Wow! What an utterly brilliant read. This is not your usual abduction story. This is tense story telling, with so much emotion, right through to the very end (which had me crying!) There’s so many twists, red herrings and shockingly gruesome parts. What I really loved about this was the characters, especially Elissa with her mind chess mat and genius-ness, but also Elijah as how the story progresses you learn more and more about why he behaves the way he does. And it’s all the more heartbreaking. I’ll definitely be looking for more books from Sam Lloyd. I loved it!!!

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this disturbing book

a young chess champion is kidnapped and what follows is a story that is disturbing and you will lose a couple of hours of sleep over it...

elissa has already played a few games of chess at the tournament and is on a little break...she is given the keys to the car so she can go and get something but she never returns...

the police try everything at their disposal to find her but alas they find no evidence of her...

elijah has lived in the memory wood all his life and he is very lonely so when he comes across elissa instead of going to the police he wants to keep elissa there so he has company...

and then the first video appears...all hell breaks loose....

this is a gripping novel, disturbing in places and shocking in others...at first i was thinking what am i reading but then i became hooked and needed to find out what was going to happen...

brilliant, kept me glued right to the end

This was a very enjoyable read. In my opinion it was a little confusing towards the end. The characters were intriguing, the setting was interesting and the story itself was a great idea, very clever writing.. plenty of twists and turns throughout, with a shocking ending that you do see coming. I’ll be keeping my eye out for more books by this author in the future.
Thank you netgalley and publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a honest review

An intense, chilling and heartbraking thriller. I did not read the blurb I wanted to be surprised and boy was I. I have never read a book like this before. Hooked from the first page, so emotive I have literally shouted at this book. I must admit it was not what I was expecting. Child abduction is never an easy subject to read about but this is so much more. I could not put this book down. A very original thriller which gave me chills and got my heart racing. This book will stay with me long after I have turned the last page. So highly recommended.
Thanks to Random House UK and Netgalley for the ARC.

The Memory Wood tells the tale of Elissa Mirzoyan - a 13 year old abducted from a chess tournament and is told from her perspective, the kidnapper she calls The Ghoul, a 12 year old boy called Elijah who visits her regularly and is trying to help her and the lead Detective Mairead.

The story follows more from Elissa and Elijah's view point which makes much better reading than being filled with the police investigations. There is just enough of that to keep the story moving at a good, steady pace.

Some of Elijahs thoughts can be a little confusing but this demonstrates his mental state perfectly and leaves you wondering whether he can be trusted or not.

The twists towards the end will keep you guessing.

A twisted and chilling thriller that hooked me and didn't let go.
The characters were fascinating, especially Elissa, her resilience was almost unbelievable. And Elijah was.... Well you'll have to read for yourself, no spoilers here!

Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read and review this dark and disturbing story of 13 year old Elissa, who has been abducted, and a lonely young boy Elijah, who knows where she is, but wants to keep her! The book grips you and drags you along with it as you are plunged into Elissa’s darkness. I absolutely loved the first two thirds of the book but did feel that it went off the boil towards the end and I was left feeling that there was more needed to end the story completely. A dark idea, well written but left ever so slightly disappointed in the ending.

I devoured The Memory Wood from start to finish and couldn't put it down. The character of Elissa is one of the most striking and well-written I've ever come across: both strong and vulnerable at the same time. It's a novel full of twists and turns, but none feel contrived or forced, and each point of view character is significant and impactful.

If you loved the grit and mystery of True Detective's first season, along with the fear and dread of Emma Donoghue's Room, this book is not to be missed.

4 stars.

As weird and creepy as a modern day Grimm fairy tale.
Elissa is fantastic as the girl taken. She is smart and brave and you just know that being a young chess protegee she is going to bring the moves to this most dangerous game.
Elijah is naive, childish and selfish. You can never quite tell how much he knows or is involved in the crimes that have been committed.
Mairead, the passionate detective chasing the clues before time runs out is a true hero. I would love to have another story with her in it.
This story is dark and creepy, but never without hope. Twists and turns abound, especially in the latter part of the story. Some of them were things I had questioned throughout the story, but even having some idea about where a few things were heading did not detract from my immense enjoyment of the story.
Highly recommended.

I really loved the first two thirds of this book, it was well written, nail bitingly tense and with some good twists. However, the last part seemed a bit melodramatic and almost manic in its seeming desire to throw in as much action and ideas as possible to the detriment of any character development. I'm not sure if this a debut novel for the author - if so it's a very good one, so have given four stars and look forward to reading more of their work.
Thank you to netgalley and Random house for an advance copy of this book

I went into this blind. But when I read the first "chapter" for Try A Chapter I knew I had to pick this up and read it ASAP. I had questions from chapter one. I needed answers. I did think going in blind helped make me more intrigued by that chapter. Due to this I predicted a possible four star read.

As I went in blind I was confused for a moment when Elissa POV started. I didn't know why she was important to the story. But after some chess tournament action that I really didn't care about, something happened that made me wonder more how she connects with Elijah.

