Where the Woods End

by Charlotte Salter

In a forest filled with treacherous beasts, the thing to be most afraid of is closer than you think in this middle grade horror fantasy.

Kestrel, a young huntress, lives in a seemingly endless forest crawling with dangerous beasts. But the most dangerous beasts of all are the Grabbers—beings that are born when you are and stalk you throughout your life, waiting for the perfect moment to snatch and eat you. No one has ever defeated their Grabber once attacked, and those that die from accidents or other creatures are considered "lucky." Kestrel has been tasked by her mother, a powerful and controlling spell-caster, to hunt down the Grabbers in an effort to protect their village in the forest. Accompanied by Pippit, a hilariously bloodthirsty weasel, she hones her skills as she searches for a way out of the forest--and away from the judgmental villagers who despise her. But her own Grabber is creeping ever closer, and nothing in this forest is what it seems... including her mother's true motivations.

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Horror, Childrens, Young Adult, Halloween, Fiction

304 pages, Hardcover

First published August 14, 2018

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing to fear but everything here . . .

Dark, scary forests are a staple of most fairy tales, but the woods in this book are horrifying beyond belief: basically everything from the forest floor to the tree tops can KILL you.

The endless forest was dark as the back of a wolf's throat, and it was filled with countless horrors.

Twelve-year-old Kestrel knows the ways of the forest, and the terrors that lurk behind every tree. She is a huntress, forever on the lookout for grabbers - nightmarish monsters that stalk one person throughout their life, building their bodies bit by bit until they resemble their victim's greatest fear.

The forest is alive, and the grabbers are its terrible appetite.

This was a creepy and compelling story. Though aimed at a middle grade audience, it should be recommended for more mature readers. Salter's novel goes to some really dark places.

[Mehrshad Zarei · Rating 4 out of 5]

شاید با خوندن کتابِ اول نویسنده بگید که اثرش حال‌و‌هوای تیم برتونی داره و سبک نوشتارش مثل نیل گیمنه. درمورد این کتاب هم می‌شه این حرف رو زد اما خیلی سخت می‌شه مقایسه‌ش کرد چراکه به‌نظرم نویسنده توی این کتاب یک قدم از اون‌ها پیشی می‌گیره و چه بهتر که بگیم دنیای داستانیش بیشتر از همه شارلوت سالتریه و شخصاً این کتاب رو بیشتر از خیلی از کارهای گیمن دوست داشتم.

دنیای داستانیِ تازه و جذاب، ریتم و پیشرفتِ حرفه‌ای و چینش پازلِ داستان کنار هم و پایان‌بندی قابل قبول از این اثر یک کتاب قوی ساخته و بسیار برام جای تعجبه که چرا با این خواننده اندک توی گودریدز همچین امتیاز پایینی دریافت کرده.

"اگر توی جنگل گم شوید، ممکن است چند روز دور خودتان چرخ بزنید و با اینکه مسیر بازگشت به خانه درست بغل دستتان است، آن را پیدا نکنید."

کسترل، شخصیت اصلی کتاب یک شکارچیه و از معدود افرادیه که جرئت داره به جنگل بره و قاپ‌زن‌ها رو شکار کنه اما قاپ‌زن‌ها چین؟

"قاپزن‌ها همانطور که ممکن بود هر چیزی بدزدند، بدن‌هایشان را هــم از هــر چیــزی، ســبزیجات و اســتخوان و آشــغال و فقــط گاهــی وقت‌هــا از حیوانــات دیگــر، می‌ســاختند. نتیجــه تــوده‌های بــود کــه همه‌چیزش به همدیگر وصل شده بودند، وصله دوزی اجزای بدن و اشیای دزدیده شده که با لجن و نیروی محض اراده به همدیگر وصل مانده بودند."

اما داستان به تعقیب و گریز و کشتن اون‌ها ختم نمیشه و از اونجایی که کنجکاوی و ماجراجو بودن معمولاً راهش به حقیقت ختم می‌شه کسترل هم به‌ناچار با این موضوع روبه‌رو شده و باید باهاش بجنگه! جنگیدن تنها راه حل مشکلاتشه حتی اگر شده با قاشق!

این کتاب تمام انتظارات من رو از یک فانتزی نوجوان تونست برآورده کنه و به‌عنوان یک خواننده بزرگسال
لذتِ تمام بردم.

