One summer, four teens discover something they’d forever after wish they hadn’t about the wealthy resort that is the heart of their otherwise sleepy community. The horror of what happened has stayed with each as they’ve gone their own ways and attempted to make lives for themselves, but fifteen years later, they’re called back to their home, to one another, each as broken as the next. Because the darkness they unearthed is loath to let them know its secrets, and when darkheart wakes, it can’t be put to rest without being satiated.
Dark bleatings, my lovely tribe! This novel is a gorgeous, winding road of mystery and intrigue (the scary kind), that narratively had shades of Stephen King’s IT, for me. In the beginning, we have a group of teenagers, and then later when they’re all adults, they all go back home and are reunited by a common… problem.
I loved the opening of this story. We start with a 15 year old called Crystal who starts to panic at school when she gets her first period and is trapped in class with a dickhead teacher who won’t just let her go to the bathroom. Luckily for her, she’s partnered in class with Jeremiah, who realises what her problem is and gets her out of there, saving her from embarrassment. From that incident, they become good friends. I always enjoy initial character and relationship setups like this. It’s a smart move to introduce a main character by presenting them with an either relatable or sympathetic issue because it gets me on their side immediately every time.
This story is told in two timelines, past and present. (This opener is of the past). In the past, we start with a group of teenagers – Ryan goes missing and his body is found. There are a lot of rumours about how he met his demise on an expensive resort in an otherwise boring town. In the present, the group from the beginning are back, now adults, dealing with the thing they long thought was firmly in the past.
It’s a character-driven story with a strong plot that somehow simultaneously surprised me but also set everything up beautifully. The timelines come together in a great, satisfying way, and I just really loved this element of the storytelling anyway. I love it when writers play with how to tell their story, beyond third-person, linear prose. Not that I don’t also love third-person linear prose, but you know what I mean.
It’s the journey of several people over several years, all linked by a common element but all distinctly their own unique people with their own unique perspectives and fears. I had an absolute blast with it, and I’m a huge fan of the author’s writing and style in general.
I’d recommend this to general horror fans, especially those who like sleepy towns with secrets. If you’d like to get a copy or check out the author, I’ve popped some links below for you:
Bleeeeeat!
Happy Goat Horror 
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