A review by suneaters
The Woods by Vanessa Savage

dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

First off, I really liked our protagonist. Flawed and unpleasant, but makes the book that much more interesting. She’s out here threatening to throw a child out of a window. Welcome back Jaime Lannister.

What really make the book less interesting was its end. There a good aura of suspicion on two characters who are acting shady and on our POV’s unreliable memory, but the culmination wasn’t super believable. Cutting the “is the neighbor a creep” plot was probably needed honestly. It felt like an add-on that distracted from the emotional climax of
accidental siblicide. Although, note, I doubt she would have faced jail time. Pressing charges for an accidental death one party forgot while very young seems unlikely, but who knows.