نمره‌ام به این کتاب ۴.۵

[Hadis · Rating 3 out of 5]

میکسی از
کورالاین
برفین و رزالین
نورلند ۲
سرافینا و شنل سیاه
و خخبببب مثل این چالشای مخلوط آبمیوه بود دیگه
بعضیاشون گاملا بدمزن بعضیا هم خوشمزن بدمزم هستن😂
این کتاب جزو دسته دومه
حقیقتا به نصف اول کتاب ۱.۵ میدم و اصلااااااا نمیتونستم تحملش کنم هزار بار خواستم ولش کن و بزارمش کنار فضای زیاااادی دارک بود و چندش
ولی از نیمه دوم قابل تحمل تر شد و تونستم با کسترل رابطه برقرار کنم. ولی نکته مثبتش اینه که فضا ۹۹ درصد دارک بود
مطلقا دارک ولی عمق داستان در کنار دارک بودنش زیبایی هم داشت🙂
و خلاصه که همین دیگه
همینطوری اگه بیکارید و اینا بخونیدش😂😂
پ‌‌ن: از یه لحااظاتی دقیقاااااااااااا کورالاین بود
ولی خب اون قشنگ تره😂😂😂😊😊😊
و و و یادم رفت بگم که : گُنگ بود
پایان

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up Where the Woods End after my friend Steve Stred sent me a picture and asked if I'd read it yet. We were pretty excited by the sound of it and decided to do a buddy read.

First of all, this book encompasses a lot of what I love about MG. It was so imaginative, and I was captivated by it from the start. Second of all, Where the Woods End is the creepiest middle grade horror I've ever read! For some kids it may be a little too creepy. For me, it was awesome.

I spent the majority of the book assuming it was an allegory that I wouldn't understand, but it all came together in the end. I loved it!

This was a perfect buddy read, too. Steve and I were constantly guessing and demanding answers. It was a lot of fun. Be sure to check out Steve's review, too.

[Aida · Rating 5 out of 5]

این هم از دور دوم مطالعه!

آپدیت سوم:

این هم آخرین تحویل کار سال ۹۷ - امیدوارم دور آخر خوانش کتاب بوده باشه!

[Katrin von Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven’t read much middle grade fiction in recent years, but I decided to pick up “Where the Woods End” by Charlotte Salter because the back of book blurb teased a somewhat whimsical, yet potentially terrifying story and, well, I liked the cover (I can be really shallow with my book choices sometimes). Without having any experience in this genre since I was a lot younger, I went into the story with an open mind and cautious optimism, intrigued at the prospect of a horror novel made to appeal to younger readers and looking forward to the more fun elements often found in middle grade fiction. This novel ended up being one of the most pleasant, unexpected reading surprises that I’ve had in a while. Spoilers follow.

Twelve-year-old Kestrel lives in an endless forest inhabited by all sorts of dangerous beasts. Despite her young age, she’s a capable hunter, often braving the forest at her witch-mother’s request to track down the feared grabbers. Grabbers pose a unique threat to the village: they target one specific person, stealing their things and learning their greatest fears until the grabber can take the form of what the person is most afraid of, at which point it attacks, dragging its victim into the woods and devouring them. The attacks on Kestrel’s village are becoming more frequent and her mother is sending her out more often than before. Still haunted by the memories of her grandmother, the woman who both lovingly trained and simultaneously frightened Kestrel before being dragged off by her own grabber, Kestrel begins to question the motivations of her often-cruel mother…and when Kestrel realizes that her grabber has started to hunt for her, her need to break her mother’s hold over her and try to escape the forest becomes even more dire. With Pippit, a bloodthirsty weasel and her only reliable friend, by her side, she faces the terrifying unknowns of the forest, hoping to find the answers she seeks before it’s too late.

So…wow, there’s a lot that happens in this book. I was impressed by how much was crammed into 300 pages, yet the story doesn’t feel rushed or bloated in the slightest. Instead, it skips along at a reliable pace, Kestrel’s stubborn determination to find a way out driving us forward through this adventure while her flashbacks and sojourns back to the village giving us the necessary background to understand her complicated relationship with both her mother and late-grandmother. There’s absolutely no time wasted, every step that Kestrel takes contributes something to the story. Additionally, Slater’s writing can be pretty quippy and snappy, which adds a level of amusement to an otherwise dark tale that feels very appropriate when told through the perspective of a twelve-year-old. I flew through this novel, not because it was simple or too easy (which had been one of my concerns with picking up a middle grade work), but because it’s just so darn enthralling that I had a hard time convincing myself to put it down.

Salter also has a natural skill for dropping hints without revealing the twist until just the right moment. I’ve come across authors that keep the questions in their stories burning for so long that they essentially smoke out their answers before they intend to, but that’s not the case at all here. I was really impressed with how well-crafted this story is. There were times when I was reading, especially toward the beginning, where I thought that parts of the plot felt episodic (which I was more than ok with since they showed us more of the forest and its inhabitants), but ultimately, they ended up tying into much bigger reveals. Kestrel’s own ability to convince herself of things assists in this: when her belongings start to go missing, for example, she tells herself that it’s the local kids stealing them and we’re content to believe her…even though we can connect the dots and figure out, as she herself does, that her grabber is following her and that, like the villagers, she was desperately trying to convince herself that that wasn’t the case. It’s actually a very poignant depiction of how we process fear, especially that which relates to our own death. The identity of Kestrel’s mother is exceptionally well done: the pieces are all there, the doubt is left to simmer, everything is in place, yet when Kestrel figures it out, it’s still a satisfying surprise well worth the time spent to get to the bottom of it. Every twist and turn on this ride is well-crafted, and the pieces of the story relate back to each other beautifully to make them so.

