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shayh's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-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
This story had a great atmosphere and strong believable characters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Sexual assault
caidyn's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
4.5
Wow, a fantastic read. At first I thought it'd be too much like Natalie C. Parker's Come Out, Come out. But this was entirely different and just as chilling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Blood
Moderate: Child abuse and Sexual assault
Minor: Drug use
gueniverefey's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Kidnapping, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
maryamthehobbit's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
The mystery in this kept pulling me in! I kept thinking I knew how it would end and then there would be so much story left. Such a creepy monster in the woods.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Drug abuse and Drug use
Minor: Sexual assault
soobooksalot's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
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
3.5
What The Woods Took went into the unexpected.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for my eARC for review!
Teenagers Devin, Ollie, Sheridan, Hannah, and Aiden have been labelled as "troubled". They have been forceably sent to the Revive Teen Rehabilitation Program to hike, camp, and survive their way to better life choices.
I was expecting a straightforward plot with an inside look at the TTI and wildnerness programs for struggling youth.
What The Woods Took started out that way, but veered in a whole other direction.
The Idaho forests have an eerie, unnatural quality to them - void even of animal sounds. Sights from the teen's past traumas emerge from the shadows. I was constantly second-guessing as to who - or what - could be trusted.
This was my first read from author Courtney Gould, and I easily enjoyed her writing style and the elements incorporated.
Released Dec. 10.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for my eARC for review!
Teenagers Devin, Ollie, Sheridan, Hannah, and Aiden have been labelled as "troubled". They have been forceably sent to the Revive Teen Rehabilitation Program to hike, camp, and survive their way to better life choices.
I was expecting a straightforward plot with an inside look at the TTI and wildnerness programs for struggling youth.
What The Woods Took started out that way, but veered in a whole other direction.
The Idaho forests have an eerie, unnatural quality to them - void even of animal sounds. Sights from the teen's past traumas emerge from the shadows. I was constantly second-guessing as to who - or what - could be trusted.
This was my first read from author Courtney Gould, and I easily enjoyed her writing style and the elements incorporated.
Released Dec. 10.
Content Warnings
Minor: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, and Death of parent
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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? Yes
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
WHEW, this took me on a JOURNEY! This is actually the first book I've read by Courtney Gould and I am now set on reading her backlist because I am really impressed. My booksta/booktok friend Laurel (https://www.instagram.com/laurelreads17/) first recommended this author to me, so I gotta give her a lil shoutout :)
Devin is taken from her foster home to a wilderness therapy camp with two super young camp counselors Ethan & Laura, (they're like ~21, barely older than these teens) and a few other kids: Aiden, Sheridan, Hannah, Ollie. The teenagers are all clearly unimpressed by this program and can't wait for it to be over (it's a 50 day hike through the woods, this is truly absurd and what kills me is that these programs really do exist). After crossing a river, Ethan & Laura are nowhere to be found the following morning, leaving these kids to fare on their own & decide to either wait for their counselors to return, to seek out help, or to simply continue on with the trail, since they know it will end after 50 days if they follow their map. As if this isn't a hard enough decision, the kids feel like they are being watched by something in the woods.
This book was SO creepy. I should not have read it by myself at night, and yet, I'm happy I did lol. It set the tone for Gould's incredibly atmospheric and eerie forest setting, and I was left at the edge of my seat for the entirety of the novel. I also absolutely loved getting to know each of the characters. I really enjoy interpersonal conflict in any story, but especially high-stakes conflict in a horror novel because you get to see how people respond to danger, and how they react and aim to resolve conflicts in groups or 1:1 settings. It makes it even more interesting when they're practically strangers and are forced to rely on each other purely for survival.
As a rape survivor myself, I could tell from the beginning that Devin was fighting demons deeper than the others knew about, and I really felt for her when she finally told Sheridan about it. I recognize this was painful for her to revisit those memories, but what a tiny bit of relief she could feel in finally disclosing this to someone, after years of having to carry it all by herself. Devin's journey was not easy, but I'm so proud of her.
The monsters were very well done; I was so thoroughly entertained by their motivations in wanting to become human and to leave the forest. The forest was their domain, where they remained the most powerful, and yet, they yearned to have a human experience? I know we're supposed to hate these monsters for wreaking havoc on these literal children, but the sensitive sweetie pie in me is like, 'omg????? all this to be human? I'm so grateful to be human and living on this garbage floating rock in space! monsters would KILL to have MY life. that's unreal?!?!?!?'
I also just loved this parallel to the kids, because they were mostly sent to this wilderness therapy camp to otherwise "get their shit together" by their parents/foster parents. However, when you're faced with the possibility of actually losing your life or someone taking it, you're forced to reconcile with the fact that uhhh actually yeah, I DO WANT MY LIFE AND I WILL FIGHT FOR IT! I'm not condoning wilderness therapy camps; I'm just saying it was powerful how these kids named that they DID want to live, and they worked together to get out of that forest so they could begin the next chapter of their lives. No matter what these kids have done in the past, they deserved another chance to try again.
