Review: Eye of the Ouroboros by Megan Bontrager

Length: 268 pages

Publisher: Quill & Crow Publishing House

Genre: Cosmic Horror

“If anything was alive here, it was the secrets.”

How far would you go to save the ones you love? Megan Bontrager’s debut novel, Eye of the Ouroboros is a cosmic horror story of love, loss and sacrifice set in the woods of West Virginia, guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat.

Eye of the Ouroboros follows protagonist Theodora (Theo) Buchanan, a grief-stricken park ranger of The National Parks Service Search and Rescue Team. Blaming herself for her sister’s mysterious disappearance into the woods of West Virginia more than a decade ago, Theo has made it her life’s mission to get her sister back, even if it means denying herself a life of her own.

Where local townsfolk have already presumed her sister long dead, Theo’s haunting search for Flora is one that is wracked with guilt and desperation. Each time she saves yet another lost child from the woods, she can’t help but wish it was Flora instead. But one day, reality is ripped out from under her feet when she breaks ranger rule number one; going through a random door in the woods. Her reckless manoeuvres finally catch the attention of The Federal Bureau of Reality – sentinels of the Infinite Corridor where endless realities converge, and must be kept away from prying human eyes.

Eye of the Ouroboros is a fast paced, action-packed prose, punctuated with skin-picking suspense. I was also drawn in with the poetically illustrative language that usually eludes this genre, for the most part. I have so many highlighted lines on my Kindle. Bontrager has skillfully weaved sci-fi jargon with literary elements seamlessly, making for a truly immersive reading experience. The setting is also slightly reminiscent of the Upside Down in Stranger Things, so fans of the series, you might want to pick this one up!

The magic limitations in the Eye of Ouroboros was fantastic, playing on blood sacrifice and the concept of giving an eye for an eye. In my opinion, this concept very much supported the character development and made it more emotionally gutting to have to say goodbye to the characters.

Bontrager’s skill for beautiful prose made her debut novel so impressive, paving the way for her future works to be anticipated greatly. I highly recommended this to fans of Stephen Chbosky’s Imaginary Friend, and fans of Stranger Things.

Eye of the Ouroboros is out now online and in all good bookstores!