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The Mysteries of Woodland Academy
Natalie Evergreen’s best friend, Samantha Harper, is moving away to attend Woodland Academy, a prestigious private preparatory school in Virginia, far away from Memphis, TN. Natalie is unwilling to break up their friendship, so she agrees to attend Woodland Academy with her, where they encounter supernatural occurrences. Although, Natalie is smitten by the school’s enchantments, splendor, and wonders, Natalie is determined to understand these mysteries with Sam. Natalie learns there’s more to Woodland Academy than meets the eye. Natalie quickly rises to fame when she is elected to participate in the school’s annual games. Things take an unexpected turn when unbelieving Natalie converts to Christianity. However, she finds it struggling to share her newfound faith with her devout atheist parents, who want nothing to do with God. Can Natalie get her parents to accept her faith in time before their fate takes a turn for the worst? Natalie knows every decision she makes is crucial, but one thing is certain, her life will never be the same again. Find out what awaits Natalie in this coming-of-age story of a young girl who learns faith doesn’t come without a price… in The Mysteries of Woodland Academy.
263 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 1, 2022
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21 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 10, 2024
I feel this is an upper middle grade book. I loved the friendship of Natalie and Samantha. They are from Memphis but attend a preparatory school in Virginia. This is no ordinary academy and the two are determined to find the secrets.
This book address topics of Christianity and atheism. It’s definitely pro Christianity and becoming a true believer. The author covers it on a very positive and hopeful way. The school is magical and Natalie’s conversion is miraculous. It but a smile on my face and a warm feeling in my heart.
This book address topics of Christianity and atheism. It’s definitely pro Christianity and becoming a true believer. The author covers it on a very positive and hopeful way. The school is magical and Natalie’s conversion is miraculous. It but a smile on my face and a warm feeling in my heart.
January 2, 2024
***BOOK REVIEW***
Name: The Mysteries of Woodland Academy
Author: K.D. Williams
Rate: 4.5 🌟
~Perfect read for middle school children. The author had put a mix of Harry Potter vibes in this book. Now this is my first time reading a book that was written about faith. So let’s make this clear… Before you judge a book I recommend giving it a chance first. It’s not my normal read but I don’t discriminate when an Indie Author reaches out to me and asks me to give their book a chance. To be honest I enjoyed reading it, even though it talked about Christianity, there is no smut, no spice, it’s a teenage novel.
~ The mysteries of Woodland Academy is written by K.D. Williams, this book is based on Natalie FMC that once she found that her best friend Samantha got accepted to attend Woodland Academy she wanted to go with! So Natalie did everything she can do attend this school. Natalie got accepted to attend the Academy, little did she know that her world will change. Now this book talks about if you believe in Angels and God, there is an annual tournament that is hosted in the academy in which magic is involved… This is where the Harry Potter vibes come in place. Natalie struggles a bit in the book, since she was raised that there is no God… This book is very entertaining and will not get you bored when reading it. The drama between Natalie and her parents is tense (not in a bad way). I also feel like the ending had ended with a slight cliffhanger but I’m pretty sure there will be a sequel. So if you have young teen kids that like to read… this book is perfect for them!!!
Name: The Mysteries of Woodland Academy
Author: K.D. Williams
Rate: 4.5 🌟
~Perfect read for middle school children. The author had put a mix of Harry Potter vibes in this book. Now this is my first time reading a book that was written about faith. So let’s make this clear… Before you judge a book I recommend giving it a chance first. It’s not my normal read but I don’t discriminate when an Indie Author reaches out to me and asks me to give their book a chance. To be honest I enjoyed reading it, even though it talked about Christianity, there is no smut, no spice, it’s a teenage novel.
~ The mysteries of Woodland Academy is written by K.D. Williams, this book is based on Natalie FMC that once she found that her best friend Samantha got accepted to attend Woodland Academy she wanted to go with! So Natalie did everything she can do attend this school. Natalie got accepted to attend the Academy, little did she know that her world will change. Now this book talks about if you believe in Angels and God, there is an annual tournament that is hosted in the academy in which magic is involved… This is where the Harry Potter vibes come in place. Natalie struggles a bit in the book, since she was raised that there is no God… This book is very entertaining and will not get you bored when reading it. The drama between Natalie and her parents is tense (not in a bad way). I also feel like the ending had ended with a slight cliffhanger but I’m pretty sure there will be a sequel. So if you have young teen kids that like to read… this book is perfect for them!!!
March 30, 2024
This book was a cross between Harry Potter and hunger games without all of the glory violence. The book follows, Natalie and her friend Samantha. When same moves away to attend Woodland Academy at prestigious Private school in Virginia Natalie refuses to break up their friendship she is determine to stay close.
