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A review by whimsyandwitt
What the Woods Took by Courtney Gould
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
My first Courtney Gould read, and I'm thinking I need to hit up her backlist.
I binge read/listened to What The Woods Took.
Lindsey Dorcus perfectly narrated WTWT. This is a Young Adult read, revolving around older teens, yet Dorcus's performance (and Gould's writing) kept it from feeling "too young."
The start felt a little slow compared to the majority of the book, introductions and all, but that is likely a me problem. There are several characters that we get to know, and Gould did an amazing job at making them feel like REAL people, while Dorcus' voice lent life to each emotion expelled. It was easy to sympathize and/or empathize with everyone, regardless or whether or not I liked them. The tension was thiiick. The setting was eerie. And the creep factor was high. Top-notch anxiety achieved.
I dont want to give away much, but it was easy to get sucked into this terror (a forced romp through the wilderness, with team building and trust exercises AND sharing feelings; hard pass) and I craved all the monster mystery.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for the eARC
And thanks to Macmillan Audio | Macmillan Young Listeners for the advanced audiobook
I binge read/listened to What The Woods Took.
Lindsey Dorcus perfectly narrated WTWT. This is a Young Adult read, revolving around older teens, yet Dorcus's performance (and Gould's writing) kept it from feeling "too young."
The start felt a little slow compared to the majority of the book, introductions and all, but that is likely a me problem. There are several characters that we get to know, and Gould did an amazing job at making them feel like REAL people, while Dorcus' voice lent life to each emotion expelled. It was easy to sympathize and/or empathize with everyone, regardless or whether or not I liked them. The tension was thiiick. The setting was eerie. And the creep factor was high. Top-notch anxiety achieved.
I dont want to give away much, but it was easy to get sucked into this terror (a forced romp through the wilderness, with team building and trust exercises AND sharing feelings; hard pass) and I craved all the monster mystery.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for the eARC
And thanks to Macmillan Audio | Macmillan Young Listeners for the advanced audiobook