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A review by raforall
The Forest by Lisa Quigley
4.0
Review in the October 2021 issue of Library Journal: https://www.libraryjournal.com/?reviewDetail=the-forest-2128009
Three Words That Describe This Book: engrossing, Folk Horror, thought-provoking
An excellent debut. Not to miss! This was the first runner up for a star. I only give 3 per column.
Draft Review:
Opening anxiously, as Faye is desperately attempting to disappear, with her infant son, through the forest, Quigley then pulls back to introduce Edgewood, a town like no other, a place where everyone is completely safe, as long as they never leave due to the oversight of generations of Stewards and the townsfolk’s annual Fall offerings to the forest surrounding them. However, Faye, poised to become the next Steward, learns the dark truth behind this veil of perfection, she cannot be complicit any longer. Told with an engrossing back and forth style of chapters set in “Present” and “Before the Forest,” readers are kept on the edge of their seats following the urgent chase and held in suspense as the nefarious foundations are laid bare. Folk Horror, with excellent world-building and believable terror, this is also a cautionary and thought-provoking tale about unearned privilege. A story that empowers the reader to question both the cost of safety and blind acceptance of the status quo.
Verdict: Quigley, co-host of the award-winning Ladies of the Fright podcast, is well versed in active contemplation of the Horror genre itself, and it shows here with a storyline that could be described as a 21st Century update to Jackson’s “The Lottery.” Fans of Hex by Huevelt and The Twisted Ones by Kingsolver will also find a kindred spirit in The Forest. [pun intended]
Three Words That Describe This Book: engrossing, Folk Horror, thought-provoking
An excellent debut. Not to miss! This was the first runner up for a star. I only give 3 per column.
Draft Review:
Opening anxiously, as Faye is desperately attempting to disappear, with her infant son, through the forest, Quigley then pulls back to introduce Edgewood, a town like no other, a place where everyone is completely safe, as long as they never leave due to the oversight of generations of Stewards and the townsfolk’s annual Fall offerings to the forest surrounding them. However, Faye, poised to become the next Steward, learns the dark truth behind this veil of perfection, she cannot be complicit any longer. Told with an engrossing back and forth style of chapters set in “Present” and “Before the Forest,” readers are kept on the edge of their seats following the urgent chase and held in suspense as the nefarious foundations are laid bare. Folk Horror, with excellent world-building and believable terror, this is also a cautionary and thought-provoking tale about unearned privilege. A story that empowers the reader to question both the cost of safety and blind acceptance of the status quo.
Verdict: Quigley, co-host of the award-winning Ladies of the Fright podcast, is well versed in active contemplation of the Horror genre itself, and it shows here with a storyline that could be described as a 21st Century update to Jackson’s “The Lottery.” Fans of Hex by Huevelt and The Twisted Ones by Kingsolver will also find a kindred spirit in The Forest. [pun intended]