‘It’s a very gripping book; The kind where you almost hold your breath during the high anxiety moments’
So, my third completed read of the year and it’s only February! My goodness I feel a rush inside for reading again and I couldn’t be happier, but my goodness… This book is really something else in my opinion and I’m not quite sure how I feel about it. Absolutely not a reflection of the way it’s written; More so how the book makes you feel which will be different for each person reading it. Just like watching a film; Some may be excited and ‘pumped’ afterwards. Some may really not like it and others may have questions and queries. Me, after this book; Anxious, uneasy and almost (funnily enough) like I’m not quite awake; A little more like a lucid dream.
I was so excited to read this book. It was the first fictional horror after my dedicated time to Sleeping beauties by Stephen King and Owen King and I was rushing to read it. It’s a fairly average sized book. Interesting and enticing cover and most certainly eye catching with it’s bright orange glow or more like an impending shimmer that lures you in.
The book is well written with a very interesting and complex story line full of interesting characters who each play a major role in the story alongside or should I say against our main protagonist ‘Tess’. When I started reading this I personally had a slow start; The first few days I was on and off with life’s joys of worries and organising various things amongst feeling sensitive about my current family bereavement. After a slow start I vowed to get stuck in on a Sunday and just read and read and read; So I did.
Once I got stuck in, I realised I couldn’t just put the book down. I was determined to get through most of it. I’m not sure it was a great idea but weirdly enough I didn’t want to find myself reading it in the days to come as it made me feel uneasy, anxious and panicked. I decided I was going to stick it out and dedicate my day to finishing it so I could then move on to a less anxiety inducing read. Whilst dealing with my own worries, anxieties and grief in the four walls of my mind, I think reading this didn’t quit help my mindset. It’s a very gripping book; The kind where you almost hold your breath during the high anxiety moments. Vanessa Savage has done a fantastic job at making such a gripping story with realism and also disbelief.
What Tess, the main character, is going through is almost my worst nightmare and so I went on this journey with her and felt her emotions rise and fall as she progressed through this story. I felt her anxiety, her pain, her depression, her mental health strained and her life of lies, surrounded by people she wasn’t sure she could trust. It’s an uncomfortable read in parts as things get very dark, very quickly. I felt like I couldn’t escape because I was so empathetic towards Tess but yet I knew she held dark secrets too which also scared me. This book is one big false sense of security and for that reason, my goodness it’s brilliant.
It’s well written, well structured and the feelings you get when reading this book are very real. You almost feel a negative vibration from the words on the pages when you’re hooked and part of this terrifying tale. Vanessa covers some very real issues in this book; Starting with death and uncovering a web of lies, family feuds, toxic relationships, loss, mental illness, crime and even pedophilia. You feel for Tess as you can really see how her situation would possibly be one of the worst things you could possibly go through. Tess’s situation is actually what I could describe as may worst nightmare.
You may be thinking this is a negative review but actually it’s the truth about the power of a well written book and well thought out storyline. This book could’ve easily fallen apart had it not had such a brilliant author. There are so many elements and loose ends that she needed to tie and get right and in my opinion, she did.
The mere fact it impacted me so much means that it’s a great book within it’s genre. I would recommend but with CAUTION. It is triggering to those with mental illness and PTSD. It’s very open and real and touches on a lot of sensitive topics so please take care when reading.
Click the image to go to my youtube review!
My Good reads review
The Woods by Vanessa SavageMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I have my detailed review over on the blog but overall this book is so well written. Almost too good! Vanessa has done a fantastic job at creating an eery atmosphere and vibe. I felt sick and very anxious during and after this read. Whilst reading it almost felt like I was in a lucid dream. It is very creepy and makes you on edge the whole way through.
I read pretty much the entire book in one sitting and oh my word. I definitely will say to read or even approach with caution and mean it when I put TRIGGER WARNING. It touches on some very sensitive topics.
Great read but very intense!
View all my reviews
Thank you for reading. I hope you have enjoyed. I’d love to know if you’ve read this and if so, how did it make you feel?
Stay wonderful!
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