Natalie follow her friend Sam to Woodland Academy where she starts to notice little supernatural things happening during her stay there. I won’t get into things that she saw because I don’t wanna spoil it, but I will say that her and Sam decided to go on a journey to figure out what was going on and what they discovery is beyond amazing.
The annual games that’s portrayed in this book reminds me of the hunger games and I loved every moment of it. I love the discoveries that are made by both Natalie and Samantha. I also love how Natalie develops as a character in this book.
K.D. Williams does a very good job of world building, character development, and pulling you into the story. The magical settings, the annual games, the lessons about faith makes it a very exciting read and I cannot wait until the second book.
Natalie follow her friend Sam to Woodland Academy where she starts to notice little supernatural things happening during her stay there. I won’t get into things that she saw because I don’t wanna spoil it, but I will say that her and Sam decided to go on a journey to figure out what was going on and what they discovery is beyond amazing.
The annual games that’s portrayed in this book reminds me of the hunger games and I loved every moment of it. I love the discoveries that are made by both Natalie and Samantha. I also love how Natalie develops as a character in this book.
K.D. Williams does a very good job of world building, character development, and pulling you into the story. The magical settings, the annual games, the lessons about faith makes it a very exciting read and I cannot wait until the second book.
July 7, 2023
An enjoyable Christian ya fantasy
I loved this book!
It follows the story of Natalie and her best friend Sam navigating 7th grade at a private boarding school.
But the school is super mysterious with a supernatural flair. It’s up to Natalie and Sam to discover the mysteries of Woodland Academy and realize the Truth for themselves.
The plotline was well written and enjoyable. It was a mash up of Harry Potter and the Hunger Games, two of my favorite YA SFF series. Super cool.
It’s written in omniscient 3rd person POV. Once I realized that, it was much easier to read and enjoy.
I loved all the southern charm and real life problems addressed in this book. A really great middle grade or lower YA book.
I loved this book!
It follows the story of Natalie and her best friend Sam navigating 7th grade at a private boarding school.
But the school is super mysterious with a supernatural flair. It’s up to Natalie and Sam to discover the mysteries of Woodland Academy and realize the Truth for themselves.
The plotline was well written and enjoyable. It was a mash up of Harry Potter and the Hunger Games, two of my favorite YA SFF series. Super cool.
It’s written in omniscient 3rd person POV. Once I realized that, it was much easier to read and enjoy.
I loved all the southern charm and real life problems addressed in this book. A really great middle grade or lower YA book.
October 30, 2024
Please stay to the end, you won't be disappointed!!!
To sum up this book in four words: Wonderful, mystical, Terrific, and Utteringly beautiful! I didn't know what to expect coming into this read, and let me tell you, my creative mind has been expanded and now I want a live adaptation! Author KD did an amazing with the game ideas, had me chittering my teeth, anticipating what would happen next!
To sum up this book in four words: Wonderful, mystical, Terrific, and Utteringly beautiful! I didn't know what to expect coming into this read, and let me tell you, my creative mind has been expanded and now I want a live adaptation! Author KD did an amazing with the game ideas, had me chittering my teeth, anticipating what would happen next!
April 10, 2024
Such an adventure! I loved this Middle grade book. It was so good and it is perfect for the age group that is was written for. I am totally interested in reading the next book in the series.
This would be a great present for your young reader who can't put books down. I am excited to see how far this author grows because she captured the voice of these young characters so well.
This would be a great present for your young reader who can't put books down. I am excited to see how far this author grows because she captured the voice of these young characters so well.
September 3, 2023
A good read for a middle schooler
This story combines Harry Potter with a mysterious school in the US that has secrets that slowly get discovered by Natalie and her friends. This is a good story for a middle schooler with a nice faith element.
This story combines Harry Potter with a mysterious school in the US that has secrets that slowly get discovered by Natalie and her friends. This is a good story for a middle schooler with a nice faith element.
September 7, 2023
The Mysteries of Woodland Academy by K.D. Williams is like super-duper cool! Okay, so this book is all about these two BFFs, Natalie and Samantha. Samantha is gonna go to this special school far away called Woodland Academy. But Natalie is like, "No way! I can't lose my bestie!" So, guess what? She decides to go to the school too, even though it's super far from her home!
At Woodland Academy, there's like magic stuff happening all the time. Natalie finds out it's not easy there, but she's really good at lots of things. Then, the most amazing part happens – she joins this super cool game called the annual games! It's like a sports contest with magic. Natalie's team gets stuck in a snowy place called snow land (or something like that), and they don't even know they're being watched by magical creatures called blisters. Those blisters might be tiny and tricky, who knows!
Then, there's this big moment where Natalie starts to believe in Christianity and she becomes a believer. But her parents are like, "Nah, no God for us." So rude! Natalie's trying to make her parents believe, but it's really hard. Nobody knows what's gonna happen next. All Natalie knows is that her life is gonna change big time!
