Scan barcode
hailey2510's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 ⭐️
It was good, but it felt like something was missing. It’s almost like there was a buildup to something that never happened. Also I feel like there could have been more elaboration on the nibelungs, more detail would have been nice. But it was fine. Nothing exceptional. I feel like it left a lot of unanswered questions as well. This feels like it should be the start of a series, but I don’t think it’d be worth reading the next. Also the relationship between Shannon and Hayden was kind of unnecessary since it was so under developed. Honestly I could hardly see them as friends.
It was good, but it felt like something was missing. It’s almost like there was a buildup to something that never happened. Also I feel like there could have been more elaboration on the nibelungs, more detail would have been nice. But it was fine. Nothing exceptional. I feel like it left a lot of unanswered questions as well. This feels like it should be the start of a series, but I don’t think it’d be worth reading the next. Also the relationship between Shannon and Hayden was kind of unnecessary since it was so under developed. Honestly I could hardly see them as friends.
djsei's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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? It's complicated
5.0
teeggzz's review
2.0
It's such a shame that I didn't end up liking this, trust me I tried (really hard) but this book just went down hill at an increasingly fast rate.
So let's start off with what I liked about this novel. I enjoyed the humorous female friendship, the logical explanations at the start of some chapters and how they tie into the story and the files from the therapist about Hayden. And....that was about it. It sucks because I started off really liking this novel, it was gripping, eerily creepy and I was hooked. But then the plot just started to drag...a lot. The pacing was so god damn slow that in the end I had figured out everything before the main character had. The whole layout of this book was just not thought out very well.
The story line was just far too predictable! I predicted that the dad was the one in the house and even thought he would show up at some point. I had a feeling that Santiago was going to somehow sacrifice or do a ritual on Del. (I mean come on, anyone who decides to have sex in a creepy paranormal forest is bad news.) I figured that the mum was the white raven and that Gabriel was Shannon's father/step father? Nothing was leading me away from the actual answer, it was just right there in front of me which deterred my enjoyment and increased boredom.
And holy crap WTF WAS THE ENDING? I'm sorry but what? It was so messy and confusing and NOTHING WAS EXPLAINED. Or if it was it wasn't clear enough for my dumbass. Nothing really happened in the middle of the book and then in the last 30 pages EVERYTHING happened. Nothing was clarified about the magic system and how it works, especially Hayden's powers. So, apparently now she's strong enough to defeat a villain with her brain, (this villain who is in fact called "Hel"), with no previous practice? Hmm okay. And excuse me but why was the main villain introduced at the end of the book? He was such a weak villain along with Elspeth and Gabriel. And the Nibelungs? Don't get me started. We're told throughout the whole novel that they're such an ancient evil and all powerful and portrayed as ghastly creatures. Nope...nope, they are literally invisible. They are nothing. Except they wear knight armor so people can identify them. *sighs* why tf did I even waste my time with this book?
The romance I did not care for. I really wanted to see more backstory and development behind Shannon and Hayden's relationship. We were told how close they were as kids but I wanted to SEE that. I was hoping for some sort of flashback scene that held significance and really gave us a feel for their friendship. But alas, we did not. And quite frankly I feel like the first kiss was really not done at the right time. It felt forced and too soon, plus they were literally sitting by three vials of old blood which couldn't have added to the romance in anyway, shape or form.
Annnnddd i think that's all I have to say! I'm not trying to be harsh or negative, (although I kind of am) but I was just really underwhelmed with the execution of this book and it just made me angry. I'm sorry but I just can't agree with all the high ratings and reviews. :(
So let's start off with what I liked about this novel. I enjoyed the humorous female friendship, the logical explanations at the start of some chapters and how they tie into the story and the files from the therapist about Hayden. And....that was about it. It sucks because I started off really liking this novel, it was gripping, eerily creepy and I was hooked. But then the plot just started to drag...a lot. The pacing was so god damn slow that in the end I had figured out everything before the main character had. The whole layout of this book was just not thought out very well.
The story line was just far too predictable! I predicted that the dad was the one in the house and even thought he would show up at some point. I had a feeling that Santiago was going to somehow sacrifice or do a ritual on Del. (I mean come on, anyone who decides to have sex in a creepy paranormal forest is bad news.) I figured that the mum was the white raven and that Gabriel was Shannon's father/step father? Nothing was leading me away from the actual answer, it was just right there in front of me which deterred my enjoyment and increased boredom.
