Synopsis:
The forest doesn’t just take what it’s owed—it takes whatever it wants.
Dominic was born in Aplin Shade, a remote Canadian town built on the bones of another that vanished without a trace. Bookish and quiet, he never asked to lead his family, but after a carriage crash kills his father and leaves his sister forever changed, he has no choice.
The only person who truly sees him is Lex, a logger in the camp near town and the love Dominic must keep secret. Together they dream of escaping Aplin Shade, a place where isolation breeds judgment and every kindness hides a cost.
But the forest is no refuge. The Fanteur dwell there—shadowed beings who come at night to drain the dead of their blood and return them for burial by dawn.
They’ve never touched the living.
Until now.
As winter descends and the Fanteur strike back against the logging camp, Dominic and Lex must fight for their lives, their love, and a way out of the woods’ tightening grasp.
Because the forest doesn’t forgive, and it never forgets.
Review:
Hello again dear reader or listener, as always I hope you’re reading great things and I’m here to add to your list yet again! As promised, today I have the third and final Poisoned Pen Press book that I had to review in a row for you and, let me tell you, it’s a doozy!
With thanks to the publishers for granting my NetGalley request for an eArc of this gorgeous book – I seriously can’t wait till I’ll be able to order a physical of it to add to my shelves – let’s get to it and, prepare yourself dear reader, I am still unwell months after reading this so bear with me. My feelings are many and I need to navigate not spoiling anything for you! It’s hard!
Mere Joyce is a new to me author but a quick glance at her bibliography reveals that this latest book is her adult debut and boy does she deliver. I am actually struggling with where to begin with this review, if I’m being honest, because it was indeed so many things that I have a hard time picking one and then expertly avoiding spoilers a la Matrix to explain why. So I’ll try to be a touch more “clinical” and then maybe I’ll allow myself some emotional outpouring that might mean nothing to you dear reader but we can just go with Trust Me. Who am I kidding, we all now it’ll be both immediately.
As the Snow Gathers is what happens when Historical Folk Horror and Eco Horror come together to have a heartbreaking baby named Righteous Fury. It is such an incredibly lyrical and atmospheric read that even reading it in 30° degree heat you’d feel the cold of a snow covered, 1860s, isolated Canadian logging town, seep deep in your bones. The perfect winter read, it is a story that is both incredibly soft and tender, as it is unforgiving and painfully sharp as frozen wind on your face. It’s a stark tale about a place that feels the need to snuff out any goodness it finds because you do not survive it otherwise. And, ultimately, it is a bloody and gory revenge story that spares no one, much less the reader’s feelings.
Joyce tackles greed, malice, bigotry, and negligence, among even more of the ugliest parts of humanity. She also expertly navigates themes of abuse, be it active or passive through inaction. Because in the face of desperation, people can do, or worse, will let happen, truly horrendous things. And she explores what happens when a character feels insane by being the only one to point out how terrible those things are. Which was where the author’s skill truly shone for me. Indeed, even if you do not find yourself able to relate to Dom, the main protagonist, for most things (which believe me won’t be the case), you will feel the strongest kinship with him in his reactions to his circumstances. What if you are the only white sheep in a flock of black ones? What if you seem to be the only one left to not succumb to the misery and desperation around you and refuse to turn that cruel? Is there a limit past which you will cave? How much will it take to push you toward revenge?
While the narrative of “the true monsters were the humans all along” is by no means new, Joyce truly does an incredible job of conveying it because at each turn you need to deal with the bleak realization of how preventable it all is. The absolute tragedy at the core of this book is exactly that. Which also means that there are characters whose actions you abhor and yet objectively and perhaps a little guiltily can understand even without condoning. Incidentally, that is something I’ve noticed in recent years in some comments or reviews, where readers bemoan preventability of events as a failing of the author and decrying how unrealistic some plot turns or character choices may be. And, if you are one of those people, I am here to tenderly hold your hand to tell you, that is precisely the meaning of tragedy. I have the scholarly credentials to prove it if you need them but we digress.
All of that said, Joyce’s monsters, the Fanteur, were also show stealers. Being concurrently something new and yet familiar to me, I absolutely adored them. As a lover of folk horror and lore, I am fairly versed in even the more niche entities, so I always delight in finding untapped or less used sources of inspiration. Joyce’s lore feels so rich, and yet grounded. The Fanteur are both an ever present threat just at the edge of awareness and a very real and concrete danger keeping everyone trapped. Dom and Lex are not only fighting a battle against the uncooperative townspeople who would rather point blame in the wrong direction rather than face their own failings, but also against time running out to solve what this threat truly is and how to defeat it before it claims their lives.
Yet through all that darkness and horrendousness (yes, I know it’s not a real word, shhh) Joyce creates these pockets of bittersweet tenderness and softness that really do drive the final nail in the coffin of your feels and make you care so deeply for the characters you want to see survive. The relationship between the main duo Dom and Lex for instance, really gave me life, albeit falling in the occasional cheesy cliché. However, I will absolutely allow it because we deserve a little lighthearted treat. Their moments alone together felt like the quiet comfort of being out in a low-lit, snow-covered place, where sound is muted allowing your mind to relax and the remaining light refracts off the snow crystals creating a soothing canvas. Moreover, the secondary cast, who are few of the remaining decent people, also gift softness and what I’d call quiet heartbreak due to the aforementioned inexorable snuffing out. I will not elaborate further because I am actually still in pain about it, never mind the spoilers.
If you are still here, in short, this book is not for the faint of heart.
It starts off gently but grabs you by the proverbial lapels and flings you down a dark and unforgiving path, where horrible people turn vile, and where goodness has no true chance. It will make your heart bleed, and your anger boil over. It will also soothe and then satisfy it however. You will feel conflicted and appalled, you will nod along and fist pump in the air one moment, gape in outrage/shock the next. There will be unexpected catharsis mixed in and believe me when I say everyone gets what they deserve. I love me a “monsters of your own making” narrative and Joyce delivers!
Unable to stop from reading it in one go, As The Snow Gathers, quite literally held me captive until 4AM and I feel confident in saying it’ll be one of my top reads of the year. The book releases this coming September 1st through Poisoned Pen Press and, if you’re looking for a Folk Horror that will stay with you for a long time, this is it. It will haunt you beautifully.
I read it back in May and it still took a thousand plus words for me to get even a fraction of my feelings out. Let that tell you everything you need, dear reader. And no, I am still not okay.
Until next time,
Eleni A.E.
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