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freddikb 's review for:
The Girl from the Hidden Forest
by Hannah Linder
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Okay, settle in if you are curious about my personal opinion of this book, it’ll be a bit of a rant….
Hannah Linder is a new-to-me author and I am always on the lookout for new favorites. Unfortunately, she is not one of them. Yes, I have only read this one book by her, but it was enough.
My initial thought pretty early into the story, when Felton was chasing Eliza through the woods (yes, you read that correctly) and scared the living daylights out of the poor girl, was- What an introduction, Felton. Good going. (This was thought with sarcasm, if you weren’t sure). He also had the nerve to tell Eliza that he was “An enemy at current. Maybe someday a friend.” Oh, and he often thought of her as a child (she is 19, he is in his twenties) but would also think about kissing her. Uh, yuck. No, just no. He was also very controlling of her. Again, no thank you.
Do you know how many times I wanted to smack the characters over their heads with their own book? More times than I can remember. At one point, when Felton told Eliza to do something and she did not want to (not a life or death situation, I think he told her to eat….), he forced her. “He always told her what to do” “But she needed them, his orders. She loved them almost. Wasn’t that a silly thing?” Yes, Eliza, yes it was. Run, girl, run far away. But we all know she didn’t….
As for the murder mystery part, I was mildly curious but then just got frustrated. And when the reveal came to light, how the person involved reacted- well, let’s just say the entire experience got my nerves up. This story was a big disappointment and has turned me off to Hannah Linder’s novels as a whole.
*What I have expressed are entirely my own thoughts. I was not compensated in any monetary way.*
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War