And holy crap WTF WAS THE ENDING? I'm sorry but what? It was so messy and confusing and NOTHING WAS EXPLAINED. Or if it was it wasn't clear enough for my dumbass. Nothing really happened in the middle of the book and then in the last 30 pages EVERYTHING happened. Nothing was clarified about the magic system and how it works, especially Hayden's powers. So, apparently now she's strong enough to defeat a villain with her brain, (this villain who is in fact called "Hel"), with no previous practice? Hmm okay. And excuse me but why was the main villain introduced at the end of the book? He was such a weak villain along with Elspeth and Gabriel. And the Nibelungs? Don't get me started. We're told throughout the whole novel that they're such an ancient evil and all powerful and portrayed as ghastly creatures. Nope...nope, they are literally invisible. They are nothing. Except they wear knight armor so people can identify them. *sighs* why tf did I even waste my time with this book?
The romance I did not care for. I really wanted to see more backstory and development behind Shannon and Hayden's relationship. We were told how close they were as kids but I wanted to SEE that. I was hoping for some sort of flashback scene that held significance and really gave us a feel for their friendship. But alas, we did not. And quite frankly I feel like the first kiss was really not done at the right time. It felt forced and too soon, plus they were literally sitting by three vials of old blood which couldn't have added to the romance in anyway, shape or form.
Annnnddd i think that's all I have to say! I'm not trying to be harsh or negative, (although I kind of am) but I was just really underwhelmed with the execution of this book and it just made me angry. I'm sorry but I just can't agree with all the high ratings and reviews. :(
karen_hallam's review against another edition
5.0
Hayden has just turned eighteen, and she’s living on her own for the first time, when she gets a call about the will her mother left. Though her mother is technically missing, not dead.
“My mother remains elusive, in the periphery of my vision—there and not-there, dead and alive, like Schrödinger’s theoretical cat, its state altering the moment I focus on it. It’s been a decade since I last heard Mom’s voice …”
The dreams of her wearing full body armor and riding a horse while leading an army through the fog and ravaged cities, crying We’ll rise again have returned, and what’s with the white ravens that keep appearing in her dreams and real life? Hayden has a lot of questions.
It’s suggested that she keep mum about the will and not mention anything to her father, which may not be difficult considering he’s a physicist with his head buried always in his work. Even though he’d lost his tenure, due to outrageous claims about Nibelungs and multi-dimensional pathways and string theory.
Thank goodness, for her roommate, Del Chauvet, French-Senegalese Brooklynite, and her constant determination to give her a makeover or find her a date, especially since the last one left Hayden stranded. But Del has something special planned for her 18th birthday.
Memories and whispers in a foreign tongue, and Hayden’s mother watching from behind the dark trees surrounding her childhood home wearing a sad smile, as if she knows what’s coming. Hayden’s therapist, Dr. Erich reminds Hayden that those memories are long gone. But Hayden needs answers.
Hiding the will from her father, Hayden and Del leave their Brooklyn apartment to visit her childhood home in Promise, Colorado, and search for the gifts her mother left with the cryptic message:
She needs to listen with her blood. My second condition is that Hayden uses my gifts to destroy my darkest secret—my hidden treasure, my heaviest burden.
When Hayden struggles to understand, she interprets things using theoretical physics, and the author does this beautifully at the start of each chapter with musings of the metaphysical, the forces of gravity, and Murphy’s Law, and how it relates to Hayden’s life.
My kind of genre-mash-up, that twists urban fantasy and science fiction with the creepy factor that comes with a dark woodland mystery along with a gripping pace and self-sacrificing friendships. Quite unlike anything I’ve read before. I’d recommend this book for mature YA readers.
“My mother remains elusive, in the periphery of my vision—there and not-there, dead and alive, like Schrödinger’s theoretical cat, its state altering the moment I focus on it. It’s been a decade since I last heard Mom’s voice …”
The dreams of her wearing full body armor and riding a horse while leading an army through the fog and ravaged cities, crying We’ll rise again have returned, and what’s with the white ravens that keep appearing in her dreams and real life? Hayden has a lot of questions.
It’s suggested that she keep mum about the will and not mention anything to her father, which may not be difficult considering he’s a physicist with his head buried always in his work. Even though he’d lost his tenure, due to outrageous claims about Nibelungs and multi-dimensional pathways and string theory.
Thank goodness, for her roommate, Del Chauvet, French-Senegalese Brooklynite, and her constant determination to give her a makeover or find her a date, especially since the last one left Hayden stranded. But Del has something special planned for her 18th birthday.
Memories and whispers in a foreign tongue, and Hayden’s mother watching from behind the dark trees surrounding her childhood home wearing a sad smile, as if she knows what’s coming. Hayden’s therapist, Dr. Erich reminds Hayden that those memories are long gone. But Hayden needs answers.
