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rhi_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Murder, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Confinement, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, and Car accident
snazzyrhombus's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
kind of hated this i'm sorry cj cooke,, the premise was really strong but i feel like it just flopped. very cringey read with a lot of painfully predictable or weird and out of place twists and turns like the stupid note saying 'help me' actually made me giggle. also (i'm a lesbian fyi) i feel like the queer relationships here are super forced and unrealistic,, i hate when writers/filmmakers can't decide whether to let the gays live in peace and create a homophobia-free universe or to suggest homophobia is a worrying factor and just sit somewhere in the middle, in this case where they're all worried about being found out but also don't even panic much at all when they are found out bu their friends who also turn out to be gay....? i also feel like in this era it would take a lot more to figure out you're gay but idk i wasn't around in the 50s/60s so i don't even know
anyway yeah just read mexican gothic instead very similar premise but a lot better
anyway yeah just read mexican gothic instead very similar premise but a lot better
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Minor: Homophobia
koshkajay's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
maddireads13's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Dementia, and Pregnancy
emil7793's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
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? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Violence
loey_h's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
wordsandnocturnes's review against another edition
4.0
Cooke has that ability to rapidly hook readers in with odd happenings, wild speculations, and an air of intrigue. I didn’t get too far before wanting to speed through the whole book just so I could find out what exactly happens, to discover the solution behind the mystery. The writing is also engaging so that the reader is immersed in the characters’ points-of-view, seeing what they see and feeling what they feel. This immersive experience made the book more of an excitement to go through and prompts imagination to run and create according to the descriptions provided.
I enjoyed the characters’ complexities and contrasting personalities as well as the way womanhood is portrayed. As it is in my other recent read The Queen of Dirt Island, both manage to display both conventional and modern beliefs of what a woman were expected to be, and how there is no definite way that a woman should be. In The Ghost Woods, this ties in to the themes of motherhood, how one can grow fond of a child yet will need to part with them. It did make me wonder if there could be anyone who does not develop an attachment to their child and gives them away at Lichen Hall, which is precisely what the expectant mothers initially went there for in the first place. It was a little contradictory in the book, where a character gives up a child just to take in another, so while it wasn’t directly shown, it would be common sense to believe that there would be parents who genuinely do not want their children or would need to give them up, and although I may not understand the subject fully, it would have been interesting to be able to read these differing views when it comes to motherhood.
When it came to the plot, I liked how Cooke weaved the intricate world of fungi into the story, how they are used in place of human nature and shown as both beautiful and horrendous, and how it sparked an interest in me to look up the types of fungi mentioned. It is indeed true that nature can be both exquisite yet deadly, how we need to be reminded of it and respect it all the same. The story was fast-paced and I do wish we had some more exposure to the horror, to the effects of said horrors, and the possibilities or implications that await, but it was still a thrilling ride nonetheless.
In the end, I greatly enjoyed The Ghost Woods, and having absolutely sped through the book, I realise just how entertaining it is. So if you’re looking for a haunting yet gripping story to sit back with, you know what book to look out for.
From Words & Nocturnes
I enjoyed the characters’ complexities and contrasting personalities as well as the way womanhood is portrayed. As it is in my other recent read The Queen of Dirt Island, both manage to display both conventional and modern beliefs of what a woman were expected to be, and how there is no definite way that a woman should be. In The Ghost Woods, this ties in to the themes of motherhood, how one can grow fond of a child yet will need to part with them. It did make me wonder if there could be anyone who does not develop an attachment to their child and gives them away at Lichen Hall, which is precisely what the expectant mothers initially went there for in the first place. It was a little contradictory in the book, where a character gives up a child just to take in another, so while it wasn’t directly shown, it would be common sense to believe that there would be parents who genuinely do not want their children or would need to give them up, and although I may not understand the subject fully, it would have been interesting to be able to read these differing views when it comes to motherhood.
When it came to the plot, I liked how Cooke weaved the intricate world of fungi into the story, how they are used in place of human nature and shown as both beautiful and horrendous, and how it sparked an interest in me to look up the types of fungi mentioned. It is indeed true that nature can be both exquisite yet deadly, how we need to be reminded of it and respect it all the same. The story was fast-paced and I do wish we had some more exposure to the horror, to the effects of said horrors, and the possibilities or implications that await, but it was still a thrilling ride nonetheless.
In the end, I greatly enjoyed The Ghost Woods, and having absolutely sped through the book, I realise just how entertaining it is. So if you’re looking for a haunting yet gripping story to sit back with, you know what book to look out for.
From Words & Nocturnes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Gaslighting