The Woods are Waiting was another book about someone coming back to their hometown and things going being just the same. Cheyenne did that. She comes back and the woods are still the same. They are still taking children. You have your people who are happy to see her. You have your people who are mad at her for the sin of leaving. You have a crazy family she’s trying to escape. The premise was done before. But it was done in a creepy enough way to be enjoyable.

The creepy atmosphere of this book was exactly what I wanted! The rural Virginia town of Blue Cliffs has a dark legacy of children going missing and dying. Children of the town are raised to fear The Hickory Man and to carry talismans to keep them safe. Cheyenne tried to leave her hometown to make a new start but gets dragged back when children begin to go missing again. This book has a slow creepy build up that sends shivers down my spine. I was totally engrossed the whole time and went through the whole book in a single sitting because I didn’t want to put it down.
The narrator of the audiobook does a fantastic job too and adds to the atmosphere of the story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscapes Media for this advance listening copy in exchange for an honest review.

In the heart of this story lies a mother's love and misguided attempts at protection, seeped in folklore and mystery that will keep you wondering until the very end. Is the Hickory Man real? Is there truly something in the forest that snatches up little kids? Cheyenne sure didn't think so, until she moved back in with her mother, now she's questioning everything. I recommend this book if you like stories set in the mystical Appalachian Mountains!

It took me a little while to get onto this one due to the narrator. I didn't feel she did the book justice. Though as I got use to it and got into the story I was intrigued to find out what happened. I also had to know if the tales were actually true. I liked the small town feel and back story. It was a good read.

The Woods Are Waiting by Katherine Greene

Thank you to @netgalley, @dreamscapemedia, and #KatherineGreene for the opportunity to read this #advancedlistenercopy in exchange for my #honestreview.

Years ago, Cheyenne Ashby decided to leave her hometown of Blue Cliff, Virginia due to its dark history. Her mother, Constance, raised her with many eye-raising customs and superstitious tales tied to a willow man legend that claims children in threes if the appropriate sacrifices are not made. But a man, Jasper Clinton, was arrested for the most recent trio of children slain in the town. When another child disappears with this real life monster behind bars Cheyenne and her friend Natalie are forced to spring into action to crack the mystery of the woods before another child is slain.

I want to start off by saying the story and mystery of this book was solid. Had I read an eARC instead of listened to the audiobook I think it would have worked a lot better for me. The accent of the narration just really grated my nerves. It took me out of the book not than once. I also have to take points away for the confrontation towards the end because it felt so much like the typical villain monologue in an episode of Scooby Doo once they’ve peeled back the mask. Due to these things, this just didn’t work for me.

TW: kidnapping, gaslighting, abuse of power, CA, murder

⭐️⭐️✨ - 2.5/5

This was an eerie and atmospheric debut thriller that was mainly centered around creepy woods, which I absolutely love as a book setting. While we got to learn so, so much about our two main POV's and the town that has haunted them since childhood, for me it was personally a little too slow moving of a story and we didn't get to see much action until almost halfway through. I sometimes don't mind slower moving plots if they help to build suspense in the story, but as I somewhat guessed who the Hickory Man before it was revealed, the overall pacing didn't work as well for me. Regardless, I've seen multiple great reviews from my friends and aside from the pacing I really enjoyed it.

Thank you so much to Crooked Lane books for my physical copy and Netgalley for my ARC! Publishes next Tuesday, July 11th.

This was a surprise throughout! Not many murder mystery books keep me guessing, but THE WOODS ARE WAITING certainly did. I could never tell who the true monster was--even by the end. The characters are relatable and you understand the bond of the small isolated town. I think this will be well received.

<i> Cheyenne Ashby knows the dark and disturbing history of her hometown of Blue Cliff, Virginia, all too well. It’s why she left. Growing up deep within the woods with her eccentric mother, Constance, she was raised on the unusual customs and generational superstitions linked to the local legend of an evil entity that haunts the forest.

Five years ago, the bodies of three children were found in the woods. It was a man—not a mythical beast—named Jasper Clinton who was convicted of these heinous crimes. For five years the town breathed just a bit easier with a real-life monster behind bars.

But when another child goes missing, Cheyenne and Natalie are determined to discover the truth and uncover the town’s dangerous secrets rooted in its terrifying past.

The two women must confront the reality of the superstitions they always believed in and their town’s complicated connection with who—or what—lives in the woods. </i>

I wanted to enjoy this more that I did. The concept was interesting and full of potential, however, for a thriller, it was short on thrills. Or mystery. Or atmosphere. Or character development. There was just enough of each to keep me listening, but then the ending was so filled with awkward exposition and it didn’t feel earned.

Angie Hickman did a decent job with the narration.

Thank you Katherine Greene, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for providing this ALC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

I really liked the atmospheric thriller and supernatural vibes this book brought. The nursery rhyme and boogeyman story telling was fun and creepy. I didn’t really care for any of the characters and didn’t really find any of them likeable, so it made it a bit hard to get into. The ending was a twist, but I didn’t like how it wrapped up.

