A twisty, spooky (pardon the pun) rollercoaster of a book! It was a treat to get to go along with Frankie as she juggles a cutthroat family who want their cash cow making a profit again, a grandmother with too many secrets (including where she's gone), and the dark, bubbling truth of Whisperwood amusement park.

The unique twist on germanic folklore was especially fun in this! I loved the bits of multi-media sprinkled in, between the published folktales and occasional blog post/news article. I'm always a sucker for that and it was a fun dimension to the story to be familiar with the stories and then see their darker aspects play out as the park takes on a mind of its own. No spoilers on how they come up, but very fun and spooky monster design!

The Whisperwood Legacy follows Frankie Strauss as she returns to her family’s theme park at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Virginia Strauss, family matriarch, closed Whisperwood eighteen months ago and no one truly knows why. When the family returns for one night to celebrate the anniversary, Virginia goes missing and Frankie realizes her family may be guilty. She accepts help from the young and handsome groundskeeper, Jem, and the two work to uncover decades of lies and more.

This was perfectly pitched. Knives Out meets The Hazel Wood at a rundown amusement park is the perfect way to describe this book. The family dysfunction and drama gave such Knives Out vibes. They’re so ruthless and greedy. The plot starts a little slow, but it lays the groundwork really well and when it picks up, things get crazy. I had so much fun and loved all the twists and turns. And I adored the setting. There is something so hauntingly creepy about abandoned amusement parks and the author created such a magical, horrifying park. I could read so many books set in this park—it was so cool!

Loved the cast of characters in this one. Jem was so lovely and I loved his story. Frankie is a great mc and the reveal was so well done. Their romance was really cute and the ending was perfect. Her cousins were hilarious—the silk shrunken pjs had me laughing so hard. The family dynamic was really well done and believable in this one.

Overall, if you love Knives Out or The Hazel Wood, I’d totally recommend checking this out!

Thank you to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

An amazing book! I absolutely loved this one. I read it awhile back and was absolutely obsessed and hooked!

⭐⭐⭐

THE WHISPERWOOD LEGACY by Jo Schulte

Thank you Netgalley and Little Brown for the earc (May 27)

Whisperwood is a theme park that shut it's door 18 months prior to the events of WHISPERWOOD LEGACY. It follows Frankie Stauss who teams up with Jem, the groundskeeper, when Virginia Strauss (family matriarch) goes missing.
Okay.
This book was just okay...
I'm not sure where to start with this review. Going into it, I was expecting a whodunit when Virginia went missing; however, I wasn't expecting the turn it took. I'm not even sure how to describe it. It was like the focus was less on what happened to Virginia and more what was happening with the park. Don't get me wrong, that could have been interesting. It's just...I grew bored. Then interest loomed ahead, until I was ready for this to be over because I grew bored again.
WHISPERWOOD LEGACY didn't hit the mark for me. I wanted more mystery, less sci-fy mixed with fantasy. I wish the author would have picked one or the other because the lead up to the reveal was utterly confusing, and when the whodunit was revealed, it was unsatisfying.
Because there were things I found interesting, especially toward the middle where my interest piqued the most, I'm rating this higher than I would have had it not picked up for a bit.

I loved THE WHISPERWOOD LEGACY. It was a mashup of all of my favorite things. The voice was incredible.

This book is such a delight — it’s smart and clever, funny and moving, romantic and terrifying. THE WHISPERWOOD LEGACY is one of those books that defies genres, but takes the best of everything: a family drama (like KNIVES OUT), a sweet slow-burn romance (Jem hive, I’m one of you) and a suspenseful mystery in a dark and immersive setting. Frankie is such a wonderful narrator. Her voice is so clear and strong from the first page, and I loved her character growth alongside the more fantastical turns of the plot. (Also, I loved the interstitial fairytales woven throughout — it was such a clever touch.) I just really, really loved this book.

Really wanted to love based on the cover and premise, but The Whisperwood Legacy just didn't hit all the notes I wanted it to.

The first part of the story reads much more like the traditional locked door who dun it mystery, while the middle and ending lean much more into a fantasy horror genre. But they don't work together - it feels like two different books once that switch happens. And then there's a weird romance or possible love triangle aspect and it just doesn't work at all within the context of the rest of the story. I definitely preferred the latter half of the story and the creepy fantasy amusement park plot, but it was rushed and didn't make sense since it wasn't all set up properly in the beginning. I think if there weren't so much genre bending/mixing, the flow would have been so much better.

The eerie German folktales are the highlight for sure, very dark and perfect for the setting. Would have been interesting to see more of that and how they each play out.

Thank you to Netgalley and Little, Brown Books for Children for the eARC!

I really truly wanted to love this book. I mean, that COVER? It's fantastic.

Unfortunately, this book did not work for me.

This book felt like it contained two different books inside of it. The first 35-40ish% was straight boring contemporary - a family all hating each other a la Knives Out and wanting their grandmother to die so they could inherit the park. This part can be best described as the type of YA that adult YA readers hate: sporadic, jumping from thought to thought too hurriedly, adding in stupid random tidbits no one cares about, etc.

