Regeneration
As their secluded community braces for the looming Regeneration, the silence between Leanne and Mina has stretched to fifty-seven grueling days.
Fifty-seven days devoid of shared evening prayers, kneeling shoulder-to-shoulder to murmur quiet thanks and beg for absolution. Fifty-seven days empty of across-the-table smirks, or their petty squabbles over the worn, plush chair during morning reverence. Worst of all, it has been fifty-seven days without Mina’s hushed voice against Leanne's ear, weaving dark, forbidden tales of desperate girls who fled through the trees—hair wildly thrashing behind them, paths marked by trails of crimson blood. With the ceremony only days away, the temptation for someone to brave the forest and escape is higher than ever.
Yet, Mina wouldn't run. She would never disregard the warnings, bolting into the dark with bare feet and a fevered, frantic stare.
- Leanne - Mina’s sister
- Mina - Leanne’s older sister
- David - Mina’s husband
- Abigail - David’s sister, Mina’s friend
- Mina is ready to partake in the ceremony her mother has been preparing her for since she was twelve.
- Everyone goes to the chapel to witness the ceremony.
- The ceremony entails the oldest daughter killing her mother so that the gift of fertility is passed onto the newlywed daughter.
- When it’s Mina’s turn she hesitates and runs into the woods, but she is quickly grabbed and dragged back.
- Leanne agrees to perform the ceremony with Mina and the pastor allows it.
- Leanne and Mina perform the ceremony together by cutting open their mother and extracting her uterus.
- The pastor slices Mina’s throat for showing disloyalty by running and she dies.
- Twenty years later: Leanne escaped and lives in a cottage in the woods just close enough for the other runners to find her when they escape the ceremony.
This novelette really takes its time getting to the point. The premise itself is intriguing but the execution takes a while to find its footing. For a large portion of the read, the pacing just drags. I kept waiting for a real moment of tension, but the story feels a little boring and lacks interesting developments as we navigate the quiet dread of the woods and the lore of what happens during ‘the ceremony’.
Even though the buildup is slow and quiet, the payoff delivers. Once the actual ritual begins and the nature of the ceremony is brought to light, things finally get interesting. The ending is the strongest part of the entire narrative. I really like how the story wraps up; it hits those bleak, haunting notes that the earlier pages promised but withheld until the final act. The conclusion manages to pull everything together, making the slower beginning feel a bit more purposeful.
If you like isolated cults and folk horror tropes, then you will enjoy this book.
- Human sacrifice
- Murder
ASIN: B0GYZ9T5T6
Publication Date: June 8, 2026
Note: Details are for the original edition. Other formats, editions, and audiobook versions may be available.