The ending made me happy as far as the kids who got out alive, and it was so easy to root for them, even as the messy, angry, angsty kids they acted like (because underneath that, I knew they just needed to feel seen/valued/listened to. They're allowed to be imperfect humans too.)
I undoubtedly enjoyed this and would highly recommend it!
WHEW, this took me on a JOURNEY! This is actually the first book I've read by Courtney Gould and I am now set on reading her backlist because I am really impressed. My booksta/booktok friend Laurel (https://www.instagram.com/laurelreads17/) first recommended this author to me, so I gotta give her a lil shoutout :)
Devin is taken from her foster home to a wilderness therapy camp with two super young camp counselors Ethan & Laura, (they're like ~21, barely older than these teens) and a few other kids: Aiden, Sheridan, Hannah, Ollie. The teenagers are all clearly unimpressed by this program and can't wait for it to be over (it's a 50 day hike through the woods, this is truly absurd and what kills me is that these programs really do exist). After crossing a river, Ethan & Laura are nowhere to be found the following morning, leaving these kids to fare on their own & decide to either wait for their counselors to return, to seek out help, or to simply continue on with the trail, since they know it will end after 50 days if they follow their map. As if this isn't a hard enough decision, the kids feel like they are being watched by something in the woods.
This book was SO creepy. I should not have read it by myself at night, and yet, I'm happy I did lol. It set the tone for Gould's incredibly atmospheric and eerie forest setting, and I was left at the edge of my seat for the entirety of the novel. I also absolutely loved getting to know each of the characters. I really enjoy interpersonal conflict in any story, but especially high-stakes conflict in a horror novel because you get to see how people respond to danger, and how they react and aim to resolve conflicts in groups or 1:1 settings. It makes it even more interesting when they're practically strangers and are forced to rely on each other purely for survival.
I also just loved this parallel to the kids, because they were mostly sent to this wilderness therapy camp to otherwise "get their shit together" by their parents/foster parents. However, when you're faced with the possibility of actually losing your life or someone taking it, you're forced to reconcile with the fact that uhhh actually yeah, I DO WANT MY LIFE AND I WILL FIGHT FOR IT! I'm not condoning wilderness therapy camps; I'm just saying it was powerful how these kids named that they DID want to live, and they worked together to get out of that forest so they could begin the next chapter of their lives. No matter what these kids have done in the past, they deserved another chance to try again.
The ending made me happy as far as the kids who got out alive, and it was so easy to root for them, even as the messy, angry, angsty kids they acted like (because underneath that, I knew they just needed to feel seen/valued/listened to. They're allowed to be imperfect humans too.)
I undoubtedly enjoyed this and would highly recommend it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Child abuse, Drug abuse, and Sexual assault
cebadgley's review against another edition
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Pedophilia, and Suicidal thoughts
skye_era_books's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
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
4.5
This book was fucked up in the best way. It kept me intrigued the entire time, I literally could not stop listening. All I knew about this book before reading was that it was about a wilderness therapy program, which is already horrifying, but add in mimics in the woods? fucking terrifying and one of my worst nightmares. But I loved seeing how the characters ended up coming together, to the point that it almost felt like a coming of age story. In a way, it was beautiful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, and Suicide attempt
paracosim'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Do you like found family? Do you like body horror, trauma bonding, and a pervasive sense of dread and unease that permeates the setting of a book? Did you enjoy Cuckoo by Gretchen Felker-Martin and want something very similar, but much more age appropriate for teens? This is the book for you.
So, I read this in a single sitting. I requested it on a whim because it had a pretty cover and I wanted something similar to Felker-Martin’s Cuckoo, and boy was I in for a treat. The second I began reading What the Woods Took, I knew I was going to binge it in one go; it was just that good. The writing was great, the characters were easy to root for (even Sheridan!), and the horror…goodness, the horror. It was fantastic. If you read Cuckoo and found it a bit too gory and sexual for your tastes, but still crave that body horror and sapphic themes combo, this will be right up your alley. The injury descriptions were kept to a minimal but still managed to get the point across in a way that was grisly but not uncomfortable.
I think I’ll be buying a physical copy of this book when it comes out. I’d love to have it on my shelf.
Do you like found family? Do you like body horror, trauma bonding, and a pervasive sense of dread and unease that permeates the setting of a book? Did you enjoy Cuckoo by Gretchen Felker-Martin and want something very similar, but much more age appropriate for teens? This is the book for you.
