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mehsi's review
5.0
Scary, fast-paced, WOW. This is one book I couldn’t stop reading~
So, while it wasn’t exactly the season for it, I still very much needed this in my life and decided to read it. AND OH MAN. This was just a big creepfest and I love love it!
In this book we meet Ginny, a girl who wants to be writer one day, she and her family are going to spend their fun vacation in a not so fun location. Dad has work and they are now staying at a scary mansion. Well, at first it seems like a pretty OK place, but within hours, when the first night appears, something is lurking and I loved it. It gave me all the goosebumps.
As soon as the shadows popped up, well my mind went to the anime Shadow House. XD Though that one is way less scary, well for most. XD
Shadows House, Anime, Horror, Creepy
There are some terrifying moments, from a mannequin moving on its own to shadows flitting around to music playing and oh yes, did I mention a typewriter? XD Things get really scary, and I felt for Ginny, because she knew she would have to bring some concrete evidence if she wanted to have her parents believe her (she has quite an imagination). I loved that she found help in her brother, Leo. Yes, I was happily surprised by that. Given the way they were in the car, and at the home, I thought this would be a lot of sibling arguments, but instead Leo is just a sweetheart. Plus, she meets a guy who knows a lot and who is willing to help (and I loved him and yes, I was hoping they would get together, yes I am as bad as the mom XD). I really liked Will a lot. He was sweet, brave, and I loved how he helped her out so many times.
I loved reading about the little town and definitely wouldn’t have minded seeing more if it.
Not sure how I felt about the Agatha this and Agatha that, yes, we get it you love the writer. It also didn’t help that at times she seemed to know so much, but then made some remarks that made it seems like she knew not a lot.
The ending seemed a tad simple (I wanted more spookiness) but I still very much enjoyed it and, after reading it, found it did fit so nicely. I am also happy for Ginny and Will! That was so sweet~
All in all, I definitely need Scritch Scratch now because I want to get more spookiness by this author. And I would also recommend this book HIGHLY to all. If you are in for a scary read be sure to read it!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
So, while it wasn’t exactly the season for it, I still very much needed this in my life and decided to read it. AND OH MAN. This was just a big creepfest and I love love it!
In this book we meet Ginny, a girl who wants to be writer one day, she and her family are going to spend their fun vacation in a not so fun location. Dad has work and they are now staying at a scary mansion. Well, at first it seems like a pretty OK place, but within hours, when the first night appears, something is lurking and I loved it. It gave me all the goosebumps.
As soon as the shadows popped up, well my mind went to the anime Shadow House. XD Though that one is way less scary, well for most. XD
Shadows House, Anime, Horror, Creepy
There are some terrifying moments, from a mannequin moving on its own to shadows flitting around to music playing and oh yes, did I mention a typewriter? XD Things get really scary, and I felt for Ginny, because she knew she would have to bring some concrete evidence if she wanted to have her parents believe her (she has quite an imagination). I loved that she found help in her brother, Leo. Yes, I was happily surprised by that. Given the way they were in the car, and at the home, I thought this would be a lot of sibling arguments, but instead Leo is just a sweetheart. Plus, she meets a guy who knows a lot and who is willing to help (and I loved him and yes, I was hoping they would get together, yes I am as bad as the mom XD). I really liked Will a lot. He was sweet, brave, and I loved how he helped her out so many times.
I loved reading about the little town and definitely wouldn’t have minded seeing more if it.
Not sure how I felt about the Agatha this and Agatha that, yes, we get it you love the writer. It also didn’t help that at times she seemed to know so much, but then made some remarks that made it seems like she knew not a lot.
The ending seemed a tad simple (I wanted more spookiness) but I still very much enjoyed it and, after reading it, found it did fit so nicely. I am also happy for Ginny and Will! That was so sweet~
All in all, I definitely need Scritch Scratch now because I want to get more spookiness by this author. And I would also recommend this book HIGHLY to all. If you are in for a scary read be sure to read it!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
aclopez6's review
5.0
“What Lives in the Woods” opens with a young writing enthusiast, Ginny, looking forward to attending a writing workshop with her best friend, Erica. However, her dad has other plans for the family--the family is going to stay at a haunted manor in Michigan for a month, so that he can work on renovations and reimagining the place. Of course, the place is haunted and has spooky rumors surrounding it. Very eerie, but the rest of the family isn’t concerned.
