I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Near the Bone by Christina Henry Published by Berkley on April 13 2021
Genres: Adult, Horror
Pages: 336
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: Henry’s latest is a fast-paced suspense story with some very dark elements.
I had a lot of fun with this book! After having some issues with Christina Henry’s The Ghost Tree, I was a little worried going into Near the Bone. But it ended up working a lot better for me, I think mostly because it was a much more tightly focused story. If you’re a fan of horror stories that are set in remote snowy mountain locations, then you will probably enjoy this too. However, there are a couple of trigger warnings I want to mention above and beyond your standard horror triggers, so do beware that the story includes physical abuse, kidnapping and implied rape, just in case you are sensitive about those issues.
Mattie can’t remember a time before she lived on the mountain with her husband William. Her days are spent cooking and cleaning and checking the traps in the woods for rabbits, and her nights are spent performing her “wifely duties” so that William can have a son someday. Mattie isn’t allowed to leave the cabin without William’s permission, and she must obey his every word, or there will be consequences. She isn’t allowed to go into town for supplies, and she isn’t allowed to speak to strangers, either. But one day, a couple of things happen that change everything. William and Mattie are checking their traps when they spot the signs of a large predator in the area. Bears aren’t too unusual, but this one leaves huge prints in the snow and only walks on its hind legs. When they follow the prints, they are horrified when they lead to a cave filled with animal bones and organs—sorted into piles.
When a group of cryptozoologists wander into William’s territory, searching for the very monster that William and Mattie have just seen evidence of, all hell breaks loose. William will do anything to get rid of them, even shoot them if he has to. Mattie has suddenly realized that the appearance of Griffin and his friends might offer her an opportunity to escape, and the monster—unseen but lurking high in the trees of the forest and ready to swoop down on the unsuspecting humans—only wants to rid its mountain lair of the intruders once and for all.
Near the Bone was a super fast read, mostly because the suspense was so well done that I just had to keep reading. Henry is really good at creating tension in her stories, especially here where we have a couple of mysteries going on at the same time. The “monster” is never really seen, which makes it even scarier, in my opinion. We know it’s huge and can creep silently through the forest, and it appears to be intelligent, which adds another level of terror. We also have the mystery of Mattie and how she came to be living with William. Henry drops hints here and there as Mattie starts to regain her memories, so it’s not too hard to piece things together. Still, I was riveted by her story—as horrible as it is—and even though the resolution wasn’t a huge surprise, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to find out what was going to happen. Add in the setting—a cold and snowy, secluded mountain top—and you have a fantastic recipe for suspense.
As you can imagine, William is a horrible man, and in my opinion he’s the real monster in this story. He kidnapped Mattie when she was eight and forced her to live with him. He regularly beats her if she doesn’t follow his directions or if she asks too many questions. As punishment, he often withholds food, so she’s always hungry. He forces her to wear old fashioned clothing like long skirts, and because there’s no electricity in the cabin, chores like laundry must be done by hand. Worst of all, he’s been raping her since she was a young teenager, something she dreads every night at bedtime. Mattie has forgotten most of her life before she came to the mountain, but now those old memories are starting to come back. One of the most harrowing scenes in the book takes place late in the story as Mattie remembers exactly what happened the night William took her from her home, which was worse than any scene involving the monster.
I thought Mattie’s character was really well done and believable. She’s only about twenty and she’s spent most of her life in a horrible situation, so she doesn’t have a real sense of the danger she’s in. She believes all the nonsense that William has spewed out over the years, and even though she’s not happy, she doesn’t have anything to compare her life to. That is until a few events start to jog her memory and she realizes she was taken away from her other life, one with a caring mother and sister. It turns out Mattie is actually pretty smart, despite her lack of schooling and the way William has kept her in the dark about nearly everything. I also liked her brief interactions with the monster, who she seems to have a connection to, and even though the rest of the characters are being terrorized by it, I was never worried about Mattie, for some reason.
The last half of the story veers into slasher territory, and there are a few delightfully gruesome scenes involving the monster. Henry ends her story before everything is resolved, and I was OK with that. If you enjoy horror, both the graphic and the psychological variety, you’ll probably have a good time with Near the Bone.
Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.
Glad to see you enjoyed this so much, Tammy! I think I’ll give it a pass, though – horrors are not really my cup of tea, especially slashers
I totally get it. I appreciate you reading my review anyway:-)
I like the concept of the unseen monster that ends up being scarier than a visible one, although I agree that the real monster here looks to be Mattie’s “husband” and I suspect that the description of his treatment of Mattie would make me furious, and rabidly so. But for one of Christina Henry’s stories I can deal with it… 🙂
Thanks for sharing!
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…TOP TEN TUESDAY: Book Titles That Sound Like They Could Be Crayola Colors
It was hard to read the parts about William and his abuse, although I have to say I think she handled it very well. It wasn’t overly gratuitous, and the “wifely duty” scenes were all off stage.
My only experience with Henry’s works (Lost Boy) indicated that she’s not one for morbid focus on such details, but it’s good to know she left the worst out of sight…
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…TOP TEN TUESDAY: Book Titles That Sound Like They Could Be Crayola Colors
Oh, this sounds SO good, right up my alley. Poor Mattie. I hope William gets his comeuppance by the end and that the monster is okay . . . see, now I have to read the book to find out!
Priscilla Bettis recently posted…One Sentence Reviews: My 1st Quarter 2021 Reads
Yes, read it!
Another stormingly good review! I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, although there’s no way I could read anything slashery, or I’d suffer with nightmares… Thank you for sharing:).
This is a little too slashery for you, for sure. My next review will be more along the sci-fi humorous end of things:-)
Wonderful review! You completely nailed it! William is the true monster here, and I definitely found the parts about the kidnapping and his treatment of Mattie much more terrifying and upsetting than the “slasher” elements involving the creature.
Thanks Lisa, glad we agree!
As I’m reading your review I hadn’t expected cryptozoologists to show up but that only made me more intrigued by it all. And ooooh it veering into slasher territory in the last half only intrigues me more because in a weird way I love those kinda stories.
Stephanie @ Bookfever recently posted…Review: Greek Mythology: The Gods, Goddesses, and Heroes Handbook by Liv Albert
The cryptozoologists definitely added an interesting layer to the story:-)
Really glad to see you enjoyed this one, too! I agree about it turning a bit slasher near the end–I genuinely didn’t expect that, haha. This was a wonderful review!
Thanks Jordan!
Sounds like quite the suspenceful read. And I love those sorts of cold, lonely settings, which help add to the suspence.
Those settings really do create a certain atmosphere. I’m always drawn to cold, snowy settings:-)
Yes, this was fun! It was so crazy at the end where things went into slasher territory though, it almost felt like two different stories.
I agree, it was an interesting mix!
Wow, this sounds amazing. I loved your review. I will definitely be checking this book out 🙂
Thank you Burma!
Loving the sound of this one. It’s been a while since I read anything by this author and this one sounds like another winner. Great review, Tammy! 😀
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Thanks Lashaan:-)
This sounds really good! I’m gonna add to my TBR!
It’s a very quick read and very good as well!
Oooh, I’m so excited to start this one now.
Lynn 😀
Love the sound of this book! I’ve only read The Mermaid from this author, but I have been wanting to dive into these books as I like dark fantasy a lot. Maybe I should crack open my copy of Alice when I have a break in my reading schedule
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