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spestock's review
3.0
Though I received this through Night Worms, I would classify this book more as a dark fantasy than as a horror story. A mother who must choose between her infant son and the safety of her magical hometown. A lot of imaginative world-building that was trammeled by too much first-person narration explicating the same emotions over and over. I think this story would have benefited by being pared down to novella length. Very strong ending, though, so definitely worth the read.
bookishactor's review
5.0
The Forest by Lisa Quigley is a great new horror novel examining sacrifice, motherhood, and safety. Edgewood is a special town where nothing bad ever seems to happen. But when things start to go wrong, Faye discovers that safety may have a price. Quigley has written a novel reminiscent of Jackson’s The Lottery and Tyron’s Harvest Home, but focused in a powerful new direction and told through the lens of a young mother. The characters and quandaries proposed by the novel were highly compelling and heart-wrenching. The structure of alternating timelines (a trope I often find exhausting) was employed to great effect in this novel as each chapter seemed to spur me on to read the next. For all I loved about this book I did find my suspension of disbelief strained at times. Additionally I noticed a fair number of typos throughout the book. For these reasons I’m inclined to rate this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
desheria's review against another edition
2.0
I'm a huge fan of M. Night Shyamalan's The Village, and I've seen The Forest compared to it, so I was quite excited.
I knew this was going to be a mothers-child centric story, but I was simply unprepared for it. Specifically how often the main character nurses her son- it's just so frequent. I understand infants eat a lot, but it's bad. It's so bad.
The concept was promising, but I can't get past the constant nursing, the "sour-sweet milk smell" of him that we're reminded of every chapter.
It also isn't horror. Nothing about the events are scary unless you're also a mother/parent.
I knew this was going to be a mothers-child centric story, but I was simply unprepared for it. Specifically how often the main character nurses her son- it's just so frequent. I understand infants eat a lot, but it's bad. It's so bad.
The concept was promising, but I can't get past the constant nursing, the "sour-sweet milk smell" of him that we're reminded of every chapter.
It also isn't horror. Nothing about the events are scary unless you're also a mother/parent.
bookishjasmn's review
5.0
Lisa Quigley NAILED it in suspense from cover to cover!
Is there a limit to what a mother will do to protect their child? Quigley was able to represent the emotions a mother of a newborn goes through, while showing a mother would go to the end of the earth to protect their baby.
What would you give to live in a protected community that crime and illness doesn’t exist? Would you be willing to give your most prized possession?
By the end of this book, I was invested and couldn’t put it down until the very last page.
Is there a limit to what a mother will do to protect their child? Quigley was able to represent the emotions a mother of a newborn goes through, while showing a mother would go to the end of the earth to protect their baby.
What would you give to live in a protected community that crime and illness doesn’t exist? Would you be willing to give your most prized possession?
By the end of this book, I was invested and couldn’t put it down until the very last page.
mjtucker's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
katetownsend's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
raechel's review against another edition
3.5
I was apprehensive about this book. I'm not a mother and I'm not big on motherhood themes. But the internal dialog we hear from Faye and her concerns about the safety of her son felt very real. I liked the back and forth chapters showing us Faye fleeing in the woods, versus the slow reveal of how she got to this point in the first place.
There's also a lot of uncertainty in this book about if the town of Edgewood is as magical as it seems, or if it's just some culty nonsense. I liked how we eventually learn the truth.
I felt like the very very ending was a little too wrapped in a bow, and I understood Faye's love for her family... but I don't think I could feel the same way. I also wish the book had been a bit longer, with more of a slow reveal of Faye's childhood to show the reader how something is off in Edgewood.
All in all, a good story.
There's also a lot of uncertainty in this book about if the town of Edgewood is as magical as it seems, or if it's just some culty nonsense. I liked how we eventually learn the truth.
I felt like the very very ending was a little too wrapped in a bow, and I understood Faye's love for her family... but I don't think I could feel the same way. I also wish the book had been a bit longer, with more of a slow reveal of Faye's childhood to show the reader how something is off in Edgewood.
All in all, a good story.
sarahkate_reads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75