Reviews

The Woods by Harlan Coben

bethersjayne's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • 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

izzydonaldson's review against another edition

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dark mysterious
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

luciearan's review against another edition

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3.0

Temné lesy jsou zajímavou knihou s promyšlenou zápletkou. To, že Harlan Coben psát umí, snad ani nikdo nezpochybňuje. Kniha se čte dobře, příběh příjemně plyne a děj je promyšlený, bez zádrhelů a slabých míst. Po technické stránce, nemám naprosto nic, co knize vytknout. Mě ale, chybělo napětí a trocha víc energie. Příběh sám je složený víceméně z dvou dějových částí, které se samozřejmě prolínají. První z nich je příběh z dětství Paula Copelanda a tou druhou, jeho současný život a soudní případ. Přiznám se, že i když část s prostitutkou, byla dobře zpracovaná, mě prostě nebavila, více mě zajímalo část, týkající se jeho dětství. Bohužel, ani ta, i když byla promyšlená a zajímavá, na mě nijak výrazněji nezapůsobila a nenutila mě hltat kapitolu za kapitolou.
Pokud by se to tak dalo říct, i když u tohoto žánru to vyzní poměrně zvláštně, je tato kniha, takovou thrillerovou oddechovkou.

jgintrovertedreader's review

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3.0

Paul Copeland's sister disappeared into the woods of their summer camp one night twenty years ago. The bodies of two of her friends were found. She wasn't. Now, the past is surfacing and the mystery is begging to be solved.

Eh. Had this been my first Coben book, I would've loved it. As it is, this is my third or fourth and the whole thing felt like familiar territory. I'm not saying that it was just another book regurgitated with a different title, or even that it was unsurprising. But enough things had happened in other books that it just felt familiar. There were lots of twists and turns, some of them surprising, and I really didn't see the very, very end coming. I feel like I should have, but I didn't.

I liked Paul overall. But whenever he threw his prosecutor's badge around to intimidate people, he lost big points from me. I'm not a fan of bullies.

That might be part of my problem with the book right there. I dislike bullies and they're in here. I dislike rich people throwing their money at problems and that's in here. I mostly dislike courtroom dramas and that's in here. All that was missing, or at least not as evident, in the books of his that I did really like.

He mentions lots of songs in here that I want to check out. I have a feeling that this book actually has an awesome soundtrack!

This would be a good Coben to start with. If you love Coben, you'll love this one. If you're like me, and you mostly just kinda like the guy, you might be a little disappointed with how familiar this feels.

liccarsa's review against another edition

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dark emotional inspiring mysterious tense slow-paced

3.5

emmaokelly95's review against another edition

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adventurous dark informative mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

bookishbb's review against another edition

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5.0

4.5*

lexidubbs's review against another edition

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mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Endless twists and shocking turns. I was fascinated by the first page and I couldn’t put it down 

jenmooremo's review

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3.0

Good enough to put Harlan Coben on my list of authors to read when I want a fast paced, suspenseful novel that's easy to read. Thought it was a little predictable from time to time, but then I would be proven wrong by the next chapter. Presented several twists and turns with a few main characters that you got to know very well, and enough secondary players to keep you guessing. Read cover to cover in a day and a half.

grunge_queen_94's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-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

4.5