Where the Woods End
by Charlotte Salter (Author)
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.
Locate at a Library Near You WorldCat is the world's largest library catalog, helping you find library materials online.
Find books about:
School Library Journal
Gr 6-10--Deep in a nightmarish forest, scrappy Kestrel defends her isolated village from monsters, armed with a spoon, a book, and her talking weasel sidekick. This action-packed novel has plenty of twists, the biggest of which is the psychological insight into its protagonist. Kestrel's search-and-destroy mentality initially seems like a dark inversion of Pokémon, channeling a "gotta kill them all" mentality. But Kestrel is mostly after Grabbers, who steal mementos to create bodies that embody their victim's worst fear. Kestrel survives because her fears are so complex: she struggles to reinterpret her mother and grandmother's abuse as hero training and her father's abandonment as protection. While Kestrel's exciting but simplistic monster hunts seem to empower her, they also make her an outcast from the village she seeks to protect. She can only free herself when she turns inward, to challenge her mother and her own punishing self-narrative. Although Kestrel, her family, the monsters, and the forest are intensely realized, the villagers and the village feel generic. The Salty Bog and the Marrow Orchard are viscerally terrifying, but stray references to museums and dentists threaten to break the spell. VERDICT Gorier than Gaiman, this novel is not for the faint of heart but packs a surprising emotional punch. Buy where complex horror-fantasy for young teens is in demand.--Katherine Magyarody, Texas A&M University, College Station
Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
It was pure amazing!
JUV018000 - Juvenile Fiction | Horror
JUV052000 - Juvenile Fiction | Monsters
Fear
Fear in children
Forests and forestry
