I enjoyed Wolf Worm, but I’m not going to pretend it didn’t test my patience.

There were several points while I was reading it — especially when I looked down and realized I was somewhere around page 170 — when I found myself thinking, all right, we need to get going here. Normally, that’s about the point where I start wondering whether I’m actually going to finish a book.

But there was something about Wolf Worm that kept me in it. The North Carolina setting, the creepy atmosphere, the bugs, the creature, and just how strange the whole thing felt kept pulling me along. I wasn’t really sure where the story was headed, and that was part of what made me want to stick with it.

By the time I finished, I was glad I did.

It’s weird, creepy, gross at times, and definitely an uneasy read — but I mean that in a good way. It isn’t perfect, and I still think it takes too long to really get moving, but it’s also different enough that I kept thinking about it after I put it down.

And honestly, it’s exactly the kind of book I want Southern Reads to be about.

What’s It About?

Wolf Worm is set in North Carolina and centers around a strange, unsettling situation involving insects, a mysterious creature, and a story that slowly becomes a lot bigger and weirder than it first appears.

I don’t want to give too much away because I think part of the fun is not really knowing what kind of story you’re getting into.

What I will say is that the book does a good job of creating that feeling that something is wrong long before you fully understand what that something is.

There’s an eerie quality hanging over the whole thing.

The woods. The bugs. The isolation. The people. The lore.

And then, eventually, the story starts revealing what it has actually been building toward.

What Worked

The setting is probably one of my favorite parts of the book.

I’m always going to have a soft spot for a book set in North Carolina, but Wolf Worm actually uses the setting instead of simply dropping the story there and moving on.

It feels creepy.

It feels isolated.

And it gives the book that Southern Gothic edge that fits really well with the kind of stories I like covering through The Southern Blueprint.

The atmosphere is excellent too.

This isn’t necessarily a book that I would call terrifying. I wasn’t sitting there scared to turn the page.

It’s more creepy, weird, uncomfortable, and gross.

And that worked for me.

The creature element is another strong point. Again, I don’t want to ruin it, but the mix of bugs, strange biology, lore, and whatever exactly is happening beneath the surface gives the story its own identity.

The plot twist also helped.

For a book that took its time getting there, I thought the payoff made the journey more worthwhile.

And really, the thing that kept me reading was the weirdness of it all.

I wanted to see where it was going.

What Didn’t Work

The pacing.

That’s the big one.

There’s no getting around it — this book takes its sweet time.

Normally, that kind of pacing can lose me completely.

For whatever reason, Wolf Worm kept me hanging around.

Barely at times, but it did.

I also had some issues with the decisions and reactions of the main character. There were moments where I found myself questioning why she was thinking or doing certain things.

That happens in just about every horror book or movie, so it isn’t unique to this one, but it was noticeable enough that it brought the character score down a little for me.

I also wish the book had leaned even harder into some of the creature lore.

The mention of the Devil’s Tramping Ground immediately caught my attention, and I would have loved to see more of that kind of North Carolina folklore worked into the story.

The book already had this great mix of Southern setting, creature horror, and weird lore.

I wanted more of it.

Southern Reads Scorecard

Story — 4/5

The premise is different, the story is interesting, and the eventual payoff worked for me. It just takes too long to get there.

Characters — 3.5/5

Good overall, but there were definitely moments where the main character’s decisions and reactions frustrated me.

Atmosphere — 4.5/5

One of the strongest parts of the book. Eerie, creepy, isolated, and just uncomfortable enough.

Pacing — 3/5

Easily the weakest category for me. There are stretches where the story desperately needs to pick up speed.

Originality — 4/5

The bugs, creature, plot, lore, and overall weirdness give this one its own personality.

Overall — 4/5

Despite my issues with the pacing, I enjoyed Wolf Worm.

More importantly, I was glad I stuck with it.

It’s strange, creepy, gross, and different enough that it stayed with me after I finished.

The Southern Blueprint Factor: 4/5

One of the things I want to start doing with Southern Reads is separating the normal book rating from something I’m calling the Southern Blueprint Factor.

Basically:

How Southern is this book, really?

Not just, “Does it take place in the South?”

Does the setting matter?

Does the atmosphere feel Southern?

Do the landscape, people, folklore, and culture actually help shape the story?

Could you move the exact same story somewhere else and barely change anything?

For Wolf Worm, the Southern setting absolutely matters.

North Carolina isn’t just a name on the map.

The woods, the isolation, the atmosphere, the folklore, and that Southern Gothic weirdness all help shape the book.

That’s why I’m giving it a 4/5 — Deeply Southern.

It checks nearly every box for Southern Reads.

I’m holding back from a perfect score mainly because I think the book could have leaned even harder into some of the local lore and Southern elements it introduced.

But this is absolutely a Southern Blueprint kind of book.

Want to Read Wolf Worm?

If Wolf Worm sounds like your kind of book, you can pick up a copy through our new Southern Reads Bookshop on Bookshop.org.

Purchases made through our Bookshop.org links help support The Southern Blueprint at no additional cost to you, while Bookshop.org also helps support independent bookstores.

Join the Southern Reads Book Club

And if books like Wolf Worm are your thing, come join us inside The Hidden Pine Lodge, the private club of The Southern Blueprint.

Our Book Club gives us a place to read together, talk about what worked and what didn’t, share recommendations, and dig into more Southern Gothic, horror, history, folklore, and other books that fit the Southern Blueprint world.

We feature a Book of the Month, continue the discussion inside the Lodge, and I’ll be adding more of our selections and recommendations to the Southern Reads Bookshop as we go.

JOIN THE HIDDEN PINE LODGE BOOK CLUB

Because finding a good book is even better when you’ve got people to talk about it with.