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A review by saragrochowski
The Little Woods by McCormick Templeman
4.0
I like well-written mysteries like The Little Woods... and I especially like when the author successfully incorporates creepy characters and a foreboding atmosphere.
I'll be honest, there's some predictability within the plot of The Little Woods, but this novel is both beautifully written and engaging, so I didn't mind that some things didn't feel very surprising. In fact, Templeman may have done this purposely because when I was surprised by a twist, I was really surprised. Enough so that I literally had to verbalize my normal internal "whoa."
There was one aspect of The Little Woods that rang false to me... and I just couldn't get past it. Cally isn't very girly. In fact, she doesn't seem to care about her appearance much at all. Which would have been totally fine, if she didn't have two boys chasing after her. Sure, some boys wouldn't mind the lack of care Cally exhibits for her appearance, but neither of Cally's love interests seem like the type to overlook her blatant disregard. In addition, I didn't think she was all that wonderful personality-wise either. I liked her as a main character - her point of view was interesting - but I never felt particularly attached to her and I couldn't understand why any of the characters were so enthralled by her.
Since I didn't really understand the allure of Cally, I wasn't a huge fan of the romance elements within the novel. They weren't badly done or anything like that, I just was much more interested in the mystery and which characters were lying and why.
Overall, I very much enjoyed Templeman's debut. I've read that her next novel, The Glass Casket, is a retelling of Snow White and I cannot wait to read it. I've fallen in love with Templeman's writing and can only imagine greatness from this retelling!
I'll be honest, there's some predictability within the plot of The Little Woods, but this novel is both beautifully written and engaging, so I didn't mind that some things didn't feel very surprising. In fact, Templeman may have done this purposely because when I was surprised by a twist, I was really surprised. Enough so that I literally had to verbalize my normal internal "whoa."
There was one aspect of The Little Woods that rang false to me... and I just couldn't get past it. Cally isn't very girly. In fact, she doesn't seem to care about her appearance much at all. Which would have been totally fine, if she didn't have two boys chasing after her. Sure, some boys wouldn't mind the lack of care Cally exhibits for her appearance, but neither of Cally's love interests seem like the type to overlook her blatant disregard. In addition, I didn't think she was all that wonderful personality-wise either. I liked her as a main character - her point of view was interesting - but I never felt particularly attached to her and I couldn't understand why any of the characters were so enthralled by her.
Since I didn't really understand the allure of Cally, I wasn't a huge fan of the romance elements within the novel. They weren't badly done or anything like that, I just was much more interested in the mystery and which characters were lying and why.
Overall, I very much enjoyed Templeman's debut. I've read that her next novel, The Glass Casket, is a retelling of Snow White and I cannot wait to read it. I've fallen in love with Templeman's writing and can only imagine greatness from this retelling!