What Lies in the Woods

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.