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booktalkcorner's reviews
268 reviews
What the Woods Took by Courtney Gould
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
4.25
I still can’t believe I got an ARC of one of my most anticipated reads of the year and I’m so glad it lived up to my expectations. This was the perfect blend of creepy and hopeful and angsty, and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.
The author did a remarkable job weaving believable and complex relationships between flawed characters, against the backdrop of an unsettling, psychological horror story. This was expertly crafted and it was a pleasure watching the story unfold. I loved that the author expanded upon the nuances of these characters, when they could’ve easily become caricatures to further propel parts of the story. They were given tons of substance and it was so easy to root for them.
It was also really interesting to see tender moments between the characters juxtaposed with scary, horrible things happening to/around them. I felt like my emotions were constantly being pulled in opposite directions—in the best way possible!
The only thing that didn’t work for me was the ending; I didn’t hate it, but parts of it felt rushed and a little confusing. I wish we’d gotten a bit more description and insight into the feelings of the characters.
Also, definitely read the trigger warnings beforehand! There were some things that were really hard to read, especially if you’ve experienced anything similar, but they were really well done. Nothing about this felt like it was romanticizing or making light of difficult themes.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Witch King by Martha Wells
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5