I gotta tell you, this book is like a TV show in chapters. The best part ever is the annual games! It's so exciting! The school is like full of magic, and I wish I could go there too.
The lesson from the book is super important too. It's like, having faith (which means believing in something special) comes with a price. Even though it's hard, it's worth it! Oh, and get this – I'm gonna name my future little girls Faith and Hope because of this book. It's like a secret magic trick!
I seriously love this book so much. It's even on my list of top books, and I've read Harry Potter and lots more! If K.D. Williams is listening, thank you a million times for writing this AMAZING book!
Want to know more about this book? Check out my full review on my YouTube channel!
https://youtu.be/POQuS7VVOtU
At Woodland Academy, there's like magic stuff happening all the time. Natalie finds out it's not easy there, but she's really good at lots of things. Then, the most amazing part happens – she joins this super cool game called the annual games! It's like a sports contest with magic. Natalie's team gets stuck in a snowy place called snow land (or something like that), and they don't even know they're being watched by magical creatures called blisters. Those blisters might be tiny and tricky, who knows!
Then, there's this big moment where Natalie starts to believe in Christianity and she becomes a believer. But her parents are like, "Nah, no God for us." So rude! Natalie's trying to make her parents believe, but it's really hard. Nobody knows what's gonna happen next. All Natalie knows is that her life is gonna change big time!
I gotta tell you, this book is like a TV show in chapters. The best part ever is the annual games! It's so exciting! The school is like full of magic, and I wish I could go there too.
The lesson from the book is super important too. It's like, having faith (which means believing in something special) comes with a price. Even though it's hard, it's worth it! Oh, and get this – I'm gonna name my future little girls Faith and Hope because of this book. It's like a secret magic trick!
I seriously love this book so much. It's even on my list of top books, and I've read Harry Potter and lots more! If K.D. Williams is listening, thank you a million times for writing this AMAZING book!
Want to know more about this book? Check out my full review on my YouTube channel!
https://youtu.be/POQuS7VVOtU
January 9, 2026
A fun children's story with a message that will resound with Christian families.
4.5 or of 5 Stars
Doing my best to give an unbiased review as someone who grew up in an Evangelical Christian family, but has since deconstructed and now considers myself an atheist.
At first, the random evangelizing seemed shoehorned in and I didn't understand why it was necessary in a book about a magic school. Early in the book, it just stalled the flow of the story. To avoid spoilers, I'll just say it makes sense later in the book.
I was able to enjoy the story more after I realized that I'm not its target audience. This book is for Christian parents who want to give their children a book about a magic school that isn't based on witchcraft and wizardry. I do not recommend this book to non-Christians as it requires existing belief for the simplistic evangelizing and strawman non-believers in the book to make sense.
I would have been fully enamored if I had read this book when I was 12 alongside This Present Darkness and the Left Behind series. It's not for who I am now, but I can't fault it for my biases.
4.5 or of 5 Stars
Doing my best to give an unbiased review as someone who grew up in an Evangelical Christian family, but has since deconstructed and now considers myself an atheist.
At first, the random evangelizing seemed shoehorned in and I didn't understand why it was necessary in a book about a magic school. Early in the book, it just stalled the flow of the story. To avoid spoilers, I'll just say it makes sense later in the book.
I was able to enjoy the story more after I realized that I'm not its target audience. This book is for Christian parents who want to give their children a book about a magic school that isn't based on witchcraft and wizardry. I do not recommend this book to non-Christians as it requires existing belief for the simplistic evangelizing and strawman non-believers in the book to make sense.
I would have been fully enamored if I had read this book when I was 12 alongside This Present Darkness and the Left Behind series. It's not for who I am now, but I can't fault it for my biases.
November 25, 2025
The Mysteries of Woodland Academy blends friendship, faith, and the supernatural in a way that feels both engaging and heartfelt. Natalie Evergreen is such a relatable character, loyal to her best friend, curious about the strange world she’s stepped into, and brave enough to question everything she thought she knew.
The atmosphere of Woodland Academy is enchanting and mysterious, and the supernatural elements give the story a fun, eerie edge. I loved watching Natalie and Sam uncover the school’s secrets, especially as Natalie becomes unexpectedly drawn into the academy’s annual games.
But what really makes this story stand out is Natalie’s personal journey. Her transformation and newfound faith are handled with sincerity, and the struggle she faces with her atheist parents adds real emotional weight. It’s a meaningful reminder that growing up often means making hard choices.
A thoughtful, magical, and uplifting read with a strong message at its core.
The atmosphere of Woodland Academy is enchanting and mysterious, and the supernatural elements give the story a fun, eerie edge. I loved watching Natalie and Sam uncover the school’s secrets, especially as Natalie becomes unexpectedly drawn into the academy’s annual games.