Hiding the will from her father, Hayden and Del leave their Brooklyn apartment to visit her childhood home in Promise, Colorado, and search for the gifts her mother left with the cryptic message:
She needs to listen with her blood. My second condition is that Hayden uses my gifts to destroy my darkest secret—my hidden treasure, my heaviest burden.
When Hayden struggles to understand, she interprets things using theoretical physics, and the author does this beautifully at the start of each chapter with musings of the metaphysical, the forces of gravity, and Murphy’s Law, and how it relates to Hayden’s life.
My kind of genre-mash-up, that twists urban fantasy and science fiction with the creepy factor that comes with a dark woodland mystery along with a gripping pace and self-sacrificing friendships. Quite unlike anything I’ve read before. I’d recommend this book for mature YA readers.
steph01924's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. This started off with promise but got kind of weird, and not in a great way. I wanted to like it more than I did. Check out my full review over at Forever Young Adult.
luciearan's review against another edition
3.0
No, nebylo to špatné, ale na můj vkus poněkud překombinované.
Za celou knihu jsem neměla pocit, že by mě děj nějak pohltil, nebo bych si oblíbila některou z postav, vše na mě působilo poněkud ploše. Možná, kdyby se vynechaly ony aktivity kolem otce, ale takhle se pozornost přelévá od jednoho k druhému a na mě to celkově působí, že to knize ubírá na poutavosti.
Škoda, protože mytologii a magický realismus mám ráda.
Za celou knihu jsem neměla pocit, že by mě děj nějak pohltil, nebo bych si oblíbila některou z postav, vše na mě působilo poněkud ploše. Možná, kdyby se vynechaly ony aktivity kolem otce, ale takhle se pozornost přelévá od jednoho k druhému a na mě to celkově působí, že to knize ubírá na poutavosti.
Škoda, protože mytologii a magický realismus mám ráda.
coffeedragon's review against another edition
4.0
I receieved this book through a blog tour/netgalley in exchange for an honest review
At this point, I think there have been tons of books made with the woods as a central figure but I’m always surprised to see what new twists come about. In What the Woods Keep, we have Hayden who has been away from Promise, Colorado ever since her mother disappeared in the woods. Because it’s been so many years, she’s been pronounced dead but nobody truly knows what happened the night she disappeared. The only traces of her being in the woods are a pinky that doesn’t belong to her and the unexplained phenomena of a section of the woods being crushed.
Honestly, I was in for the ride of this book from page one. Even though Hayden was your typical girl, there was something eerily strange about her and it was only made more apparent by all the documents presented to us, like her doctor’s notes and an interview from a childhood classmate that suggested some sort of violent magical happening. I think it was this mystery from the start that attracted me to the whole story. I knew there was something strange going on with Hayden, her mother, and Promise, Colorado, a little town that not only had some cult practices, but that had crazy weather patterns.
I also just really liked Hayden as a character. I found that all her little pockets of knowledge really made the beginnings of each chapter something I looked forward to, and I was so excited when I actually recognized one of the stories! The one where some campers are terrorized by something and end up dead in the mountains. I had actually read that “phenomena” a few months back and think it’s an interesting addition to this book where something strange also happened and was never really publically investigated. Aside from magic, Hayden also doesn’t seem the type to stand out but she had the courage to go back to a place that holds very few good memories just to find out what happened to her mother. I feel like if that were me, I’d probably not be brave enough. Speaking of good memories, I feel like Shannon had so much potential but was only really used as the love interest, which I didn’t Really mind, but I am curious to know how things would have gone if he’d been more (considering his origins and his mother’s role back in the day)
I guess the only reason I didn’t give this book a solid 5/5 was that the ending felt a little less organized to me. At that point, we’d figured out that blood was an important factor to what was going on, but I wasn’t 100% convinced with how Del (Hayden’s BFF and her companion on this journey) was being used. Not so much the whole controlling thing but just her role (plus, by that point, part of me wasn’t a huge fan of her, lol!). Aside from Del, I also feel like a lot of character were introduced but never really went anywhere and/or weren’t developed enough (like Elspeth and her father, Shannon, Santiago, Hayden’s father), though they did serve their purpose. I also wasn’t sure how to feel about the ending. Is this a stand alone or should we be expecting a second book? I honestly hope there’s a sequel because there were a few things I wanted to see developed like the whole imbalance that was talked about, Hayden’s father’s role, and just what Hayden is going to do now.
