The Ritual by Adam Nevill, a Horror genre, was first released in the United Kingdom on 7 October 2011 through Pan publishing and was released in the United States on 14 February 2012 through St. Martin's press.

Four old college friends, decide to reunite and reminisce about their past while hiking through the Swedish Forests. As the group goes further and further into the woods, they are forced to take a shortcut. However, the shortcut ends up causing the group to become hopelessly lost and scared, especially after they discover a disemboweled animal corpse hanging from the trees. They eventually make their way to an ancient shack filled with bones and strange artifacts, where they discover that they are not alone in the woods and that something is intent on ensuring that they never leave.

From the very being of the story, it is a page-turner. Adam Nevill keeps his audience interested and leaves you feeling as if you are part of this four-man hiking group. As the adrenaline raises in your body page after page, you begin to notice a primordial fear seep into the back of your mind. Author Adam Nevill keeps you on your toes. Nearly 3/4 of the way in the book, there is a shift as a second storyline is revealed and new characters with mysterious and dastardly intentions present themselves.

The feel of the book takes a shift, into a dark, numb, emotionless and nearly unrecognizable story from what has been read previously. I wonder if Nevill did this on purpose as we see that Luke, the main character, himself has gone numb and void of all emotions at this point. If so, it makes this story even more wonderful as the audience is being controlled by the story. I will not give away the ending. That, I leave for you to discover on your own.

On the great Amazon.com, the book receives an average review of 4 out of 5 stars, with comments such as: "A solid hit by a new master of horror!" - Jennifer L. commented or "One of the scariest books I've read!" - Jgeorge7. Whereas on Goodreads.com, with just over 8,000 reviews;1,909 gave 5 out of 5, and 2,788 gave 4 out of 5 stars with reviews such as: "The Ritual was a stunning book to get lost in." - Kasia. Either way this book is often recommended within these varies reviews.

I would give this book a 4.5 out of 5 and highly recommend it grace your nightstand.