Ginny arrives, and while she was initially hesitant, starts to see the beauty in the town and decides it is just a month long vacation. She goes into town and meets Will, who lets her know that there are some rumors associated with the manor, and that his own brother has seen something in the house. And then more things begin happening in the house--ticking noises, mannequins moving, lightbulbs exploding, etc. All throughout the author has a strong balance of character dialogue, inner thoughts, and descriptions to advance the plot. As a reader Ii was left wondering if there was truly some paranormal happenings, or if the mystery would somehow be resolved in a 100% logical manner--I was hooked! I would encourage teachers to have this book on their shelves for students who like a good mystery with quick pacing. My only minor critique is that the ending wraps up very quickly, and the family somehow seems to be way more wealthy than they were at the start (like a month prior), but it was a nice, sweet ending.
Ginny arrives, and while she was initially hesitant, starts to see the beauty in the town and decides it is just a month long vacation. She goes into town and meets Will, who lets her know that there are some rumors associated with the manor, and that his own brother has seen something in the house. And then more things begin happening in the house--ticking noises, mannequins moving, lightbulbs exploding, etc. All throughout the author has a strong balance of character dialogue, inner thoughts, and descriptions to advance the plot. As a reader Ii was left wondering if there was truly some paranormal happenings, or if the mystery would somehow be resolved in a 100% logical manner--I was hooked! I would encourage teachers to have this book on their shelves for students who like a good mystery with quick pacing. My only minor critique is that the ending wraps up very quickly, and the family somehow seems to be way more wealthy than they were at the start (like a month prior), but it was a nice, sweet ending.
jstark545's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This was really fun and engaging, since it was a middle grade novel I was able to read it in a day. I didn't find the story to be dragging on at any point, and I stayed invested the whole time. I already went ahead and downloaded another book by this author. If it's anything like this one it's not going to disappoint!
gratzee's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
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
4.5
minslibrary's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
1.0
This was boring. Plain and simple. The beginning was fine, but it did not stick the landing, nor anything that happened after the 20-page mark.
The pacing dragged, the narration was repetitive, and the dialogue was clunky and awkward. The plot was generic and I didn't think it had a very strong foundation. The writing failed to keep the tension up in many of the scenes, which left me feeling underwhelmed even when the plot and action picked up.
Usually, when I read middle-grade, the books tend to be fast-paced because the author knows they have to keep a kid’s attention, but this one was weirdly slow.
It also didn’t feel polished or fully edited—some of the dialogue felt like place-holder dialogue. In fact, it felt like the dialogue just became progressively worse as the book went on.
Also (spoilers)did I miss something or did this book have nothing to do with the woods? Sure, the manor the protagonist's family stayed in was in the woods or by the woods, but the actual woods had nothing to do with the plot. The ghost was tied to the manor, not the woods. So I feel like the title of the book is very misleading (and now I've repeated the word "woods" so many times it ceases to sound like a real word)
In short, this one was a miss.
The pacing dragged, the narration was repetitive, and the dialogue was clunky and awkward. The plot was generic and I didn't think it had a very strong foundation. The writing failed to keep the tension up in many of the scenes, which left me feeling underwhelmed even when the plot and action picked up.
Usually, when I read middle-grade, the books tend to be fast-paced because the author knows they have to keep a kid’s attention, but this one was weirdly slow.
It also didn’t feel polished or fully edited—some of the dialogue felt like place-holder dialogue. In fact, it felt like the dialogue just became progressively worse as the book went on.
Also (spoilers)
In short, this one was a miss.
kathryn_fletcher's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
cjhh's review
3.0
I enjoyed the cast of characters in this middle grade, ghost story as well as the atmosphere the author creates. But I was complete let down and underwhelmed by the ending.
alboyer6's review against another edition
4.0
Fun creepy story. Great for readers who like Mary Downing Hahn