When Devin Green wakes in the middle of the night to two men abducting her from her bedroom, she’s prepared for a fight. However,there’s no escaping the henchmen of the wilderness therapy program her foster family is forcing her to attend. Along with four other teens, she’s dropped off in middle-of-nowhere Idaho, where two camp counselors will march them through the woods for 50 days so the teens can better themselves. It’s a strange place, where the air is “quiet in a way she’s never felt, uninterrupted by the puttering of old engines and the distant crash of machinery.”
But more aggravating than the hiking or the quiet or the counselors is Sheridan, a lavender-haired mean girl who mocks the other kids and slows the whole group down. But Sheridan, at least, is human: When their counselors go missing, Devin starts seeing visions of creatures with strange faces. The five teens will need to work together if they’re going to survive what horrors lurk in the woods and emerge with their identities still their own.
Inspired by real horrific wilderness programs, Where Echoes Die author Courtney Gould’s What the Woods Took grapples with horrors inflicted by both people and literal monsters.
Devin’s strength and determination to “reap the good she suffered for” is certain to enchant. But if Devin isn’t a reader’s favorite character, they will be sure to find another: All five teenagers are complicated and real, and Gould’s excellent dialogue and lifelike banter make the whole group engrossing.
Those who love their horror with a hint of romance will be rewarded: Devin and Sheridan’s slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance is messy yet truthful, giving growth and a strong human connection even as monsters descend. When the two finally get on the same page, readers might even cheer.
Atmospheric with genuine scares, What the Woods Took examines how teenagers can go through the worst and still choose to trust, over and over again. This excellent addition to the roster of queer YA horror will please fans of Rory Power and Mindy McGinnis.
