NetGalley ARC | This Wretched Valley

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

First, let's admire that cover. Absolutely perfect and I love when a cover truly matches the contents inside. I admit, I am a cover snob and have been sorely disappointed in the past. Not so here. AT ALL.

I love nature survival horror because it's something that would never happen to me. I don't like being in nature, I don't like nature to touch me, I am firmly an 'indoor girl', unless we are at the pool. It also helps that I am forever obsessed with the Dyatlov Pass deaths and this was billed as being inspired by that very incident.

So, this book was creepy as fuuuuuuck and I loved it.

Dylan is determined to cement her place as a skilled rock-climber among professionals and has found the perfect way to do so. Her friend Clay is a geology student and in his research stumbled upon a seemingly untouched cliff somewhere in the depths of the Kentucky wilderness. Dylan will be the first to do so, and see her career really take off. So the two of them, plus Dylan's boyfriend Luke and Clay's research assistant Sylvia, prepare to trek into the forest surrounding the cliff to document Dylan's journey.

But things do not go as planned. OF COURSE.

Seven months pass before three bodies are discovered not far from the highway that took the group to their destination. And the bodies are not what anyone would expect, each in its own state of decomposition - all that's left of one is a perfectly white skeleton, another has had all its organs removed, and the last has had its eyes, ears, and tongue removed and fingers cut off.

None of these remains belong to Dylan. She is missing.

The plan had been to document her climb on Instagram, and some of Dylan's followers report having seen disturbing livestreams in the months since the team vanished. Others in the area swear they've seen her moving through the woods before disappearing into the trees. Despite searches, no trace of Dylan has ever been found.

The fact that this is a debut novel amazes me. The author was able to not only bring the four human characters to life and give each of them depth and really individualize them, but the setting as well. The valley and cliff became their own characters early on and it is such a testament to an author's talent when they can pull this off. It felt almost suffocating, because there is no escaping the setting, whereas the characters could take time apart from one another if needed. But the valley, the wilderness, the cliff? They were always there, always watching. That only adds to the foreboding, because all those little red flags that the group ignored on their hike-in stick in your mind as the story unfolds. Superbly done.

Despite my love of horror, I don't like gore. Yet I did not find this to be over-the-top or too much. While descriptions were graphic, it all made sense in the context of what was happening, so I didn't feel the need to vomit every five seconds, which is also a win. I guess I would say it is not gore for the sake of gore. It was necessary to show what was happening to move the story along.

Even knowing the fate of Clay, Sylvia, and Luke, I was compelled to keep reading because I had to know what was really going on in this place where nothing really made sense, though at times it was hard to know what was real and what was not. It kept me off-balance in the best way because there were times I had no idea what was coming next. The author leaves some of those questions unanswered, something I say I hate but secretly like, because sometimes not knowing is worse - your mind comes up with all kinds of horrifying options all on its own.

Highly, highly recommended.

Stacking the Shelves #370

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly feature hosted by Reading Reality. It is a chance to showcase all the goodies you've collected throughout the week, whether they're bought on-line or in-store, an ARC or a final copy, borrowed from a friend or the library, physical or digital, etc.

NONE!

But there are four currently waiting for me at the library, so...

Happy Reading!

Sarah

NetGalley ARC | The Worst Medieval Monarchs

I received a a free digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating | ⭐⭐⭐

The book covers the usual suspects when we are talking about the worst of England's kings: Stephen, John, Edward II, Richard II, and Richard III. I personally think a case could be made for Richard III, but for a much different reason - he simply did not GAF about England and literally would have sold the country if it would have helped him raise money for Crusade. He maybe spent a total of six months there the entire time he was king. BUT, the kings discussed here are viewed as the worst for different reasons - mainly because their reigns were constantly marred by conflict both within and beyond the borders.

It's the king or queen's job to protect their citizens and all failed quite spectacularly in that regard. Civil wars or wars with other countries decimated the population and land. Not to mention the fact that John was a freaking psychopath and Richard III had his nephews killed so he could take the throne.

For all their massive failures, each paid a heavy price:

1. Stephen's stolen crown passed to Henry Plantagenet when he died, thus ushering in the start of the Plantagenet Dynasty. Don't even get me started on how Stephen never should have been king in the first place, usurping the throne that rightfully belonged to his cousin Matilda that she should have received when her father Henry I died. The 18 years-long civil war was directly his fault.