My biggest curiosity going into this book was how the horror elements would be handled. Due to its intended audience, I knew that the story wouldn’t be able to rely on gore and shock scenery to convey terror, so I wondered what elements would be drawn in to send chills down the reader’s spine. Let me tell you, Salter does not disappoint. She crafts the atmosphere of the novel well, bringing the forest to life not only through the fearsome creatures that live within it, but by making it seem like a participating character in and of itself. The forest is alive, creeping and shifting around Kestrel and the villagers, stripping them of hope and plunging them into the depths of their greatest fears. Additionally, the monsters that Salter has created are delightfully spooky and gruesome and her descriptions conjure some truly goosebump-raising images. The creativity put into the settings, monsters, and obstacles is apparent. It isn’t just the writing that encourages an air of tense mystery and suspense; the portrayal of Kestrel’s own fear and her stubborn attempts to ignore and later overcome it are very relatable and add an element of realism to this fantastical setting.

What I appreciated the most is that Salter doesn’t talk down to her audience. Make no mistake, while the horror here is very age appropriate and relies more on atmosphere and a touch of whimsy than gore, the story pulls no punches. There are some genuinely dark moments in this book: people die horrible deaths, Kestrel’s mother’s obvious abuse of her is often painful to read and experience, the forest is unforgiving of what or who wanders into its traps, the pervasive sense of hopelessness and fear is strong…this is a novel that has confidence in what its readers can handle, and I would have appreciated that quite a bit when I was in the target age range.

This just leaves me with the ending to touch on. It’s a very open sort of conclusion, but that’s not a bad thing. At the end of the day, this is a story about Kestrel facing her fears and freeing herself from what really had her trapped (her mother), leaving her free to pursue her next obstacle (leaving the forest). I like that the mystery of the forest isn’t concluded and there’s still a sense of unknown to the very end– it’s more interesting to wonder than it is to have everything laid out for us. It’s a very bittersweet sort of finale; her goodbyes to Pippit and Finn are heartbreaking and though there is hope that she’ll get out of the forest, Kestrel understands that her newfound understanding with her grabber is tenuous and will fall apart if she lets her fear take hold of her again. I think it’s the perfect ending for a novel with so many spooky, dark themes: optimistic but still swathed in mystery.

Kestrel makes for an enjoyable main character. She’s clever and cunning, capable and determined, realistic yet optimistic…and she has to be all of these things because her life has been fraught with trauma and turmoil. I think it’s easy to be skeptical of the idea of a twelve-year-old taking on ferocious beasts like grabbers with little more than a sharpened spoon, a slingshot, a vicious weasel, and whatever ideas she can come up with, but the methods she uses are so fitting to her character and rely more on her smarts than her brawn that its easy to suspend your disbelief and just enjoy the story. Ultimately, it’s Kestrel’s determination and drive that stops the book from dipping into the realm of “too dark,” as her hopefulness is both contagious and endearing, forcing the reader forward when everyone else in the story has given up. She isn’t, however, simply a strong-willed, stubborn hunter; she also has a more vulnerable side, especially where her family is concerned. Despite how terrible her mother is to her, there’s a part of Kestrel that still cares for her and balks at the idea of harming her; her memories of her grandmother are a complex mix of being deathly afraid of the woman who trained her (using some often-odd methods) and sorely missing her grandma, one of the few people who genuinely cared about her; the villagers hate her, and she’s also not terribly fond of them, yet she continues to risk her life for the village because it’s what she thinks is right. This all makes her very realistic and relatable, both as a character and as a young girl. She’s charmingly bullheaded, yet full of heart, and that’s just the sort of main character this story needs.

The other characters strike that perfect balance of just-slightly-over-the-top while still having more than a touch of realism. Kestrel’s mother is absolutely terrifying, more so, in my opinion, than any of the grabbers or other forest-dwelling creatures – she’s definitely the real villain of this story. Granmos is intriguing from what we see of her through Kestrel’s dreams and flashbacks: a hard, strong-willed woman with a certain fear of her past who wants to prepare her granddaughter for the horrors of the forest (and at home). Pippit, Kestrel’s weasel, is a lot of fun and adds an element of humour when it’s needed – he’s also always there to help Kestrel out of a sticky situation, being the friend she always needs. The central cast is rather small, which means that each character has the time to be developed and fleshed out, and they’re certainly an interesting bunch!

My single criticism of “Where the Woods End” comes in the form of some of the secondary characters, specifically the other children of the village and Finn, Kestrel’s tree-dwelling friend. Kestrel is something of an outsider in her village; the villagers all despise her for the things that her mother does, which makes a lot of sense given that Kestrel’s mother inflicts a lot of turmoil on the villagers. While I understand why the adults largely avoid Kestrel, I didn’t quite get why the kids delight in tormenting her with such a zeal. They think she’s weird, which is fine and dandy, but their cruelty seems a little unwarranted and often felt like it was included solely to emphasize how ostracized Kestrel is. On that same note, I didn’t see why Finn randomly allied himself with the village kids for a large portion of the book. He’s portrayed as being a good friend to Kestrel, yet he has no problem blowing her off to hang out with Hannah and the other kids? It felt like a convenient way to, again, leave Kestrel without friends when she desperately needed some. With Finn, there are hints that he might be growing up and is simply no longer interested in the “game” of finding a way out of the forest, but it’s all so sudden that it doesn’t feel developed.

