Review: "The Binding of Bloom Mountain" by Siggy Chambers

"Desperation leads people to strange frontiers …"

The Breakdown:

✦✦✦✦✦ 5/5

Pacing: medium

Mood(s): emotional, cozy, hopeful, adventurous

Genre(s): fantasy, magical realism, mystery, horror

TL;DR:

👩‍❤️‍👩 lesbian protagonist hiking through magical woods

🍵 cozy moments amidst the horrors

🌲 wildly interesting nature, from the magical to the mundane

Review:

The Binding of Bloom Mountain, written by Siggy Chambers and published earlier this year, follows Celeste after she loses her job with the US Forestry Service and is led to driving out of DC and into a town near where her grandparents used to live to answer an ad requesting an adventurer for a hike, compensation upon completion. When she arrives, she finds Milton to be more magical than she was bargaining for and learns that the town is reliant on the "hike" she signed up for — the Binding of the mountain. Celeste has to endure physical, psychological, and spiritual tests to complete her task with nothing more than instructions, ritual items, and some scones, learning more about herself, her family, and Milton along the way.

This is yet another book club read (everyone say thank you Monster Manor for such amazing book picks every month!), and it was so lovely! I ended up getting a physical and digital copy of this because I wanted to read it as soon as I could, but I also love writing in books when I get a chance — borderline blasphemous to some, I know. I matched my ink to the book cover, if that helps. Anyway, this book had me underlining quotes and theorizing, looking up where some of the lore may have come from (Marta, the love interest and cute barista, makes a point of creatures from different areas residing in the mountains), the whole deal. There's a couple little doodles in my copy now, too, from little birds to cat toys to a coiled up snake (it makes sense when you read it).

As I said on not-Twitter, Chambers has imbued this book with so much love, care and craft that it seeps out of the pages. She writes descriptions vividly, invoking a visceral feeling at times to either make you feel the sheer horror of a situation or the loving care of the characters and environment. As Chambers notes in the back of the book, Celeste is an undiagnosed autistic lesbian. I found her so achingly relatable. I loved her journey and the way she views the world. Aside from the characters and atmosphere, this book is filled with visceral scenes, from watery (to avoid being too spoiler-y) monsters to body horror that made me almost nauseous in the best way possible.

Part of what I love about this book is that it incorporates romance, mystery, and magical realism so beautifully, without cramming everything in. Chambers gives every scene the space to breathe, leaving the reader with the feeling of coming home to your chosen family. I not-Tweeted about a scene in particular that had me tearing up because of how perfectly she builds the plot up to something that felt like fate for Celeste. This book balances the character with the storyline, both complementing each other so it feels like it was always going to be this way, characters following their natural paths and behaviors instead of a story.

The Binding of Bloom Mountain is a beautiful book filled with care. At times I felt like I was invested in a well-developed TTRPG, with otherworldly forces at play on a character who has no choice but to try to roll a crit. I find the concept of cozy horror hard to define and sometimes overly broad, but if this book isn't cozy then I don't know what is. Also, shout out to Chambers for the accessibility of this book, such as the inclusion of a cover description and content notes.

Content Notes:

Chambers includes content warnings, which are the discussion or description of:

• Body horror
• Child death
• Horrific imagery
• Animal death
• Alcohol use
• Swearing
• Witchcraft
• Family secrets
• Mental, emotional, and physical abuse
• Manipulation
• Drowning
• Death

To this, I would add:

• Moderate depictions of violence, blood, and panic/anxiety attacks
• Minor depictions of cancer, injuries, and vomit