2. Edward II never really stood a chance and is honestly the one I genuinely feel bad for. He was never cut out to be king and would have been quite happy on an estate somewhere doing his commoner things like ditch-digging and roof-thatching. He was most comfortable with those considered lower class and that would have been just fine had he not been the king. Whether he died of natural causes in captivity, or was murdered by order of his queen, Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer, we will likely never know. I wish he could have just abdicated and lived a quiet life that he was really meant for.

3. John was THE WORST. Like, just all-around a terrible person, never mind a terrible king. He was a lazy, cruel, spoiled baby and never should have inherited the crown. Richard III had to go and get himself killed though, so here we are. He wasn't particularly skilled in any aspect of kingship so he will always belong to the worst of the worst lists. Plus, Geoffrey's son Arthur should have gotten the crown before John. But John had him killed, maybe even did it himself, so again, here we are. Imagine being the youngest of five boys (William, Henry the Young King, Richard III and Geoffrey came before him), getting a shot at the crown that never should have come your way, and completely messing everything up so badly that England will NEVER have another king named John EVER.

4. Richard II is a bit of a conundrum because he could have been a great king, but we will never know for sure because of a number of factors. He came to the throne young, so had several councils rule for him during his regency. This was led by his uncles John of Gaunt and Thomas of Woodstock. The Peasants' Revolt pretty much solidified Richard's place as a 'worst' considering how brutal the suppression of the revolt was. Then there was his delayed revenge on the Appellants, and his disinheriting of John of Gaunt's son (and Richard's cousin) Henry Bolingbroke. That Richard thought he could do this with no repercussions was insane, and it cost him his throne and life.

5. Then we have Richard III, who I completely despise. We have a theme though, as he is yet another usurper, and typically those have not fared too well (Stephen, always looking at you. Henry VII, you got very lucky). Richard had his nephews murdered, and he knew people were talking about it. All he would have had to do was trot them out at court, let everyone see they were alive and well, and he might have then had a successful reign. But he couldn't do that, so he lost his crown and his life as well, the last king of England to die in battle.

Overall I would say this is a good assessment of the men and their times. The author explores how they were viewed against standards of their own time period compared to the following centuries up to today. He also discusses how the kings have been portrayed in fictional works, from Shakespeare to the screen, and how that impacts their reputations up to today. I don't think any of them can or should be redeemed, except maybe Edward II.

The author suggests that Richard III does not belong on this list but I disagree completely. Richard murdered his nephews to seize the crown. Had he just locked them up, that would be a different story because evidence suggests he actually could have had a decent reign. Murdering the boys, however, ensured that he would always remain the villain in the story. Given the time period however, Richard knew he had to get rid of them, otherwise there was potential for revolt and for Edward V supporters to place him back on his rightful throne. Like with John having his nephew murdered, they absolutely belong on this list for those acts alone.

Something I think would have been important is discussing how each king was raised - like John, not all were raised to be king in the first place but they managed to grab the throne anyway. Background of their life before becoming king would be good to cover as well - particularly for those who do not have a lot of background information on these men already. This was not an issue for me for the most part, but could impact other readers' experiences.

Overall it was a decent read and well-researched.

Recommended.

Aaaaaaaaaand We're Back!

That beautiful skyline is a shot of Minneapolis, the place where Eleanor and I spent the last three weeks having all kinds of adventures - with a quick side quest to Chicago.

The day after we arrived was Grandpa's Celebration of Life. It was the hardest day of my life, because how do you condense 42 years of memories into just a few minutes? I managed though, and only cried twice while speaking. I hope I properly conveyed just how much Grandpa means to me, and how I am who I am because of him. I didn't talk to many people, I just didn't have the energy - but there were so many guests and it made me happy to see that so many came to remember him and offer words of kindness to Grandma.

Speaking of, we also spent time with Grandma several other days. She can't live alone anymore so she is at a facility where she can be taken care of around-the-clock. I've gotten to know a couple of the nurses and they take good care of her. I hate leaving her there, and all she wants to do is go home, but it's just not possible anymore. We spent afternoons chatting and Eleanor played her guitar. She also drew some really beautiful butterflies to hang on the walls to decorate Grandma's room.

I also spent some time with one of Grandpa's cousins, Bonnie. We visited a couple places related to Grandpa's life - places I had mostly been to before for other family events, but it was different in seeking those places out specifically. We visited the country church where Grandpa was baptized and confirmed, and visited the family plots - we're related to well over half the people buried there. Grandpa's grandpa was the minister in the late 1800s/early 1900s and I always love looking at the old photographs of the confirmation classes. We also visited the site of his country school. The building is gone now, but there is a marker where it once stood.

