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lilcoop71's review against another edition
4.0
I’m rounding up because there were so many things I liked about this—I love a good dark fairytale, really enjoyed the writing and especially the chapters describing how the various women ended up in the woods. The one big problem here was basically the entire middle section—the introduction of a couple of new characters and a new direction for the story and it all basically fell flat and was frankly kind of boring. However the end was redeeming and ultimately I really did enjoy this and look forward to the author’s next book.
jen286's review against another edition
3.0
This started off interesting enough, but about halfway through it went a bit downhill...I almost put it aside, but after some time away picked it back up and it came around again towards the end.
leahreadsalot's review against another edition
2.0
Wavered between 2-3 stars, but I couldn’t give it 3 for the following reasons:
-weird similes, like comparing a small shimmering stream hidden in long grass to a ribbon in a fat woman’s cheek. What?
-nothing was explained. Why was the dog immune to her killing hands? Why did the 7 women get trapped in the weird forest? Did she always have the ability to command animals to her bidding (attack of the zombie horses)
-all the men were aholes but main character was cool with it (questioned it like, twice, but then was cool with it) ? What’s the takeaway from that?
-it was a messy book. I still don’t know what happened
-weird similes, like comparing a small shimmering stream hidden in long grass to a ribbon in a fat woman’s cheek. What?
-nothing was explained. Why was the dog immune to her killing hands? Why did the 7 women get trapped in the weird forest? Did she always have the ability to command animals to her bidding (attack of the zombie horses)
-all the men were aholes but main character was cool with it (questioned it like, twice, but then was cool with it) ? What’s the takeaway from that?
-it was a messy book. I still don’t know what happened
simoneandherbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Alright, I’m having a tough time with expressing what I thought about this book. Like I mentioned earlier, this book starts off with one premise but then becomes a completely different book.
The story starts off with Maisie. She’s a young teenage girl who has the power to kill or revive any living creature. This is anything from animal or human to even that wooden bench you have swinging on your porch.
With this premise alone, I thought this book would be a good one. This story sounded similar to the plot of Pushing Daisies, which is one of my favorite shows about a young man who is able to bring people back from the dead with one touch. Similarly to that show, there’s always consequences to playing with life and death.
However, this book is more than that. This book is about women and their abilities to overcome the worst odds. This book is about the forest and how mystical it is. This book is about fighting for yourself and not letting anyone get in the way of what you deserve. This book is also about the deep desires women have and how those feelings may have no place in the real world and how you can find them in the forest.
The book is broken up into seven different parts. In each part of the book, Julia Fine provides the reader with just enough information on the truth behind Maisie and her powers to keep you going. There’s also two different stories happening at the same time. The first story is Maisie’s. You see her grow up while struggling to keep her powers hidden. You see her try not to touch anything and how happy she is when she finally gets a dog companion. You follow her through her current conflicts as well.
The second story is about the forest and Maisie’s maternal ancestry. The women on Maisie’s mother’s side have all been captured by the forest where people can’t find them and they never age. Part Two shares the stories of how these women were found in the forest. Of course none of these women die from natural causes and some of them don’t die at all. They all found a calling towards the forest near Urizon, their home. They all wander towards that calling and that’s where they find themselves.
While both stories read with different voices and share different timelines (in some parts), they seamlessly come together. Julia Fine is able to wrap up their stories almost like a friendship bracelet. Each thread of each person weaves together to create an incredible tale.
I really stand by my comment about this being a dark modern-day fairy tale. Maisie overcomes herself, her powers, and even the secrets her father kept from her. You see her start off as this shy young girl who is afraid to touch anything and at the end of the story you see her do whatever she needs to do in order to survive. With most “damsels in distress,” you get a lot of complaining on how they need to be saved. For me, I think that Maisie saves herself in this one.
I think one of the issues I had with this book is the pace. While I did love that Julia Fine kept all the big spoilers until the end, I wish that it was delved into earlier in the book. I worry that people may get bored reading early on because it’s difficult to try and picture what else is going on in the woods.
Hardcover, 350 pages
Harper Books (May 8, 2018)
Rating: 4/5 stars
I received a copy of this book from Harper Books for free in exchange for an honest review. My opinions have not been influenced by the publisher or the author.
The story starts off with Maisie. She’s a young teenage girl who has the power to kill or revive any living creature. This is anything from animal or human to even that wooden bench you have swinging on your porch.
With this premise alone, I thought this book would be a good one. This story sounded similar to the plot of Pushing Daisies, which is one of my favorite shows about a young man who is able to bring people back from the dead with one touch. Similarly to that show, there’s always consequences to playing with life and death.
However, this book is more than that. This book is about women and their abilities to overcome the worst odds. This book is about the forest and how mystical it is. This book is about fighting for yourself and not letting anyone get in the way of what you deserve. This book is also about the deep desires women have and how those feelings may have no place in the real world and how you can find them in the forest.
The book is broken up into seven different parts. In each part of the book, Julia Fine provides the reader with just enough information on the truth behind Maisie and her powers to keep you going. There’s also two different stories happening at the same time. The first story is Maisie’s. You see her grow up while struggling to keep her powers hidden. You see her try not to touch anything and how happy she is when she finally gets a dog companion. You follow her through her current conflicts as well.
The second story is about the forest and Maisie’s maternal ancestry. The women on Maisie’s mother’s side have all been captured by the forest where people can’t find them and they never age. Part Two shares the stories of how these women were found in the forest. Of course none of these women die from natural causes and some of them don’t die at all. They all found a calling towards the forest near Urizon, their home. They all wander towards that calling and that’s where they find themselves.
While both stories read with different voices and share different timelines (in some parts), they seamlessly come together. Julia Fine is able to wrap up their stories almost like a friendship bracelet. Each thread of each person weaves together to create an incredible tale.
I really stand by my comment about this being a dark modern-day fairy tale. Maisie overcomes herself, her powers, and even the secrets her father kept from her. You see her start off as this shy young girl who is afraid to touch anything and at the end of the story you see her do whatever she needs to do in order to survive. With most “damsels in distress,” you get a lot of complaining on how they need to be saved. For me, I think that Maisie saves herself in this one.
I think one of the issues I had with this book is the pace. While I did love that Julia Fine kept all the big spoilers until the end, I wish that it was delved into earlier in the book. I worry that people may get bored reading early on because it’s difficult to try and picture what else is going on in the woods.
Hardcover, 350 pages
Harper Books (May 8, 2018)
Rating: 4/5 stars
I received a copy of this book from Harper Books for free in exchange for an honest review. My opinions have not been influenced by the publisher or the author.
walden2ite's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting idea, but I didn't care for the execution. The characters and story all felt a little flat, lacking depth. And the magic wasn't gripping or inspiring. On the whole, wouldn't recommend. it.
elempr's review against another edition
3.0
Hard to say what went wrong here. I was really hooked on this book at the start. But in the end, I think the characters felt a little one-dimensional to me, including Maisie. The six women (seven?) were interesting and it was cool to see their stories, but they also didn’t feel especially well rounded. And in the end, I didn’t feel like there was much of a payoff. Maisie’s doppelgänger was really terrifying, literally ate a bunch of other women, and then they just… hugged? I get that she’s “embracing her dark side,” it just didn’t seem like much of a conflict.
scenic92's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Suicide
saigelecteur's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5