by Jen William
Release Date: April 9, 2024
2024 Crooked Lane Books
Hardcover ARC; 352 Pages
ISBN: 978-1639106172
ASIN: B0C4J6VBGR
Audiobook: B0CPTG92GN
Genre: Fiction / Mystery / Paranormal
Source: Review copy from publisher
3 / 5 Stars
Summary
As a child, Ashley Whitelam could often see odd things nobody else could: quiet, watchful figures she called the Heedful Ones kept a strange vigil wherever she went. As an adult, she keeps these visions to herself, but she’s turned her taste of the beyond into a career as a “psychic” – parting people from their money with a combination of psychology and internet research. When the Lake District is gripped by a series of grisly child murders, Ashley offers her services to the police for the free publicity. But as Ashley leads the police on a fruitless search around the small town of Green Beck, she catches a glimpse of those old ghosts of her childhood and, following them into the woods, she finds something she never expected: the corpse of the latest missing child.
My Thoughts
My Thoughts
The Hungry Dark had a great premise and set in an area of stunning natural beauty, there was so much potential for this book. I tend to enjoy creepy stories where authors make a lot of use of the outdoor elements, especially where there were some amazing contrasting elements such as the natural beautiful elements with the darker side of the woods and the dangers that lurked within those woods, both natural and man-made. I don't scare easily, but a hike in the woods at night can render me absolutely senseless, as they seem to take on this otherworldly and sinister vibe as soon as the sun sets. The author provides the reader with some spooky natural elements, making you question what you actually saw, blending the natural beauty with sinister in an amazing way that I enjoyed.
With that being said, I wasn't crazy about the main character, Ashley, and even though she grew on me as the book progressed, I felt like her character needed more development. Actually, the whole family dynamic thing didn't work for me, coming across as very dysfunctional, but it didn't feel very authentic. A lot of their behaviour was baffling to me, not because it was dysfunctional, but because I felt the author was using this tactic as a way of trying to convince the reader why Ashley was still living at home in her thirties and why she had no control over her own life. She is often trapped, needs permission to drive her own vehicle, actually needed to sneak out to get driving lessons, has her father take her keys from her, sneaks out to meet people, and I felt like I was reading about someone who was sixteen, not thirty plus years old. It just felt like the author couldn't come up with another reason as to why Ashley was living at home and why she continued to be the main support for her family. Oh yes, my eyes were rolling quite often during their interactions as they just didn't seem authentic.
I did enjoy the parts that discussed the psychic world and the background information that made up that world, especially the fraudulent parts of it. Ashley started to question her actions concerning what she was doing and whether fooling people was the right choice in her life. She was feeling conflicted about taking advantage of those who were vulnerable and I liked the discussions around that area of the profession, and it definitely should open up discussions about how much of your life you should be sharing on FB, Insta, and TT.
The plot had a lot of potential, but I felt it got bogged down on too many plot threads which made it seem more superficial and shallow. I enjoyed the overall story, but none of the threads were fleshed out enough to really draw you into what was happening nor were they explained very well. There was just enough information to keep you from screaming. And because nothing was fleshed out enough, I didn't feel a connection between Ashley and the podcaster, so honestly the romance could stay or go.
Verdict
The Hungry Dark had a lot of potential, but lack of character development and very loose plot threads created a story that meandered and was a bit on the slow side. And while the setting was amazing, and I liked the contrast of beautiful and dark in nature, the actual supernatural aspect to this book verged on the minimal and I didn't find it creepy or all that suspenseful. If you like mysteries with a touch of supernatural, this one is probably for you.
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