Darkness falls so quickly in Howland that the people there have no word for evening. One minute the sky is light, the next minute it is black. But...
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Dec 31, 2009
Laura
rated it: 
A sort-of selkie tale, set in one of those Countries Gone Bad (evil miners, silly king), orphans, dark woods, and a bunch of other fairy tale tropes combined into one interesting book.
The action sequences were a bit confusing - almost as though they weren't really plotted out on a map but just thrown in as "gee, this sounds good". And the ending left me equally confused: was the prophecy finished? What actually happened to Gibbet? I'm not sure the confusion was meant... More...
The action sequences were a bit confusing - almost as though they weren't really plotted out on a map but just thrown in as "gee, this sounds good". And the ending left me equally confused: was the prophecy finished? What actually happened to Gibbet? I'm not sure the confusion was meant... More...
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Jun 20, 2009
Amber
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In Howland, darkness falls so quick that people there have no word for evening. It's not the darkness that they fear, it's the kinderstalk, creatures that roam the forest killing those that enter it.
Annie is a more adventures twelve year old that lives under her aunt and uncle's care since her parents died. After her sister's death, all she is able to do is just survive there. Until one night she escapes before she is basically sold off. Out on her escape and the journey she now fac More...
Annie is a more adventures twelve year old that lives under her aunt and uncle's care since her parents died. After her sister's death, all she is able to do is just survive there. Until one night she escapes before she is basically sold off. Out on her escape and the journey she now fac More...
Jun 11, 2010
Kate
rated it: 
Darkwood is one of those novels that leaves you thinking WOW! There is so much going on in this intriguing debut novel that I am still trying to get my head wrapped around it. The story has an interesting premise featuring a land that suddenly gets dark for no explanation, an orphan trying to survive, and 2 adorable cats. I really enjoyed Annie as a character; however, I felt like the cats were the actual stars of the book.
In addition, I have to give kudos to Breen for the major twis More...
In addition, I have to give kudos to Breen for the major twis More...
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Nov 22, 2011
Jennifer
rated it: 
Excellent protagonist
When Annie sees her uncle accept payment from a man who wants to steal her away, she runs to the last place she thinks he'll follow – Darkwood. Alone in the dark with the creatures of the forest – the Kinderstalk, Annie struggles to find her way. She travels east, looking to leave Dour County forever. But just on the edge of the county line the starving girl stops at a peculiar farm. Though no food grows in Dour County, a wide assortment of beautiful vegetables gro More...
When Annie sees her uncle accept payment from a man who wants to steal her away, she runs to the last place she thinks he'll follow – Darkwood. Alone in the dark with the creatures of the forest – the Kinderstalk, Annie struggles to find her way. She travels east, looking to leave Dour County forever. But just on the edge of the county line the starving girl stops at a peculiar farm. Though no food grows in Dour County, a wide assortment of beautiful vegetables gro More...
Sep 16, 2011
Patricia
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I was really surprised to find this book in the juvenile section but the age of the main character and the complete lack of a romance angle for her in this book probably put it there rather than the young adult section. The main character, Annie, is a child. We never learn her age but I’d put her probably at 10, possibly at 11 years of age. There are several years between Annie and her older sister, Page, but we are never told the exact age difference.
The location and scene changes i More...
The location and scene changes i More...
Sep 05, 2011
Summer
rated it:
The title and cover of this book immediately caught my eye at the library. And after reading the summary I was even more intrigued. This is definitely a more unique fantasy than I've read in awhile. I thought it was a very good read for youth and adults alike.
The author wastes no time in immersing the reader in action and curiosity. At times the story seemed slightly disjointed but I think the author intended it to be, so that we felt more like Annie does as she herself comes abrup More...
The author wastes no time in immersing the reader in action and curiosity. At times the story seemed slightly disjointed but I think the author intended it to be, so that we felt more like Annie does as she herself comes abrup More...
Aug 04, 2011
Amanda
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Thirteen-year-old Annie lives a bleak life in her Uncle's household, until the day she escapes and finds a mysterious mine with precious stones that are being stolen from the king. She also finds that her past isn't everything that she thought it was, that she's tied to the feared and dangerous kinderstalk -strange werewolf-like creatures that inhabit the world of Darkwood.
Drawing on fairy tale roots and dark mythology, Darkwood delivers an enjoyable and entertaining coming-of-age stor More...
Drawing on fairy tale roots and dark mythology, Darkwood delivers an enjoyable and entertaining coming-of-age stor More...
