What the Woods Took by Courtney Gould | Book Review

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What the Woods Took by Courtney Gould
Published by Wednesday Books on December 10, 2024
Genres: Horror, LGBT, Folklore
Pages: 336
Format: Hardcover
Source: OwlCrate December 2024

Content Warnings: Gore, Violence, Mentions of Sexual Assault, Child Abuse, Suicide, Self Harm, Drug Use

Rating:

Devin Green wakes in the middle of the night to find two men in her bedroom. No stranger to a fight, she calls to her foster parents for help, but it soon becomes clear this is a planned abduction—one everyone but Devin signed up for. She’s shoved in a van and driven deep into the Idaho woods, where she’s dropped off with a cohort of equally confused teens. Finally, two camp counselors inform them that they've all been enrolled in an experimental therapy program. If the campers can learn to change their self-destructive ways—and survive a fifty-days hike through the wilderness—they’ll come out the other side as better versions of themselves. Or so the counselors say. Devin is immediately determined to escape. She’s also determined to ignore Sheridan, the cruel-mouthed, lavender-haired bully who mocks every group exercise. But there’s something strange about these woods—inhuman faces appearing between the trees, visions of people who shouldn't be there flashing in the leaves—and when the campers wake up to find both counselors missing, therapy becomes the least of their problems. Stranded and left to fend for themselves, the teens quickly realize they’ll have to trust each other if they want to survive. But what lies in the woods may not be as dangerous as what the campers are hiding from each other—and if the monsters have their way, no one will leave the woods alive.

First and foremost, the OwlCrate edition of What the Woods Took is absolutely stunning, and I am thankful I decided to renew my subscription for the month of December. It has gorgeous stenciled edges, an eerie dust jacket redesign, and a beautifully decorated hardcover. As for the actual story, it was a thrilling read.

What the Woods Took is an interesting critique on wilderness rehabilitation camps and retreats for troubled teens. These programs have a history of being sketchy, and the science behind them just isn't there. While modern camps and retreats might not be dealing with real monsters hunting everyone involved, they do have a habit of bringing out the worst in us. Gould does an excellent job showing how forcing children to break can bring out those demons, with campers turning against each other in a fight for survival. She sprinkles in a bit of psychological horror as well, making it difficult to determine what is and is not real, which adds to the eeriness of it all.

What the Woods Took is told from multiple perspectives, mostly that of Devin and Oliver, who quickly bond over their shared experiences. We occasionally hear from Sheridan, Devin's rival, with the rest of the campers' stories being told through dialogue. As the plot progresses, we get a deeper look into the trauma each camper has experienced, from child abuse and foster care to sibling loss and parental estrangement. As someone who works with teens on a daily basis, insights into a child's trauma informs their behavior. Children are not inherently bad; they just make bad choices. I fell in love with every single camper and cried right along with them as they suffered unimaginable horrors in their fight to escape a forest trying to kill them.

The character development and world-building were so good I couldn't put the book down. It was incredibly engaging and very fast-paced, but the ending left something to be desired. It fell flat for me, and that's why I ended up rating the book 3.5 out of 5 stars. Ending a book like this is difficult, and while everything was wrapped up in a nice little bow, it felt forced and out of place, almost dreamlike, but not in a good way. I think I would have appreciated a more open ending that left me unsure of what really went on, but Gould did dive into some of the things that happen after someone survives a horrific event, especially if it is "unbelievable."

Overall, What the Woods Took is a quick, eerie read that isa  perfect palette cleanser between series or if you are in a reading slump.