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katef's review
3.0
I wanted this to be so creepy and it kind of was a little bit creepy, but not enough. Even the boarding school setting wasn't enough to make me love it more.
theuntitleddocument's review
5.0
Damn, damn, damn. This was one hell of a novel. McCormick's first novel and damn was it good. Enticing story which grants access to multiple story lines (so you can build up many suspects) and the setting of a boarding school is always fun. So sad when I finished the book because I just wanted more of it! Boarding school and mystery = good stuff.
saragrochowski's review
4.0
I like well-written mysteries like The Little Woods... and I especially like when the author successfully incorporates creepy characters and a foreboding atmosphere.
I'll be honest, there's some predictability within the plot of The Little Woods, but this novel is both beautifully written and engaging, so I didn't mind that some things didn't feel very surprising. In fact, Templeman may have done this purposely because when I was surprised by a twist, I was really surprised. Enough so that I literally had to verbalize my normal internal "whoa."
There was one aspect of The Little Woods that rang false to me... and I just couldn't get past it. Cally isn't very girly. In fact, she doesn't seem to care about her appearance much at all. Which would have been totally fine, if she didn't have two boys chasing after her. Sure, some boys wouldn't mind the lack of care Cally exhibits for her appearance, but neither of Cally's love interests seem like the type to overlook her blatant disregard. In addition, I didn't think she was all that wonderful personality-wise either. I liked her as a main character - her point of view was interesting - but I never felt particularly attached to her and I couldn't understand why any of the characters were so enthralled by her.
Since I didn't really understand the allure of Cally, I wasn't a huge fan of the romance elements within the novel. They weren't badly done or anything like that, I just was much more interested in the mystery and which characters were lying and why.
Overall, I very much enjoyed Templeman's debut. I've read that her next novel, The Glass Casket, is a retelling of Snow White and I cannot wait to read it. I've fallen in love with Templeman's writing and can only imagine greatness from this retelling!
I'll be honest, there's some predictability within the plot of The Little Woods, but this novel is both beautifully written and engaging, so I didn't mind that some things didn't feel very surprising. In fact, Templeman may have done this purposely because when I was surprised by a twist, I was really surprised. Enough so that I literally had to verbalize my normal internal "whoa."
There was one aspect of The Little Woods that rang false to me... and I just couldn't get past it. Cally isn't very girly. In fact, she doesn't seem to care about her appearance much at all. Which would have been totally fine, if she didn't have two boys chasing after her. Sure, some boys wouldn't mind the lack of care Cally exhibits for her appearance, but neither of Cally's love interests seem like the type to overlook her blatant disregard. In addition, I didn't think she was all that wonderful personality-wise either. I liked her as a main character - her point of view was interesting - but I never felt particularly attached to her and I couldn't understand why any of the characters were so enthralled by her.
Since I didn't really understand the allure of Cally, I wasn't a huge fan of the romance elements within the novel. They weren't badly done or anything like that, I just was much more interested in the mystery and which characters were lying and why.
Overall, I very much enjoyed Templeman's debut. I've read that her next novel, The Glass Casket, is a retelling of Snow White and I cannot wait to read it. I've fallen in love with Templeman's writing and can only imagine greatness from this retelling!
lindagreen's review
3.0
I wasn't sure what to expect from this novel because the marketing information was a bit sketchy on what this novel was about. In retrospect, I'm glad about that because I was able to read it without any previous notions. I had a few problems with the book but they were all minor: mystery was easily deciphered early, too many characters thrown at the reader too quickly (even by the end of the novel I needed a cheat sheet to try and keep the people straight), way in which the mystery unfolded, and not true to the boarding school mentality.
The book really could've taken place at any school due to the extent of the individualism expressed (no uniforms, no boarding school rules and regulations, etc) so the setting seemed quite contrived. The move of the main character to the school was a bit unbelievable as well. But these are all minor problems that I swallowed easily because I found the characters and plot so enjoyable.
The setting was wonderfully done and it was easily to place myself amongst the storyline. The teachers were all a bit over the top but not so much that I didn't enjoy reading them. They all just seemed to have a "quirkiness" to them that was unrealistic but fun to read. The ending was abrupt and unsettling but only because I wanted the story to continue. Most readers will see the mystery reveal long before it is given but you'll find yourself propelled forward anyway, wanting to see how the author puts her own spin on it. At times the MC got a bit annoying with her too direct questioning (not up to Nancy Drew by any means) and clues seemed to fall into her lap without effort which demeaned the story a bit and made it feel like the author couldn't find a creative way to get those clues revealed. Overall, this is an engaging novel that will keep most readers attached despite its flaws
ARC Galley Proof
The book really could've taken place at any school due to the extent of the individualism expressed (no uniforms, no boarding school rules and regulations, etc) so the setting seemed quite contrived. The move of the main character to the school was a bit unbelievable as well. But these are all minor problems that I swallowed easily because I found the characters and plot so enjoyable.
