The Dead and the Dark

Ok, I think this book re-motivated me. Its DARK, and I LOVE IT. Added it to my tbr a few months ago because of the cover and the plot summary and i can happily say i was not disappointed.

4 stars, Metaphorosis Reviews

Summary
Lauren's dads are TV ghosthunters. But when they go back to the small town they were born and met in, they're met with suspicion and disdain, and Lauren feels out of place. Even when she makes an alliance with the local rich girl, something just feels wrong about the place. Especially as teens start to die.

Review
Oddly, the weakest thing about Courtney Gould's horror novel is the horror itself. It appears mostly in occasional brief interludes that I found a bit muddled (as the author works to maintain mystery) and underdeveloped (it's never really clear why the Dark should have some of the powers it does). The bulk of the story, though – the personal relationships – are excellent.

There are a few moments of heavy-handedness – the story takes place in a rural Oregon town that is homophobic, a fact never far from the surface – but largely, the story of two teen girls and their developing friendship is both deft and natural. The characters are engaging and credible, the prose smooth and evocative, the tone and pace a good fit to the story. I read this quickly and with interest, always ready to pick it up, curious about what happened next.

There are some weak points: some of the character transformations are a bit on the simple side, and I'm not sold on the packaging – the title and art lean toward generic – but the core of the story worked really well. A promising debut from an interesting author, though I do somewhat dread the possibility of a series of books featuring Logan and Ashley encountering more and more supernatural problems.

like Ghost Adventures but scarier and i was into it

This book was perfect. I do plan on reading this over again a few months from now as I probably missed a few things. I absolutely loved how the book started and the uncomfy feeling I had about one of the characters. I did call how Brandon was being made to look incredibly suspicious and how he's being written as the one who's guilty and the cause of it, which honestly yes he was, but I wasn't sure who to expect to be the killer. All we had to go off was Tristan, Nick, and Bug recognizing this person. It being the Sheriff makes so much sense, I wonder if there were any other signs of him acting suspicious since I don't recall any clues from my first read through.

I feel as if there's some underlying symbolism in this book, but honestly I'm still reeling from the last quarter of this book. I think my only nitpick is that I would have preferred for the author to “show” more of the buildup between Logan and Ashley, as it was more “tell” than anything, yet this book has wormed itself (in a positive way) into a portion of my heart and will probably always be there.

Please take heed of the warnings that the book mentions at the very beginning as it can get dark!! 

this was so fun and spooky with a really nice sapphic romance! the small town energy was on point. i was really glad to see such an upfront portrayal of comphet and how easy it can be to lose yourself in others' expectations. i didn't realize this was a debut until i hit the acknowledgements and was really impressed with Gould's writing. i think some things in the final act didn't quite work for me, but this was still so compulsively readable that i tore through it in just a couple sittings. i'm so excited to see what Gould comes out with next (more lesbians, she's promised) and have already decided that she's an auto-buy author for me.

content warnings: Homomisia & homomisic slurs; Hate crimes; Death of a child; Murder & attempted murder; Gun violence; Attempted drowning; Vivisepulture (being buried alive) (per the Trigger Warning Database)

“it's like Riverdale, but good” PERFECT description of this book

in theory, this book had the potential to be absolutely amazing but it didn't really live up to that. as much as i liked logan and her dads (ashley was annoying), i couldn't connect to any of the characters and found most of them awful. this book was just underwhelming and even the romance felt rushed. i did like the writing but that is not enough to carry a whole ass book. the mystery was...aight but i didn't exactly have my panties in a twist. i liked how easy to read this was tho. and at least i got some dilf action so not everything's doomed lmao.

in theory, this book had the potential to be absolutely amazing but it didn't really live up to that. as much as i liked logan and her dads (ashley was annoying), i couldn't connect to any of the characters and found most of them awful. this book was just underwhelming and even the romance felt rushed. i did like the writing but that is not enough to carry a whole ass book. the mystery was...aight but i didn't exactly have my panties in a twist. i liked how easy to read this was tho. and at least i got some dilf action so not everything's doomed lmao.

Truly one of the best books I've read all year! I could not put it down (ended up reading the first hundred pages in a single day). The characters are so brilliant, I was captivated by all of them. The writing is gorgeous, with a haunting lyrical quality. It was creepy in a way that wove through the atmosphere of the story. I would recommend this story to anyone!

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for an arc!This book was an absolute delight. Logan, daughter of the famed ParaSpectors duo, has not really ever felt at home. When her dads decide that they should move back to their hometown to scout for their next season Logan is not too happy. What comes with their arrival to Snakebite is nothing any of them could've prepared for. Gould exceeded at creating an uneasy atmosphere where you have no idea what could be lurking in the shadows. At one point I was just having a lot of fun being on for this ride. This really ended up being a story about family and made my heart ache at some of the reveals. I know I say this in every review but I am genuinely looking forward to what Gould brings us in the future! Already have marked [b:Echo Sunset 56328535 Echo Sunset Courtney Gould https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1611640244l/56328535.SY75.jpg 87759128] on my tbr!