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ashwhit2024's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
liralen's review against another edition
2.0
1) Yup. Saw that coming.
2) Things I Do Not Recommend: reading a hiking murder mystery because you're wondering about heading off into the woods for a few days.
3) I was low-key on board with the book until the end, when both the killer (who I'd guessed) and the motive were revealed. None of the characters is terribly likable, unfortunately—I'm reminded of [b:Starry Eyes|35297469|Starry Eyes|Jenn Bennett|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1497542946s/35297469.jpg|56664282], which I also read recently and where it's so obvious from early on that the 'friends' are not really worth keeping around. But I do like reading about people going off into the woods, so...in general, it was pretty passable. Except then there's the ending:
4) Let's go deep intothe woods spoiler territory, okay?
Oh. While I'm still in a spoiler tag, I'll say that it did take me a while to figure out that it was Penelope—it was pretty clear that either she or...the other girl...oh. Lissa. That either she or Lissa would die (assuming that neither the love interest or the protagonist would die or be the murderer, because this is YA), so when Lissa died, it was clear that the killer would be either Penelope or Ted...and Ted didn't seem likely because Penelope would be more of a ~twist~. (Yes, Lissa's boyfriend also showed up, but he had Red Herring written all over him, so.) Clearly I a) have read too much and b) think too much about these things.
2) Things I Do Not Recommend: reading a hiking murder mystery because you're wondering about heading off into the woods for a few days.
3) I was low-key on board with the book until the end, when both the killer (who I'd guessed) and the motive were revealed. None of the characters is terribly likable, unfortunately—I'm reminded of [b:Starry Eyes|35297469|Starry Eyes|Jenn Bennett|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1497542946s/35297469.jpg|56664282], which I also read recently and where it's so obvious from early on that the 'friends' are not really worth keeping around. But I do like reading about people going off into the woods, so...in general, it was pretty passable. Except then there's the ending:
4) Let's go deep into
Spoiler
The 'twist' at the end is that one of Callie's friends, Penelope, is the murderer, and her motive is an unspecified 'whole list of mental illnesses' (255). And I hate this. It's not a new twist, of course (in how many murder mysteries does it turn out that the friend/lover did it because they're secretly crazy?), but I'm left with the impression that Penelope's problems are unnamed because the author didn't want people saying 'hey, this is unfair to people with ___; most people with ___ aren't deranged murderers'. But instead I'm sitting here saying 'for crying out loud, 99.9% of people with mental illness are not deranged murderers. You can do better than this'. I'd be a little more okay with it if there were any more benign (for lack of a better word) depictions of mental illness in the book, but...there aren't. There's just mental illness = irrational murderer.Oh. While I'm still in a spoiler tag, I'll say that it did take me a while to figure out that it was Penelope—it was pretty clear that either she or...the other girl...oh. Lissa. That either she or Lissa would die (assuming that neither the love interest or the protagonist would die or be the murderer, because this is YA), so when Lissa died, it was clear that the killer would be either Penelope or Ted...and Ted didn't seem likely because Penelope would be more of a ~twist~. (Yes, Lissa's boyfriend also showed up, but he had Red Herring written all over him, so.) Clearly I a) have read too much and b) think too much about these things.
star_sapphire's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars!
What Waits in the Woods has been on my list of books I've been dying to get my hands on and read. And I'm so glad to say that this book didn't disappoint!
Told in third person narrative, WWITW follows Callie and her friends: Lissa (the alpha "mean girl"), Penelope (the shy/sweet beauty), and her Jeremy (the boyfriend) on their four day camping trip in a wood. The book was suspenseful and dramatic, well-paced and calculated.
Callie's fear and paranoia of the woods developed after the horror story of "the Skinner", a serial killer who had harmed and skinned innocent campers in the very woods that the four teenagers were camping in. It doesn't help the fact that Callie has a sinking suspicion that someone is following them. Tension, drama, mystery and suspense builds from there as Callie's paranoia develops. Things go awry, and the four teenagers soon find themselves lost in the woods before a mysterious stranger appears and joins them as they venture deeper into the woods.
