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ellyra's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
After The Nesting and The Lighthouse Witches, The Ghost Woods was the last of the Gothic Thriller trio by C.J Cooke that I read and surprisingly, my least favorite one.
Not that it was a bad book at all, I've just had a hard time connecting to it. The first 200-250 pages were quite slow and the dual timeline POV confused me because they were too close in thematics (a young pregnant woman goes to a Lichen Hall to spend her pregnancy, deliver her baby so they can be adopted) and in the timeline (6 years) which mean that the same characters were presents in both timelines. I kept mixing them. Good thing that the two characters had very distinct personnalities or it would habe been a mess.
The fact that the synopsis actually gives away the whole first half of the book didn't help me to get into the book.
What you can expect from the book : social commentary on womanhood and motherhood in the 50/60s, lots of childbirth scenes, the pain of giving up your baby for adoption, mushrooms, fungi, queer womens. I am actually surprised that no one talks about the queer rep of this book.
If this book did something to me is that it unlocked a phobia of mushrooms and fungi. I have always been terrified of child birth so this book didn't make it worse or better.
TW : rape (non graphic), chilbirth (graphic), child abandonment, mushrooms
Not that it was a bad book at all, I've just had a hard time connecting to it. The first 200-250 pages were quite slow and the dual timeline POV confused me because they were too close in thematics (a young pregnant woman goes to a Lichen Hall to spend her pregnancy, deliver her baby so they can be adopted) and in the timeline (6 years) which mean that the same characters were presents in both timelines. I kept mixing them. Good thing that the two characters had very distinct personnalities or it would habe been a mess.
The fact that the synopsis actually gives away the whole first half of the book didn't help me to get into the book.
What you can expect from the book : social commentary on womanhood and motherhood in the 50/60s, lots of childbirth scenes, the pain of giving up your baby for adoption, mushrooms, fungi, queer womens. I am actually surprised that no one talks about the queer rep of this book.
If this book did something to me is that it unlocked a phobia of mushrooms and fungi. I have always been terrified of child birth so this book didn't make it worse or better.
TW : rape (non graphic), chilbirth (graphic), child abandonment, mushrooms
matasatan's review against another edition
3.0
More like a thriller, not so much horror or ghost. Little disappointed
burrowsi1's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
caite's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
hiitsmecassie's review against another edition
5.0
this book was SOOO good not really creepy more so thriller also my paperback version fell apart bcuz my friend told me they used perfect binding so it literally fell apart in my hands
thebrowse's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
On the wave of "The Last of Us", it seems creepy fungi are like, the in thing? Or maybe I'm just becoming aware of it.
The Ghost Woods follows two young women during different time lines (5 years apart) sent to a remote scottish boarding house for unwed, pregnant women to discreetly give birth and then give their babies up for adoption. It's set in the lat 50's early 60's so... you know, not great circumstances all around. The house and inhabitants are creepy, and there are old stories of a witch in the woods who cursed the house long ago. This book explores themes surrounding women's rights, reproductive rights, and queer identity.
This book was creepy right to the bittersweet end.
The Ghost Woods follows two young women during different time lines (5 years apart) sent to a remote scottish boarding house for unwed, pregnant women to discreetly give birth and then give their babies up for adoption. It's set in the lat 50's early 60's so... you know, not great circumstances all around. The house and inhabitants are creepy, and there are old stories of a witch in the woods who cursed the house long ago. This book explores themes surrounding women's rights, reproductive rights, and queer identity.
This book was creepy right to the bittersweet end.
claireogdenlibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This is the best book I have read in a long time, so wonderful and so involved.