A bit strange but still very fun! I liked the characters and the overall plot. Some parts were underdeveloped and the writing was a bit choppy, but overall, The Wood was an enjoyable novel!

This book was so unique. The premise is fantastic - a swath of enchanted woods with portals to different times, and the girl who is in charge of seeing the travels who fall through home safely. I really loved the story, and the main character Winter, who is trying to live a normal life while knowing that she will never be able to live a normal life. THE WOOD reminded me of the TV show Charmed, which I couldn't get enough of. This book is a stand alone, but I would like to read many more books set in this world!

This delicious gem of a book was the perfect read for the weekend. Though I do not recommend reading while out hiking - then you'll be inspecting the tree leaves for supernatural paint and looking at the distance, trying to find thresholds and out-of-time travelers.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a digital ARC of “The Wood” by Chelsea Bobulski. What an intriguing and fresh YA fantasy. This is a darker fantasy that I just devoured. The characters are intriguing and their search for their family will keep you gripping your seat. I love YA fantasy set in the woods and this forest drips with mystery and unknown danger. I recommend this story to all those who enjoy YA fantasy as this will fit well into that category but gives some new ideas to the genre!

An excellent debut from a new author, Chelsea Bobulski. "The Wood" is a bit of a surprise. I picked the book based on cover and description because I was ready to read a new mystery, and what the book delivered was half mystery, half fantasy. Not at all what I was expecting!

Winter is a strong character, a teenage girl grappling with the sudden disappearance of her father, and the adult task of patrolling the wood and keeping it safe. The wood conceals portals to other time periods. Winter's task is to keep any stragglers wandering through the wood from finding their way out into the wrong time period. However, all is not well with the wood. At night it comes alive, attacking those who might have the misfortune to wander through a portal, or be caught inside after dark. Meanwhile, the council in charge of keeping the wood safe has had problems with disappearances. What is causing the disappearances? Does the council have anything to do with it? Is Winter's father still alive?

All-in-all, this was a surprising read, mainly because it was way better than I expected: engaging, fast-paced, and containing a well-crafted plot and ending. My main complaints relate to the world-building: I wanted to know more about the wood, why it was created, and why some members on the council are immortal while those in charge of guarding the wood are not.

This book is sure to appeal to teens who are looking for a strong female protagonist, and lovers of mystery and fantasy who lean towards fast teen reads. Someone who enjoys epic world-building in their fantasy may enjoy the story, but will come away feeling like there is something lacking in the world.

Thanks to Macmillan for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.

(I received an ARC of this book on NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.)

What happened if the Wood Between the Worlds had a guardian? Travelers in all of our favorite fantasy novels would be rerouted back to their home time & place and the adventure would stop, right?

Winter is that guardian. After her dad’s disappearance, she’s the only one who can monitor the Wood and make sure that no travelers get through to another portal. She tracks them down and takes them back to their home time and place, and she gets no thanks for a job well done. But one day, a traveler makes it through who knows more than he should about guardians, and is it normal for the trees to have black slime on their trunks? Suddenly, Winter is pulled into an age-old war that threatens the human realm as she knows it…

This book was fine, just fine. I give it three stars for being completely recommendable to high school students or adult friends. It was predictable at times and it wrapped up too neatly for my taste, but I loved the atmospheric work. Also, I LOVED Winter’s mom and her straightforward communication style. I have an affinity for books where lying to your parents doesn’t work in the long run, so yay hooray for this one.