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A review by cabinet_13_review
The Broken Places by Blaine Daigle
5.0
A bone chilling and transformative novel, The Broken Places by Blaine Daigle is an emotionally charged and riveting supernatural story of accepting loss and healing from generational trauma.
Ryne Burdette has some fond memories of the hunting cabin he used to visit with his father but most of them are also tainted by the palpable disdain and tension between Ryne’s father Rory and his Uncle Rod. Hoping to find a way to wipe his slate clean to begin again after a traumatic year, Ryne and his best friends decide to take a weekend trip to the family cabin Ryne has now inherited. From the moment they step foot into the quiet village on their way up to the remote cabin in the wilderness of the Yukon, the atmosphere feels off. It isn’t long before the quiet beauty of the forest is filled with whispers and strange occurrences. As an encroaching storm intensifies and they each begin to share the unnerving visions from the forest, the three friends must work quickly to solve the mystery of the dark past of the Burdette family before they all succumb to the deep dark cold wilderness.
I just want to start off by saying this has one of the best opening paragraphs I have read in a while. Vivid descriptions that evoke a sense of wonder and unease that really sets the tone for the rest of the book. I would call this a slow burn. Blaine Daigle takes his time building up the tension and creating emotional ties to each of these characters to the reader. They are wonderfully developed despite their individual traumas. Noah is a poetic soul. The more emotional one of the group of friends. His descriptions of the open land of the nature surrounding the cabin are evocative. He is described as being a hard worker, someone who does not give up prior to his trauma, but he also feels like the most empathetic of the three. Shawn is analytical, logical. He relies mainly on patterns and natural inclination. I also felt he was quick to the trigger emotionally. Ryne is reserved, but there is always something bubbling beneath the surface. His nature is kept in the shadows for a long time, much like the family history he is in the dark about.
I love the nod to Native American lore and how Europeans infringed upon Native lands and culture to twist and perverse it into something it was not meant to be.
Overall would recommend if you like dark, gripping, and terror inducing horror.
Ryne Burdette has some fond memories of the hunting cabin he used to visit with his father but most of them are also tainted by the palpable disdain and tension between Ryne’s father Rory and his Uncle Rod. Hoping to find a way to wipe his slate clean to begin again after a traumatic year, Ryne and his best friends decide to take a weekend trip to the family cabin Ryne has now inherited. From the moment they step foot into the quiet village on their way up to the remote cabin in the wilderness of the Yukon, the atmosphere feels off. It isn’t long before the quiet beauty of the forest is filled with whispers and strange occurrences. As an encroaching storm intensifies and they each begin to share the unnerving visions from the forest, the three friends must work quickly to solve the mystery of the dark past of the Burdette family before they all succumb to the deep dark cold wilderness.
I just want to start off by saying this has one of the best opening paragraphs I have read in a while. Vivid descriptions that evoke a sense of wonder and unease that really sets the tone for the rest of the book. I would call this a slow burn. Blaine Daigle takes his time building up the tension and creating emotional ties to each of these characters to the reader. They are wonderfully developed despite their individual traumas. Noah is a poetic soul. The more emotional one of the group of friends. His descriptions of the open land of the nature surrounding the cabin are evocative. He is described as being a hard worker, someone who does not give up prior to his trauma, but he also feels like the most empathetic of the three. Shawn is analytical, logical. He relies mainly on patterns and natural inclination. I also felt he was quick to the trigger emotionally. Ryne is reserved, but there is always something bubbling beneath the surface. His nature is kept in the shadows for a long time, much like the family history he is in the dark about.
I love the nod to Native American lore and how Europeans infringed upon Native lands and culture to twist and perverse it into something it was not meant to be.
Overall would recommend if you like dark, gripping, and terror inducing horror.