There's plenty of hints as to who the villain is, carefully masqueraded and lamp-shaded behind red herrings and tension/drama that builds and unfolds between the four characters.
I had assumed that this book was going to be predictable, using red herrings to thwart the readers from who the real villain of the story. But the truth was, the "predictable" cliche/storyline that I had assumed was being developed was the author's other attempts to deceive the readers. (The author even teased and killed the one and only plot-twist-worthy storyline that I've been assuming was being set up right before the villain was revealed. By then, I was amazed that I let myself convince that I let myself get deceived).
It was only when the villain was revealed was I shocked and amazed--surprised that I didn't pick up on it right from the start (and I'm usually one to decipher and figure out plot twists in the first ten percent of the book).
Things I liked:
Bravo, Kieran Scott. What Waits In The Woods was a well paced, fast read that managed to surprise me with how things turned out.
What Waits in the Woods has been on my list of books I've been dying to get my hands on and read. And I'm so glad to say that this book didn't disappoint!
Told in third person narrative, WWITW follows Callie and her friends: Lissa (the alpha "mean girl"), Penelope (the shy/sweet beauty), and her Jeremy (the boyfriend) on their four day camping trip in a wood. The book was suspenseful and dramatic, well-paced and calculated.
Callie's fear and paranoia of the woods developed after the horror story of "the Skinner", a serial killer who had harmed and skinned innocent campers in the very woods that the four teenagers were camping in. It doesn't help the fact that Callie has a sinking suspicion that someone is following them. Tension, drama, mystery and suspense builds from there as Callie's paranoia develops. Things go awry, and the four teenagers soon find themselves lost in the woods before a mysterious stranger appears and joins them as they venture deeper into the woods.
There's plenty of hints as to who the villain is, carefully masqueraded and lamp-shaded behind red herrings and tension/drama that builds and unfolds between the four characters.
I had assumed that this book was going to be predictable, using red herrings to thwart the readers from who the real villain of the story. But the truth was, the "predictable" cliche/storyline that I had assumed was being developed was the author's other attempts to deceive the readers. (The author even teased and killed the one and only plot-twist-worthy storyline that I've been assuming was being set up right before the villain was revealed. By then, I was amazed that I let myself convince that I let myself get deceived).
It was only when the villain was revealed was I shocked and amazed--surprised that I didn't pick up on it right from the start (and I'm usually one to decipher and figure out plot twists in the first ten percent of the book).
Things I liked:
• Refreshing characters (Despite all of them being cliches in the beginning: the "flawlessly selfless/good girl heroine", the "mean girl who puts everyone down", the "sidekick of the mean girl who's nice with no back bone", and the "amazingly sweet boyfriend", they all became really well fleshed out as the story went on. They all got angry, they all had fights, and well, acted like normal teenagers.
• How fast paced and suspenseful it was.
• How the relationship drama between Jeremy and Callie wasn't overplayed in the grand scheme of things. Jeremy wasn't a bad boyfriend, and Callie wasn't a bad girlfriend. They were both in the wrongs at some point during the story, but it's clear that they cared for each other. I'm was surprised at how realistic the two were. (Also, I have a soft spot for nerdy book boyfriends and Jeremy was a nerd. Plain and simple. And I thought the backstory to how the two of them ended up dating was cute!)Spoiler
(considering that it related to the story so much!)
