What Lies in the Woods
Ratings128
Average rating3.9
I really enjoyed this book, the twists were insane but the beginning was so slow and I found myself hating the main character
The book was okay, I don't regret reading it but I will not ever read it again.
The ideas are good, but the execution is lacking at times. Even when Kate Alice Marshall is at her finest, her writing is still mediocre in my humble opinon.
The characters aren't very compelling. At best they are rough sketches, at worse they are just plot devices. Excepting the protagonist, Ethan received a little more characterization than other cast members. And, boy, is he all over the place.
I could not believe for a second that Cass and Naomi were good friends. I've heard that, the author mentioned it for sure, but I never saw it.
Maybe the greatest sin of this book is the dialogue. At least, for me personally, it did not hit at all. I had the impression I was reading the script for a Disney Channel soap opera. Given that Marshall is mainly a YA author I think this can be, if not excused, at least understood.
During my time with this book I was getting debut novel vibes and I strongly believe that the author, if she so desires, could get over her YA influences and write some really good pieces.
I was really intrigued by the premise of this book, three girls who gets hurt in the woods, put a man behind bars, but then they were actually lying??
And also i personally love stories set in the woods, and small town murder mysteries.
I feel like the story dragged on for wayyy too long, and I lost count of how many times Naomi keeps saying “oh my god, I put the wrong man behind bars, I destroyed his life, i regret it so much”. It got so repetitive.
The story actually picks up at around 75% and from then on it was really fun to uncover all the secrets.
I read this cause Booksandlala really liked it on YouTube, but I forgot that her and my tastes are usually opposites lol.
I saw 2 of the plot twists coming and 2 I didn't. The first I didn't see coming I was really intrigued by but it was minuscule and didn't really add much to the story, and then the other one I really didn't like at all.
Sad I didn't like this one cause I really wanted to.
I read this while traveling and finished it quickly. While I was able to figure out some of the twists, there was one that surprised me. Very good, fast-paced mystery. Goes to show that not all friendships are what they seem and those who protect us may not always do so with good intentions.
3.5 stars
Some twists were a little predictable, however, a part of it I didn't see coming.
I was engaged in the story while I was reading. It was very entertaining but had some unnecessary cliches.
Still enjoyed it, though!
4/5
The twists were pretty good but the whole magical aspect of the story was weird. Other than that, it was a pretty good book!
4.5
SO GOOD!!!!! small town thrillers always have my back and reading this at the lake in the woods was amazing. i predicted some twists but there was so many of them i didnt mind. loved the characters, the little romance and the way it was written
Saw a lot of the twists coming but this was such a compulsively readable thriller and after going through such a horrible reading slump for the past few months, it was exactly what I was needing!
This book had so many twists, some were really obvious and some were not at all. For that reason alone I loved it.
This book had so many twists, some were really obvious and some were not at all. For that reason alone I loved it.
excellent book; many unique turns of phrase; complex relationships; intriguing plot; kept me engaged.
Kate Alice Marshall's writing is always gorgeous and haunting and this doesn't disappoint in that regard. I think if you are in this book for the mystery 1st then it's a 3 star. The mystery aspect isn't all that hard to figure out and if you're prone to knowing mystery endings you'll guess it early.
But! This book is really about trauma and what it can do to you. The cycles that we re-create when trauma hits the wrong way and how we deal with our scars both visible and invisible. And about the secrets of home towns.
In the regards of the atmosphere, the prose, and the trauma lens I think this is 4 stars. Just know what you're signing up for. I'd probably give her thrillers another go but maybe her Speculative YA will always just be my favorite.
Meh. If you've ever listened to a true crime podcast in your life you'll know exactly what is happening here by the end of the prologue.
3.5
Rounded up to a 4 because something happened that I was so shocked by and probably should have at least guessed that this event might be the case
Really enjoyable. Would recommend. Some little twists and reveals were really predictable but the big one got me. I enjoyed the gritty mc in the small shitty town with too many secrets.
I'm pretty sad about liv though. Just all around her character was heartbreaking and it was a real shame she died. Cass was something else, honestly was so surprised by that because I was convinced that she was so prickly because she was secretly in love with Naomi lol. So that was super wrong. But I like that there were smaller monsters, that there were some good people who were just fucked up and flawed and some bad people who were trying their best to navigate everything, be it right or wrong. The characterization felt real, of the small town and those in it.
3.5 rounding up to a 4
So...basically everyone in this book has a crooked moral compass....
Just WOW! This is my first time reading something by Kate Alice Marshall, but definitely following this author. This read had me guessing all the way till the end I almost feel like I have whiplash. A deliciously dark and twisty read.
In a small Washington state town, three 11 year old friends played a dangerous game they called “The Goddess Game”. They made small sacrificial offerings to the human remains of an unknown woman they decided to call Persephone. One day though, while innocently eating her lunch sandwich, Naomi becomes the victim of a brutal stabbing attack by a local serial killer. Her friends run out of the woods to get help assuming she was dead, but she miraculously survives the attack. She becomes a bit of a local celebrity, but her wounds never entirely heal and she openly wears the scars. Even though her friends Cass and Liv made it out of the attack unscathed, they hold scars and secrets too.
The audio book was well narrated. The atmosphere felt tense, like you could really imagine yourself in Naomi's shoes, never entirely feeling safe. Highly recommend. Thank you Netgalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