So, I read this in a single sitting. I requested it on a whim because it had a pretty cover and I wanted something similar to Felker-Martin’s Cuckoo, and boy was I in for a treat. The second I began reading What the Woods Took, I knew I was going to binge it in one go; it was just that good. The writing was great, the characters were easy to root for (even Sheridan!), and the horror…goodness, the horror. It was fantastic. If you read Cuckoo and found it a bit too gory and sexual for your tastes, but still crave that body horror and sapphic themes combo, this will be right up your alley. The injury descriptions were kept to a minimal but still managed to get the point across in a way that was grisly but not uncomfortable.
I think I’ll be buying a physical copy of this book when it comes out. I’d love to have it on my shelf.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Drug use, and Violence
chimeric_archive's review
emotional
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? Yes
4.0
It’s taken me a couple days to really wrap my head around how I feel about What the Woods Took. The overall experience of reading the book was enjoyable, but I find myself pining for something that I can’t quite put my finger on. What the Woods Took is a young adult horror novel that chronicles the story of five “troubled” teens in a wilderness behavioral camp who find themselves in a dense forest accompanied by monster who would love nothing more than to take their place. Something akin to Appalachian skinwalkers, the creatures were compelling enough to set my own psyche on edge as I journey through the perils through the trees along with our five main characters.
The overall premise for What the Woods Took was very solid, albeit the first quarter of the book was a bit of a slog, repetitive as the teens found their footing and established a proverbial pecking order amongst themselves. The altercations between one of our primary narrators, Devin, and another troubled teen, Sheridan, were a focal point for a number of the pages and they ended up being very cookie cutter and formulaic. Despite this, however, the novel gained traction once the wilderness guides that were left in charge of the teens go missing, as would be expected.
Once the supernatural aspects of the novel kicked in, it became overall far more enjoyable, for me. Particularly so, because the supernatural aspects seemed to be rooted in actual folklore that regularly warns against trusting the forest. As I mentioned, the entities that the teens find themselves coming to grips with were heavily similar to the Appalachian skinwalkers, only with a watered down touch of calling them mimics, which better suited the Young Adult reader subgenre.
This novel was unique in that it made me equally terrified of going into the woods just as much as I wanted to escape into lush foliage to reflect on my own life, as the teens were encouraged to do up until the guides disappearance. I further enjoyed that the subplot of the book seemed to highlight the real world dangers of wilderness camps that are still utilized in an effort to correct the “behaviorally challenged.” Factor that in with the fact the teens that were sent to the camp really weren’t as deviant as their parental figures wanted us to believe, and you have a satisfying blend of real world and supernatural horror.
Dividing the POV between Devin and Ollie, too, was a good decision and overall contributed to the storytelling as the differing perspectives allowed readers to catch an entire glimpse of the circumstances the teens were facing without receiving a particular bias. The characters, further, felt real and easy to identify with and didn’t fall flat in favor of a focus on the supernatural tone and ambiance.
Overall, I’d say What the Woods Took lived up to the hype, it’s premise and the advertised potential.
Rating: ★★★★ | 4/5
☠️
The overall premise for What the Woods Took was very solid, albeit the first quarter of the book was a bit of a slog, repetitive as the teens found their footing and established a proverbial pecking order amongst themselves. The altercations between one of our primary narrators, Devin, and another troubled teen, Sheridan, were a focal point for a number of the pages and they ended up being very cookie cutter and formulaic. Despite this, however, the novel gained traction once the wilderness guides that were left in charge of the teens go missing, as would be expected.
Once the supernatural aspects of the novel kicked in, it became overall far more enjoyable, for me. Particularly so, because the supernatural aspects seemed to be rooted in actual folklore that regularly warns against trusting the forest. As I mentioned, the entities that the teens find themselves coming to grips with were heavily similar to the Appalachian skinwalkers, only with a watered down touch of calling them mimics, which better suited the Young Adult reader subgenre.
This novel was unique in that it made me equally terrified of going into the woods just as much as I wanted to escape into lush foliage to reflect on my own life, as the teens were encouraged to do up until the guides disappearance. I further enjoyed that the subplot of the book seemed to highlight the real world dangers of wilderness camps that are still utilized in an effort to correct the “behaviorally challenged.” Factor that in with the fact the teens that were sent to the camp really weren’t as deviant as their parental figures wanted us to believe, and you have a satisfying blend of real world and supernatural horror.
Dividing the POV between Devin and Ollie, too, was a good decision and overall contributed to the storytelling as the differing perspectives allowed readers to catch an entire glimpse of the circumstances the teens were facing without receiving a particular bias. The characters, further, felt real and easy to identify with and didn’t fall flat in favor of a focus on the supernatural tone and ambiance.
Overall, I’d say What the Woods Took lived up to the hype, it’s premise and the advertised potential.
Rating: ★★★★ | 4/5
☠️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Drug use
Minor: Sexual assault