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koseto_tliterature's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
grimdreadful's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.0
I loved this one! It's a short and creepy novella. It gave me "sitting around a campfire listening to a scary story kinda vibe" because this is the kind of scary story I'd want to hear to freak me the fff out while out camping. I wish I had read this while out at the cottage earlier this month.
I just wish it was a little bit longer, there were some really great horrifying things introduced, and I would have loved if they were expended on more.
READ THIS IF YOU LIKE: novellas, urban legends, small towns, creepy forests, ghosts.
I just wish it was a little bit longer, there were some really great horrifying things introduced, and I would have loved if they were expended on more.
READ THIS IF YOU LIKE: novellas, urban legends, small towns, creepy forests, ghosts.
vespurr's review
4.0
From page one I was intrigued. This novella packs a punch in its short length, so come prepared! I couldn't help feeling like this story was all one big fever dream. The imagery was darkly disturbing in the best way, and although I felt like I had no idea what was going on most of the time, I was really enjoying it.
I look forward to reading more of Stred's work in the future. Keep up the scary good work!
I look forward to reading more of Stred's work in the future. Keep up the scary good work!
ruthypoo2's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Body horror
blatdriver's review
4.0
My edition of this novella also has 3 bonus unrelated short stories with it. see below.
The Girl Who Hid in the Trees was very good, easy to read, it had a 'Stand By Me' feel to it, but darker and more creepy.
The 3 short stories
Abraham, Look to the Sky - a lovcraftian type tale, a bit short to have a big impact. but good
The Tooth Collector - a creepy monster story, the name says it all
Navajo Nightmare - a western horror, I liked it
This was my first Steve Stred book, but I have already gotten 4 more to read.
The Girl Who Hid in the Trees was very good, easy to read, it had a 'Stand By Me' feel to it, but darker and more creepy.
The 3 short stories
Abraham, Look to the Sky - a lovcraftian type tale, a bit short to have a big impact. but good
The Tooth Collector - a creepy monster story, the name says it all
Navajo Nightmare - a western horror, I liked it
This was my first Steve Stred book, but I have already gotten 4 more to read.
karlakayjenniges's review against another edition
4.0
An urban legend haunts a small town, a creepy little demonic ghost girl haunts the forest. The reason she is there is quite disturbing and quite sad.
A group of young teenage friends want to unravel the mystery of the legend to finally free the town of their continued loss.
This reminded me a bit of SK. Simply because we have a young group of friends fighting to protect each other, having the bravery to go solve a mystery to protect the town. A coming of age tale of sorts. Also, because of the way the story includes the way teenagers talk and think. Those parts had me in stitches. (I think you will understand the comparison if you are familiar with SK).
I read this in just a couple of hours , it was creepy, entertaining, and a quick fun story to read!
A group of young teenage friends want to unravel the mystery of the legend to finally free the town of their continued loss.
This reminded me a bit of SK. Simply because we have a young group of friends fighting to protect each other, having the bravery to go solve a mystery to protect the town. A coming of age tale of sorts. Also, because of the way the story includes the way teenagers talk and think. Those parts had me in stitches. (I think you will understand the comparison if you are familiar with SK).
I read this in just a couple of hours , it was creepy, entertaining, and a quick fun story to read!
rodsreads's review
4.0
This was my second time reading Stred’s work. My first experience was with “Ritual”, which I loved.
Let me tell you, “The Girl Who Hid in the Trees” was just as fun.
The story takes place at the rather sinister McConnell’s Forest.
This was a dark & weird tale. At times, it reminds me of “The Ritual” (by Adam Nevill). It also gave me “Blair Witch” vibes.
I believe it’s safe to say that I enjoy Steve’s writing.
He’s definitely a writer that should be on every horror reader’s radar.
I have a feeling that his well-crafted tales of horror will keep coming. And I can assure you that I will do my best to keep devouring them.
Steve was kind enough to send me a copy of the book to review.
Thank you!
Let me tell you, “The Girl Who Hid in the Trees” was just as fun.
The story takes place at the rather sinister McConnell’s Forest.
