Reviews tagging 'Child death'

These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant

8 reviews

kerrygetsliterary's review against another edition

mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Animal cruelty, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Animal death, Car accident, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, War, and Blood

Moderate: Infidelity

eisneun's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Car accident, War, and Child death

mdking's review

adventurous dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book made me ugly cry

Really enjoyed this book. This hit a lot of my favourite themes: redemption, family, beautiful setting and a complex protagonist. I loved the bond between Cooper and Finch. The book was also varied: hopeful yet tense, reflective yet dramatic. The ending was very powerful and moved me to tears. The story was great and the emotional impact of this book was powerful. The only reason I'm not scoring it higher is because the prose style, whilst straightforward like the protagonist, was neither bad nor outstanding. Overall, excellent read! 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Kidnapping

Minor: Child death and Death

mamareadstuff's review

challenging emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Animal death, Car accident, War, Kidnapping, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, and Grief

Minor: Kidnapping, Stalking, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, War, and Panic attacks/disorders

With all of the content warnings that I even added, you would think this is a book of horror. But I finished the book thinking, that the story was more about love, what you'll do for your children, especially in the midst of so much trauma.

shieldbearer's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

The ending literally ruined this book in the worst way possible. I'm giving it two stars because the writer is excellent with pacing, and does an excellent job laying groundwork that pays off later in a way that isn't too conspicuous. Unfortunately, the ending makes it clear that most things I really liked about this book are not intentional on the author's part. Literally just end the book when he leaves to drive into town for the last time and your experience will be a million times better. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Death, Cursing, War, Gun violence, Gore, Mental illness, Blood, Child death, and Car accident

Moderate: Infidelity, Bullying, Animal death, Confinement, Classism, Child abuse, and Terminal illness

Minor: Abortion

Cooper should not be parenting Finch. He is very mentally unwell and the fact that the way it ends is framed as a "happy" ending is very disappointing. I spent the entire book thinking the author had done a wonderful job writing Cooper as an unreliable narrator, his opinions and perceptions tainted by both his biases and his trauma. But no, he's 100% correct about everything and the fact that his daughter has to care for him when he has a panic attack is completely fine. The fact that Finch's grandparents think she's dead at the end is 100% acceptable even though the Big Moral Debate is doing that to another set of parents. Cooper needs help and while I was rooting for them, and I really wanted Finch to stay in the woods- she needs a stable parental figure in her life and that is not Cooper.

shel_bay11's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement

Moderate: Kidnapping, War, Car accident, Panic attacks/disorders, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Stalking, Abandonment, and Death of parent

sfbookgirl's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective tense medium-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? Yes

4.0

These Silent Woods is a moving read that consists of both heartbreaking drama and the occasional spooky vibes. Cooper and his young daughter Finch live in a cabin in the middle of nowhere, but readers don’t find out why they are living out there until much later in the story. The father-daughter duo receives supplies from Cooper’s friend Jake once a year, but when Jake doesn’t arrive, Cooper and Finch find themselves in trouble. 

 

I really enjoyed the pacing of the story and the slow unraveling of the truth about Cooper and Finch. This isn’t your typical thriller as it focuses more on the relationship between Cooper and Finch and less emphasis on thriller-y vibes, but I think lovers of thriller books will still enjoy it. While I liked These Silent Woods, it didn’t pack the same punch that I have experienced with other thrillers. The ending wraps up nicely, but I found myself wondering about a secondary character that gets the short end of the stick. Overall, this book gets raving reviews and I would recommend checking it out.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, War, Death, and Violence

Moderate: Kidnapping, Car accident, Gun violence, and Mental illness

bethann's review against another edition

emotional reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book is so well written and edited that there is little to no fluff, making it a quick read. However, I became so invested in the characters that for the first time in my adult reading life, I didn't want the book to end even while hurrying to find out what happened. That is an excellent work of fiction. 

I love this book. I love Cooper and Finch and the supporting characters. I love the ending. These Silent Woods is really a story about love.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death