Overall, “Where the Woods End” is the perfect blend of horror, whimsy, and fun. The story is exciting and well-crafted with plenty of twists and turns; the themes are dark and poignant, yet still very age appropriate; the scary elements are delightfully chilling; and Kestrel is a wonderfully determined, stubborn main character that you can’t help but root for. The issues with some of the side characters aside, this is easily a 4.5 read for me, bumped up to 5 because it was such an enjoyable experience.

[Niiiayesh · Rating 5 out of 5]

ریویو بدون اسپویله
من عاشق این نویسنده ام 🤧😭
کاملا می‌تونستم بفهمم که دارم کتاب نویسنده‌ی استخوان قاپ رو می‌خونم!
امضاش(یکیش) شرور بودن ننه بابای شخصیت اصلیه که حقیقتا واسه من جالبه😂اونجا دخترشونو فروختن که برن سفر، اینجا ننه هه یه جادوگره که بچه رو تهدید می‌کنه استخوناشو می‌شکونه :))))) و ما می‌دونیم که جدی می‌گه :))))))
کتاب یه فضای خیییییلی خاصی داره! فانتزی داره ازش می‌چکه ولی کاملا دارکه! ولی از اون طرف چون شخصیت اصلی بچه‌ست و یه راسو داره که خیلی خیلی کیوت حرف می‌زنه، اصلا شبیه دارک فانتزی های دیگه نیست!
راستش نه از داستان می‌تونم ایرادی بگیرم نه از تجربه ای که توی خوندنش داشتم... پس پنج امتیاز نوش جونش :)))))
تنها نکته‌ی مهمش اینه که کتاب بچگونه نیست! ندید بچه‌ی ده ساله بخونه چون وحشت می‌کنه!
ولی اصلا هم اونقدر ترسناک نیست‌ که کسی که پونزده سالشه شب خوابش نبره (من خیلی ترسو ام. شب راحت خوابیدم)
من عاشقش شدم 🥺اگه یه کتاب می‌خواید که فانتزی ازش بچکه ولی توش پری نداشته باشه بفرمایید!
(چراااااااا این کتاب اینقدر کم معروفهههه😭خدایا به من وقت آزاد بده واسه این ویدیو درست کنم 🤧)

[Grethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both my 11 years old son and I absolutely loved this book.

[Shadi · Rating 3 out of 5]

فضای تیره‌ای داشت. پیام قشنگی رسوند و مختصر تموم شد.
دوستش داشتم. حال و هوای فیلم‌های تیم برتون رو می‌داد.
به ۱۲ ساله‌ها پیشنهاد نمی‌کنم هرچند.

[randomreader · Rating 2 out of 5]

What in the world did I just read?
This was just not for me. I enjoyed the first third of the book but then it just unraveled into something really strange, and not in a good way imo.
Some scenes dragged on unnecessarily while others (the important, character-revealing ones!) were glossed over. I was left with more questions than answers unfortunately.
In the end, I appreciated the whole message surrounding fear (I’m trying to keep it vague so as to avoid spoilers), but man, this was so dark and pretty disturbing for a middle grade book. I’d recommend it to mature readers only.

[Jacqui · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really unique story, though I did feel like I was reading the middle section of a much longer story (and not in a book 2 of 3 sort of way). Very spooky and amazing descriptions. I would have loved some more world building, but I suppose that circles back to the first critique. A nice light, spooky read though!

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading the jacket copy, I thought this book was going to be more quaint than it was. If I’d noticed whether the author was American or not (she’s not), I would’ve been better prepared. Young Readers Writers from other countries tend to be less afraid of frightening their audience.

The “tinge of humor” is less about fart jokes and more for those who appreciate the macabre; which I very much do. The novel also favors those who appreciate gross-out humor: it is definitely gory and gross.

The “dangerous beasts” are deadly serious. The Grabbers build their bodies from found objects, to include carrion. They are relentless and their goal is to kill their victim. When Kestrel kills, she sling-shots, stabs, uses her limbs if she needs to; it’s undeniably physical. Salter is so successful with her descriptions, I could hear bones break and crunch. Pippit is bloodthirsty—and adorable; like when Smeagol tries to reject Gollum in LOTR. If you have a weak stomach a weasel with a human digit in his mouth is the least of your worries.

Where the Woods End offers a lesson in fearmongering—and fear itself.

