Thirst by Darren Simpson

---

✦ BLURB ✦

Nobody talks about the strange happenings in Maimsbury. No one speaks of the hooded figures glimpsed in the woods, nor the children's game that went so horribly wrong. But most of all, nobody dares whisper their doubts about the river they have worshipped for centuries. Like everyone in Maimsbury, Gorse is used to the sacrifices made every spring to the River Yeelde. The life of a farm animal - in return for a year of plenty - seems a fair trade. That is, until a tragedy leads Gorse to a blood-curdling discovery. Because this year is a Brim Year, and after giving so much, the river needs more than an animal's life to sate its thirst...

---

The river takes what it’s given... but this year, it wants more.

PRE-READING THOUGHTS
You had me at “sacrifices to the river.” This sounds like it's going to scratch that weird-worship, secret-traditions, something-is-very-wrong-with-this-idyllic-village itch. I’m expecting Midsommar vibes for the YA crowd, where the silence is part of the menace, and everyone knows more than they’ll admit.

POST-READING
As I thought...
The quiet dread builds beautifully. Gorse's world is soaked in a sense of unspoken rules and generational fear, and the story unfolds with all the intensity of a slow-growing bruise—creeping, uncomfortable, and impossible to ignore. The idea of communal complicity (no one really talks about it, but they all know) lands with unsettling precision.

It surprised me by...
Leaning so hard into grief and guilt, not just as themes, but as drivers of the horror. The supernatural element is powerful, but it's the human willingness to follow tradition without question that makes this so disturbing. Gorse’s personal journey gives the book real emotional weight—you care about him even as you fear what he’s discovering.

---

✦ RECOMMENDATIONS ✦

📚 The Sacrifice by Rin Chupeco
📺 The Third Day (especially the early episodes!)
Also: The Wicker Man (the original, obviously), Harvest House by Cynthia Leitich Smith

✦ MUSIC PAIRING ✦

Because sometimes, the heart of a story plays out like a song.

🎵 Featured Song: "The Woods" by Hollow Coves – quiet, acoustic, and ominous in the right light.

🎶 Vibe Album: “Every Bad” by Porridge Radio – melancholy, moody, and simmering with frustration.

🎧 Artist Recommendation: Agnes Obel. Soft vocals, sinister undercurrents.

---

✧ VIBE CHECK ✧

A colour palette: Moss green, stormcloud grey, sacrificial red

A soundtrack: The Midsommar score meets The Village

A season: Spring, just on the edge of too fertile

A mood: Unsettled reverence

A scent: Wet stone and burning sage

---

★ TAROT CARD PULLED ★

The Seven of Wands – Unfolding Path Tarot
A lone figure holds her ground as danger surrounds her, facing off five threatening wands with her own two. Gorse is fighting not just fear, but expectation, tradition, and the pressure of silence. The Seven of Wands reminds us of the courage needed to break a cycle - even when the entire village would rather you didn’t.

Thirst publishes on the 4th of September, 2025. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.