The setting was wonderfully done and it was easily to place myself amongst the storyline. The teachers were all a bit over the top but not so much that I didn't enjoy reading them. They all just seemed to have a "quirkiness" to them that was unrealistic but fun to read. The ending was abrupt and unsettling but only because I wanted the story to continue. Most readers will see the mystery reveal long before it is given but you'll find yourself propelled forward anyway, wanting to see how the author puts her own spin on it. At times the MC got a bit annoying with her too direct questioning (not up to Nancy Drew by any means) and clues seemed to fall into her lap without effort which demeaned the story a bit and made it feel like the author couldn't find a creative way to get those clues revealed. Overall, this is an engaging novel that will keep most readers attached despite its flaws
ARC Galley Proof
kdotsart's review
4.0
It's refreshing to read a book that ends when the pages run out. :-)
Cally has been a fun character to get to know, except for her boyfriend relationship part. I guess that was thrown in to make her seem more like a teenager, or maybe so more people would turn on her. I don't know, but I wasn't impressed with it. It didn't seem in character at all.
I enjoyed the dynamics of boarding school life. There's always one of each of them in a group of girls, and I imagine the personality differences to be even more exaggerated when all the characters live together all the time.
Overall, a solid book. I guessed the culprit really early on and wish I hadn't been right, but the angle Templeman took was unforeseen, so it made it a little better.
One of my favorite characters was Chelsea. She's a no-holds barred, say what she thinks girl and totally rocked in this book. I would love to see a book starring her.
I would recommend this book to students who enjoy a goth-girl, alternative main character, and to students who enjoy mysteries.
Cally has been a fun character to get to know, except for her boyfriend relationship part. I guess that was thrown in to make her seem more like a teenager, or maybe so more people would turn on her. I don't know, but I wasn't impressed with it. It didn't seem in character at all.
I enjoyed the dynamics of boarding school life. There's always one of each of them in a group of girls, and I imagine the personality differences to be even more exaggerated when all the characters live together all the time.
Overall, a solid book. I guessed the culprit really early on and wish I hadn't been right, but the angle Templeman took was unforeseen, so it made it a little better.
One of my favorite characters was Chelsea. She's a no-holds barred, say what she thinks girl and totally rocked in this book. I would love to see a book starring her.
I would recommend this book to students who enjoy a goth-girl, alternative main character, and to students who enjoy mysteries.
booksofamber's review
3.0
I really enjoyed the whole ongoing mystery in this book. I have read a few reviews and they say that the reader knew the outcome before it happened, but I honestly had no idea how the missing children and Iris connected. I was accusing everybody! There were loads of red herrings, and I ate them up, so when the reveal finally came I was pretty surprised.
McCormick Templeman created a realistic story set in a boarding school with realistic teens and realistic events. Do you see a pattern here? The way the characters were portrayed is unlike most of the YA books I have read. These teens deal and take drugs, have sex, skip class and have a multitude of secrets. I loved this aspect of the book because it felt real, and this is something I miss in a lot of the books I read. Teenagers aren't perfect - nor are adults, but that's besides the point - and they shouldn't all be protrayed as loners who have never been kissed. Sure, there are teens like that, of course there are, but there are also many on the opposite side of the spectrum.
I liked the main character well enough, although her personality got a little grating at times. She got annoyed at her boyfriend for cheating on her, didn't really like her boyfriend all that much, and then she cheated on him with another guy for weeks. Just.. no. Aside from that, I liked Cally, and she wasn't a huge pushover all of the time.
I adored the secondary characters. There were so many of them that I do feel they were introduced al at once a little bit too soon. Having a bit more time to get used to their names and individual personalities would have been nice, because as soon as I took a break I forgot which character was which. But overall, they were awesome and the atmosphere they created was fantastic.
I really like Templeman's writing style, and I'll be checking out this author's future works, if there are any. This was a great story, and while it took a few chapters to get into, once I got sucked in it was difficult to put it down.
McCormick Templeman created a realistic story set in a boarding school with realistic teens and realistic events. Do you see a pattern here? The way the characters were portrayed is unlike most of the YA books I have read. These teens deal and take drugs, have sex, skip class and have a multitude of secrets. I loved this aspect of the book because it felt real, and this is something I miss in a lot of the books I read. Teenagers aren't perfect - nor are adults, but that's besides the point - and they shouldn't all be protrayed as loners who have never been kissed. Sure, there are teens like that, of course there are, but there are also many on the opposite side of the spectrum.
