Review: This Wretched Valley by Jenny Kiefer

Author: Jenny Kiefer
Publisher: Quirk Books
Publication Date: January 2024

 Four ambitious climbers hike into the Kentucky wilderness. Seven months later, three mangled bodies are discovered. Were their deaths simple accidents or the result of something more sinister?

This nail-biting, bone-chilling survival horror novel is inspired by the infamous Dyatlov Pass incident, and is perfect for fans of Alma Katsu and Showtime's Yellowjackets.

This is going to be Dylan's big break. Her friend Clay, a geology student, has discovered an untouched cliff face in the Kentucky wilderness, and she is going to be the first person to climb it. Together with Clay, his research assistant Sylvia, and Dylan's boyfriend Luke, she is going to document her achievement on Instagram and finally cement her place as the next rising star in rock climbing. 

Seven months later, three bodies are discovered in the trees just off the highway. All are in various states of decay: one body a stark, white skeleton; the second emptied of its organs; and the third a mutilated corpse with the tongue, eyes, ears, and fingers removed.

But Dylan is still missing. Followers of her Instagram account report seeing disturbing livestreams, and some even claim to have caught glimpses of her vanishing into the thick woods, but no trace of her—dead or alive—has been discovered. 

Were the climbers murdered? Did they succumb to cannibalism? Or are their impossible bodies the work of an even more sinister force? Is Dylan still alive, and does she hold the answers? 

This page-turning debut will have you racing towards the inevitable conclusion.

The synopsis says nail biting and chilling.  I have to disagree.  I wasn't a fan of this one.  The book opens with the discovery of three of the bodies of some missing climbers.  The fourth one is nowhere to be found.  So right off the bat, you know the fate of at least three of the climbers.  It's not hard to guess what happened to the fourth.   This is the story of what happened.  

This one was all over the place for me.  I did like the body horror parts of it, but that was about it.  I didn't like one single character except maybe the dog.  I didn't feel like I really cared what happened to any of them.    The ending was very unsatisfying because there are no real answers as to what was really going on.   If you have read The Ruins or watched The Descent, you have read this book. I don't really recommend this one.