I received a free copy of this book from Dreamscape Media through netgalley.com I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Atmospheric and dark. Cheyenne escaped her hometown and her mother and her superstitions and rituals only to be sucked back in by a call from her "uncle" the town sheriff saying her mother was getting worse and needed her. As Cheyenne reconnects with past friends and lovers she also discovers more about her family and her town. The whole town doesn't like strangers and uses them as scapegoats for missing children who are later found dead. Just as the man convicted of killing 3 boys when Cheyenne is young gets out of prison on new evidence another boy is taken and the whole town is out for the blood of the man who they still believe is guilty despite the evidence.

I loved the small town mob mentality, it really gave this book the creep factor reminding me of the Lottery. The folklore around the Hickory Man, the ways to protect yourself and Cheyenne's mothers rituals of salting the doors and burying things around the perimeter of her property were classic. I really enjoyed this book and the surprising twist was spot on and the very end gave you back that little bit of chills. The narration was excellent although the voice of Cheyenne's mother was a bit shrill in places. Overall a solid isolated small town mystery.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of The Woods Are Waiting! This story centers around a small town, superstitions, and old folk legends that have been passed down generations. I really enjoyed this story and learning the truths. This story definitely shows you what it is like to be in a small town and the worst sides of it. I highly recommend checking it out!

Overall this book was okay. The majority of the book didn’t feel like a mystery/thriller to me. It seemed more like an examination of the main character’s s relationships with the people in her life and why they went wrong. When things did finally start to happen, the villain spends a good chunk of time telling us what happened instead of showing us what happened. There was little to keep me drawn into the story.

The cover and the synopsis of this book had me excited to listen to the audiobook. Cheyenne returns to her childhood home when she’s informed her mentally ill mother is going through a rough spot. Considering she packed up and left on a whim years ago, her best friends are still a bit hurt and angry. But they’re quick to forgive.

The Hickory Man children’s rhyme is perfectly disturbing and the woods are eerie. My kudos go to those people that can casually hike in the trees. I’ve had little desire since I started reading thrillers years ago. Tack in this book’s superstitions and handmade dolls (anyone else think voodoo dolls?)

I do think this book could have been great. But it just didn’t work for me. I easily confused Cheyenne and Natalie’s chapters as they were way too similar. And when we finally got to the killer - we had chapters of explanations. I laughed out loud when a character sat up from the dead to help kill the villain. Oops- I guess that person hasn’t died after all…

But I still can’t say this book was bad. It had some decent creepy moments. The setting was well written- just other parts could have been cleaned up a bit to make it excellent.

Thanks NetGalley for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This chilling story centers around a small community in rural Virginia where children have been being taken and murdered on and off for close to one hundred years. Local folklore talks about the Hickory Man and suggests he will take the children if they venture into the woods alone and off the set path. When yet another child goes missing, the small community is thrown into an uproar.

There are three friends who are now grown that all have memories of what they believe to have been close encounters with the Hickory Man when they were younger. But yet, one of them fights the belief that it's real and wants to find a logical explanation while the others feel that the folk tales may have more credence that they want to admit. The entire town is in chaos and looking for someone to blame and at this point, anyone is fair game.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: The narration was fairly good. When the narrator went to do Cheyenne's mother's voice, it always sounded like she was screeching and was difficult to listen to. When the narrator was doing the main voices and so forth, all was fine. The story itself was setup well for an audiobook. 4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for early copies of both the audiobook and ebook. I voluntarily chose to review them and the opinions contained within are my own.

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

The narration perfectly fit in perfectly with the characters of this story! The accents were all on point for the area they are from and it was very easy to listen to. The story is about a woman who returns home after being gone for 5 years to assist her mom. The town is situated around woods that have a grim history and have been a hunting ground for something sinister for generations. It was all very interesting and I enjoyed all the characters relationships with each other. I was able to see the twist coming, but others may not. I would still definitely recommend if you like thrillers and mysteries!

I was super excited to get this audio, but to be completely honest, it was just a little too slow and “blah” for me.

The Woods are Waiting is an atmospheric small-town thriller steeped in ritual and superstition.

Cheyenne Ashby hasn’t been back to her hometown in 5 years where she left her mother, friends and boyfriend. When her mother’s health deteriorates, she’s called back to the town that believes there’s an entity called the Hickory Man who is responsible for the death of local children spanning many years. Another child has gone missing and Cheyenne has to come to terms with what’s really going on in her hometown.

At times claustrophobic and unsettling, this is a book I couldn’t put down! Perfect amount of spookiness and unpredictability. I really loved the idea of the urban legend of the Hickory Man and all the superstitions that the town believed. The characters are also great – you really felt these childhood friends had a lot of history together.

The Woods are Waiting is a great book to pick up in the fall – it’s got the perfect vibes for Halloween (I mean, just look at that cover!!)

This book started off strong, I was hooked right away, and the narrator did a decent job. And then, with 2 hours of the audiobook left, the killer gave an hour+ speech on how and why they did what they did with a gun pointed at our protagonists. Omg, this is one of my biggest pet peeves! Show, don't tell. The problem was the reason the killer killed was so out-there, so weirdly absurd, that in order to understand it, we needed an extensive interview. And it had these super nutty connections to past killings. Utterly infuriating. It was so weak and amateurish! It was unbelievable, it was cheesy, and I still struggle with it days later. Someone somewhere in the process, editing, somewhere, should have stopped and said, "Go fix this. It's going to really annoy readers because it's ridiculous."

I loved this when I read it as a book and I love it as an audiobook. The narrator really brought the story to life. I loved her! This is a really good creepy and sad story.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.