That Kestrel has to keep her skills sharp is not a fantasy hero’s demonstration that they are capable of handling what is to come; what is to come has already arrived. And Kestrel’s need to survive in order to get out of the forest is crucial—that tension in the novel is as relentless as the grabbers. The forest is a true source of terror, with marvelous little places of dark invention that Kestrel explores in order to divine an exit. The villagers are grotesque and would send anyone packing, but it is Kestrel’s mother who gives the Grabber a run for its money. She is evil. She is no Disney Princess evil step-mother, but something much, much more. She and that dog of hers are vicious. She realizes for the reader and Kestrel the truest definition of a monster.

And then there is Grandmos. Grandmos is Kestrel’s late paternal grandmother, the best huntress in the forest, who trained Kestrel to fight monsters. She, of all the adults in the novel, is the most complicated. She is a source of affection, guilt, and terror for Kestrel. Her tactics are familiar to any adults who’ve read/seen assassin’s backstories. Salter doesn’t try to condone what she’s done, but neither does Kestrel survive without that training. Salter just holds the reader, and Kestrel, on the edge of uncertainty of what to do about Grandmos—which generates fear/anxiety.

What compels you and keeps the gore and violence and creeps from all being too much in Where the Woods End is Kestrel. She isn’t infallible, but she is determined, resourceful, and angry. And Kestrel maintains her youth—she’s on the cusp of change; her relationship with Finn hints at familiar middle-school angst—but she needs to be allowed her hope, resilience, and her ability to look away from difficult things…at least, until that inevitable confrontation with her own Grabber. You hold your breath every time she’s knocked down in hopes she’ll get up and resist. This breath-holding is to prepare you for that end scene when you’re lung capacity may be tested.

The pacing also helps with the nausea and dread in the novel. Salter doesn’t linger too long, keeping the eye and the mind shifting as it collects its own bits and pieces of the forest and its villagers. There isn’t a lot of time to process certain losses (which will frustrate character-driven readers). The race against time joins the anxiety for escape, and they collide with a marvelous revelation. If I laughed when I reached Chapter 17, it was in delight, because my eyes were also wide with horror and revulsion.

The horror was properly difficult as the kinds of violence and abuse Kestrel is surviving is hard to stomach; the fairy tale world helped. As I told a friend, Where the Woods End is one of the darkest middle grades I’ve read in a long while. And I found it entertaining, and thought-provoking. I love Kestrel and Pippit. And Salter has the kind of imagination and craftsmanship I admire in a storyteller.

Recommended for readers of adventure, of horror: think Priestly, Black, Hahn, or Auxier. For readers of fairy tales, particularly those written by authors outside of the American sensibility.

https://contemplatrix.wordpress.com/2...

[Rachel Guy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am extremely conflicted about this book. On the one hand, it is beautifully written and wonderfully imaginative. The main character, a twelve-year old named Kestrel, is real and flawed and honest and true. I was rooting for her from the first page. The author, Charlotte Salter, skillfully writes events that will make your skin crawl and have you looking over your shoulder. The forest and the monsters that Salter has created are amazing and horrifying.

But it’s that well-written horror that causes me to pause. Would I want a child to read this? Would I want my child to read this book? Most assuredly not. But it goes deeper than the horror. It’s the fact that Kestrel’s grandmother emotionally, physically, and verbally abused her granddaughter growing up under the guise of “training”. At the end of the book, Kestrel is thankful to her grandmother for ‘saving her’ but the thing that Kestrel feared the most was her grandmother; not the Grabbers who stalked you for weeks, stole your most precious items, and then became your worst fear before it hunted and ate you alive. What Kestrel feared the most was not the Bog Witch, the villagers who mistreated and abused her, or face painters (a creature that stole the face and body of anyone). The thing that Kestrel feared most was not her ‘mother’ who was the town witch that continued to emotionally and verbally abuse her after her grandmother died. Spoilers: Her mother was actually a face painter that was torturing her for years. Kestrel’s biggest fear was her own grandmother. There is something seriously wrong with this picture - the same person who abused her is the same one she is thankful for later? There is a psychological disorder just waiting to be named here. Additionally, Kestrel was abandoned by her father even though he knew Kestrel’s mother was abusing her. He kept on coming back, giving Kestrel hope, but then Kestrel had to watch him die.

Don’t get me wrong, I can not emphasize enough how well-written and beautifully crafted this book is. It is well done and I struggled with how many stars to actually give this book. I want to give it a higher rating because it was a good read and very well-written but I don’t want to encourage middle schoolers to read this. I also love that so much of the book is about how to face and conquer one’s fears. This is a noble idea to try to communicate to children. However, I had a hard time reading this (in the daylight) as an adult. I doubt I would be letting anyone living in my house under the age of 16 read this unless I wanted them to have nightmares for weeks. Does that kind of defeat the entire purpose of the novel - to conquer one’s fears? Yes. Yes, it does.

[Avery · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5
Ending was not great.
The main character (a 12 year old girl) gets traumatized over and over and there's this hope that she'll get out with the only person and weasel who love her, but instead she gets abandoned by both of them (one of the traumatizing things that happens is her only friend helps feed the mob that is the entire village who hate her...and then he just "welp I was lying the whole time about wanting to get out, my bad". I understand he's a 12 year old as well, but...like...so is she and she literally loses everything and now she's going to have to stay unafraid for the rest of her life or be viciously murdered by the monster whose helping her escape. I just didn't like all the abuse the mc suffered, I felt it was unnecessary. Also...again entire town full of adults and children ganging up a child...and blaming her for literally everything.

