Courtney Gould’s thrilling debut The Dead and the Dark is about the things that lurk in dark corners, the parts of you that can’t remain hidden, and about finding home in places―and people―you didn’t expect.
The Dark has been waiting for far too long, and it won’t stay hidden any longer.
Something is wrong in Snakebite, Oregon. Teenagers are disappearing, some turning up dead, the weather isn’t normal, and all fingers seem to point to TV’s most popular ghost hunters who have just returned to town. Logan Ortiz-Woodley, daughter of TV’s ParaSpectors, has never been to Snakebite before, but the moment she and her dads arrive, she starts to get the feeling that there’s more secrets buried here than they originally let on.
Ashley Barton’s boyfriend was the first teen to go missing, and she’s felt his presence ever since. But now that the Ortiz-Woodleys are in town, his ghost is following her and the only person Ashley can trust is the mysterious Logan. When Ashley and Logan team up to figure out who—or what—is haunting Snakebite, their investigation reveals truths about the town, their families, and themselves that neither of them are ready for. As the danger intensifies, they realize that their growing feelings for each other could be a light in the darkness.
- Title: The Dead and the Dark
- Author: Courtney Gould
- Publisher: Wednesday Books
- Genre: Contemporary, LGBTQ, Mystery/Thriller, Fantasy
- Age Range: Young Adult
- Content warnings: blood, violence, murder, attempted murder, drowning, funeral, grief, death of a main character, homophobia, homophobic language, hate crimes, police, child death, claustrophobia (buried alive), mentions of adoption
- Rating: ★★★★
Courtney Gould’s The Dead and the Dark was everything I wanted it to be, and more. As someone who isn’t much of a horror or paranormal person, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I was hooked from the very beginning, and could not put it down!
Snakebite, Oregon is everything you associate with a small town. It’s quiet, peaceful, and calm. That is, until Logan Ortiz-Woodley, and her fathers, Brandon and Alejo, move there as their latest location for their show, ParaSpectors — a TV show similar to Ghostbusters, Stranger Things but not fictional, or Buzzfeed Unsolved. With it raining for the first time in thirteen years and more importantly, teenagers disappearing or worse, turning up dead, everyone’s quick to point fingers at the town’s newest additions: the Ortiz-Woodleys. In an attempt to clear her fathers’ names, Logan teams up with Ashley Barton, whose boyfriend was the first teen to go missing.
Courtney Gould has a way of writing that simply pulls you in. Snakebite, Oregon feels like a tangible thing, a place that I’ve visited in passing, even though it doesn’t actually exist. The Dark is surely something that’ll be visiting my dreams (or nightmares). The Dead and the Dark is beautifully atmospheric, leading you down a winding, twisty path until you’re not really sure where you are, who to trust, or what’s happening. The entire time, I was trying to figure out what drew the Ortiz-Woodleys to Snakebite, what drew them away in the first place, what happened to all the children, who the host of The Dark was, and so much more.
I loved following along Logan and Ashley’s investigation. I had no idea who was trustworthy, and who wasn’t. For a while, I was doubting both Logan and Ashley, their parents, and every single person they interacted with in Snakebite. While I did have my suspicions of who The Dark was, and who the host was, the twist completely blindsided me — simply because I was overthinking every single interaction. I’m so excited to reread The Dead and the Dark and pick up on all the foreshadowing and clues that I missed.
One of my favorite things about The Dead and the Dark is about how love and light will always prevail, how important community is, and how important it is to hold onto that light. The darkness can truly consume you, and I think Gould does a great job at portraying that. In general, I think Gould does a phenomenal job of writing a haunting read, family dynamics, loneliness, and how unresolved trauma can impact not just you, but everyone around you.
I found Logan and Ashley both to be characters that I instantly stood behind; I understood their motivations, and I was rooting for them the entire time. The romance between Logan and Ashley, while not a core focal point of the book, was one that I found sweet. Although The Dead and the Dark is a mystery-thriller, it does have some funny, light-hearted moments that made me chuckle.
The Dead and the Dark had a completely satisfying ending, and I couldn’t have asked for more for Logan, Ashley, or the Ortiz-Woodleys. Each character was well-developed, and realistic, main character or not.
While I often find interludes distracting, I really liked the creepy tone that the interludes in The Dead and the Dark has. Admittedly, the interludes did take me out of the story a little, but with the knowledge of how it ends, I’m excited to reread The Dead and the Dark, as I’m sure it’ll only add to the atmosphere of it all. The Dead and the Dark would be an absolutely phenomenal movie, and I can only hope it’ll be adapted for the big screen someday.
Links for The Dead and the Dark: Goodreads | TheStoryGraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
Courtney Gould writes books about queer girls, ghosts, and things that go bump in the night. She graduated from Pacific Lutheran University in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing and Publishing. Born and raised in Salem, OR, she now lives and writes in Tacoma, WA where she continues to write love letters to the haunted girls and rural, empty spaces. The Dead and the Dark is her debut novel.
thank you so much for the tag! can’t wait to do this one! x