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samantha_randolph 's review for:
In the Heart of the Dark Wood
by Billy Coffey
DNF Thoughts/Review
*I received a free copy of this book from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for an honest review*
Allie Granderson is still heartbroken over her mother's mysterious disappearance. Nothing has been the same since she left, especially Allie's father. When part of her family's nativity scene is taken, Allie wants to find where it went. The compass she keeps in memory of her mother starts moving, and Allie and her friend, Zach, decide to follow where it takes them.
I really wanted to like this book. I love adult fiction that has a younger character as the protagonist. However, I didn't feel that Allie was a 12 year old at all. Most of the time she felt 8 or 9. Some issues felt really unrealistic, like the circumstances surrounding her getting her first period.
While I appreciated the Southern culture (being from the South myself), some parts seemed to be really stereotyped and cliched. I think I just disconnected with the book in a major way because of this and Allie, even though the premise sounded cool.
I did like how real the author made the family situation feel. When a family is somehow gone (through disappearance, death, etc.), that has a big impact. The family dynamic is immediately shifted, and it usually leaves the members feeling uncertain/lost/hurt/etc. Allie and her dad are definitely a good example of how broken a family feels when part of the family is gone.
Overall, I just didn't connect with this. I didn't like how certain aspects were portrayed, and it was getting too hard to push myself to keep reading. I'm sure this book would be great for a different reader, but it ultimately didn't work for me.
*I received a free copy of this book from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for an honest review*
Allie Granderson is still heartbroken over her mother's mysterious disappearance. Nothing has been the same since she left, especially Allie's father. When part of her family's nativity scene is taken, Allie wants to find where it went. The compass she keeps in memory of her mother starts moving, and Allie and her friend, Zach, decide to follow where it takes them.
I really wanted to like this book. I love adult fiction that has a younger character as the protagonist. However, I didn't feel that Allie was a 12 year old at all. Most of the time she felt 8 or 9. Some issues felt really unrealistic, like the circumstances surrounding her getting her first period.
While I appreciated the Southern culture (being from the South myself), some parts seemed to be really stereotyped and cliched. I think I just disconnected with the book in a major way because of this and Allie, even though the premise sounded cool.
I did like how real the author made the family situation feel. When a family is somehow gone (through disappearance, death, etc.), that has a big impact. The family dynamic is immediately shifted, and it usually leaves the members feeling uncertain/lost/hurt/etc. Allie and her dad are definitely a good example of how broken a family feels when part of the family is gone.
Overall, I just didn't connect with this. I didn't like how certain aspects were portrayed, and it was getting too hard to push myself to keep reading. I'm sure this book would be great for a different reader, but it ultimately didn't work for me.