A History of Wild Places
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Description
Travis Wren has an unusual talent for locating missing people. Often hired by families as a last resort, he takes on the case of Maggie St. James—a well-known author of dark, macabre children’s books—and is soon led to a place many believed to be only a legend.
Called Pastoral, this reclusive community was founded in the 1970s by like-minded people searching for a simpler way of life. By all accounts, the commune shouldn’t exist anymore and soon after Travis stumbles upon it…he disappears. Just like Maggie St. James.
Years later, Theo, a lifelong member of Pastoral, discovers Travis’s abandoned truck beyond the border of the community. No one is allowed in or out, not when there’s a risk of bringing a disease—rot—into Pastoral. Unraveling the mystery of what happened reveals secrets that Theo, his wife, Calla, and her sister, Bee, keep from one another. Secrets that prove their perfect, isolated world isn’t as safe as they believed—and that darkness takes many forms.
“As spine-chilling as it is beautifully crafted” (Ruth Emmie Lang, author of Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance), A History of Wild Places is a story about fairy tales, our fear of the dark, and losing yourself within the wilderness of your mind.
Book Information
Posts
Captivating, dreamlike, moody, atmospheric, mysterious, staggering twists.
„Silence can hold a thousand of untold stories.“ „Maybe this is love, the things we endure for the other, the willingness to face death, to stare it down, and not to be afraid.“ „A lie is a lie is a lie. It tastes the same when it leaves your throat, regardless of intent.“ „We all leave markers behind - dead or alive - vibrations that trail behind us through all the places we’ve been.“ „Because love is madness and blindness and deception.“ „Death has a way of leaving little breadcrumbs, little particles of the past that catch and settle and stain.“ „There is no history in a place until we make it, until you live a life worth remembering.“
I absolutely loved The Wicked Deep. I remember that the atmosphere was just so fucking unique. The author just has such a big talent of creating an eerie atmosphere in her stories. She immediately draws you in. The writing is just so vivid and lush! The plot itself was intriguing and kept me engaged but unfortunately, the plot twist was a bit predictable. Adding to that, I just couldn't connect with the characters at all. They fell a bit flat. However, the mood was just so phenomenal, I kept reading. Even though the story wasn't as good as it was in her debut novel, I will keep following her work.
- 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 i liked it and audiobook was also good. didn't think about it much when I wasn't reading, but enjoyed it while reading and finished it in basically 2 reading sessions. the magical realism elements shockingly didn't bother me and I liked the cultish vibe of it all. characters, especially Bee, were interesting. about the plot twists - the first one wasn't that surprising for me. The second one more so, but I'm still not sure if I liked the resolution of it all.
The beautiful and off the grid location which is amplified by great visual writing is what hooked me to this book. I could sometimes hear the birds and feel the summer breeze. Although the „power“ of the first main character that we meet at the beginning feels kind of gimmicky, the mystery that unfolded was interesting enough. That is until around 30% in, where there are so many obvious „hints“ that I instantly knew one of the major twists. I don’t know if the author wanted to be sneaky or not, but come on. From that point on the writing and location were the only things that kept me going. Unfortunately it also got worse towards the end. One twist I correctly guessed and the other was incredibly ridiculous.
DNF @40%. Really loved Travis as a character, beautiful narrating in the beginning of the book. Could not get invested in the three other characters to save my life, felt like listening to an attempt to describe nothingness as detailed as possible. Was constantly waiting for the story return to it’s main course, then called it a day.
Description
Travis Wren has an unusual talent for locating missing people. Often hired by families as a last resort, he takes on the case of Maggie St. James—a well-known author of dark, macabre children’s books—and is soon led to a place many believed to be only a legend.
Called Pastoral, this reclusive community was founded in the 1970s by like-minded people searching for a simpler way of life. By all accounts, the commune shouldn’t exist anymore and soon after Travis stumbles upon it…he disappears. Just like Maggie St. James.
Years later, Theo, a lifelong member of Pastoral, discovers Travis’s abandoned truck beyond the border of the community. No one is allowed in or out, not when there’s a risk of bringing a disease—rot—into Pastoral. Unraveling the mystery of what happened reveals secrets that Theo, his wife, Calla, and her sister, Bee, keep from one another. Secrets that prove their perfect, isolated world isn’t as safe as they believed—and that darkness takes many forms.
“As spine-chilling as it is beautifully crafted” (Ruth Emmie Lang, author of Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance), A History of Wild Places is a story about fairy tales, our fear of the dark, and losing yourself within the wilderness of your mind.
Book Information
Posts
Captivating, dreamlike, moody, atmospheric, mysterious, staggering twists.
„Silence can hold a thousand of untold stories.“ „Maybe this is love, the things we endure for the other, the willingness to face death, to stare it down, and not to be afraid.“ „A lie is a lie is a lie. It tastes the same when it leaves your throat, regardless of intent.“ „We all leave markers behind - dead or alive - vibrations that trail behind us through all the places we’ve been.“ „Because love is madness and blindness and deception.“ „Death has a way of leaving little breadcrumbs, little particles of the past that catch and settle and stain.“ „There is no history in a place until we make it, until you live a life worth remembering.“
I absolutely loved The Wicked Deep. I remember that the atmosphere was just so fucking unique. The author just has such a big talent of creating an eerie atmosphere in her stories. She immediately draws you in. The writing is just so vivid and lush! The plot itself was intriguing and kept me engaged but unfortunately, the plot twist was a bit predictable. Adding to that, I just couldn't connect with the characters at all. They fell a bit flat. However, the mood was just so phenomenal, I kept reading. Even though the story wasn't as good as it was in her debut novel, I will keep following her work.
- 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 i liked it and audiobook was also good. didn't think about it much when I wasn't reading, but enjoyed it while reading and finished it in basically 2 reading sessions. the magical realism elements shockingly didn't bother me and I liked the cultish vibe of it all. characters, especially Bee, were interesting. about the plot twists - the first one wasn't that surprising for me. The second one more so, but I'm still not sure if I liked the resolution of it all.
The beautiful and off the grid location which is amplified by great visual writing is what hooked me to this book. I could sometimes hear the birds and feel the summer breeze. Although the „power“ of the first main character that we meet at the beginning feels kind of gimmicky, the mystery that unfolded was interesting enough. That is until around 30% in, where there are so many obvious „hints“ that I instantly knew one of the major twists. I don’t know if the author wanted to be sneaky or not, but come on. From that point on the writing and location were the only things that kept me going. Unfortunately it also got worse towards the end. One twist I correctly guessed and the other was incredibly ridiculous.
DNF @40%. Really loved Travis as a character, beautiful narrating in the beginning of the book. Could not get invested in the three other characters to save my life, felt like listening to an attempt to describe nothingness as detailed as possible. Was constantly waiting for the story return to it’s main course, then called it a day.