It Came from the Trees by Ally Russell

Title: It Came from the Trees

Series: n/a
Author: Ally Russell
Source/Format: NetGalley; eARC
More Details: Middle Grade; Paranormal; Horror
Publisher/Publication Date: Delecorte; July 30, 2024

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

The legend of Bigfoot gets a bone-chilling update in this scary story about a young girl and her scout troop who are willing to brave the woods to find her missing friend when no one else will. Perfect for fans of Daka Hermon and Claribel A. Ortega!

The wilderness is in Jenna’s blood. Her Pap was the first Black park ranger at Sturbridge Reservation, and she practically knows the Owlet Survival Handbook by heart. But she’s never encountered a creature like the one that took her best friend Reese. Her parents don’t believe her; the police are worthless, following the wrong leads; and the media isn’t connecting the dots between Reese’s disappearance and a string of other attacks. Determined to save her friend, Jenna joins a new local scout troop, and ventures back into the woods. When the troop stumbles across suspicious huge human-like footprints near the camp, scratch marks on trees, and ominous sounds from the woods, Jenna worries that whatever took Reese is back to take her too. Can she trust her new scout leader? And will her new friend Norrie—who makes her laugh and reminds her so much of Reese—believe her? After the unthinkable happens, the scouts, armed with their wits and toiletries, band together to fight the monster and survive the night.

It Came from the Trees, Ally Russell’s debut, is a new middle grade paranormal horror novel set in the great outdoors. With a Black main character who loves camping and the wilderness, and a mystery surrounding strange occurrences (and disappearances) at Sturbridge Reservation, there was so much to like about It Came from the Trees.

Norrie, like Reese, was a character who could worm her way into anyone’s heart. And, in fact, the Owlet Scouts were a far more personable and colorful group to follow. And then there was Jenna, who was a great main character, and I liked her enthusiasm and knowledge about the outdoors. This was shaken, of course, with the disappearance of her best friend as well as the situation she subsequently found herself in, where she felt silenced and isolated. It was part of her character arc, where the author showed her bravery and determination but also didn’t shy away from her vulnerability and fear. Her POV was nerve-wracking to read, and I’d credit that how immersive and atmospheric the writing was.

Another area of note was how Russell utilized camping. The woods were the perfect location for the story, especially after the sun was down and visibility was low. There was no quick way to run from any issues.

The story also touched on a negligent troop leader who played favoritism and was willing to lie, if it meant covering her own culpability when one the scouts in her care went missing. It was a difficult (and frustrating) situation that felt all too familiar, but the author did a great job with it, creating a balance between real world issues and a story which was, at its heart, paranormal.

Going into It Came from the Trees, I was expecting Russell’s spin on Bigfoot. It’s one of the main hooks of the synopsis. However, even knowing that much didn’t erase how tightly the legend was woven into the story. The way it was written was enigmatic and incredibly menacing. It wasn’t an isolated occurrence only Jenna knew about either, but there were clues sprinkled throughout the book about how deeply the strange occurrences were connected to Sturbridge Reservation—even in the form of blog entries and comments. And while I was reading It Came from the Trees, I kept remarking to one of my co-bloggers about how much tension there was as well as the intensity of its most frightening scenes.

At the end of the day, It Came from the Trees was excellent, and it has plenty to offer for fans of middle grade horror.

About the author....

Ally grew up on a steady diet of Halloween parties, horror films, Unsolved Mysteries, and Goosebumps books. She has always loved scary stories, and got her MFA from Simmons University and, eventually, a job working in children’s publishing. She hails from Pittsburgh—ground zero for the zombie apocalypse. Ally lives with her husband and her two black cats, Nox and Fury. She’s afraid of the woods, the dark, and heights. It Came from the Trees is her debut novel.

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Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Delacorte) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you! 

Short Stories I Read In June

It’s the Twenty-Ninth of July. So it’s time to talk about the short stories, podcast episodes, and miscellaneous posts I read or listened to in June.

An Otherworldly Cat Tells You the Secrets of the Universe by Megan Chee (Lightspeed Magazine; June 2024; Issue 169)

An Otherworldly Cat Tells You the Secrets of the Universe by Megan Chee is a delightful story about cats essentially being cats with a speculative twist. Told by a cat, as the title suggests, the narrative conveys, well, the secrets of the universe from the perspective of the felines who can move freely to all of its corners. That included everything from space faring to living alone on strange planets. I liked this one.

