My complete review of Sawtooth is published at Grimdark Magazine.

Sawtooth is Steph Nelson’s monstrously disquieting survival horror set in the Sawtooth Mountain Range of central Idaho. Named for the jagged shape of the range’s fifty-seven peaks, these remote mountains might also be home to a fabled beast of the same name.

The lead protagonist, Taryn, takes her first solo trek through the Sawtooth Range under unhappy circumstances, viz., scattering the ashes of her wife, Gemma, in a secluded lake. But honoring her late wife’s final wish proves to be more disconcerting than expected, as Taryn finds an assortment of bones—possibly human—in the otherwise beautifully clear lake.

Taryn’s journey in Sawtooth becomes increasingly perilous as she suffers injury and ultimately discovers the true nature of the novella’s eponymous beast. (It’s not what you think.)

The Sawtooth Range provides the perfect setting for this adventure. The natural beauty of the mountainous scenery is juxtaposed with the fear of what’s lurking in the great unknown.

Steph Nelson alternates Taryn’s present-day narrative with flashbacks of her relationship with Gemma, including both the happy times together as well as their struggles. While Gemma was always drawn toward a rural life in the mountains, Taryn preferred to pursue her career aspirations in the bustle of Boise.

The most touching scenes involved Gemma receiving her terminal diagnosis and Taryn’s subsequent struggle with setting her priorities right. Steph Nelson captured my heart with both of these characters. The ending of the novella is quite emotional, hitting extra hard because of the relationship drama in the flashback sequences.

Steph Nelson’s prose in Sawtooth is as incisive as the title would imply. Her writing is so polished that I was surprised to learn this is her debut novella. Nelson strikes the perfect balance between the tragedy faced by Taryn and Gemma in their personal relationship and then the physical manifestation of that horror. Nelson’s pacing is also spot-on, building up to a climax that I won’t soon forget.

Overall, Sawtooth will sink its teeth into you from the first page, taking you on a harrowing journey that is well worth the trip. Sawtooth is a stellar debut from a very talented new voice in the genre, and I look forward to reading more from Steph Nelson in the future.37 s Peter TopsideAuthor 4 books1,123

I always love finding a new author and having such a great experience with the first read. Steph Nelson created something really special here. It had a ton of heart, lore, action, all while being totally terrifying. The creature was not used too much, but had this constant lingering presence that made your skin crawl. The focus was kept exactly where it needed to be, which was on our lead, Taryn. She is grieving the loss of her wife, while going to a special place to spread her ashes. So we are pulled into her mindset, as she goes back and forth between memories of Gemma, her deceased wife, and her current predicament in the woods. It is all masterfully woven together, providing a tremendous showing from the author. It is also a short book, which felt the perfect length for this feature, too. Loved it!32 s3 comments Sadie HartmannAuthor 21 books5,997 Read

Check out my notes and highlights!
Happy Book Release Day, Steph! I read SAWTOOTH in its early stages and I feel lucky that I was allowed to have first eyes on it in its raw formation and offer some feedback. Steph graciously took the notes to heart because this final version of that original tale has been shaped into a beautiful love story tucked into survival horror.
My blurb,
"Show up for the thrilling survival horror but stay for the emotional wreckage—this tale is a harrowing journey through grief that’s as exhilarating as it is cathartic. Nelson nailed it” —Sadie Hartmann, 101 Horror Books to Read Before You’re Murdered10 s Bon1,322 165

Happy release day!

Thanks to Cemetery Gates Media for an ARC copy to review! This was a gripping tale, filled with contrasts of romance and horror, perservance and resignation, harm and protection. I really enjoyed this novella that managed to do so much with so few pages.

Though Sawtooth is set in the wilderness, the open air of the mountains, it's almost claustrophobic, so oppressive is the eerie atmosphere and escalating sense of dread present in the pages.

Taryn's carrying her wife's ashes up a mountain, the small box rendered infinitely heavier by loss, grief, and memories. Several bad decisions later, she's out of water, grievously injured, and very unprepared to spend a night in the woods.

I've experienced a crippling leg injury myself, and found the combination of panic and pain depicted very well, the intensity rocketed up by the knowledge Taryn's on her own in the wild. Once she's hurt, her thoughts both shorten and spread in all directions, a realistic reaction to a grievous, painful injury.

This story went places I never expected but nevertheless delighted me, if you've paid any attention to my, uh, habitual reads. I found the writing really excelled at description and setting the chilling scene; a reader could smell the brisk mountain air, feel their limbs lock up in fight or flight tension, easily imagine shadows ducking behind trees in a remote locale. The ending was great and fit the emotional tones of the story.

TWs for animal death, death of a spouse, violent death of side characters, detailed descriptions of injury and deteriorating physical state.arcs-netgalley-giveaways-to-review horror sapphic8 s thevampireslibrary353 143

Grief horror with a bit of bite! Steph has expertly crafted a thought provoking creature feature/survival horror that explores loss through a suspenseful dread infused plot that had me firmly clamped in its jaws from the beginning, what really stood out for me was the depth of our main character, Heather who? I WAS Taryn, I became Taryn, I wasn't reading mere words on a page, her fear was my fear, the emotions were tangible and I think this book gave me an anxiety attack, the raw intensity of the feelings conveyed was something else and made for a poignant read, this was an evocative taut thriller that will stick with you long after you've read it, this is my first book by Steph and it will not be my last, I thought this was incredible, I highly recommend this to you my little internet horror family, I am your mother I gave birth to you all, listen to me and pick this one up (sorry that got weird xoxo) thankyou5 s Megan18 26

If you need a quick fright, this will do it. Hits you with a twist that I didn’t think of. Coming in at a hot 106 pages…this book will make you never want to go into the woods again. It was the perfect amount of ickiness and tension that makes it so hard to put down.

Taryn, I’m proud of you
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