{Review} The Killing Woods by Lucy Christopher

Posted by Donna
Release Date: October 3rd, 2013
Finished Date: July 8th, 2014

Publishers: Chicken House 
Genre: YA Thriller
Source: For Review
Format: Paperback

Pages: 369

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

Emily’s dad is accused of murdering a teenage girl. Emily is sure he is innocent, but what happened that night in the woods behind their house where she used to play as a child? Determined to find out, she seeks out Damon Hillary, the enigmatic boyfriend of the murdered girl. He also knows these woods. Maybe they could help each other. But he’s got secrets of his own about games that are played in the dark.

A new psychological thriller from the award-winning and bestselling author of STOLEN and FLYAWAY.

The Review: A chilling and compelling read, The Killing Woods is a haunting tale full of mystery and secrets! 

A girl has been found dead in the woods behind Emily’s house and now her Father is being accused of murdering her. Emily’s life is suddenly turned upside down and with her Father suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and flashbacks, he can’t remember what really happened that night. Determined to find out what really happened, Emily seeks out the one person who might have some answers, the dead girls boyfriend; Damon. But Damon is hiding his own secrets, secrets that he shares with his friends. Is there something more deadly happening in woods? And what did really happen that night? 

The Killing Woods has been a book that I was torn about reading and the reason for that was I guess you could say I felt the synopsis made the story sound very predictable. For that reason, I put off reading it. But, I just couldn’t get this book out of my head. I kept going back and forth about whether I should take the plunge and read it, and in the end, I just decided too – even though I was hesitant. But after reading, I know that I definitely judged this book before reading it. Was it predictable? No not at all! The unpredictability in this book is actually why I enjoyed it so much because you just couldn’t guess the ending – at all! 

Other than being unpredictable, the plot of the story is  intense and quite highly strung. The story is quite sad and has so many twists and secrets, but it was a very enjoyable read, one that kept me on my toes. 

I really enjoyed both Emily and Damon. With the dual narrative from both Emily and Damon, you can feel the tension from both characters. They’re struggling with the events that have happened but both are desperate for answers, it’s was a little difficult to read how much they struggled to come to terms with it and how it affected their lives. And I was hoping for some romance in the story but honestly, I wasn’t sure how it would fit into this story, but what Lucy Christopher did was just the right touch and more importantly, it felt right and it fit well. 

Overall, this was my first try at reading a book by Lucy Christopher and it was definitely worth a read. One I would recommend to a reader who is looking for something that little bit different but very enjoyable! 

Thank you to Chicken House for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review.