• And I truly enjoyed how the author wasn't afraid to harm/hurt major characters.Spoiler
And that not everybody made it. Considering the dark narratives of the story, it'd be wrong if everybody got out of the woods unharmed and unscathed
Bravo, Kieran Scott. What Waits In The Woods was a well paced, fast read that managed to surprise me with how things turned out.
xliterati's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars
It started out extremely strong and fast-paced, but the 'twist' ruined the established atmosphere of the story for me. Not to mention
It started out extremely strong and fast-paced, but the 'twist' ruined the established atmosphere of the story for me. Not to mention
Spoiler
villainizing someone who's suffering from a mental illness in the name of horror. I thought we were over this /rolls eyes.emosheeran's review against another edition
4.0
THAT PLOT TWIST!! Oh man, did not see that coming. I saw that some people were disappointed with the ending but I wasn't. What would've been cool or interesting was if they had Penelope kill nearly everyone and then the Skinner comes and kills her. Now that would be awesome
knallen's review against another edition
3.0
This book was a pretty solid okay. It took me a while to get into it. The characters felt undeveloped and it very much resembled a decently written horror/suspense movie for me. I was surprised by the twist and that was nice, but I didn't care enough about the characters to be genuinely worried for them.
kimily's review against another edition
4.0
I like that the main character in this book isn't the typical hero. She has no clue what she's doing in any area of her life, and doesn't seem to have any skills that would help her survive her circumstances in the book. This is only charming up to a point, then becomes annoying. For me, the redeeming factor in this book was the antagonist, who was definitely creepy and for whom it was worth hanging on til the end.
ashlikesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
***I do my reviews in the form of questions***
What made me pick this book up:
I took photos of it for a challenge during the 24 hour readathon, years ago. And since then I wanted to read it.
What did I like about the cover:
It looks ominous and creepy.
What made me read this book:
Well... I was in Jenn's room, hijacking books as usual, and I saw it and because I had seen it years back I decided it was time to read it.
What did I like the most:
So I liked this book because it was pretty creepy and had you guessing the entire time, as to what was happening. The "twist" was my favorite part, though I think in the back of my mind I kind of saw it coming. Either way, it made sense and it was a perfect ending I think. I also really loved Jeremy, he was sweet and caring.
What didn't I like:
The main character annoyed me a bit, but I think almost every character does at times. Lissa really annoyed me. She was bitchy and a know it all and just plain annoying. I could not be friends with someone like her.
Would I read the rest of the series/more from this author?
I've read a few Kieran Scott books and she has a book called What Waits in the Water, and I definitely want to read that one.
I enjoyed it. Took me a bit to get into it, but once I did, it was great. I don't know why I keep reading/watching creepy camping stuff, I love camping.
What made me pick this book up:
I took photos of it for a challenge during the 24 hour readathon, years ago. And since then I wanted to read it.
What did I like about the cover:
It looks ominous and creepy.
What made me read this book:
Well... I was in Jenn's room, hijacking books as usual, and I saw it and because I had seen it years back I decided it was time to read it.
What did I like the most:
So I liked this book because it was pretty creepy and had you guessing the entire time, as to what was happening. The "twist" was my favorite part, though I think in the back of my mind I kind of saw it coming. Either way, it made sense and it was a perfect ending I think. I also really loved Jeremy, he was sweet and caring.
What didn't I like:
The main character annoyed me a bit, but I think almost every character does at times. Lissa really annoyed me. She was bitchy and a know it all and just plain annoying. I could not be friends with someone like her.
Would I read the rest of the series/more from this author?
I've read a few Kieran Scott books and she has a book called What Waits in the Water, and I definitely want to read that one.
I enjoyed it. Took me a bit to get into it, but once I did, it was great. I don't know why I keep reading/watching creepy camping stuff, I love camping.
rainbowmt18's review against another edition
4.0
Very Good Ending With A Surprise Twist At The End! ;)
emilayday's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Nice little YA scary story. Very mild. Some major holes in the storyline. (each chapter is like 2 pages long, she couldn't have fleshed out a plot line or two a bit better in an extra couple chapters?) Anyway I found it on a bookshelf at work for an easy read. It's a mood if you want a little PG camping murder mystery.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Animal death, Murder, Gun violence, and Violence