The Unfinished was an immersive & haunting piece of folkloric forest horror.

Avery is an avid runner - and she’s hopeful that her athleticism will lead to a scholarship so she can head to college - but her whole already-messy life is derailed when she stumbles across a strange pond in the middle of the forest. She’s always dismissed rumblings about the black water as small town myths, and feels disconnected from her Kanyen’kehá:ka (Mohawk) family.

But the black water begins to haunt her, and it’s hungry for souls. Avery’s friends and loved ones are in danger, and she may have to embrace her culture to get answers. And make a choice: heed the warnings from her Elders, or risk everything to save the people that matter most?

Avery is a compelling (and super relatable) main character. She’s got a lot of anxiety about change, and she tucks all of that away so hard it hurts. She’s still reeling from her parents’ complicated relationship and divorce, and knows that her little family has money troubles that no one will openly discuss. Avery is scared to name the things she wants (like tell her best friend that she’s in love with him) and of being vulnerable in general - just like her mom, whose fear has kept both of them from leaning into their Kanyen’kehá:ka culture.

Those are big hurdles for Avery, and her challenge is to break all those cycles of pain, but she’s also got a lot going for her. She’s determined, she’s funny, and she’s always there for her friends. She does her best to do the right thing.

I thought the supporting characters were wonderful as well. There aren’t many human antagonists here, just a lot of people with different secrets and anxieties that shape them in different ways. The whole town of Crook’s Falls tucks away trauma instead of opening up, and that wiggles its way into everyone, from Avery’s trio of best friends to her great aunt whose mind is failing her to Elders who disengage instead of risking pain.

The horror aspects were oh-so-brilliant. The atmospheric terror of the forest and the black sludge water, the changing reflections, the faceless entities that slowly shift towards you … it was genuinely scary. And there’s a memory-altering aspect that made Avery feel so, so alone at first, and that hurt. She had to lean into community in order to truly battle this thing.

I love cyclical evils, and the patterns of this one were intriguing. I feel like the book ended just a smidge too soon, and I wished that Avery had been given a true faceoff opportunity. There were also some character fates left unknown which hurt, but the ending message of truthfulness leading to genuine connection was beautiful. 

Overall, this was a great read. Especially if you like the sort of terror that tickles the back of your shoulder and disappears into the shadows, if the thought of something looking back at you from your reflection makes you tremble, and if you believe one too many stories about straying off of forest paths.

This was also the first time I had heard of Heartdrum - a publishing imprint (under HarperCollins) for young readers that is Native-focused. I’ll definitely have to check out other books published under Heartdrum!

CW: death (parent/child), animal death, racism, violence, chronic illness, dementia, grief, gaslighting, body horror, panic attacks, mental health, dementia, fire

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(I received a free copy of this book; this is my honest review.)