Early Reader Review: Silk Hills by Ryan Ferrier and Brian Level

Source: From Oni Press in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.

Silk Hills by Ryan Ferrier and Brian Level 
Publisher: Oni Press
Publication Date:  June 14, 2022

 

Format: ebook


Rating:


Goodreads Synopsis: 

This atmospheric and stylish mystery set in the Appalachian region is perfect for fans of Twin Peaks, The X-Files, and Sons of the Devil.

When Beth Wills comes to Silk Hills, a small Appalachian town that's seen better days since the mines were abandoned, she expected a bit of culture shock... But not like this! Beth is someone who has a talent for finding people who don't want to be found, and when she's called to Silk Hills by a local titan of industry, she can tell that something's not right. Little does she know...

Silk Hills was once booming, but the only reason people tend to come through town anymore is to buy Mothman merchandise. Before long, Beth finds out just how wrong things can get in the woods, as her search for a missing troubled youth finds her running afoul of the local drug trade, too-friendly creepers, a very sinister deer, and psychoactive moth dust.

Review: 

I am so confused... that is how this book started and how it ended for me, confusing. I received this book for review from the publisher, which I wholeheartedly appreciate. I was drawn to the interesting cover and a description involving Mothman. I knew it was horror so that I would also be a little weird, but I found the whole book to be off the wall bizarre and not necessarily in a good way. 

The plot had an eerie feel that went well with the genre and the illustration throughout also mimicked that eeriness and had the creepy small town aura. Characters were well recognized but were shaped a bit odd, but it fit the feel of the ebook.  The story itself was where this one lost me. There were rabid/possessed animals, a mothman...kinda, drugs from moths/ hallucinogens, moths in people, and other weird things that happened that at some point probably came together but I didn't understand it enough in the beginning to come full circle with it. I couldn't tell in the end if it was all drug-related, people provoked, or actually supernatural.

If you are looking for bizarre and like the horror genre, this could be for you, but it wasn't really for me. Will it stick with me for a while, probably, so there is something to be said for that. It is memorable in its creepiness, which is what a lot of horror is meant to convey.