Review: Dire Branches by Brian Fatah Steele

 A weekend out in the country in a B&B with her brother and her best friends is just what Skye needs to get over a bad breakup and get her head together. Hedwig House boasts plenty of space and a hot tub, free-flowing booze, drugs, and the hot B&B owner down the hill don’t hurt either. 

Right off the bat, things seem off- the house seems to change in size and shape at its own whims, animalistic shadows appear in the woods, one of Skye’s friends starts sleepwalking and becomes aggressive to all in the house, her best friend takes a dip in the polluted lake and pays a steep price and yet another friend goes missing from his bedroom without a trace. After spending some time with the B&B owner down the hill, Skye receives answers to what is befalling the guests of Hedwig House, but how the group’s choices will seal their fate.

Dire Branches is a fun, modern take on the lore of Baba Yaga, the mythological witch of Slavic legend, which I enjoyed quite a bit. The author spent copious time building the world and fleshing out the characters in the book, so much that the action really doesn’t kick off until 45% into the book. By the time the first big incident occurs, you are invested in this group of characters. 

The only drawbacks for me personally were that I would have liked more “character” building for the monsters and creatures in the story. I also would have liked to have a little more of an ending before adding the epilogue chapter. I have my theories about the outcome, and I guess that the point was for each reader to choose what they would do in that situation.

3/5 Stars

Thank you to #NetGalley and #AlienAgendaPublishing for providing me with a review copy of the novel. All thoughts and opinions are my own.