 

Eleanor, our cousin Clara, and I also had some concert fun. We saw Louis Tomlinson (from One Direction) TWICE. First in Minneapolis, where we had pit/barricade. He was less than twenty feet from us and I died several times just looking at him. I'll save your eardrums by not posting any videos, but rest assured we sang. Loudly.

 

The following week we drove to Chicago to see him again, wanting to hear our favorite song, called 'Chicago'. It's not on the regular setlist, but of course he would sing it IN Chicago, right? He sang 'High in California' at his LA show, even though it also was not on the setlist, so this wasn't some crazy idea, RIGHT? Joke was on us, because HE DIDN'T EVEN SING IT. We thought for sure he would, why would he NOT sing 'Chicago' in Chicago?!?! We were so stunned when the concert was over, we didn't even mind the twenty minute walk back to our hotel in the pouring rain because Uber was being stupid and we were hangry.

  

The next day before heading back to MN, Clara showed us around (she goes to university there). I love Chicago and have visited, but it's a different perspective from someone who lives there a good part of the year. We drove down Michgan Ave. and Eleanor freaked out when she saw Gucci right across the street. She wanted to go in but we had to explain that we'd never get past security, as we all looked like scrubs who had been up way too late and were still wearing our jammies and/or concert t-shirts. We went through Wrigleyville and all over Clara's campus to see where she lived and took classes last year. Eleanor quickly discovered she is a big-city girl like Clara and me, and she wants to go to school there now too.

We celebrated Eleanor's thirteenth birthday and our cousin Aley's July birthday also, at Grandma's home. We ate lots of yummy ice cream cake and fruit pizza (not real pizza, the crust is made of sugar cookie dough). Aley is very much the "fun aunt" to Eleanor, and spoils her every year with new purses. This year she added a pair of cowboy boots and I swear, Eleanor has hardly taken them off for even a moment.

We also spent a lot of time just being lazy at Mom's house and it was wonderful. My mom has a giant California King bed so Eleanor and I were constantly fighting over who got to nap there. We read lots of books and watched lots of movies. Mom made all our favorite foods and I probably gained a few pounds but I don't even care. Eleanor also worked hard getting thank you notes mailed out to friends and family who have donated to her 8th grade class trip next summer to DC/NYC.

We also went with my uncle to a cat sanctuary called Furball Farm - CK, you must check it out! I am allergic, so I stayed in the kitchen area while those two hung out with the cats for a couple hours. The sanctuary livestreams 24/7 on Twitch, so you can always see what the cats are up to! We then drove by my grandparents' former home from when I was a child. I showed Eleanor the cemetary across the street that I used to sit in and talk to the people buried there because I have, in fact, always been this weird.

 

It was quite a whirlwind but now we are back to our regular lives of getting as much sun and waterpark fun as we can before school starts back up in a month. A MONTH. Ugh.

I still can't believe he didn't sing 'Chicago' in Chicago. I will never get over this.

What have you been up to for the last three weeks?

Sarah

Stacking the Shelves #369

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly feature hosted by Reading Reality. It is a chance to showcase all the goodies you've collected throughout the week, whether they're bought on-line or in-store, an ARC or a final copy, borrowed from a friend or the library, physical or digital, etc.

Gift from Author/Pub/Marketing via NetGalley

NetGalley ARCs

Library Treasures

from the TBR

Happy Reading!

Sarah

Tackling the TBR | Week 22 | Jun 8 - Jun 14, 2026

Here we go!

This is year SEVEN of Tackling the TBR. When I started this mess I was well over 5,000 books, so to be where I am now is pretty incredible.

I will post on the 7th, 14th, 21st, and last day of the month.

Previous Week's TBR Total: 1,249

On My 'Currently Reading' Shelf
(This does not mean I am reading all of these at once. As soon as I get a book from the library, NetGalley, or a publisher/author/marketing, I put in on my 'Currently Reading' shelf. Yes, I know I have a problem. No, I don't want to do anything about it.)

Read from my TBR

Read Because I Have No Shelf-Control

Books DNF-ed: 0

Books Added to TBR: 0

Books Removed from TBR: 97

Duplicates Removed: 2

New TBR Total: 1,150

Happy Reading!
Sarah