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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
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
tinynightingales's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
5.0
"What the Woods Took" is like if "Where the Wild Things Are" was a nightmare. Devin is a foster kid who is used to fending for herself. She has spent her entire life acting out and being sent from broken home to broken home, but when she is stolen from her bed and thrust into a Wilderness Explorer program for troubled teens, she's sure she has hit rock bottom. Armed with nothing, but her vicious words and a powerful right hook, she is determined to survive this program if only in spite of the system that chewed her up and spat her out, even if she has to suffer through horrible group mates, non-stop hiking, and gross food options. However, Devin soon finds that there is something about the forest that feels inexplicably strange. When the group leaders go missing Devin discovers that the forest is more dangerous than she ever could have imagined.
This book includes:
- troubled teens in a behavioral wilderness program
- nightmares come to life
- generational curses and broken spirits
- camaraderie
- LGBT protagonist
- TW mentioned but not on page: child abuse, drug abuse, depression, suicide
This book is WOW. I typically don't reach for thrillers or horror, but I am so glad I took a chance on "What the Woods Took." This book dives into nightmares both real and imagined. It has a compelling atmosphere of paranoia, dread, and anguish that entranced me and had me staying up late just to keep reading. The story has so much depth, to a degree I don't often expect from YA. If you're the type of reader who loves to be surprised and appreciates a good amount of suspense, I can't recommend this book enough.
I received this eBook as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Courtney Gould, and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to review this book. This review has been posted to GoodReads check out my profile https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/62314863 and it will be posted to my bookstagram account https://www.instagram.com/tinynightingales/ and booktok https://www.tiktok.com/@tinynightingales?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
This book includes:
- troubled teens in a behavioral wilderness program
- nightmares come to life
- generational curses and broken spirits
- camaraderie
- LGBT protagonist
- TW mentioned but not on page: child abuse, drug abuse, depression, suicide
This book is WOW. I typically don't reach for thrillers or horror, but I am so glad I took a chance on "What the Woods Took." This book dives into nightmares both real and imagined. It has a compelling atmosphere of paranoia, dread, and anguish that entranced me and had me staying up late just to keep reading. The story has so much depth, to a degree I don't often expect from YA. If you're the type of reader who loves to be surprised and appreciates a good amount of suspense, I can't recommend this book enough.
I received this eBook as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Courtney Gould, and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to review this book. This review has been posted to GoodReads check out my profile https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/62314863 and it will be posted to my bookstagram account https://www.instagram.com/tinynightingales/ and booktok https://www.tiktok.com/@tinynightingales?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Suicide attempt
Minor: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
bookeduntil's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Pedophilia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment
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