How to Survive Camping: The Man With No Shadow blends eerie folklore with dark humor in a campy horror story set at the infamous Goat Valley Campground. Kate, the campground’s manager, has inherited both the land and the responsibility of protecting campers from the supernatural dangers that live there. Over the years she’s developed a strict set of rules. Never follow the lights, accept a drink from the man with the skull cup, and don’t buy ice from children with no wagon (because ignoring them can lead to a very unpleasant death). But as strange deaths continue and one of the campground’s most dangerous inhabitants begins making a move to claim the land, Kate realizes the threats around her are growing far more serious than she expected.

I’m honestly a little on the fence about this series so far. I think I want to like it more than I actually do, which is frustrating because the concept itself is really interesting. Goat Valley Campground, with all of its creepy folklore creatures and bizarre rules, is a great premise for a horror story.

Part of what held me back was the writing style and structure. The story is told partly like a survival guidebook with rules and explanations, which is creative, but for me it made the story feel a bit less immersive. Instead of feeling fully pulled into the world, it sometimes felt like I was being told about it from a distance.

The tone is also a little hard to pin down. It’s often described as cozy horror, but it didn’t quite land that way for me. It has the quirky, campy vibe of cozy horror, yet the story itself doesn’t always feel cozy, if that makes sense.

I didn’t dislike Kate as a main character, but I did find myself wishing the secondary characters were a bit more developed. That said, this is the start of a longer series, so there’s plenty of room for those characters and relationships to grow over time.

One thing I did really enjoy was the folklore element. The strange creatures and rules that govern the campground are genuinely interesting, and the world itself has a lot of potential. Because of that, I’ll probably continue with the series to see how it evolves.

Overall, this one didn’t completely hook me, but it has a fun premise and an intriguing setting. It’s not quite a must-read for me, but it’s interesting enough that I’m curious to see where the story goes next.

AMAZON | GOODREADS | BOOKSHOP |★★★★

How To Survive Camping: The Man With No Shadow is out now. Thank you to Saga Press for my advanced copy in exchange for my review.  If you liked this review, please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof.books.