Six stars
First and foremost, a large thank you to Reedsy Discovery and April Hofmann for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.
After being asked directly by the author, I thought that I ought to give this ARC some attention. New to the world of April Hofmann, I entered the experience without any preconceived notions or ideas of what might be awaiting me. Hofmann's writing style is presented with a number of layers to keep the reader guessing. It took some time for me to fully connect with the story and its characters, leaving me feeling less enthralled than I might have liked. All the same, it is apparent that Hofmann knows her craft and can convey ideas effectively.
Alba finds it extremely odd when she opens her eyes, as she finds herself in the middle of an event at her grandmother's rural cabin. The last memory she had was a car accident that took the life of her parents and left her seriously injured. The head laceration is no more, save for the scar that remains, a lingering reminder of the tragic event.
As she tries to piece together the time between the accident and arriving at her grandmother's cabin, Alba realises that it is all a black void. Further investigation leaves Alba to ponder that time period, which only reveals more oddities. A spirit force seems to have brought her here, one filled with mystery and seeking to prey on her vulnerability. Now, it is up to Alba to understand what those in the forest are telling her, or face a lifetime of being enslaved by the horrors that lurk in the darkness. With a fragile sanity ebbing away, Alba must determine on which side she finds herself and how she made it to the brink of the abyss. Hofmann develops a unique eerieness in this piece, which might appeal to some readers, though it did not leave me feeling impacted.
As April Hofmann explains from the outset, the book and its core premise come from the slippery slope between everyday life and insanity, triggered by small events that collect in one's psyche before spilling over. This is developed throughout the story, as Alba finds herself in the middle of a personal struggle. The narrative moves things along at a reasonable pace, providing the reader with some guidance as to how things might progress while highlighting the ongoing struggles the character depict. Hofmann is keenly aware of the scattered nature of the story, as she creates some jagged portions of the narrative to illustrate this with relative ease. Characters find their way into the story and are developed at varying paces, all as Hofmann utilises them to better explore the slide towards insanity. Their presence cannot be fully comprehended until the reader is in the middle of the action, at which point it is too late to turn back.
A well-paced plot keeps the story from flying off the rails at numerous points. Hofmann delves into a dark place with her characters and all is saved by some of the twists and turns that occur at key points of the narrative. There are moments when the reader is pulled into the middle of mayhem, saved only by the tossing of a new turn in the story that keeps things from getting too unhinged. Whether this is intentional or not, I cannot tell, though Hofmann has many moments when the reader is pulled back from the brink. I enjoyed this on occasion, though I do not feel as though I fully connected with the story or its plot twists. This was a unique experience for me, though I did not feel the fullness that I might have liked. I did not feel as connected to this reading experience, but will leave it to others to determine their own views.
Kudos, Madam Hofmann, for something unique on my reading journey!
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