Leah

Another great book by Nicole M. King. This book really makes you think about how one person can take advantage of another person without them even realizing. Gabe takes in girls to live in a safe house, after they have been rescued from cults, but it is not is as it seems. Gabe makes is seem that is he out to help the girls to become integrated back into society, and to trust others again. Hearing Quinn's side of the story makes it seem that this is creating a place where the girls are doing everything in their power to please him and keep things acceptable to his standards. As the story continues, in true Nicole style, there is a lot of repetitiveness from both characters, leading the reader to feel the normalcy of the lives they are all living. For 13 years Jolene has been living the same life and doing the same routines in the house. The safe house becomes a new cult life for the girls, but do they ever notice? This is a quick read and pulls you in at the beginning. I kept reading to see what would happen to the girls, and if they would ever be released again.



One thing that did take me a while to get used to in the book was who each of the characters was. Gabe calls to each of the girls by a name other than their own, while the girls refer to each other by their real names. "One word. Her name. Flat and cold. Completely stripped of everything, he usually wraps around her. The warmth. The gentleness. All of it gone for one half second, like it was never there at all."

I didn’t realize at first that this was actually four books in one, but after finishing them all, I can’t imagine reading them any other way. The stories build on each other in a way that makes the full experience feel much more immersive and complete.

This is a true horror collection—packed with the kind of blood and gore that fans of the genre will appreciate. It doesn’t hold back, and that intensity is part of what makes it so engaging. At the same time, it’s not just shock value; the writing is filled with rich detail that brings each scene vividly to life.

I was initially drawn to this book because of my love for the Sleepy Hollow story and my interest in exploring another eerie take on that setting. What I found went far beyond my expectations. The atmosphere is genuinely unsettling, and the book delivers a level of suspense and fear that really stands out.

One of the strongest aspects is the cast of characters. There are many of them, but each plays a meaningful role, and their stories come together in a satisfying way by the end. That interconnectedness adds depth and keeps you invested throughout all four parts. If you’re looking for something dark, detailed, and genuinely scary, this collection is definitely worth picking up.

They say to never judge a book by its cover, but as soon as I saw this cover, the book ended on my TBR. The description made me want to read it even more, and it did not let me down! At first I was taken back by the repetitiveness of the story, but that is the point. Going through the motions of the day, without thought or realizing you are doing it. How we do the same things day after day, trying to avoid things in our life that we are running or hiding from. Following Myla through the emotions of her mom passing and realizing what happened all those years ago. Unravelling the mystery of Cedarwood along side Myla takes the reader through a mix of emotions, you won't be able to walk away form.