“Over the three hundred years that the town had existed, at least a hundred people had been reported missing in the forest.”
This was a dark & weird tale. At times, it reminds me of “The Ritual” (by Adam Nevill). It also gave me “Blair Witch” vibes.
I believe it’s safe to say that I enjoy Steve’s writing.
He’s definitely a writer that should be on every horror reader’s radar.
I have a feeling that his well-crafted tales of horror will keep coming. And I can assure you that I will do my best to keep devouring them.
Steve was kind enough to send me a copy of the book to review.
Thank you!
charshorrorcorner's review against another edition
4.0
3.5/5 stars!
THE GIRL WHO HID IN THE TREES is a creepy novella that left me with a serious case of the willies!
In no-where town USA there is a forest-McConnell's Forest. Years ago, Jason lost his older brother, (as well as his brother's gang of friends), in that forest, and the mystery has never been solved. Now that Jason and HIS group of friends are grown, they're tired of hearing the rumors and stories, and they set out in the forest to find the truth. Will they discover what happened? More importantly, will they survive? You'll have to read this to find out!
On Saturday, sitting beside my sleeping mom in the nursing home, something rare happened. I found myself with nothing to read! I can think of only a few things more horrific for me. (Having my eyeball poked out with a fork, for instance.) I found this story on my Kindle app and have been meaning to read it for some time, so I did.
I immediately found myself drawn in to Jason's life and what it must be like to be "the boy whose brother was murdered in McConnell's Forest." A stigma of sorts was attached to Jason, (as does happen in small towns), but it eventually wore off as Jason got older. I loved the relationship he had with Vanessa and I thought that portion was well written. Once he and his girlfriend shared the fact that they both had had "experiences" in the forest, the fun begins.
I thought at that point, everything came racing at me much more quickly than it had in the first half (or so), of the book. I wouldn't have minded a little time spent with the entire group of friends, so that I could get to know them a wee bit better, thereby making what happened to them even more horrific. (Also, I thought it was pushing the envelope that the parents would allow the kids to do what they did so... easily, but I can't get into much more without spoilers.)
Overall though, I thought this tale fun, and about what you'd expect it to be from reading the synopsis. I look forward to reading more from this author!
Recommended!
THE GIRL WHO HID IN THE TREES is a creepy novella that left me with a serious case of the willies!
In no-where town USA there is a forest-McConnell's Forest. Years ago, Jason lost his older brother, (as well as his brother's gang of friends), in that forest, and the mystery has never been solved. Now that Jason and HIS group of friends are grown, they're tired of hearing the rumors and stories, and they set out in the forest to find the truth. Will they discover what happened? More importantly, will they survive? You'll have to read this to find out!
On Saturday, sitting beside my sleeping mom in the nursing home, something rare happened. I found myself with nothing to read! I can think of only a few things more horrific for me. (Having my eyeball poked out with a fork, for instance.) I found this story on my Kindle app and have been meaning to read it for some time, so I did.
I immediately found myself drawn in to Jason's life and what it must be like to be "the boy whose brother was murdered in McConnell's Forest." A stigma of sorts was attached to Jason, (as does happen in small towns), but it eventually wore off as Jason got older. I loved the relationship he had with Vanessa and I thought that portion was well written. Once he and his girlfriend shared the fact that they both had had "experiences" in the forest, the fun begins.
I thought at that point, everything came racing at me much more quickly than it had in the first half (or so), of the book. I wouldn't have minded a little time spent with the entire group of friends, so that I could get to know them a wee bit better, thereby making what happened to them even more horrific. (Also, I thought it was pushing the envelope that the parents would allow the kids to do what they did so... easily, but I can't get into much more without spoilers.)
Overall though, I thought this tale fun, and about what you'd expect it to be from reading the synopsis. I look forward to reading more from this author!
