She's out there. Waiting for you. A haunting read about witchcraft and superstition from Lisa Hall... 'Creepy, atmospheric, unnerving and brilliant' Will Dean 'A proper nailbiter' Mel McGrath 'Spooky' Louise Beech 'I couldn't read it fast enough' Helen Phifer 'A chilling triumph' Fiona Cummins Is her family in danger? When Allie moves to a ...
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She's out there. Waiting for you. A haunting read about witchcraft and superstition from Lisa Hall... 'Creepy, atmospheric, unnerving and brilliant' Will Dean 'A proper nailbiter' Mel McGrath 'Spooky' Louise Beech 'I couldn't read it fast enough' Helen Phifer 'A chilling triumph' Fiona Cummins Is her family in danger? When Allie moves to a quaint old cottage with her husband, it's their dream home. Nestled in the village of Pluckley, it seems a perfect haven in which to raise their two children. But Pluckley has a reputation. It's known as England's most haunted village. And not long after the birth of their new son, Allie begins to notice strange things... What's the flash of white she sees moving quickly through the woods to the back of their house? And what's the strange scratching noise coming from the chimney? As Allie discovers more about the history of their new home, she uncovers a story of witchcraft and superstition, which casts a long shadow into the present day. And not everything is as it seems. Her family might well be in danger, but it's a danger none of them could have foreseen... Bestseller Lisa Hall's The Woman in the Woods is full of creeping unease and nerve-wracking tension, and will have readers on the edge of their seats... Praise for The Woman in the Woods: 'Creepy, atmospheric, unnerving and brilliant. Shirley Jackson and Ira Levin vibes. If you're looking for a Halloween read (legends, antiquities, and a sense of dread), this is it' Will Dean 'The Woman in the Woods pulses with a sinister energy that keeps you reading on. A proper nailbiter' Mel McGrath 'Such a different one from Lisa Hall and I loved it! Spooky and hook-y ... Highly recommend. You're all in for a treat this autumn' Louise Beech 'Creepy and tense' Bella 'I couldn't put it down and I couldn't read it fast enough' Helen Phifer 'Creepy, dark and all the chills! This book will make you question everything and everyone. Hall really knows how to drag the reader into the darkness. Fantastic!' Lauren North 'Atmospheric, creepy and oh-so-compulsive, The Woman in the Woods is a chilling triumph' Fiona Cummins
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Fine. Glued binding. B-format paperback. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
As winter approaches, I love to dive into a good scary story - The Woman in the Woods focuses on Allie who has moved with her family to the village of Pluckley, which is famous for its ghosts and history of witchcraft.
I wouldn't really class this book as a horror story - there's a few witchcraft elements but that's about it and I didn't find it unsettling or creepy to read. It's more of a domestic thriller and although I sympathised with Allie, I found the other characters to be annoying. I didn't understand why her husband Rav needed to hide everything from her which made her paranoia so much worse for no reason. I spent the majority of the book (silently) screaming at Allie to just talk to her husband about the lies she had actively caught him out in and I think most of the issues would have been solved by some much needed communication on all sides. Other characters just felt sandwiched into the story to cast doubt or mislead without being fully rounded characters in their own right. The child Mina confused me as to how old she was supposed to be, and Leo is called 'the baby' throughout instead of his name which was jarring.
Without giving any spoilers, I felt the ending was in poor taste - in 2021 it seems a real misstep to make a topic like this a punchline twist. As well as not sitting well with me it came across as a solution that tried to tie everything in a neat bow without really explaining everything fully. With hindsight, some of the book suddenly made no sense when you knew the truth of what was going on - the items Allie found in the house for example, or the behaviour of the mums at the playgroup.
My other issue was the pacing of the book - although something like this needs a slow-burn I felt the pacing was far too slow and around 50 pages could have been easily edited out of it. There's a lot of repetition - particularly of boring domestic tasks which did not move the narrative along and could have been cut down.
Overall, The Woman in the Woods offered a creepy read but I found myself frustrated with both the characters and the ending. Thank you to NetGalley & HQ for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.