I liked the main character well enough, although her personality got a little grating at times. She got annoyed at her boyfriend for cheating on her, didn't really like her boyfriend all that much, and then she cheated on him with another guy for weeks. Just.. no. Aside from that, I liked Cally, and she wasn't a huge pushover all of the time.
I adored the secondary characters. There were so many of them that I do feel they were introduced al at once a little bit too soon. Having a bit more time to get used to their names and individual personalities would have been nice, because as soon as I took a break I forgot which character was which. But overall, they were awesome and the atmosphere they created was fantastic.
I really like Templeman's writing style, and I'll be checking out this author's future works, if there are any. This was a great story, and while it took a few chapters to get into, once I got sucked in it was difficult to put it down.
kellysreads's review
3.0
There were certain aspects of The Little Woods that I really enjoyed - the boarding school backdrop, the mystery surrounding the unexplained disappearances, the intrigue and allure of Cally's new friends - but there were other aspects - the author's copious usage of a thesaurus (did you catch what I did there?) and a seemingly plot-irrelevant love triangle - that had me cringing.
I like to think I have a rather expansive vocabulary, considering the amount I read. The terms used in The Little Woods are ridiculous. I actually started to comprise a list of words that I had to look up the definition for, because I couldn't believe that any fifteen year old, even one as intelligent as Cally, would speak in such terms. Crepuscular, turpitude, ersatz, hirsute, sartorially, puerility, sybaritic - these are not words that anyone uses, especially not in their thoughts. Every time I stumbled over a word, I was ripped from the story as my brain haemorrhaged slightly and it definitely lessened my overall enjoyment while reading.
That being said, Templeman obviously has a way with words. Some of her phrases caught my attention so fully that I had to re-read them because they were written so beautifully.
She was also brilliant at creating such unique descriptions that I could perfectly envision the scene in front of my eyes.
So I'm of two minds about Templeman's writing - it was at the same time both frustratingly annoying and beautiful.
Cally was a pretty bland character. At times, she seemed quite emotionally flat and apathetic, which complemented her general laziness. I constantly found myself wondering what her new friends saw in her as she seemed to spend most of her time ignoring them - choosing to leave parties to go read in her room. She had some quirks that made her stand out slightly as an individual, but she's not an overly memorable protagonist.
I really enjoyed the mystery surrounding Cally's group of friends. Her roommate Helen seemed to have dual personalities which were constantly in conflict: one second she would be friendly and outgoing and the next her eyes would cloud over and she would brush Cally off, or conveniently forget to invite her to tag along.
I had the sense of "keep your friends close, but your enemies closer." The other members of Helen's group gave off a similar vibe, but I did have a hard time keeping them all straight for the first half of the book or so, as they seemed to have similar personalities. As for Sophie, she was even harder to figure out! She welcomed Cally with warmth and smiles but seemed to keep her at arm's length, yet her motives for keeping her distance weren't ever really explained.
I didn't believe in Cally's relationships with either Alex or Jack; neither was believable. Her infatuation with Alex's looks explained why she would be thrilled that he was interested in her, but her lack of enthusiasm while they were actually dating failed to create any chemistry between them. Their relationship did absolutely nothing to further the plot or to increase the suspense surrounding the mysterious disappearances; if anything, it took away from the suspense as Cally's investigation was interrupted by a booty call. As for Jack, he came completely out of left field. Their secret rendezvous' were somewhat steamy, but I couldn't wrap my mind around why they were happening. When did they develop feelings for each other? Or was it just about the physical contact? Why could Cally be physically intimate with Jack, but not with Alex? Why were they both willing to risk relationships in order to fool around with each other? It just didn't make any sense to me and it was never properly explained. It also did nothing to further the plot or to help explain the disappearances, so I just didn't understand why it was included.
The plot in The Little Woods was paced decently, but it wasn't overly suspenseful. I guessed at the guilty person early on, and was disappointed when I found out I was right. I did enjoy watching Cally stumble upon something that might be relevant, and how it had me trying to piece it into my idea of the culprit. I also liked the inclusion of the puzzle box, as if the guilty party were taunting Cally with the truth if she could only figure it out. It was kind of frustrating that there were so many tangents that were made to be seemingly important, which later served no true purpose - like Cally's distrust of a certain teacher, or the apparent hatred that one teacher fostered for her, and other more spoilery things. Come the end, the way with which things were uncovered was a little too far-fetched for my liking, with Cally having an epiphany of sorts and putting everything together in a jumble of thoughts.
