Review: After the Woods by Kim Savage

Summary:

Would you risk your life to save your best friend?

Julia did. When a paroled predator attacked Liv in the woods, Julia fought back and got caught. Liv ran, leaving Julia in the woods for a terrifying 48 hours that she remembers only in flashbacks. One year later, Liv seems bent on self-destruction, starving herself, doing drugs, and hooking up with a violent new boyfriend. A dead girl turns up in those same woods, and Julia’s memories resurface alongside clues unearthed by an ambitious reporter that link the girl to Julia’s abductor. As the devastating truth becomes clear, Julia realizes that after the woods was just the beginning.

Publication Date: February 23, 2016

After the Woods was a surprisingly dark and creepy YA mystery that I ended up devouring very quickly. I’ve read YA mysteries before that come across as silly or with easy to figure out twists, but that wasn’t the case at all in this book. I was surprised by so many of the clues unearthed by Liv and how they tied into her abduction that occurred a year prior. After the Woods is an amazing debut and I can’t wait to read more from the author.

Julia is very likeable and I connected with her character from the very start. She’s brave and smart and although the book isn’t a whodunit, she needs to find out more about the events surrounding her abduction. Readers know from the very beginning who took Julia, but the unique part of the book is the “why” and the “how.”

The secondary characters were well developed, especially Liv and Kellan. I enjoyed the romance between Kellan and Julia because it lacked any sort of cheese factor. Liv and Julia’s friendship is complicated and it was interesting to read about their changing dynamic.

The pace was good although I didn’t feel the tension as much as I would have liked while reading. I guess since the threat to Julia seems neutralized from the very start, the suspense wasn’t as apparent. But the mystery and romance held my interest and kept me reading. Although this book is YA, I think readers of adult mysteries will also enjoy the plot.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the novel for review!

Review: The Vanishing by Wendy Webb

Summary:

Recently widowed and rendered penniless by her Ponzi-scheming husband, Julia Bishop is eager to start anew. So when a stranger appears on her doorstep with a job offer, she finds herself accepting the mysterious yet unique position: caretaker to his mother, Amaris Sinclair, the famous and rather eccentric horror novelist whom Julia has always admired…and who the world believes is dead.

When she arrives at the Sinclairs' enormous estate on Lake Superior, Julia begins to suspect that there may be sinister undercurrents to her "too-good-to-be-true" position. As Julia delves into the reasons of why Amaris chose to abandon her successful writing career and withdraw from the public eye, her search leads to unsettling connections to her own family tree, making her wonder why she really was invited to Havenwood in the first place, and what monstrous secrets are still held prisoner within its walls.

Publication Date: January 21. 2014

The Vanishing had all the trappings of a good ghost story: the mysterious manor with a dark past, a horror writer and a troubled unreliable narrator. The suspense was slow-building and there were certainly some scenes where I had to put the book aside because the creep factor was high.

Julia is swept away at the start of the story to a spooky and isolated manor under the guise of being a companion to famed horror novelist Amaris Sinclair. As soon as Julia arrives, she begins to see the ghosts of Havenwood. Julia and readers are unsure of what she sees and hears is real because of Julia’s delicate mental state. She had been taking psychotropic drugs and withdrawal from the meds can cause side effects including hallucinations.

I loved a lot of the secondary characters. As soon as Drew entered the picture, I was swooning over his Scottish brogue. Mrs. Sinclair was also great and I loved how she helped provide some levity to the plot. There were a few slow parts that I found myself skimming over. I liked that the author took the time to detail everything about the manor, but it did make the plot lag at times.

The Vanishing had a touch of romance, mystery and suspense as Julia fears an evil is closing in on Havenwood. This was the first book I picked up from the author, but I would certainly read more of her work.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of The Vanishing for review!