A review by thereadingraccoon
What the Woods Took by Courtney Gould

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

What the Woods Took is a paranormal thriller and survival novel about a group of teenagers left to fend for themselves at a wilderness therapy camp.

Devin, Ollie, Sheridan, Aiden, and Hannah are teenagers whose parents have sent them to the REVIVE Teen Rehabilitation program for various issues, including drug use, drinking, and rebelliousness. The program involves hiking and sleeping outdoors to help the teens get back on track. But days into the trip, the two adult guides disappear, leaving the teens to face the wilderness on their own. They soon discover that they aren’t alone—monsters lurk behind the trees.

Unfortunately, I didn’t find most of this book gripping, despite the high stakes. The teenagers came across as angsty and annoying, and the one-dimensional depiction of the parents didn’t help (especially Devin, whose cliché series of terrible foster parents felt overdone). While the scenes with the creepy monsters were entertaining, the rest of the story fell a little flat.