The Bone Drenched WOods by 
When I saw the cover for The Bone Drenched Woods by LV Russell, I was intrigued. Such a visceral title and cover. Then, we get the eerie synopsis and I was sold. I was so excited to read this, which makes the letdown so incredibly disappointing. Weak worldbuilding and a consistently punished protagonist were too much for the aesthetic of horror to overcome for this to be enjoyable.
This is my first time reading folk horror and I think I really want to try more book sin that genre. The horror aspects were the highlight of the book. There was this world that seemed so very frightening, these mysterious beings/creatures that kill indiscriminately. Townsfolk fallback to using charms and talismans to keep themselves safe and sacrifice whomever doesn’t abide by the rules. It definitely was atmospheric and eerie. However, the worldbuilding was almost non-existent. I still don’t know what was going on, what these creatures/things were or if these rituals actually worked or not. Was this how the world has always been? Is this how the world is, or just their area of the world? It was frustrating never knowing the rules of this world outside of what the male leaders said they were. And while I understand that puts us in the shoes of the protagonist, that only makes what happens with her even worse.
Where the horror was well-written and enjoyable, everything that had to do with Hyacinth completely left me angry and upset. It felt like this was just an exercise in misery and misfortune. I don’t find it fun or enjoyable to read about main characters, especially women, solely existing in a narrative to suffer. That’s what it felt like here with Hyacinth. There was not a single joy and she is just so torn down throughout. I kept waiting for things to get better for her. I kept reading thinking okay, this is when she’ll prevail and get something good. And then I reached the end and was so incredibly livid, I threw my e-reader on the bed and had to leave the room to calm down. Spoilers for the story and ending: View Spoiler » Not a single good thing happened to her and I don’t count that ending as a positive one.
This was such a hard review to write because as a horror, The Bone Drenched Woods by LV Russell was intriguing and well-written with beautifully descriptive writing. It also had a protagonist who was mistreated throughout without a single victory or win. I guess if you’re reading for plot and vibes alone, you’ll enjoy this. If you’re a character reader, I think this might not be for you.