Book: As the Snow Gathers by Mere Joyce
Reviewed by Weird | weird.reads.books
Rating: 4/5
As the Snow Gathers immediately establishes itself as a haunting and unforgiving read. The chilly, dreary setting of an isolated Canadian village pulled me in instantly. Mere Joyce does a poetic job of weaving together a sense of dread and helplessness the characters feel as the village is slowly preyed upon from unknown beings lurking in the forest.
The queer romance between Dom and Lex doesn’t pull away from the eerie atmosphere but builds on it. The village is small where it’s almost an open secret the two men are in a relationship but shunned by the religious population. They have dreams of moving away from the town, but so many factors have you feeling it’s desperately fragile.
The prose is beautiful and rich with mystery, leading the story in directions I truly didn’t see coming. I was pleasantly surprised by several plot twists that kept me fully invested until the final page. I highly recommend this for any horror lover looking for a perfect autumn or winter read—it’s the kind of story that will keep you looking over your shoulder during those long, cold nights.
Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the eARC. All opinions are my own.