Aug 01, 2011
Mlle.
rated it:
DARKWOOD is beautifully written, compelling, atmospheric, richly imagined...but still unsatisfying. Despite Breen's wonderful, polished writing, I felt like I was reading a sketch or an outline - the bare bones of a story that hadn't been fully developed.
I was drawn in from the very beginning by the eerie setting, the barren outpost of a strange land where night falls instantly and the darkness is so complete it strands every citizen inside his or her home until the sun rises again.
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I was drawn in from the very beginning by the eerie setting, the barren outpost of a strange land where night falls instantly and the darkness is so complete it strands every citizen inside his or her home until the sun rises again.
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Feb 20, 2011
Holly
rated it:
In the country of Howland, night falls in minutes. The people of Dour County live in fear of mysterious beasts known as the kinderstalk, who devour those unlucky enough to be caught out of doors after dark. Annie has spent her enter life hearing about children who were "taken" by the monsters; but when her uncle condemns her to an even worse fate, she braves the dark and unwittingly begins a journey to discover her destiny.
This is a solid novel for Middle School age groups More...
This is a solid novel for Middle School age groups More...
Dec 30, 2010
Karissa
rated it:
I got this book because I loved the cover and the title. Then I read the synopsis and it sounded very fairy tale like and intriguing and I was hooked. Overall it was an okay book; it wasn't as engaging as I had hoped but it was still an okay read.
Thirteen year old Annie lives with her cruel uncle and her passive aunt. Just when she thinks things can't get any worse she is sold off to work at The Drop, a horrible mine. Rather than do what her uncle wants she escapes and wanders out in More...
Thirteen year old Annie lives with her cruel uncle and her passive aunt. Just when she thinks things can't get any worse she is sold off to work at The Drop, a horrible mine. Rather than do what her uncle wants she escapes and wanders out in More...
Jul 12, 2010
Thanh
rated it:
There are two people in the world: People who wait to find out what the foreshadowing means for the future and the people who finds out what the foreshadowing means. As for me, I am one of those latter people.
The book sounds fascinating when I picked it up, it has the sense of mystery a book should have, but I can't help but feel like the sense of finality to the mystery feels...incomplete and really poorly executed. So, did the king died after his metal heart switcheroo?
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The book sounds fascinating when I picked it up, it has the sense of mystery a book should have, but I can't help but feel like the sense of finality to the mystery feels...incomplete and really poorly executed. So, did the king died after his metal heart switcheroo?
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Mar 29, 2010
Miki
rated it:
A lot of the fantasy I've read over the last few years seems to all be drawing from the same pool of ideas -- but definitely not this one! This is an incredibly compelling book.
While it's great watching Annie (the main character) learn more about her world and her family, and about her own strengths, as the book develops, one of the things that made this book so amazingly real is that even the minor characters have a lot of depth to them. No one feels like a cardboard prop in thi More...
While it's great watching Annie (the main character) learn more about her world and her family, and about her own strengths, as the book develops, one of the things that made this book so amazingly real is that even the minor characters have a lot of depth to them. No one feels like a cardboard prop in thi More...
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Nov 09, 2009
Eva
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In Howland, the moon has not been seen in seven centuries, and when the day is over, night slams down over the land without the grace of a sunset or dusk. Why this is remains a mystery throughout this dark and atmospheric fantasy, although we gain an idea of what vile creature is responsible for this black and dangerous night.
In the night, hungry animals prowl - the "kinderstalk," who are held responsible for the disappearance, one by one, of many of the children in Dour Coun More...
In the night, hungry animals prowl - the "kinderstalk," who are held responsible for the disappearance, one by one, of many of the children in Dour Coun More...
Aug 17, 2009
Ryan
rated it:
Darkwood had all the elements of a great story, but the pieces fit together a bit oddly--not unevenly or jaggedly or anything. It's hard to put a finger on what kept me from enjoying this book about a girl seeking to ... well, maybe that was the problem.
The heroine here, Annie, is fleeing a tyrannical adoptive family and the slave life into which they sought to sell her. She's avoiding the dangerous--though possibly misunderstood--kinderstalk that prowl the dark forests at night. She More...
The heroine here, Annie, is fleeing a tyrannical adoptive family and the slave life into which they sought to sell her. She's avoiding the dangerous--though possibly misunderstood--kinderstalk that prowl the dark forests at night. She More...
Jul 24, 2009
Breen, M.E. (2009). Darkwood. New York: Bloomsbury Children's Literature.