But what really makes this story stand out is Natalie’s personal journey. Her transformation and newfound faith are handled with sincerity, and the struggle she faces with her atheist parents adds real emotional weight. It’s a meaningful reminder that growing up often means making hard choices.
A thoughtful, magical, and uplifting read with a strong message at its core.
April 28, 2025
Natalie Evergreen and Sam Harper are two best friends who attend an enchanted school named Woodland Academy. There they try to find hidden secrets and truths about the school. Things take an unexpected turn when Natalie converts to Christianity and struggles to share her new found faith with her atheist parents, who don't want anything to do with God. This book is filled with wonder, faith and hope, as Natalie encounters God and supernatural things occur at Woodland Academy that cause her to truly believe in God. Will her parents be accepting of her faith? Read "The Mysteries of Woodland Academy" by K.D. Williams to find out! I cannot wait to read part two of this series and I highly recommend this book!
June 27, 2022
Geared toward young girls for sure. Not sure every YA girl could relate to the characters as most are from very well to do homes and some have paid staff in the home but I guess because the story line is getting into a very hard to get into Private School they would need to be from rich families. Fun read all in all.
April 3, 2024
The Mysteries of Woodland Academy by KD Williams is a story of the magic of change, crushes, making hard decisions, friendships, and faith. We all go through the stages. It is an adventure of discovery that children will love.
May 16, 2024
An incredible storyline filled with suspense and magic! I would recommend this book to anyone who loves Harry Potter. It is perfect for all ages!! My complete review is on Amazon where you can purchase this wonderful book!
July 24, 2025
Definitely had a lot of mysteries
I recommend this book to children of the ages 14 and under, maybe even some fifteen year olds will enjoy this book.
I recommend this book to children of the ages 14 and under, maybe even some fifteen year olds will enjoy this book.
September 2, 2024
A Lovable MC in a Faith-Based Academy
This was such an intriguing read! Natalie is an amazing, selfless MC, and her journey in discovering her faith through Woodland Academy was beautifully done. Woodland Academy itself is so fun and magical, filled with many adventures to be had, and very reminiscent of Hogwarts.
The Christian ideals are very clear in this book, but KD writes it in a way that I believe can appeal to people of all backgrounds. It's such a cozy read, and one I'd recommend!
This was such an intriguing read! Natalie is an amazing, selfless MC, and her journey in discovering her faith through Woodland Academy was beautifully done. Woodland Academy itself is so fun and magical, filled with many adventures to be had, and very reminiscent of Hogwarts.
The Christian ideals are very clear in this book, but KD writes it in a way that I believe can appeal to people of all backgrounds. It's such a cozy read, and one I'd recommend!
October 21, 2022
This book is written for middle schoolers. As an adult, I can say the language is perfect for the age group it was intended for, and the cover is appealing. The story is about a young girl named Natalie Evergreen. She lives in Memphis, TN. Her best friend, Samantha Harper, goes off to attends Woodland Academy, a private school in Virginia. So, Natalie wants to follow her friend to Woodland Academy. Therefore, she applied to the school and gets accepted.
So here is where the real story starts. Natalie and Sam are all enamored with the school. The school has some peculiarities. So here is where This story reminds me of (don’t hate me for the comparison of an iconic classic) Harry Potter in Hogwarts. However, Woodland is not a school of magic. It is quirky, in my opinion. I don’t want to give spoilers, so I’ll leave it at that.
The school has these annual games, and Natalie is elected to participate in them. But all of a sudden, Natalie converts to Christianism. Here is where I had a little reservation. Usually, a person takes time to change from a total unbeliever to become a believer, and Natalie did the jump too fast.
I think middle school children may like this book.
So here is where the real story starts. Natalie and Sam are all enamored with the school. The school has some peculiarities. So here is where This story reminds me of (don’t hate me for the comparison of an iconic classic) Harry Potter in Hogwarts. However, Woodland is not a school of magic. It is quirky, in my opinion. I don’t want to give spoilers, so I’ll leave it at that.
The school has these annual games, and Natalie is elected to participate in them. But all of a sudden, Natalie converts to Christianism. Here is where I had a little reservation. Usually, a person takes time to change from a total unbeliever to become a believer, and Natalie did the jump too fast.
I think middle school children may like this book.
April 10, 2024
The Mysteries of Woodland Academy is a book written for those who love wonder, adventure, friendships, budding love, mystery, and faith. My novel will remind you of Harry Potter and The Hunger Games. The twist will surprise you as you follow Natalie and Sam's journey as they try to solve the schoool's mysteries together, but in doing so it will not be easy. Find out what awaits Natalie and Sam in this middle grade adventure in The Mysteries of Woodland Academy.
KD Williams
KD Williams
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