[Amanda Kingswell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do not show fear, do not say what you fear, for your fear will come alive and kill you. In Kestrel's world the forest is alive and people live in fear of Grabbers. Grabbers are monsters that build themselves to be you greatest fear. Kestrel has seen many people in her village be eaten by them and it is up to her to kill the Grabbers before they attack. Unfortunately, Kestrel's time is going to be cut short because she is noticing items are missing, she knows this is a sign of a Grabber. Will Kestrel survive her Grabber or can she find her way out of the woods?
I loved this book for the vivid imagery. The monsters are so interesting and you can imagine them very well. It is a little creepy and gory but, not overwhelmingly so. I would recommend this book for tweens.

[Raven · Rating 2 out of 5]

This could have been magical and wonderful and beautiful, and what I got was monsters and terrible people.

I wanted half the book to die.

I'm serious. I liked two characters. That was it. And one of them was a weasel.

The plot twist, I will say, was horrendous, in the sense that I should have seen it coming but hadn't.

The villagers were stupid. Hannah needed a right smack or for her to be eaten by her goddamn grabber. What a horrible person that little bitch was.

Otherwise the book was very well written, the writing is absolutely superb. However, dark gritty and completely depressing the topic was.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son and I loved this one! Salter is a talented writer with a gift for wordplay and characterization. On the surface, this title comes off as a horror novel, but underneath it is a journey of self-discovery for the main character. Kestrel is a strong character who is trying to escape, not only her village, but her domineering mother and haunted past as well. The theme of confronting your fears runs throughout this book. This is a great choice for middle-grade readers who like strong female characters and enjoy being scared.

[Steve Stred · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes, in the book world, you stumble on a gem.
Here in Canada, we have a store called Shoppers Drug Mart. Depending on your location they will have a book section, some larger than others. Most of the locations will also have a discount book bin – where books they want to get rid of go to die. I have had wonderful success with these bins. Most of the books are 80% off, but occasionally they’ll just have a new sticker price on it that is well below the price on the cover. This bin was where I found a brand new hardcover copy of Michael Crichton’s ‘Dragon Teeth’ for $3. Retail price - $39.99. So it was, that recently I took a look and saw a copy of this book ‘Where the Woods End’ by Charlotte Salter. 80% off and featuring a fantastic cover. I checked the synopsis and was sold. I grabbed the hardcover to read with my son in the future, but as I usually do, I’ll message some book friends to ask if they’ve read it. When I messaged Bookden Jen, she said she hadn’t but we decided to do a buddy read.
This was only my second buddy read ever and it was a blast.
The book is tailored towards Middle Grade readers. I don’t have a lot of experience reading in that category, but from what Jen said, this was one of the creepier books she’s read in that category. I concur. If you never told me the age category for this, I’d have no problem believing this was a straight ahead Dark Fantasy/Horror book.
The story follows Kestrel, a 12 year old girl, who lives in the woods in a small village. She lives near her mom, Kestrel refusing to sleep in the house. She has a side-kick, her trusty weasel friend Pippit and she’s armed with a spoon she received from her dad. Her dad is a wolf trapper and is gone for long periods of time.
Kestrel is unique. You see, each person eventually is hunted down by a beast of a thing. They are called grabbers. Kestrel is able to kill them, but she’s never been able to kill them before they’ve grabbed and devoured the person, only after.
I couldn’t put this book down. Between wanting to know what the grabbers were, wanting to know if there was in fact something beyond the woods and intrigued as Kestrel tries to remember events of her life, I was hooked.
This was such a great book that before I was finished, I’d already ordered Salter’s other book “The Bone Snatcher.”
If you have a young reader in your life, this is such a great book to introduce them to so many concepts within the darker genres. The bonus here is that there is no swearing and no sex, so for that 10 year old to 13 year old group, I suspect that is something parents are looking for.
I loved this book and I’m so glad I buddy read this with Jen!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

اوایل کتاب یه مدل عجیبی بود... نمیتونستم اونجوری که باید باهاش ارتباط برقرار کنم. اونقدری که باید و شاید جذب کننده نبود انگار. یه فضای دارک طور و نچسب داشت انگار. ایده‌ی اولیش خیلی ناب و کشش دار نبود
اما هرچی بیشتر جلو میرفتیم رابطمون باهم بهتر میشد🥲
اواسط کتاب یه شرایطی برای کسترل پیش اومد که باعث شد باهاش همزادپنداری کنم، یه بخشایی اشکمو درآوردن...
حقیقتا تصمیم داشتم بهش نهااایتا ۳ ستاره بدم
اما نیمه‌ی آخر کتاب، خصوصا ۸۰ صفحه آخر نظرمو عوض کرد
اول یه پلات توییست داشتیم که از قبل پیش بینیش نکرده بودم! درواقع حس میکردم داستان کتاب ساده تر و سر راست تر از اونیه که بخواد پلات‌ توییست خاصی داشته باشه! اصلا سعی هم نکرده بودم چیزیو حدس بزنم🙂😂

