The Toll by Cherie Priest takes a goofy, swamp-dwelling cryptid of Southern folklore and turns it into something genuinely terrifying. The swamplands near the Okefenokee are steeped in an eerie, foreboding atmosphere—the kind that makes you think twice about what might be watching from beyond the trees.

The Bells really should have paid more attention.

On the long, lonely stretch of State Route 117 that runs between the Okefenokee and Fargo, Georgia, there are six bridges. If you’re traveling east to west that is. But if you travel west to east, you may get a bonus bridge. Titus and Melanie Bell won the bridge lottery. The prize? A trip to the twilight zone.

Titus and Melanie are on their way to cabins in the Okefenokee Swamp for a canoeing trip. A honeymoon Melanie’s not so keen on. As the two snipe back and forth, they come to a strange, rickety bridge with stone pilings barely wide enough for a car. Titus tries crossing it, and the next thing he knows, he’s waking up in the middle of the road, Melanie’s missing, and so is the bridge. The officer who comes out to help Titus looks at him like he’s crazy when he asks about the bridge. There is no bridge. There’s never been a bridge.

Titus ends up in Staywater, a Twin Peaks worthy town if ever there was one. In addition to Titus’ story, we also follow Cameron, a young man living in Staywater. Cameron lives with his two adoptive grandmothers, a pair of quirky old ladies who are definitely not what they seem. Then there are the rumours and legends swirling around the swamp itself.

This was a fantastic Southern Gothic read— creepy, atmospheric, and beautifully written. Priest follows several seemingly separate but interconnected story threads, weaving them together masterfully as the mystery unfolds.

To me, The Toll feels like a wonderfully sinister blending of Southern cryptid lore—particularly the legend of the Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp— with those old folktales of trolls lurking beneath bridges, demanding a toll from anyone foolish enough to cross. Except here, the price of passage may be considerably higher than a few coins.

If you enjoy atmospheric horror, Gothic fiction, psychological dread, and a healthy dose of Southern folklore, definitely check out The Toll by Cherie Priest.

Highly recommended!!

***Many thanks to Netgalley & Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.