I don’t consider myself a horror reader.

So naturally, I requested a book about blood witches, body horror, magical science, and a creepy mansion in the Appalachian Mountains.

In my defense, I saw the words “arcane bioengineering” and “blood witch” on NetGalley, and my curiosity took over. The gorgeous cover certainly didn’t hurt.

I didn’t pay much attention to the fact that The Forest Bleeds is a speculative horror-romance until after I’d requested it. Maybe that’s why it worked so well for me. I went in expecting an interesting blend of science and magic, rather than bracing myself for a horror novel.

And I’m glad I did.

The Forest Bleeds turned out to be a creepy, atmospheric, surprisingly immersive read with an interesting magic system, complicated characters, and just enough hopefulness to keep all that darkness from becoming overwhelming.

*Spoilers will be hidden and labelled so you can choose to read or skip.

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Where did I hear about this book: Net Galley

Curiosity or Awareness: Curiosity

Would I read it if no one was talking about it? Yes, I haven’t heard anyone talk about this yet.

What I want from this book: I am excited about the premise that promises science and magic meeting in a dark academic setting. I am a bit nervous about the horror aspect of this book, because I do not consider myself a horror reader.

The Forest Bleeds cover definitely catches the eye! As symbols of death intertwine with symbols of life, the cover art presents a memento mori. Vanitas still lifes like this one from Nicolaes van Verendael spring to mind. These artworks remind the viewer of the certainty of death in order to encourage one to notice the beauty and pleasure in the short span of life.

Despite the large number of elements in the cover design, the composition appears tidy, compact even. The gilded lines create visual movement that draws the eye through the design, allowing the typographic elements to shine.

Color Story

A deep black background provides the contrast to make the white title and colorful illustration leap off the page. The subtle layers of color provide a sense of depth to the image. The bones bring in the light midtones where the bats arrive with charcoals and greys. This balances the bright pops from the red and yellow florals.

Typography Notes

The typeface selection for The Forest Bleeds is super interesting. It is technically a serif, which calls to mind gothic settings and academia, but at the same time it is aggressively bold and has sharp angles and flat faces, removing the delicacy that normally accompanies a serif.

The type is beautifully woven into the illustration, making it feel organic while maintaining legibility.

I like that a single typeface is used for all of the text on the cover. It provides a sense of continuity and balance.

Genre Signals

Horror aspects of The Forest Bleeds should be obvious from both the title of the book and the imagery. The speculative and romantic elements would be harder to guess.

Hidden Details

The golden threads running through the cover illustration align with descriptive language that appears within the book.

Mood Check

The bones suggest dark, gruesome elements, but the flowers present like hope or renewal.

Beyond the Dust Jacket

I read The Forest Bleeds as an ARC, so it cannot be judged as a final representation of what the ebook might look like. The book is divided into days, each having an illustrated introductory page and several numbered chapters. There is both a prologue and an epilogue.

Did the design affect whether I bought the book?

Yes! I requested The Forest Bleeds largely based on the cover.

While The Forest Bleeds brings a group of PhD students along for the ride, Saige acts as the focus character, and the reader sees events from her point of view. She is a white-passing mixed-race Thai-American woman in her twenties and an OCD blood-witch PhD student who can’t decide on her dissertation topic. If that is not enough, she has a crappy relationship with her family and has a hard time fitting in. In short, Saige is complicated. Yet, somehow, she is oddly likeable and, dare I say it, relatable (maybe that’s just me).

Rachel Kitch is not afraid to be creepy. There is a good deal of body horror that is descriptive enough to be disconcerting. She makes use of sensory descriptions to help the reader feel immersed.

Kitch incorporates color in a way that feels symbolic. However, the symbolism isn’t abundantly clear. The use of color could also translate well into cinema or fan art; imagine muted gothic settings with specific elements deeply saturated.

The pacing is moderately fast. Kitch maintains multiple threads of tension even when there are moments of relative quiet in the action. As a result, The Forest Bleeds reads quicker than you might expect. I gobbled it up in two days.

Pharmaceutical and medical companies profit much more from keeping you sick than from healing you. Medical professionals take an oath to “do no harm.” There is a gap that allows patients to be made incrementally better, but never fully well, fulfilling greedy CEOs but not really serving the greater good.

How much do heritage and legacy influence the person that we become and the choices that we make? Does our understanding and interpretation of that legacy play a role in how we are affected by it?

What Worked:

• Interesting premise, setting, and magic system
• Characters that were diverse and three-dimensional with believable development arcs

What Didn’t Fully Click:

• The villain’s motives for certain aspects of the story are a bit fuzzy.
• Symbolism could have been more clearly defined.

Overall:

A satisfying read that leaves you with mild lingering disquiet.

*If you are a dark romance reader, you might expect the romance aspect to go a different way. The way it goes is 100% correct for the story, but the storyline flirts with the villain getting the girl in a way that might cause some interesting tension for those readers.

As you may have guessed, I was very attracted to the cover of The Forest Bleeds. Once I saw it on NetGalley and keyed in on the words “arcane bioengineering” and “blood-witch,” I hit request. Completely missing that this was a speculative horror-romance was probably a good thing. I don’t fancy myself a horror reader, so I may have made a different choice had I been paying closer attention. I’m glad I didn’t because I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Forest Bleeds. Judging a book by its cover pays off yet again!

The timing for this read could not have been better. The release date for The Forest Bleeds is October 13, 2026, and I had been saving it to read close to that date. It just happened to fit into the challenge prompt this week: read a debut novel–right at the beginning of spooky season. Now I’m feeling amped to put up my Halloween decorations!

The Forest Bleeds is perfect for the “ber” months.

Read if you like:

• Speculative genre-blending fiction
• Exploring the intersection of magic and science
• Gothic settings and creepy vibes
• Main characters from underrepresented groups

Skip if you dislike:

• Body-horror
• Anything listed in the trigger warnings (there are a few)

I read The Forest Bleeds during the Playing Card Reading Challenge to fulfill the prompt: Read a debut novel. It could also have fulfilled the prompt: Read a book with LGBTQ+ representation.

Do you ever read books that are outside your preferred genres? Do they surprise you?

May your life be as full as your bookshelf and as long as your TBR list.

Happy Reading!