I loved this! The experience of reading it alongside The Undead Truth of Us was *chef's kiss*. So far (I'm still in the 1st third of TUToU), they are quite similar in themes but the stories are very different. It's a slow burn mysterious horror book that hit all the marks for me!
The pacing was on point for the entirety of the book. I'm glad that they didn't try to sell this as a thriller when I paused to read the synopsis a few chapters in. The first chapter makes you think you might be in for a fast and furious ride. But it mellows out quickly to develop the backstory.
I like horror but I have to admit that I don't read a ton of it. That's doubly true for YA horror. All that to say that I'm operating on vibes here. The writing was poetic and flowed so well. If I had to guess, I'd say it probably gives Midsummer vibes too but I haven't read or watched that work. The atmosphere at Aspen made me think of the trailer for that movie in parts. Other than that, I thought it was unique story! I can't think of anything similar I've read in recent times.
As far as the characters, I didn't love or hate any of them. I thought they all fit the story and no one was particularly flat. Mars was an interesting MC and I liked they way they thought. I do wish that we got a bit more from the ending. It feels like I'm always saying that. But at least I'm consistent, right?