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seriouslynerdy's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I was able to read this before release thanks to NetGalley!
I want to start off by saying I LOVED this book, it was right up my ally with horror/ psychological thriller vibes. This is a YA based book if you read this book and think these kids act immature or it’s juveniles themes (it’s a ya book of course its going to have juvenile themes) but the YA aspect does not take away the horror of this book for me it made it more intense thinking of 13-17 year old taken away to stay in the woods for 50 days is terrifying in itself and what lies beyond as they continue their journey just add to the horror.
This book is going to be in my top 5 reads of 2024 and I cannot wait for it to be released to re-read it it’s a physical book and annotate it and go back finding hidden horrors that I missed while hyper-focused of these kids survival. I could not read this book at night because living near the woods I was freaked out so this was strictly read during daylight hours, if you can read horror books at night then sleep soundly I am also scared of you.
This is a slow paced book about 5 teenagers Devin, Aiden, Hannah, Sheridan and Ollie who all only have one thing in common they were all sent to stay in the woods for 50 days under the the supervision of two leaders who are going to “change” the teenagers before they leave the woods. Things don’t go as planned but everyone who leaves the woods is changed forever, maybe for the better or maybe for the worst. This book showcase every bump you're scared of in the night, every shadow in the woods that have a face but you shake it off because that’s absurd, every fear you’ve kept buried because you're not scared to admit the truth to others but the truth to yourself.
This book is a dual POV between Ollie and Devin. Ollie who is easy to love, easy to like and you want to protect him from the darkness. Devin is harder to like she’s rough, she’s full of anger, she is the protector not the girl who needs protecting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
crothe77's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
What the Woods Took by Courtney Gould is a dual third person-POV YA Queer horror drawing from the wilderness programs that many teens were sent to in the 2000s. Devin, Ollie, Aidan, Sheridan, and Hannah are all sent to a program in Oregon to ‘set them on the right path’ by hiking for fifty miles with two college-aged counselors. When the counselors go missing, the teens need to find a way back to civilization. But whatever is waiting for them in the woods won't let them out so easily.
The wilderness therapy programs that Gould was inspired by seemed to be everywhere when I was a teenager and I remember people talking about them like they were the answer to a lot of parents’ prayers. Unfortunately, in recent years, it's been revealed that these programs have caused trauma, physical harm, and even death and, luckily, it is no longer a booming business. It feels like a set-up that was made for horror: teens go into the woods against their will and something is waiting for them so they have to work together to survive, and Gould handles it brilliantly.
Between our two POV characters, Ollie and Devin, I preferred Devin’s chapters. Devin has spent a good chunk of her life in the foster care system and has a problem with people who make trouble for her, which is more than understandable. Devin is not a fan of bullies and that puts her at odds with Sheridan, who treats the program like it's a joke and fights their counselors every step of the way. When Sheridan opens up to Devin, things start to make a lot more sense and we learn who Sheridan really is.
The monsters are very cool and very freaky. Each encounter with one of them peels back a layer to one of the teens’ backstory and gives us glimpses into how they ended up in wilderness therapy. Hannah's monster, in particular, was probably the most intriguing and Sheridan’s the most heartbreaking.
Content warning for mentions of CSA, drug addiction, and abuse
I would recommend this to fans of horror set in the woods, readers of horror looking for a focus on a social issue that impacted a lot of teenagers, and those who are into narratives with monsters, human and supernatural.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use
Minor: Sexual assault