As a whole, The Little Woods was slightly...monotonous. While there were definitely aspects I enjoyed, the thesaurus speak, slightly dull protagonist and varied tangents had my thoughts wandering on several occasions. It wasn't an unenjoyable read, but I doubt it will leave any lasting impression on me.
I like to think I have a rather expansive vocabulary, considering the amount I read. The terms used in The Little Woods are ridiculous. I actually started to comprise a list of words that I had to look up the definition for, because I couldn't believe that any fifteen year old, even one as intelligent as Cally, would speak in such terms. Crepuscular, turpitude, ersatz, hirsute, sartorially, puerility, sybaritic - these are not words that anyone uses, especially not in their thoughts. Every time I stumbled over a word, I was ripped from the story as my brain haemorrhaged slightly and it definitely lessened my overall enjoyment while reading.
That being said, Templeman obviously has a way with words. Some of her phrases caught my attention so fully that I had to re-read them because they were written so beautifully.
She fell back into her seat like a steam of fresh water languishing into a marble fountain.
She was also brilliant at creating such unique descriptions that I could perfectly envision the scene in front of my eyes.
Helen looked wrecked, her feline eyes circumscribed with swollen red skin. With a twist and a clip, she affixed her tangled hair so that she looked like a glamorous drug addict.
So I'm of two minds about Templeman's writing - it was at the same time both frustratingly annoying and beautiful.
Cally was a pretty bland character. At times, she seemed quite emotionally flat and apathetic, which complemented her general laziness. I constantly found myself wondering what her new friends saw in her as she seemed to spend most of her time ignoring them - choosing to leave parties to go read in her room. She had some quirks that made her stand out slightly as an individual, but she's not an overly memorable protagonist.
I really enjoyed the mystery surrounding Cally's group of friends. Her roommate Helen seemed to have dual personalities which were constantly in conflict: one second she would be friendly and outgoing and the next her eyes would cloud over and she would brush Cally off, or conveniently forget to invite her to tag along.
And then her face lit up, and she pushed herself out of her seat and moved toward me, the cold exterior falling away to reveal a delicious caramel warmth.
I had the sense of "keep your friends close, but your enemies closer." The other members of Helen's group gave off a similar vibe, but I did have a hard time keeping them all straight for the first half of the book or so, as they seemed to have similar personalities. As for Sophie, she was even harder to figure out! She welcomed Cally with warmth and smiles but seemed to keep her at arm's length, yet her motives for keeping her distance weren't ever really explained.
I didn't believe in Cally's relationships with either Alex or Jack; neither was believable. Her infatuation with Alex's looks explained why she would be thrilled that he was interested in her, but her lack of enthusiasm while they were actually dating failed to create any chemistry between them. Their relationship did absolutely nothing to further the plot or to increase the suspense surrounding the mysterious disappearances; if anything, it took away from the suspense as Cally's investigation was interrupted by a booty call. As for Jack, he came completely out of left field. Their secret rendezvous' were somewhat steamy, but I couldn't wrap my mind around why they were happening. When did they develop feelings for each other? Or was it just about the physical contact? Why could Cally be physically intimate with Jack, but not with Alex? Why were they both willing to risk relationships in order to fool around with each other? It just didn't make any sense to me and it was never properly explained. It also did nothing to further the plot or to help explain the disappearances, so I just didn't understand why it was included.
The plot in The Little Woods was paced decently, but it wasn't overly suspenseful. I guessed at the guilty person early on, and was disappointed when I found out I was right. I did enjoy watching Cally stumble upon something that might be relevant, and how it had me trying to piece it into my idea of the culprit. I also liked the inclusion of the puzzle box, as if the guilty party were taunting Cally with the truth if she could only figure it out. It was kind of frustrating that there were so many tangents that were made to be seemingly important, which later served no true purpose - like Cally's distrust of a certain teacher, or the apparent hatred that one teacher fostered for her, and other more spoilery things. Come the end, the way with which things were uncovered was a little too far-fetched for my liking, with Cally having an epiphany of sorts and putting everything together in a jumble of thoughts.
As a whole, The Little Woods was slightly...monotonous. While there were definitely aspects I enjoyed, the thesaurus speak, slightly dull protagonist and varied tangents had my thoughts wandering on several occasions. It wasn't an unenjoyable read, but I doubt it will leave any lasting impression on me.
theawkwardbookw's review
1.0
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Several years ago, Cally Woods older sister Clare, went missing in the woods at St. Bede's boarding school. She was never found. Cally begins attending this same boarding school in the middle of her junior year after a student goes missing. Upon arriving, Cally begins obsesseing over what happened to Iris, the missing girl, and decides to find out the truth.