1599902591
An orphan named Annie (no relation to the musical Annie) lives with her uncle and aunt who are far from wonderful caregivers. Annie misses her dead sister as well as her lost friend, Gregor, who along with many other children in the area has been taken by the beastly and hungry Kinderstalk.
Annie overhears her uncle planning to sell her into service at the Drop, a place that Annie is c More...
1599902591
An orphan named Annie (no relation to the musical Annie) lives with her uncle and aunt who are far from wonderful caregivers. Annie misses her dead sister as well as her lost friend, Gregor, who along with many other children in the area has been taken by the beastly and hungry Kinderstalk.
Annie overhears her uncle planning to sell her into service at the Drop, a place that Annie is c More...
Jun 16, 2009
Tatiana
rated it:
When Annie learns that her uncle is going to sell her into slavery at a local glow stone mine, she decides to escape. The only problem is that there is nowhere to escape to, except the dark forest where anything left outside at night is taken by creatures called the Kinderstalk. But with the help of her two protective cats and developing abilities that include being able to see in the dark, Annie must not only save the other children being sold into the mine but find out what and who she really
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Dec 22, 2009
Treasa
rated it:
For as long as she can remember, Annie has lived with her Aunt Prim and Uncle Jock, who took her and her sister in when their parents died. With her sister, Page, also gone, Annie is very much on her own in a house with two adults who don't care for her at all. Children in her village tend to disappear, rumored to be stolen by the kinderstalk (large black wolves who roam the nearby forests). When Annie discovers that her uncle is going to sell her to a terrible man, she tries to escape. With the
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Nov 13, 2011
Darkstar407
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I Personally now consider this book in my top 3 favorites, heck it might even be my number 1 favorite. The author just has a way of a giving details in a way quick enough so that you don't take to long to read about whats happening and fall behind on the action while still making it interesting. He also constantly slips in hints of whats going to happen, without making too obvious. Some might argue that the plot and ending were "unsatisfying," but I couldn't agree less. The ending does
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Nov 03, 2011
Desire'
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Darkness falls so quickly in Howland that the people there have no word for evening. But for thirteen-yearold Annie, the dark is almost soothing compared to the misery of her cruel aunt and uncle's house. When Annie finally escapes, she finds herself on a journey that will take her deep into the forest—where fearsome creatures lurk—and to the glittering halls of a palace. Hints of the Brothers Grimm add magic to this spellbinding and beautifully told story.
I really enjoyed the dar More...
I really enjoyed the dar More...
Oct 19, 2011
Kimberly
rated it:
This is definitely a preteen book, but really good! I wouldn't necessarily recommend this as a great read for adults, but the plot was great for a kid's story. It was twisty and scary but not too scary. I liked that it was intelligently written, and didn't seem to talk down to the audience, like some kids' books do.
Story is about a girl who lives on the edge of a forest where kinderstalk take children and others that are out after dark. Then she finds out her uncle isn't who he says he More...
Story is about a girl who lives on the edge of a forest where kinderstalk take children and others that are out after dark. Then she finds out her uncle isn't who he says he More...
Mar 09, 2011
Reading Vacation's Mom
rated it:
REVIEW
I will start with what I liked about Darkwood. The main character, Annie, was a brave heroine. Believing her family had died, Annie had a rough childhood living with her uncle. Because Annie was so well written, I felt sad for her and the struggles she endured.
I also liked the ending of this book. It was very unexpected and touching. I won’t give it away, but I will say that it had to do with family.
Now, for what I did not care for. The plot moved slowly for me and most of my questio More...
I will start with what I liked about Darkwood. The main character, Annie, was a brave heroine. Believing her family had died, Annie had a rough childhood living with her uncle. Because Annie was so well written, I felt sad for her and the struggles she endured.
I also liked the ending of this book. It was very unexpected and touching. I won’t give it away, but I will say that it had to do with family.
Now, for what I did not care for. The plot moved slowly for me and most of my questio More...
Jul 28, 2009
Robyn
rated it:
There is so much happening in this book you are sucked in immediately. The problem is not everything is flushed out.
Annie lives in Dour County in Howland where nightfall is like the flip of a switch. The people are stalked by creatures called 'kinderstalk'. She is sold and forced to work in The Drop, a giant cliff face where people are mining for ringstone. But she escapes and plans to go to the King and tell him all about the corruption at the Drop, but instead runs into a whole lot More...
Annie lives in Dour County in Howland where nightfall is like the flip of a switch. The people are stalked by creatures called 'kinderstalk'. She is sold and forced to work in The Drop, a giant cliff face where people are mining for ringstone. But she escapes and plans to go to the King and tell him all about the corruption at the Drop, but instead runs into a whole lot More...
