Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

The Ghost Woods by C.J. Cooke

8 reviews

camelia_martin's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

Finished this book in around 8 hours! It was gripping for a while, then it started becoming a bit boring like the plot building was taking too long.. then suddenly - bang, a revelation to keep you hooked

I really thought Mabel was a ghost until finding out she’s alive in the shed!

Those little revelations really kept the intrigue, and the way the seemingly unlinked characters and their lives became interlinked was incredible. 
I had a gut feeling about how Mabel was pregnant and despite turning out to be correct I was still shocked by the way it was revealed. 
I feel like Wulfie’s storyline was a bit rushed at the end - I really wanted to feel more for his character. The hints

like him slipping up and calling his “grandad” dad a few times

were great foreshadowing. 

I will say I didn’t find it scary, though I don’t find horror/thriller or gothic horror books to be scary anyway, but I did find myself reading faster and faster as I hit the last 100 pages. 

Mrs W’s situation was predictable

they mentioned the cordyceps taking over a host body so many times throughout the book, and her few sudden flips in behaviour couldn’t have been due to a personality disorder, so her being taken over by the curse woman was obvious

Overall though an enjoyable book that kept me wanting more! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape

Minor: Animal death, Grief, Child abuse, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Dementia, Pregnancy, Rape, Child death, Classism, Death, Lesbophobia, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Sexism

louisegraveyard's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Pedophilia, Fire/Fire injury, Lesbophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Rape, Sexism, Gore, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy

brittsuek's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy

Moderate: Death and Murder

Minor: Sexual assault, Confinement, Child abuse, Rape, Body horror, Toxic relationship, Child death, Cursing, Pedophilia, and Suicidal thoughts

abbie_eibba's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Child death

Moderate: Kidnapping

Minor: Violence, Rape, and Vomit

what_heather_loves's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

"Did I dream it all? Or was my mind playing tricks on me? Things always seem different in the dark, especially a dark forest in the dead I night. Even more so an ancient wood that is full of gnarled, ghostly trees...
The truth is, I want to believe that I dreamed it all, I really do. It would be a hundred times easier than the alternative...A ghost, and unlike any ghost I've ever seen depicted in a film, or read of in a book.
Something unspeakably evil is stalkjng the grounds of Lichen Hall."

This historical and gothic thriller is set in two time-frames (1959 and 1965) in fictional Lichen Hall, in the Scottish borders. Protagonists Mabel and Pearl are pregnant and unmarried and have come to stay to give birth and have their babies adopted. There's an ancient woodland with spooky folkore, ever-encroaching fungus and creepy Mrs Whitlock to contend with, as the women's stays become a nightmare. Tackling themes of motherhood, patriarchy and slavery, it's beautifully written, making the characters feel real. I found it atmospheric and ominous, recommended in particular to fans of Laura Purcell and Stacey Halls.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery and Pregnancy

Moderate: Confinement, Misogyny, and Abandonment

Minor: Child abuse, Rape, and Abortion

lulubeth's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Infidelity, Rape, Bullying, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Chronic illness, Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, and Dementia

northernbiblio's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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

4.0

Really enjoyed this. The writing got better as it went on & I was intrigued by the mystery running throughout. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Miscarriage, Child death, and Child abuse

thatpreciousplot's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

“I have a ghost in my knee. There’s a small pocket just behind the kneecap and she’s hiding in there, all tucked up in the soft mattresses of cartilage. She is very small and terrified so I’m sitting with that leg straightened so I don’t disturb her. I’ve not set a word about this to anyone. They’d think I’m mad.” - how is THAT for an opening line!!!

'The lighthouse witches' was one of my favourite reads of last year so to say I was EXSTATIC when I was approached by the publishers to read C.J Cookes newest book 'The Ghost Woods' might be an understatement!

The story itself is set around the creepy, atmospheric grounds of Lichen Hall in Scotland, which stands as a home for unmarried pregnant mothers to go have their babies away from the prying and judging eyes of the public of the time, and arrange for these children to be given up for adoption. It is told from dual perspectives, Mabel in in the 1950s and Pearl in the 1960s, following both as they navigate the mysteries of Lichen Hall, it's inhabitants and uncover the mysteries within...

C J Cooke is masterful at creepy atmospheric writing and capturing the Scottish setting (I am biased being Scottish but I LOVE it!) there was really some truly horrifying imagery throughout the book as well as body horror which made for such a spooky read.

Overall, a very enjoyable read - I would give it a solid 4 stars (my only negative was it involved some content/triggers that I try my best to avoid reading about but I understand for the plot why it was there)

Thanks again to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for offering me the chance of reading the ARC!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Infertility, and Body horror