Review of We Ate the Dark

Blurb: Four women investigating the haunting murder of their friend discover more than they ever imagined in a terrifying novel about good and evil, love and death, and the spaces between.

Five years after Sofia Lyon disappeared, her remains are found stuffed into the hollow of a tree bursting through the floorboards of an abandoned house in the woods. The women who loved her flock home to the North Carolina hills to face their grief.

Frankie, Sofia’s twin, is in furious mourning. Poppy is heartbroken. Cass has never felt more homesick. And Marya knows something the rest of them don’t. Determined to find Sofia’s murderer, they share more than a need to see justice done for their friend. Each woman is haunted, bound to the next by something both cruel and kind, and now stalked by a shadowy presence they’ve yet to understand. Only to question, and to fear.

As Sofia’s secrets unravel, so do those of the woods, and the women soon realize that Sofia might not be who they thought she was at all. And that whoever—or whatever—killed her is coming after them.

Review: Frankie Lyon is feels her life is empty when her twin, Sofia disappears, but when they finally find her body, she is filled with a fiery determination to find out who killed Sofia. Friends return and they try to investigate it themselves, but what has leaked into their world is something much bigger and ancient than they could ever imagine. They find themselves fighting not only for the truth but for their own lives.

This is a standalone horror tale with a Lovecraftian influence. That sort of description enthralled me, and the writing is wonderful. Such rich emotion, both dark and light, vivid settings, and brilliant details. There are plenty of twists and turns, and I loved the peeks we got into the Fissure with Finder. Yet as the plot whipped up to its climax, it got confusing. Maybe I was supposed to be experiencing madness along with the characters?

I wasn't a fan of most of the characters either. Frankie is single-minded, and thus hard to sympathize with, especially when she doesn't sympathize with others. Sofia was supposed to be loved by everyone, but I thought she was manipulative. Poppy was like Frankie for her own reasons too. Cass was the sweet one, and Marya was the one who fascinated me. There were a lot of unanswered questions about other characters too. Themes of friendship, family, and grief were dealt with intensely.

You can find Mallory Pearson on her site and buy the book here.