You’re out hiking in the woods and suddenly spot a staircase that leads nowhere.
Do you climb it? I probably shouldn’t have. But here we are.
I struggled with this one at first. The opening felt slow, mostly because the characters seemed deeply committed to staying stuck in their own problems. I kept wishing they’d actually do something about it.
Eventually, it clicked that the story is meant to feel stagnant. Once that became clear, my irritation turned into understanding.
When the book found its rhythm, I genuinely enjoyed it. The restraint started working in its favour, the concept carried the narrative, and the slow, lingering unease became oddly satisfying.
The horror stays controlled. The woods and the staircase function more as ideas than active threats. Atmosphere does the work while the plot politely stays out of the way. I respected that, and by the end, I had a genuinely good time with it.
📖 Check out the full review on the blog!
🔗 Link is in my bio.
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