Eerie, emotional, and impossible to put down.
A weary physician is pulled into a storm of cosmic terror and supernatural mystery in Hayden’s deeply unsettling supernatural thriller. Exhausted and hollowed out by the weight of his past, Dr. Alder Peony seeks refuge in the desolate north. The wilderness, however, offers no solace. His nights are filled with the hum of hospital machines and the ache of solitude. When a child stumbles out of the darkness to his cabin, everything changes. Her presence drags him into a fight he’s not prepared for, against a threat that feels less of this world than the next.
The book thrives on contrasts. Ordinary life sits side by side with the extraordinary; tenderness flickers against the backdrop of terror; and hope claws its way out of despair. The snow-covered forest is more than scenery here. It’s an ancient presence, watching and waiting. The narrative drifts between calm reflection and sudden, heart-pounding horror, tracing Alder’s own journey through loss, survival, and something far stranger.
There are no cheap horror clichés here. Hayden lets the unease grow on its own. The horror smolders rather than explodes, and through it all, the characters—flawed, fragile, deeply human—keep the story grounded. Alder is a man haunted by mistakes, grief, and the kind of loneliness that eats away at the edges of a person. Guarded and self-critical, he still carries a deep well of empathy under that shell. Willow is a strange mix of innocence and mystery. She’s a child, yes, with all the playfulness and vulnerability that implies, but there’s something about her (something ancient and otherworldly) that makes her presence both comforting and unsettling. Warm, patient, and grounded, Faith brings a calm energy.
For all its terror, this is ultimately a story about connection. The idea of “entanglement” threads through every chapter—sometimes appearing almost magical, other times as the simple, fragile bonds between people—showing that even in the darkest places, love can still find a way through. Alder’s fight isn’t just against what lurks outside; it’s also against the shadows he’s carried inside for years. Fans of The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones and The Fisherman by John Langan will find plenty to love here.
A smart, atmospheric supernatural thriller that blends cosmic dread with the deeply human struggle to heal.
Coming soon
