my typical reading time.
Overall, while this isn’t my usual genre, this book was a well crafted dark adventure with an autistic MC, and a cute f/f romance to offset the horror bits. I really enjoyed tagging along on Celeste’s adventure and am jealous of all the baked goods she got to eat along the way.
I have to preface this spoiler-free review by saying this book made me both hungry and scared.
Hungry, because Siggy Chambers writes the BEST food descriptions. I’m telling you, you will want all the pie while reading this.
Scared because, well, this is a portal fantasy book that mixes in monstrous folklore.
The. Monsters. Are. Scary.
The only reason I didn’t devour it in one sitting, is because at about 1/3 of the way into the book, I could no longer read it right before bed, which is my typical reading time.
Overall, while this isn’t my usual genre, this book was a well crafted dark adventure with an autistic MC, and a cute f/f romance to offset the horror bits. I really enjoyed tagging along on Celeste’s adventure and am jealous of all the baked goods she got to eat along the way.
marleywrites's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
If you’re looking for an example of cozy horror, you’ve found it with The Binding of Bloom Mountain.
This story follows Celeste as she unknowingly returns to the Valley she once knew after seeing an advertisement in the newspaper. In the Valley, she learns of the town’s history and its curse. She agrees to take on the task of binding the mountain before she really knows what it means. She meets some townsfolk who help her prepare for this day and a half journey. Then, we follow Celeste as she takes on the mountain and the town’s curse.
This story has cozy elements, such as a small town hidden away in the mountains, cafes, scones, an animal familiar. The sapphic romance in this book isn’t really a main focus, but it does encourage Celeste to keep going on her quest. The love interest is a super sweet woman. I hope we see more of her in book two.
I really loved the magic of the connection Celeste uncovers with the forest. The further she goes on this journey, the deeper the connection becomes. I felt like I was in Celeste’s shoes while reading this. The author does an amazing job of immersing the reader into this world. I read this book in the middle of summer and multiple times while reading, I found myself looking up and expecting to see autumn leaves outside my window. I was extremely impressed with the way the forest and nature was written, it was clear the author has a lot of love and passion for supporting nature and respecting it.There is a scene towards the end of the book where Celeste witnesses the memories of the trees and it is such a magical scene- Celeste describes it as religious. It felt religious to read it, too.
I know the book probably sounds really cute and cozy right now, and on one hand it is, but it is also deeply unsettling as Celeste continues on her journey. There are multiple scenes where forest spirits and creatures and spooky happenings occur. The descriptions of the events that happen truly made me feel shocked and afraid at times. I could imagine myself as Celeste, experiencing the horrors she did. Don’t expect this book to be just cozy. It’s also quite chilling.
Lastly, I wanted to add that I really appreciated the autism representation in this book. Celeste is, according to the author, an undiagnosed autistic woman, and it was clear in the book while reading it. If you want to see an autistic being a badass and connecting with the soul of the forest/the Valley, this is the book for you.
Overall, I’m really excited to see if another book happens. I rated this book as five stars, I truly enjoyed myself the entire time I read this story. The prose was beautiful and I highlighted numerous passages. My favorite descriptions were all describing how beautiful the autumn forest was.
This story follows Celeste as she unknowingly returns to the Valley she once knew after seeing an advertisement in the newspaper. In the Valley, she learns of the town’s history and its curse. She agrees to take on the task of binding the mountain before she really knows what it means. She meets some townsfolk who help her prepare for this day and a half journey. Then, we follow Celeste as she takes on the mountain and the town’s curse.
This story has cozy elements, such as a small town hidden away in the mountains, cafes, scones, an animal familiar. The sapphic romance in this book isn’t really a main focus, but it does encourage Celeste to keep going on her quest. The love interest is a super sweet woman. I hope we see more of her in book two.
I really loved the magic of the connection Celeste uncovers with the forest. The further she goes on this journey, the deeper the connection becomes. I felt like I was in Celeste’s shoes while reading this. The author does an amazing job of immersing the reader into this world. I read this book in the middle of summer and multiple times while reading, I found myself looking up and expecting to see autumn leaves outside my window. I was extremely impressed with the way the forest and nature was written, it was clear the author has a lot of love and passion for supporting nature and respecting it.
I know the book probably sounds really cute and cozy right now, and on one hand it is, but it is also deeply unsettling as Celeste continues on her journey. There are multiple scenes where forest spirits and creatures and spooky happenings occur. The descriptions of the events that happen truly made me feel shocked and afraid at times. I could imagine myself as Celeste, experiencing the horrors she did. Don’t expect this book to be just cozy. It’s also quite chilling.
Lastly, I wanted to add that I really appreciated the autism representation in this book. Celeste is, according to the author, an undiagnosed autistic woman, and it was clear in the book while reading it. If you want to see an autistic being a badass and connecting with the soul of the forest/the Valley, this is the book for you.
Overall, I’m really excited to see if another book happens. I rated this book as five stars, I truly enjoyed myself the entire time I read this story. The prose was beautiful and I highlighted numerous passages. My favorite descriptions were all describing how beautiful the autumn forest was.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Alcohol
Minor: Vomit and Cancer
caiacassiopeia's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
Interesting