************ MILD SPOILERS AHEAD.... ************
I found this book to be EXTREMELY problematic and can be VERY harmful for certain readers...
In one part of the book, it is mentioned that a character is asexual, another character goes on to say that asexuality is just a phase and basically doesn't actually exist.... ("Jack's totally cute, but he's a train wreck...Now he's saying he's asexual, whatever that's supposed to mean"). There were also other little comments in the dialogue that just made me uncomfortable regarding homophobia and gender roles. At another point in the book, it is said "10 minutes alone with her and you want to kill yourself" - in my opinion, this should NEVER be said about another human... and definitely should not be included in a YA novel... Another instance, Cally is alone with a boy and she has inner dialogue where she says "I began to think I did not want to fool around with him, but I was too exhausted to know for sure", this made me extremely uncomfortable because he then began to "fool around with her" even after she expressed her uncertainty.... Another point in the book it states "when I walked in, he was flirting with a skittish redhead who was clearly quarterbacking the St. Bede's anorexia squad." I do not find this appropriate in any way, shape or form...The whole book just made me very uncomfortable.
I hated the relationship between Alex and Cally. I found Alex to be very abusive in his comments and the way he treated Cally. I also did not like the relationship between Cally and the other boy either. I also did not like how Cally was cheated on, expressed how hurt she was by this boy and his actions and then immediately turned to another boy who was in a relationship to hook up with... This new boy also forced himself on her the second time they had an encounter when she expressed her uncertainty of their actions.
I felt that there were so many irrelevant things added into the plot just to make the book seem more interesting... It felt like the author was trying to include to many plot points, in an attempt to make the book more relateable in a way??? (suicide, anorexia, rape, goddesses, cutting) It just got to the point where I was wondering what she was going to try next.
Overall, this book just made me uncomfortable and I would not recommend it...
Several years ago, Cally Woods older sister Clare, went missing in the woods at St. Bede's boarding school. She was never found. Cally begins attending this same boarding school in the middle of her junior year after a student goes missing. Upon arriving, Cally begins obsesseing over what happened to Iris, the missing girl, and decides to find out the truth.
************ MILD SPOILERS AHEAD.... ************
I found this book to be EXTREMELY problematic and can be VERY harmful for certain readers...
In one part of the book, it is mentioned that a character is asexual, another character goes on to say that asexuality is just a phase and basically doesn't actually exist.... ("Jack's totally cute, but he's a train wreck...Now he's saying he's asexual, whatever that's supposed to mean"). There were also other little comments in the dialogue that just made me uncomfortable regarding homophobia and gender roles. At another point in the book, it is said "10 minutes alone with her and you want to kill yourself" - in my opinion, this should NEVER be said about another human... and definitely should not be included in a YA novel... Another instance, Cally is alone with a boy and she has inner dialogue where she says "I began to think I did not want to fool around with him, but I was too exhausted to know for sure", this made me extremely uncomfortable because he then began to "fool around with her" even after she expressed her uncertainty.... Another point in the book it states "when I walked in, he was flirting with a skittish redhead who was clearly quarterbacking the St. Bede's anorexia squad." I do not find this appropriate in any way, shape or form...The whole book just made me very uncomfortable.
I hated the relationship between Alex and Cally. I found Alex to be very abusive in his comments and the way he treated Cally. I also did not like the relationship between Cally and the other boy either. I also did not like how Cally was cheated on, expressed how hurt she was by this boy and his actions and then immediately turned to another boy who was in a relationship to hook up with... This new boy also forced himself on her the second time they had an encounter when she expressed her uncertainty of their actions.
I felt that there were so many irrelevant things added into the plot just to make the book seem more interesting... It felt like the author was trying to include to many plot points, in an attempt to make the book more relateable in a way??? (suicide, anorexia, rape, goddesses, cutting) It just got to the point where I was wondering what she was going to try next.
Overall, this book just made me uncomfortable and I would not recommend it...
randiroo's review
2.0
I really did not care for this book. I read it for my YA book club and…if it hadn’t been a book club pick, I would have given up at less than 50 pages in. The writing style annoyed me, particularly the fact that the narrator’s dialogue is completely inconsistent with the language used in the narrative (which consists of about a million SAT words, while her speech uses excessive amounts of “like” used as a filler word..). I usually keep post-its at places in a book where I especially like the writing…In this book, I placed more than 20 in the first 200 pages and all were complaints about the writing. Not a good sign.
See my full review here
See my full review here
annabee's review
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
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