Briardark

So torn on this one.

Four researchers go into the woods to follow in their mentors footsteps, unknowing of the horrors that lie in the woods. This book follows multiple POVs, multiple story lines, and is cosmic horror.

Pros:
I really enjoyed the writing. Harian does a wonderful job describing things and hooking you into the story.
I loved the multiple point of views, the multiple story lines, and the characters (except Holden, sorry). Siena and Cam are fantastic to read about and their friendship is fantastic.
I usually am not a fan of cosmic horror, but this one is well done. I'm normally left with a “what the F did I just read” feeling after cosmic horror and while I have this, it's a good kind of feeling, not bad.
Multiple story lines kept me guessing. What will happen to Cam? Is Avery alive? Does anyone survive this? Why is Holden even here?

Cons:
Cliff. Hanger. Honestly hate them. I don't want to wait until 2024.
Holden is a dud. Hopefully his story pans out to be something more interesting.

Sad the next one isn't out until 2024. It's a long time to wait for all the story lines and plot happening in the first book.

Wow.

What a stunning debut. I am so excited this book is going to be a series. I didn't get bored once, not once. I wanted to know all the backstories of each character and discover the dynamics between them all, even the more unpleasant characters were interesting.

The switch between characters (all of who have secrets which propel the story) was seamless and the story flowed easily. I only put it down over the few days it took to read because life got in the way otherwise it would have been a one-sit reading.

I await the sequel and will be preordering! I can't wait to read more from S.A. Harian. Read this.

Rating: 3 leaves out of 5Characters: 2.5/5 Cover: 4.5/5Story: 2.5/5Writing: 2.5/5Genre: Horror/Fantasy/ScifiType: AudiobookWorth?: YupHated Disliked It Was Okay Liked LovedWant to thank Netgalley and publishers for giving me the chance to listen to this book. Where to start with this book. I won't lie. I love the story but I HATED the characters, well not all but Siena and Cameron the most... mostly Cameron. She gave off “ALL MEN ARE ASSHOLES AND NONE OF THEM COULD REMOTELY BE GOOD.” Did she treat Isaac nicely? Barely. Cam was the one to make a possible 5 star book into a 3.That being said I still have no clue on what the fuck Emmett did. Honest to God. I don't know if I missed it or if she just didn't say it. You know how they say men shouldn't write women? I am going to say S.A. shouldn't or at least not Lesbians because the guys were pretty good in this book. Besides the limp dick characters I adored the story. If I was judging just on the story the book would be about a 5 if not a 5. It felt kind of like Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer in the sense of being in a SciFi bubble. the time being a mess is GREAT. Sad that Isaac had to die but what happened to him in general was GREAT. The ever changing forest to fuck with them was GREAT. I just honestly love the story. Would I read the second book? Most likely. I just hope she does better with her characters.Edit: Lowered the rating since finding an answer to my question.

[4.5/5 if I could]

A must read for fellow fans of Yellowjackets, Netflix's Dark, Annihilation, The Forest game, and the recent Paramount+ show Significant Other. S.A. Harian's Briardark is an excellent psychological thriller with hints of sci-fi, and an interesting gamer/streamer perspective. I was as surprised as anyone to read the words Dead Space pop up in character, but it made me enjoy this relatable cast even more. It's a bit of a long read that does begin to drag towards the third act—losing some of the eerie traction—but I cannot wait to continue the exhilarating and often times creepy mystery in the follow up book! This would make for an excellent mini-series or movie.

FANCAST:

Siena DuPont: Mackenzie Davis/Maika Monroe

Cameron Yarrow: Kristen Stewart

Emmett Ghosh: Riz Ahmed/Dev Patel

Isaac Perez: Diego Calva

Holden Sharpe: Penn Badgley/Regé Jean-Page

Angel: Aubrey Plaza

Dr. Wilder Feyrer: Richard Jenkins

Dr. Meidei Chari: Indira Varma/Golshifteh Farahani

Ranger Frank Soledad: Gil Birmingham