و بعد ازون پلات توییست... وای داستان خیلیی دوست داشتنی شد
پر از عمق و معنا شد... دیدم که حرفای خیلی مهمی برای گفتن داره، حرفاش منو به فکر فرو بردن
در واقع آخرین بخش داستان به بهترین شکل ممکن تموم شد و خاطره زیبایی از خودش به جا گذاشت
به خاطر همین انتها، و همین حرف عمیق و پرمعنایی که لابه‌لای داستان حل شده بود، فکر میکنم قطعا ارزش یک بار خوانده شدن رو داشت

به خاطر همین بخش آخر هم تصمیم گرفتم بهش ۳.۵ بدم
اما چون همچین امکانی در گودریدز مهیا نیست، ۳.۵ رو رند کردم به ۴🥲😌🌕🌿

[Zaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a peculiar book. Entertaining, with a good creepy vibe, but it was also an uncomfortable read at some points with abusive adults. I enjoyed the monsters, they were kind of disgusting or scary but easy to handle as an adult reader. Kestrel was a good main character, she was brave just enough and her struggles to fit in this strange village seemed real. Pippit was a good supportive character and it wasn't fun at all to spend time with some members of Kestrel's family which seemed appropriate regarding the whole story. There were some adventures in weird lands, many threatening moments and creatures lurking around, so the book was dense for an horror middle grade novel. Overall, it was a nice read but a strange one.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

AAAAAAHHHHHHH
This book was awesome! The number of allusions to other things I've read, whether intentional or a product of my own mind-web, was staggering. Gleefully staggering, since that's my favorite reader-y thing: the way stuff connects. In this one middle grade novel I was reminded of Baba Yaga, Harry Potter, the dead hands and gore crows in Garth Nix's Abhorsen trilogy, Howl's Moving Castle, the daemons in Pullman's "The Golden Compass"... *happy screech*

I found one criticism with the whole thing, which is more of a plot hole than a problem: if the creepy swamp thing wanted eyes, why didn't it just steal them from all the animals that wandered into the salt marsh and died? Endless supply. But I understand that the story could not have moved forward if that had happened. I was fine with it.

And there's one little editorial snag wherein Salter says something and then repeats herself almost exactly (needlessly) in the next paragraph, but it's small compared to the enormous WOW of this book.

I hope this makes the short list for best middle grade fiction this year. I'd vote for it.

[Melissa O'Brien · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5*
My husband and I originally bought this book two years ago as a gift for our niece. But we kept forgetting to give it to her, and she has since outgrown books like this. I decided to give it a try before donating it, and I'm so glad I read it! This book is fascinating, the premise of is unique, and the main character is interesting. There are several big plot twists, and it's genuinely scary!

[Tory · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. WOW, was this gruesome and scary for a kids' book! I definitely would not have been able to handle this as a middle-year reader. Yowza! The mother was SO horrifying but Pippit was the cutest dang little friend. I wanted more Pippit. There wasn't anything particularly wrong with this book; I just didn't fall in love with it. SCARY STUFF! I would almost want to classify this as YA based on the scary content, but the story on the whole did feel more middle-years-y.

[Elna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wasn't really sure how to feel about this. I was excited to read it because the plot seemed incredibly interesting, and it started out as I expected, but the end really threw me.

Not the part about facing your fears head on and acknowledging them without letting them dictate your life, which is a good, if general lesson, but the resolution with Kestrel's mother and grandmother (totally unrelated sidenote: what kind of name is Grandmos?? Maybe it's from a certain part of the world, but I've never heard it before and it threw me out of the story each time I read it) and the abuse they put her through her whole life.

Grandmos was literally the thing Kestrel feared most - there's a reason she has nightmares almost constantly and that was the form her Grabber took. Even after the reveal that the Facepainter had messed with some of Kes's memories and Grandmos showed some crumbs of affection does not erase the fact that she did horrible things to her. And while the Facepainter had killed and replaced Kes's mother years ago, she was still abused and neglected by who she considered her mother for years afterwards. She even acknowledges that she didn't even know her true mother at that point. (and, of course, there's her father, who essentially abandoned her to an abusive mother and doesn't seem to care about her when he returns for his periodic visits but accepts Kestrel's idolization without reserve.)

And yet the resolution hinges on Kestrel forgiving both her mother and her grandmother for all that they've done to her, and Kes even thanks her grandmother for all that she's put her through because it taught her how to survive. While, yes, the lessons that Gradmos taught her turned out to be invaluable, there were so many other ways that she could have taught her those without scarring her for life! You don't forgive or forget abuse so quickly because you realize they did it "because they loved you" or because "they weren't themselves"! Those are excuses that abusers give so that their victims keep coming back to them after unforgivable offenses.