Recommended!
findingmontauk1's review against another edition
5.0
The Girl Who Hid in the Trees focuses on a local urban legend with some coming-of-age elements mixed in along the way. I was hooked from the prologue. I wanted to know more about the urban legend instantly: what was it, how many people have died or suffered from it, what was the main character going to do, etc. I was not disappointed at all in this story. Twice I got goosebumps reading passages that seriously irked me. And once while reading my phone charger dropped from the side table, hitting the ground, causing me to jump and yell as well as launch my slumbering cat from my lap. And then I had to read the second half all by myself as the night approached and it just got darker and colder. HIGHLY recommended!
After The Girl Who Hid in the Trees the author gave us three more presents in the form of short stories! Each short story is different in style and theme. And one story, The Tooth Collector, is seriously freaking me out. Even as I write this review. I feel uneasy and vulnerable and I think that Stred totally succeeded! Few stories make me feel these things.
An easy 5 stars! And thank you to the author for sending an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. I have two of his other books, Wagon Buddy and Left Hand Path: 13 More Tales of Black Magick, unread on my shelves just staring at me now. I must fit them into my upcoming TBR pronto!
After The Girl Who Hid in the Trees the author gave us three more presents in the form of short stories! Each short story is different in style and theme. And one story, The Tooth Collector, is seriously freaking me out. Even as I write this review. I feel uneasy and vulnerable and I think that Stred totally succeeded! Few stories make me feel these things.
An easy 5 stars! And thank you to the author for sending an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. I have two of his other books, Wagon Buddy and Left Hand Path: 13 More Tales of Black Magick, unread on my shelves just staring at me now. I must fit them into my upcoming TBR pronto!
0hfortheloveofbooks's review against another edition
4.0
First and foremost, I want to thank the author, Steve Stred, for sending me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. The release date is set for 2/28/19.
The Girl Who Hid in the Trees is both a horror story centered around an urban legend and also a coming of age story. Is that even possible in just over 60 pages? Yes! Yes it is. Sweet Jason experiences death, grief, loss, love, and undying friendship; making this, without a doubt, a coming of age story. Along with Jason, I felt so many emotions throughout this short book and had so many outward reactions. I laughed out loud (then quickly had to tell my husband the joke because he was looking at me strangely), I cringed multiple times, I audibly gasped at one point (thankfully my husband had left the room by then. I hate explaining myself). The gruesome imagery Stred is able to create is both horrifying yet intricate and strangely beautiful. There were scenes that had this been a movie, I would have been watching through my fingers. These grisly scenes centered around the little girl and the urban legend; she was creepy, very very creepy, but mesmerizing.
I thoroughly enjoyed all the characters in this story. Every single one of them was fleshed out and well rounded which is a feat unto itself in such a limited number of pages. At the heart of all this tragedy, Jason and his friends were still teenage kids and they acted like it. I loved the 14 year old boy humor sprinkled throughout; it made them all feel more real and also gave a nice reprieve from the building tension.
I have so much more I could talk about but I really don't want to spoil it! The Girl Who Hid in the Trees is one of those books that you need to go in blind and just let the story devour you.
The Girl Who Hid in the Trees is both a horror story centered around an urban legend and also a coming of age story. Is that even possible in just over 60 pages? Yes! Yes it is. Sweet Jason experiences death, grief, loss, love, and undying friendship; making this, without a doubt, a coming of age story. Along with Jason, I felt so many emotions throughout this short book and had so many outward reactions. I laughed out loud (then quickly had to tell my husband the joke because he was looking at me strangely), I cringed multiple times, I audibly gasped at one point (thankfully my husband had left the room by then. I hate explaining myself). The gruesome imagery Stred is able to create is both horrifying yet intricate and strangely beautiful. There were scenes that had this been a movie, I would have been watching through my fingers. These grisly scenes centered around the little girl and the urban legend; she was creepy, very very creepy, but mesmerizing.
I thoroughly enjoyed all the characters in this story. Every single one of them was fleshed out and well rounded which is a feat unto itself in such a limited number of pages. At the heart of all this tragedy, Jason and his friends were still teenage kids and they acted like it. I loved the 14 year old boy humor sprinkled throughout; it made them all feel more real and also gave a nice reprieve from the building tension.
I have so much more I could talk about but I really don't want to spoil it! The Girl Who Hid in the Trees is one of those books that you need to go in blind and just let the story devour you.