At this point, I think there have been tons of books made with the woods as a central figure but I’m always surprised to see what new twists come about. In What the Woods Keep, we have Hayden who has been away from Promise, Colorado ever since her mother disappeared in the woods. Because it’s been so many years, she’s been pronounced dead but nobody truly knows what happened the night she disappeared. The only traces of her being in the woods are a pinky that doesn’t belong to her and the unexplained phenomena of a section of the woods being crushed.
Honestly, I was in for the ride of this book from page one. Even though Hayden was your typical girl, there was something eerily strange about her and it was only made more apparent by all the documents presented to us, like her doctor’s notes and an interview from a childhood classmate that suggested some sort of violent magical happening. I think it was this mystery from the start that attracted me to the whole story. I knew there was something strange going on with Hayden, her mother, and Promise, Colorado, a little town that not only had some cult practices, but that had crazy weather patterns.
I also just really liked Hayden as a character. I found that all her little pockets of knowledge really made the beginnings of each chapter something I looked forward to, and I was so excited when I actually recognized one of the stories! The one where some campers are terrorized by something and end up dead in the mountains. I had actually read that “phenomena” a few months back and think it’s an interesting addition to this book where something strange also happened and was never really publically investigated. Aside from magic, Hayden also doesn’t seem the type to stand out but she had the courage to go back to a place that holds very few good memories just to find out what happened to her mother. I feel like if that were me, I’d probably not be brave enough. Speaking of good memories, I feel like Shannon had so much potential but was only really used as the love interest, which I didn’t Really mind, but I am curious to know how things would have gone if he’d been more (considering his origins and his mother’s role back in the day)
I guess the only reason I didn’t give this book a solid 5/5 was that the ending felt a little less organized to me. At that point, we’d figured out that blood was an important factor to what was going on, but I wasn’t 100% convinced with how Del (Hayden’s BFF and her companion on this journey) was being used. Not so much the whole controlling thing but just her role (plus, by that point, part of me wasn’t a huge fan of her, lol!). Aside from Del, I also feel like a lot of character were introduced but never really went anywhere and/or weren’t developed enough (like Elspeth and her father, Shannon, Santiago, Hayden’s father), though they did serve their purpose. I also wasn’t sure how to feel about the ending. Is this a stand alone or should we be expecting a second book? I honestly hope there’s a sequel because there were a few things I wanted to see developed like the whole imbalance that was talked about, Hayden’s father’s role, and just what Hayden is going to do now.
seathejoyfulsun's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
This reads like it is the authors first book (of which it is). While it is missing some of what I consider big "first book" glaring issues many books have, it still had many. Mostly with the pacing and information given. Some of the information felt unnecessary (it is the first book in the series so maybe the information would be relevant later). Some of it felt like it wasn't given in the right spots. There were many moments that felt like "I need you to know this information because I know it" which again could also be related to the "first book in a series" piece.
The pacing was the biggest issue for me. I was so bored for the first chunk, but I was on a train and this was all I had so I was going to finish it. It took forever for anything interesting to happen. Like yeah okay there was that weird period of her past that I guess is important but it took so long to get to the woods and the house aka the reasons I wanted to read the story.
I didnt like how the big issue got resolved. It was confusing and too quick for me. Might have been a set up for a sequel but I didn like the book enough to want to read the sequel. I think people should have gone MORE insane and MORE people should have died or more fights or SOMETHING instead it was weird and mostly I felt let down. Maybe my issue was that the stakes didn't feel real even though I knew they were big and important.
I gave it a 2.5 because I finished it and I did like the MC and her friend. They were interesting character. The pacing and the stakes killed the book for me.
All in all: very clearly the first book by the author that needed pacing help but had a really interesting concept and elements so I am mad that the pacing wasn't better. I could see SO MUCH potential with this book and I'm disappointed it didn't land like I wanted it to.
The pacing was the biggest issue for me. I was so bored for the first chunk, but I was on a train and this was all I had so I was going to finish it. It took forever for anything interesting to happen. Like yeah okay there was that weird period of her past that I guess is important but it took so long to get to the woods and the house aka the reasons I wanted to read the story.
I didnt like how the big issue got resolved. It was confusing and too quick for me. Might have been a set up for a sequel but I didn like the book enough to want to read the sequel. I think people should have gone MORE insane and MORE people should have died or more fights or SOMETHING instead it was weird and mostly I felt let down. Maybe my issue was that the stakes didn't feel real even though I knew they were big and important.
I gave it a 2.5 because I finished it and I did like the MC and her friend. They were interesting character. The pacing and the stakes killed the book for me.
All in all: very clearly the first book by the author that needed pacing help but had a really interesting concept and elements so I am mad that the pacing wasn't better. I could see SO MUCH potential with this book and I'm disappointed it didn't land like I wanted it to.