Sep 19, 2009
Jennifer
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Reviewed by Breia "The Brain" Brickey for TeensReadToo.com
DARKWOOD is set in a land called Howland, that has no word for evening because darkness falls so quickly. One minute the sky is light, the next minute it is black.
For Annie, nothing is as scary as what might happen if she stays with her aunt and uncle. One night she escapes only to find herself stuck at a mine where they make the children do all of the dangerous work. After a harrowing time at the mines, More...
DARKWOOD is set in a land called Howland, that has no word for evening because darkness falls so quickly. One minute the sky is light, the next minute it is black.
For Annie, nothing is as scary as what might happen if she stays with her aunt and uncle. One night she escapes only to find herself stuck at a mine where they make the children do all of the dangerous work. After a harrowing time at the mines, More...
Jul 28, 2011
Pam
rated it: 
I read 3 1/2 chapters of this book and had to give up. The writer's style was hard for me to follow. One minute the character was in the forest, the next minute she was waking up in someone's shop...I have no clue how she got there or who these people were! Plus, this far into the book, there was little character development on Annie (I think that was her name), so she meant absolutely nothing to me. Also it kept talking about kinderstalk, like I'm supposed to just know what they are. They were
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Oct 10, 2009
Kiirsi
rated it:
Great book! From the second I saw the cover picture to the first page, the book had a creepy, scary, suspenseful feel to it. The kinderstalk are some of the scariest creatures I've read in a while and I liked the slow reveal about what they really were, preserving the scariness and sense of desperation and fear.
I also liked the characters, especially the main character, though at times her abrupt change of feelings pulled me out of the story. I also felt like most of the book was More...
I also liked the characters, especially the main character, though at times her abrupt change of feelings pulled me out of the story. I also felt like most of the book was More...
Aug 20, 2010
Mari
rated it:
Why do I have a feeling this is another one I unfortunately picked up that will undoubtedly be the first book of a series? That's because it is. Only the barest plots got unraveled and explained by the end of the book, and yet some intricate conflict has arisen just as soon as things were solved.
Slightly depressing, and while I did like a few things, I felt the book had very little to do with anything, really. It was much too short to tie in all the loose ends, and that's probably wh More...
Slightly depressing, and while I did like a few things, I felt the book had very little to do with anything, really. It was much too short to tie in all the loose ends, and that's probably wh More...
May 29, 2009
Shannon
rated it:
This is an excellent YA novel with a dark fairy-tale setting. The story has elements of the truly grim Grimm fairy tales, but is completely unique - not a retelling.
The story is quite frightening, otherwise it is completely suitable for a child to read. The author is artful in her telling of this story from a child's perspective - never do an adult's feelings or perspectives creep into the story. It's quite pure in that way. However, it is quite a frightening story, vividly told More...
The story is quite frightening, otherwise it is completely suitable for a child to read. The author is artful in her telling of this story from a child's perspective - never do an adult's feelings or perspectives creep into the story. It's quite pure in that way. However, it is quite a frightening story, vividly told More...
Sep 10, 2011
Tina
rated it:
Annie is 13, living with her Aunt and Uncle - but far from a "happy" life. Once she escapes with her 2 cats she starts to realize that her life will be very challenging. In Darkwood, the darkness comes very quickly with no warning, but Annie realizes that she is still able to see in the dark. She encounters creatures called Kinderstalks, children forced to work in a mine and finds her beloved sister again. This story is very confusing at times - lacks a lot of description. The beg
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May 05, 2011
Noelle
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I gave this book two stars because it wasn't the best. It seemed like the story kept on jumping from one thing to another. It was kind of like the author wanted to make a longer book so she just kept adding random and unimportant things to the story. It kept on going back and forth. I didn't really like it all that much. I don't really like science fiction. I didn't read the summary, so I was expecting a scary story from the cover and the name. So I was a little disappointed. This book w
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Nov 29, 2010
Valerie
rated it:
This book has a different world and a strong protagonist called Annie. The premises of the book was interesting-a runaway orphan girl is just trying to keep herself safe and then all of a sudden she has to save the kingdom. That sounds pretty epic if you ask me. Even with a young protagonist and less than 300 pages I figured ‘id be superb and was so excited when I found out my library had it. Which is why I was a little disappointed.
Darkwood did have its epic moments, the world is i More...
Darkwood did have its epic moments, the world is i More...
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