Summary: In a forest filled
with treacherous beasts, the thing to be most afraid of is closer than
you think in this middle grade horror fantasy.
Kestrel, a
young huntress, lives in a seemingly endless forest crawling with
dangerous beasts. But the most dangerous beasts of all are the
Grabbers—beings that are born when you are and stalk you throughout your
life, waiting for the perfect moment to snatch and eat you. No one has
ever defeated their Grabber once attacked, and those that die from
accidents or other creatures are considered "lucky." Kestrel has been
tasked by her mother, a powerful and controlling spell-caster, to hunt
down the Grabbers in an effort to protect their village in the forest.
Accompanied by Pippit, a hilariously bloodthirsty weasel, she hones her
skills as she searches for a way out of the forest--and away from the
judgmental villagers who despise her. But her own Grabber is creeping
ever closer, and nothing in this forest is what it seems... including
her mother's true motivations. (picture and summary from goodreads.com)
My Review: I always like a book with a spooky premise and some cool monsters, and Where the Woods End had both.
Our main character was well-rounded, but also damaged, which added
to her depth. She has been raised in a harsh environment by a
grandmother and a mother who put her in danger every day, teaching her
ways to survive the forest. It was hard to hear the things these
guardians put her through which has turned Kestrel into a hardened knot
of anger and ferocity, but at the same time has helped her learn to
survive.
The monsters in this book are truly frightening, particularly the
creatures called Grabbers. Every person has their own, and they come
for you and only for you, building their bodies out of your stolen
possessions, dead animals and the wood itself. Once your Grabber
decides to come for you, it's over, there is no chance of survival. I
loved that in a morbid, spooky way. We have other creatures Kestrel
comes across that are just as frightening, bone birds and face painters,
cool concepts with frightening implications.
After Kestrel, my particular favorite character was Pippit, her little
weasel friend. He spoke in clipped sentences, seemed entirely focused
on blood and food, but I loved his deep loyalty to Kestrel.
I did feel like there was a lot of back and forth, and Kestrel always
kept ending up back in the village every time she went out, so that got a
little repetitive. Also I felt some of the characters in the village
felt a little one dimensional, like caricatures. And this is probably
just a personal opinion, but Salter used a bunch of similes which I
found odd and unnecessary and at times it distracted me from the story.
Overall an intriguing and spooky tale, well worth the read.
My Rating: 3.5
For the sensitive reader: Kestrel was raised in an abusive home, and is
also bullied by the villagers. She also faces numerous monsters that
are truly scary.
No comments:
Post a Comment