The Ritual by Adam Nevill

From Goodreads/Back Cover: 
When four old university friends set off into the Scandinavian wilderness of the Arctic Circle, they aim to briefly escape the problems of their lives and reconnect with one another. But when Luke, the only man still single and living a precarious existence, finds he has little left in common with his well-heeled friends, tensions rise. With limited experience between them, a shortcut meant to ease their hike turns into a nightmare scenario that could cost them their lives. 

Lost, hungry, and surrounded by forest untouched for millenia, Luke figures things couldn't possibly get any worse, But then they stumble upon a derelict building. Ancient artifacts decorate the walls and there are bones scattered upon the dry floors. The residue of old rites and pagan sacrifice for something that still exists in the forest. Something responsible for the bestial presence that follows their every step. As the four friends stagger in the direction of salvation, they learn that death doesn't come easy among these ancient trees ... 

I loved the synopsis and it looked really interesting and scary. There were some scary, tense, or chilling moments, and the final chapters detailing the final showdown/escape were really well-done and drawn out. The buildup to the reveal of some evil entity living in the forest was really good as well, and overall it was a good almost-slow-burn. While Nevill does take his time in setting up the chaos, it is fairly obvious that some really bad stuff is going to happen, and possibly not everyone is going to make it to the final page alive.

I loved the atmosphere and the tension of the novel, but sometimes (most of the time), the main protagonist was not too likable, and did not become all that likable until about the last hundred pages or so. But I'm assuming that that is a creative thing, to make the audience like the character and root for his survival. It also makes for a more interesting novel. I didn't hate the characters by any means, but I don't think we were supposed to until bad things really started to happen.  The more that I think about this book, the more creepy it is to me, which is always indicative of the author doing his job correctly.  The location of the novel (remote Scandinavia) was a real success. It made the novel a lot more creepier than it would have been had it taken place in the city or a highly populated area without any hindrances to getting help. The author, Adam Nevill, does well in creating tension and tone, as I have already mentioned. By far the best parts of this novel are the build-up scenes where Nevill pulls the rug out from under the reader. Even though I found the main antagonists sort of came out of nowhere and weren't really all that villainous in their villainy, Nevill tackles the ancient occult with flair and ease, making you think "What's going to happen next? Will Luke survive?"

I think I'm going to give this a 4/5 - at first I was going to give it a 3 or a 3.5, but this book surprised me and has stayed with me. I'll probably read it again in the near future as the tension, suspense and mind-trickery were all really well done.