I found myself caring less as I got through this. I felt for the characters held captive but something was missing for me to really stay interested.
Mairéad POV just did nothing for me. I get why it was there. But I just preferred reading Elissa and Elijah POV instead. Until part two. Where it makes the story work so much better. You learn much more about the history.
At around 60% the atmosphere felt more dark and intense. As if from nowhere. Suddenly I found myself more intrigued. I had no idea what was happening which I liked.
The ending itself wasn't what I expected. In fact I don't know what I expected. But at the same time it was messy in a way, so much was happening. You had so much to take in at once I felt a little confused until I sat and thought about it once I finished.

‘Sometimes, life is so gosh-damned strange it hardly seems real.’

In a moment, 13 year old Elissa’s life is changed forever when she is spirited away to the Memory Wood. She wakes to find herself chained and bruised, and as the nightmarish nature of her new reality becomes clear, her only hope of escape lies in the hands of 12 year old Elijah. But the desperately lonely Elijah doesn’t want Elissa to leave, and it soon becomes clear that this strange young boy has secrets of his own...

Now, anyone who knows me will tell you that I’m a huge fan of psychological thrillers; however, sadly many of them are unfortunately just a tad underwhelming nowadays. But in this case, I can honestly say that this is one of the best thrillers I have ever read. It manages to turn the cliche stereotypes associated with abduction thrillers completely on their head, and offers a fresh and exciting read that is truly a standout when compared to others of this genre.

The story alternates chapters from the perspectives of Elissa, Elijah, and later in the book Mairead, the police detective in charge of investigating Elissa’s abduction. Contrasting Elissa and Elijah’s POVs offers a disturbing insight into what is happening in Memory Wood, whilst the introduction of the outside perspective of Mairead only serves to increase the already palpable tension that is rife throughout the book.

‘The Memory Wood’ is exhilarating and brutal and claustrophobic and sinister and heartbreaking and so so clever. The twists and turns in this book are numerous, enough so that I won’t comment in any way on the plot, as to spoil even the smallest element of it would be criminal. What I will say is that even if you expect the unexpected, there will still be so many moments of sheer exhilarating shock that your head will almost literally spin. To call it a rollercoaster of a read is a gross understatement!

All in all, I can honestly say that if this doesn’t become a best seller I will eat my hat. It is a dark and disturbing novel that is truly a compulsive read. The writing is incredible, the plot is just mind blowing, and I would urge everyone to read it as soon as possible. Just make sure you have no plans for the foreseeable future, because it is definitely not one you’ll want to put down!

Disclaimer - I was fortunate enough to be provided with an advance reading copy by NetGalley. This has not affected my review in any way, and all opinions are my own.

This is the story about the abduction of thirteen year old Elissa. She is very clever and she's a chess playing prodigy. Elijah is twelve. He lives in a cottage in the Memory Wood with his parents. When Elijah finds Elissa, she thinks that he will free her. But Elijah wants to keep her for his friend. The inspector in charge of this investigation is Mairead, she has her own personal issues.

This is the debut novel from Sam Lloyd. The tension starts to build right from the beginning of the story. It's told from Mairead, Elissa and Elijah's perspectives. The twists just kept coming. This is quite a dark read ut it's also addictive and I could ot put it down. The pace is steady. The ending was executed perfectly. I can't wait to see what this author has in store for us next.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and the author Sam Liyod for my ARC in exchange for an honest review

I really enjoyed this book. It had a great start. The writing is engaging and thrilling. I liked the premise.
Overall it's a really good debut.

Thanks a lot to the publisher and NG for this copy.

I loved The Memory Wood, I had been looking forward to it for some time and it did not disappoint! I found the main protagonists rounded and interesting, and the twists and turns were certainly unexpected. The emotional roller coaster that both the characters and the readers take between pity, fear and redemption is remarkably well handled, I will definitely be recommending this!!

Now this book started off great. I loved the main characters Elissa and Elijah. Elissa is abducted and the race is on to find her. Elijah is a strange character, he comes across childlike but something else is wrong. Elissa on the other hand is quiet smart and uses those skills to help try and free herself. The story got going good then half way through it started to get confusing and jumping straight to another point. After that it kind of lost me and I knew nothing was going to be shocking then. The ending I thought needed more drama. Not as dark and twisted as I thought it would be

This book will become one of the top books in 2020 without any doubt. It is gripping story full of twists and very realistically told. elissa, a 13 yr old girl is kidnapped at the start and the race to find her is a large part of the story. At the same time we met her kidnappers and heard about other girls who had been kidnapped and died. A very creepy story but throughout I kept wondering if I could be as brave and fight to live in the way that she did.
The descriptions of the Memory Wood and the Gingerbread cottage was so well described that it was easy to believe that as the reader I was there with it all happening about me. I loved this compulsive read and highly recommend it .

This is a crime thriller like no other! The story starts out written in first person of twelve year old Elijah who bullied and scared of his older brother, Kyle. We very quickly realise that both Elijah and Kyle are strange and complex characters possibly damaged by their upbringing and surroundings. Thirteen year old Elissa is a bright girl competing in a chess tournament. When she goes out to the car park to retrieve something from the car, she is abducted and bundled into a van parked alongside. She wakes to darkness and is terrified of what lies ahead.

If you like thrillers to be graphic and chilling, this is a dark and disturbing book which will give you nightmares!

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House and Bantam Press for this advanced. Creepy and chilling book. Will definitely be a bestseller in 2020.

A disturbing book that shines a light on relationships and the fragility of life. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an ARC egalley.