While this may not seem like a big deal, especially because the book never uses the word "abuse" or discusses it seriously, it really is. Sneaking this in, and sneaking the idea of those excuses in, validates that abuse is not a big deal, and that it really is for the victim's own good.

I'll give kids a plot overview if they ask, mentioning the abuse, but I won't go out of my way to tell them to check it out.

[Reyhoooneee · Rating 4 out of 5]

شخصا قلم شارلوت سالتر رو خیلی دوست دارم.یه جور امضا توی فضاسازی و‌شخصیت پردازی‌هاش داره که برام نکته‌ی مهمیه.
داستان خیلی خوب تو رو با خودش همراه می‌کنه. با اینکه توی فضای کودکانه‌ای روایت میشه اما میتونه تم ترسناکی داشته باشه.
ریتم تند یا آرومی نداره و اتفاقاش پیش‌بینی نشدنیه.
نمادها رو خیلی قشنگ توی داستانش جا داده.
امتیاز پایینش برام عجیب بود که با خوندن بقیه ریویوها به علتش پی بردم.
داستان برای این رده سنی نکات نسبتا سنگین و ترسناکی رو بیان می‌کنه.

[Amir Arsalan the nameless · Rating 3 out of 5]

به نظرم شبیه به کورالین، هری پاتر و زندانی آزکابان و آنسوی دیوار باغ، با حس و حال افسانه ها و داستانهای ترسناک اروپای شرقی بود.
فضای کتاب، تماما و مطلقا اون حس و حال سرد و تاریک جنگل‌های وهم آلود شمالی رو داره.
نویسنده به خوبی تونسته حس ترس، قدرتش و واجب بودن رویارویی و سرکوب اون رو به تصویر بکشه.
داستان با اینکه ترکیبی از فانتزی، اسرارآمیز و تا حدودی شاید بشه گفت ترسناک بود؛ اما فراز و فرودهای زیادی داشت. یه جاهایی انقدر کسل کننده میشد که دلت میخواست کتاب رو ببندی و بذاریش کنار. اما هروقت شخصیت اصلی داستان پرده از حقیقتی پنهان شده برمیداشت، تمام اون جذابیت داستان همراه با کنجکاوی اینکه "خب بعدش چه اتفاقی افتاد" برمیگشت. نویسنده در طول داستان داشته سرنخ هایی از معما میداده که توی فصل شانزدهم اون رازی کشف میشه که هیچوقت فکرشم نمیکردید و اینجوری میشید که😱🤯
مادرش به شکل جادوگرهای داستانهای اروپای شرقی تصویر شده و شخصیتش هم به شدت شبیه مادر ناتنی کورالین هست🙄
توی روستای اونها وسط یه جنگل مرموز با جانورانی ناشناخته، موجودی به اسم قاپ زن هست که خودش رو به شکل بزرگترین ترس قربانی‌هاش درمیاره و اونا رو میخوره. این شخصیت "قاپ زن" که خیلی شبیه همون لولو خورخوره‌ای که پروفسور لوپین توی کلاسش معرفیش کرد. علاوه بر اون توی دو فصل آخر، متوجه شباهتش به دمنتورهای زندان آزکابان هم می شید که یعنی این موجود ترکیبی از اون دوتاست.
آها درضمن قرار از دست روستایی‌های داستان حسابی عصبی بشید😀
به نظرم ترکیب خوبی از داستان‌های معروف در یک کتاب بود.

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a children’s book but it was surprisingly horrifying. I’m not sure what age I’d recommend it to but I know that if I’d read it in elementary school it definitely would have given me nightmares because of my overactive imagination. So if you’re a parent considering reading it to your kid that’s something to think about. It’s really dark and portrays heavy scenes of abuse and manipulation.

But I absolutely loved it. Much more than I thought I would when I first began reading it - and the ending was both satisfying and gripping. There are a lot of life lessons to take from this story but the biggest one is to not allow your fear to control you.

[Mahdi · Rating 4 out of 5]

واقعا عجیبه این کتاب چه تو مبدا و چه اینجا کم دیده شده.
یه کتاب دوست‌داشتنی با ایده‌های خوب و فضاسازی قشنگ که با وجود کودکانه و کیوت بودن، خوفناک هم هست. داستانی که به زیبایی ترس‌های انسان و نحوه مقابله با اون‌ها رو به تصویر می‌کشه و نمادهای زیادی هم داره که جالبه.
قلم نویسنده در عین روان و ساده بودن زیباست و داستان با اینکه انتظارش رو نداره آدم پیچش‌های جذابی داره.
می‌گن اگه طرفدار نیل گیمن و تیم برتون هستید حتما بخونید، اگه هم نیستید حتما بخونید و لذت ببرید.

[Aleks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an absolutely amazing book and nobody has read it. It’s been almost 2 years and I still think about it often. It had one of the best plot twists in any middle grade novel I’ve read (better than the one in Greenglass House). Also it’s just really creepy and kind of gross and I love it.

[Jocelyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ew.