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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
I was expecting a horror book and this wasn’t one. It was an interesting, if a bit strange, mix of fantasy and thriller. Very strong Labyrinth vibes
Ooh sexy forest monster.
I expected way more horror, way less romance, but if you want lots of pining and romance with some ghosts this is a good time.
I expected way more horror, way less romance, but if you want lots of pining and romance with some ghosts this is a good time.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt
dark
emotional
medium-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was good, but I thought the romance between Lia and Tristan developed too fast. I would have also liked to see more of Jess and Lia's friendship before she goes into the wood, and more of Lia and her mom, because I feel like that would have made the conflict a bit better. And Lia's internal thoughts are very repetitive, which I get comes from her trauma, but I think we could have gotten these sentiments through more character interaction because it became a bit redundant after a while. I also found a lot of the twists/reveals to be pretty predictable. Overall though, it was okay.
I enjoyed this Labyrinth-esque story of a young woman in search of her missing brother.
It's been a while since I've read a YA novel, and I was like, "this is so cheesy" at the beginning, but then suspended my disbelief to really get into the story.
Leah haphazardly wishes her little brother Owen away one night to find that he's been replaced with a bundle of sticks. The Lord of the Wood snatches him away. The townspeople of Winston then "sacrifice" Leah to the wood; she hopes to retrieve her brother from the Wood and bring him back to Winston.
While she's there, she befriends the clan people and starts to fall in love with the Lord of the Wood.
I totally get where I would be enamored with the plot of this novel as a young adult, but the pick-me vibes from Leah run deep.....but I thought we've moved away from being excited that a man in power picks you as special.
It's kind of fun despite the above criticism. I'm glad that I just borrowed it from the library rather than purchasing it, but the book title and cover are pretty metal.
It's been a while since I've read a YA novel, and I was like, "this is so cheesy" at the beginning, but then suspended my disbelief to really get into the story.
Leah haphazardly wishes her little brother Owen away one night to find that he's been replaced with a bundle of sticks. The Lord of the Wood snatches him away. The townspeople of Winston then "sacrifice" Leah to the wood; she hopes to retrieve her brother from the Wood and bring him back to Winston.
While she's there, she befriends the clan people and starts to fall in love with the Lord of the Wood.
I totally get where I would be enamored with the plot of this novel as a young adult, but the pick-me vibes from Leah run deep.
Spoiler
I get that she figures out that Owen is, in fact, her son that her parents hide as her brotherIt's kind of fun despite the above criticism. I'm glad that I just borrowed it from the library rather than purchasing it, but the book title and cover are pretty metal.
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was fine. Definitely thought it would be way more focused on the horror. There's definitely a little horror but more in a Ghostbusters type of way; not scary at all, tbh, and the plot twists were all pretty obvious to me. I'm not super into romance, and it's fairly YA romance-driven, so that's the main reason it's lower-rated for me. The writing is well done, and the premise is interesting in terms of grappling with themes of self-loathing, religious guilt, and misogyny. The queer character inserts were a nice touch but felt superficial, I wish we spent more time learning why those secondary characters left to go to the woods instead of solely focusing on the main character so the queer themes would feel more relevant and integrated, but I'm not mad at it being a quick read.
listen to the preacher's daughter album by ethel cain and you will have the best reading experience.
centered around a town where children tend to go missing - claimed by the Lord of the Woods - the town selects a girl to go into the woods and retrieve the missing child. but the girls have never come back. we follow leah jones as she's chosen to be the one to find her brother after she unknowingly offers him to the Lord of the Woods. but everything isn't how she was taught and leah has to come to terms with what she knows in order to get to the truth of the girls that came before her.
this book has an overall gothic feel to it, guided by the fears and ghosts that lurk in the dark corners. it has horror elements but the overall story is character-driven by leah who is trying to be a "good girl" but knows that she has disappointed them all and trying to find a place - some divine power - that would choose her despite that.
i loved the story and the message that it was trying to build around. it did get a little bit on the nose sometimes and the plot truly lost me around the 75% mark but it was a strong story with a tortured female lead. i wish that it did more "show rather than tell" because the book tended to do that which left the storytelling and pacing to fall a little flat. i also wish that there was more mystery around who or what the Lord of the Woods was. i think perhaps revealing his face early on made all the anticipation feel anticlimactic. it would've been interesting if it had a little bit of a "Eros and Psyche" situation going on where he didn't reveal his identity yet.
but overall, the ending was satisfying. i loved leah's character and it's interesting enough that i would definitely recommend it.
centered around a town where children tend to go missing - claimed by the Lord of the Woods - the town selects a girl to go into the woods and retrieve the missing child. but the girls have never come back. we follow leah jones as she's chosen to be the one to find her brother after she unknowingly offers him to the Lord of the Woods. but everything isn't how she was taught and leah has to come to terms with what she knows in order to get to the truth of the girls that came before her.
this book has an overall gothic feel to it, guided by the fears and ghosts that lurk in the dark corners. it has horror elements but the overall story is character-driven by leah who is trying to be a "good girl" but knows that she has disappointed them all and trying to find a place - some divine power - that would choose her despite that.
i loved the story and the message that it was trying to build around. it did get a little bit on the nose sometimes and the plot truly lost me around the 75% mark but it was a strong story with a tortured female lead. i wish that it did more "show rather than tell" because the book tended to do that which left the storytelling and pacing to fall a little flat. i also wish that there was more mystery around who or what the Lord of the Woods was. i think perhaps revealing his face early on made all the anticipation feel anticlimactic. it would've been interesting if it had a little bit of a "Eros and Psyche" situation going on where he didn't reveal his identity yet.
but overall, the ending was satisfying. i loved leah's character and it's interesting enough that i would definitely recommend it.