Loneliness Universe by Eugenia Triantafyllou (Uncanny Magazine; Issue Fifty-Eight)

The next and last short story I read in June was was Eugenia Triantafyllou’s latest, Loneliness Universe. I love this one. Initially, it’s about two people—former friends who’d grown apart—Cara, and the story’s narrator, Nefeli, attempting to meet at a bus stop. Things don’t go as planned, because even though they’re in the same place, they might as well be worlds apart. What followed was an incredibly tense and atmospheric story, as Nefeli experienced a puzzling and terrifying phenomenon. Despite the urban setting, there was a feeling of isolation, which further heightened the atmosphere I liked what the author did with this story as well as the commentary on the relationships between people, cherishing time and whatnot, in a story which showed how everyone was, in theory, still close together, but also alone in their own separate universes. So in that way, the title was very fitting. Loneliness Universe is a good one.

From around the web…

• Read an Excerpt From Jordan Ifueko’s The Maid and the Crocodile [Reactor Magazine; June 20, 2024]

I Listened to Dopamine by Normani

Normani is one of those artists where you had to wait and then wait a little more for that album. Originally part of the girl group, Fifth Harmony, she branched out on her own after the group went on hiatus in 2018, with songs like Motivation (2019) and Diamonds (2020) featuring Megan Thee Stallion. Well, after a few years, Normani’s long awaited solo debut album, Dopamine, was finally released on the 14th of June 2024 with thirteen songs. And with that, welcome back to the music minded corner of Our Thoughts Precisely!

Dopamine pretty much met all of my expectations, especially based on the direction I assumed it was going in, which was hinted by the singles supporting its release (Wild Side featuring Cardi B, 1:59, and Candy Paint). I was, generally, pleased with it, because it’s the kind of fun music I can relax to or have on in the background while I read. 

It’s firmly planted in the R&B and pop sphere with some creative direction with its arrangements, particularly on some of my top-favorite tracks on the album—Insomnia, Lights Out, and Big Boy featuring Starrah. It also had some good features, including the aforementioned Starrah as well as Cardi B, Gunna, and James Blake.

Overall, Dopamine was a great album.

In the Shadow of the Fall by Tobi Ogundiran

Title: In the Shadow of the Fall

Series: Guardians of the Gods #1
Author: Tobi Ogundiran
Source/Format: NetGalley; eARC
More Details: Fantasy; Novella
Publisher/Publication Date: Tordotcom; July 23, 2024

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

A cosmic war reignites and the fate of the orisha lie in the hands of an untried acolyte in this first entry of a new epic fantasy novella duology by Tobi Ogundiran...

Ashâke is an acolyte in the temple of Ifa, yearning for the day she is made a priestess and sent out into the world to serve the orisha. But of all the acolytes, she is the only one the orisha refuse to speak to. For years she has watched from the sidelines as peer after peer passes her by and ascends to full priesthood. Desperate, Ashâke attempts to summon and trap an orisha—any orisha. Instead, she experiences a vision so terrible it draws the attention of a powerful enemy sect and thrusts Ashâke into the center of a centuries-old war that will shatter the very foundations of her world....

I’ve read Tobi Ogundiran’s short fiction before—The Nine Jars of Nukulu, which was published in The Book of Witches edited by Jonathan Stahan and illustrated by Alyssa Winans. So, when I heard about his 2024 novella, In the Shadow of the Fall, I knew it was going to be at the top of my list for July releases. And like The Nine Jars of Nukulu, Ogundiran packs a lot into this novella’s pages.

It begins with Ashâke, an acolyte, attempting to and ultimately failing at a desperate bid to bind an orisha. Sounds bad, right? The story makes it abundantly clear her sentiments were unwittingly fostered by her feelings of being rejected and ostracized for failing in areas where other acolytes had succeeded. She wanted to belong in the only place she’s ever known. So the epiphany she has, her crisis of faith—for lack of better words—that desire and her failings, is why I found her instantly sympathetic and likeable as a character.

The story is pretty fast paced and it doesn’t stay in one setting, even so it never felt rushed. The world building was one of my favorite aspects. I was engrossed with following Ashâke’s journey as she discovered the nuance of a history she once believed she was well versed in. And I liked how Ogundiran turned her understanding upside down as well as how the information was imparted to me, the reader. It was often through song, storytelling, and conversations between the characters.

This, however, was by no means a light story. Every secret was consequential, and it got pretty dark at times, what with how the villains operated.

That being said, In the Shadow of the Fall was excellent.

 

About the author....

Tobi Ogundiran is the Shirley Jackson, British Science Fiction Association Award, Nommo and Ignyte award-nominated author of the acclaimed collection of stories, Jackal, Jackal: Tales of the Dark and Fantastic (Undertow Publications). He's called many places homes, including Lagos, Russia, and now Oxford, Mississippi.

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Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Tordotcom) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you! 

Music Monday (293): Tame Impala, flowersovlove

Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: I've been listening to Tame Impala's album, The Slow Rush, again. It's still one of my favorites! So my pick this week is: Breathe Deeper.

Adri: Last week, I was listening to breaking news by flowersovlove. I love this song, and I want to listen to more of her music.

What are you listening to this week?