The second portion was a magical story/fairy tale adventureish contemporary fantasy a la the Goosebumps movie (the one with Jack Black). In my opinion, Schulte should have given us the fantasy FAR sooner than 1/3 of the way through the book. AND given us WAY more world building around said fantasy. By the end, I was just skimming like "what the ef is going on" because it was all so chaotically done.

There was an idea here.... buried deep. I just do not think it was executed efficiently. We got some of the stories in book and a few I kinda just glossed over because I wasn't a fan of them. I did read the important one(s) but I was frustrated that we didn't get a lot of IRL backstory/worldbuilding. I think I needed that to really connect with the plot more and actually CARE about this world and its magic and characters. (Like why were certain characters able to do certain things.... without spoilers, it was kind of not handled well....)

Also, I guessed the plot twists. Go me. (Except for a small part of the one twist, which to be fair, would never have been guessed because there wasn't any actual foreshadowing.)

I'm not sure who I would peg as the audience for this book. On the one hand, the first 1/3 was juvenile. Adult or upper YA readers are going to DNF it. But you also have an uncle character who swears in almost EVERY SINGLE SENTENCE. (Why!? It's so unnecessary!) And there are some additional slightly more dark portions in the last 2/3's of the book. So I couldn't in good conscious give it to a 12-14yo. But I also don't think a 16-18yo would even like that beginning portion? So... who knows? I hope this book finds its readers but I am unfortunately, not one.

Absolutely loved this! A strange, overgrown theme park, dysfunctional family, mysterious love interest, creepy haunted rides ... what more could you ask for?! Nothing! I devoured this so fast, so eager to learn what was going on and rooting for the main couple the entire time. I loved the atmosphere, the characters, the prose -- everything!! Can't wait for more from Jo!

Thank you to MTMC Tours for the earc!

I have mixed feelings about this book. There were elements that I really loved, like all the stories that we were introduced during the book, the whole park being designed around those stories, the characters and the magic. At the same time, I felt something was missing. I had places where I couldn’t really follow what’s going on, and if I have to be really honest, it was way darker and creepier than I anticipated. I think this is one of those few times, where I wasn’t the target audience for the book.

The Whisperwood has been on my must-read list since its deal announcement, and wow does it deliver. I could not get over the creativity of the lore within this story! This book is steeped in Appalachian German folklore, with eery suspense, morally-grey characters, and runaway magic. The abandoned amusement park was the perfect setting, and I loved how big a role it played in the plot. The twists were extremely well done, and had the perfect balance of family drama, teenage angst, and generational secrets to keep me engaged from start to finish. Highly recommend!


Thank you to Netgalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Whisperwood Legacy sends readers into a creepy and magical amusement park based on a book of German fairytales written by the Strauss family. The park has been closed for a while and the family is just now setting foot back on property, but something isn't quite right with the park. Are the fairytales real? Read to find out.
This book kept me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out what could happen next. Between family drama, romantic drama, and magical drama there is enough tension in this book to keep anyone engaged. Teen readers will be drawn in by the love triangle but will stay for the mystery enshrouding the park. The distinctly original body horror was very impressive, and an amusement park was the perfect setting for that type of gore.
Overall, this book will be a winner for many types of readers and I will definitely be recommending it at my library!

I was looking forward to this book for so long, and I think my expectations were too high based on the description and reviews from authors I love. I DNF’d at 89 pages after a long struggle to get into the book, there were just way too many cringe meme references for me to handle in a book who’s tone and storyline did not vibe well with them. Add in a classic YA insta-romance that distracts from the actual mystery, a stereotypical influencer character, fanfiction style writing, and you have the perfect recipe to kill me. I may try this book again someday because of the aforementioned high hopes but I just had to walk away from it too many times to justify it for now.

Thank you Netgalley and Little, Brown Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Jo Schulte’s “The Whisperwood Legacy” is a dark mystery book filled with unique German folklore and family drama set against the eerie backdrop of an abandoned amusement park. With elements reminiscent of “Knives Out” (the mystery aspect with a missing person and an inheritance) and “The Hazel Wood,” (fictional folklore) this book expertly blurs the line between reality and fairy tale, weaving an atmospheric tale filled with secrets.

At the heart of the story is Frankie Strauss, a determined protagonist who has spent years distancing herself from her family’s legacy. But when her grandmother disappears, she is drawn back into the world of Whisperwood, an amusement park built around her family’s unique (and often unsettling) German folklore. As Frankie, along with her witty and sometimes chaotic cousins, attempts to unravel the park’s mysteries, she discovers that the stories she once dismissed as myths might hold more truth—and danger—than she ever imagined.

Schulte masterfully balances the book’s dark, creeping tension with humor that actually made me laugh out loud, particularly through Frankie’s interactions with her cousins. The book’s multimedia elements, such as news articles and snippets of folklore at the end of chapters, enhance the world-building and immerses you further into the Whisperwood legacy. The park itself is hauntingly described, its decaying attractions and unsettling atmosphere making for a truly immersive setting, though I would have appreciated a map to help me really visualize this unique park.

While the twists surrounding certain characters, like Jem and Zara, may be a bit predictable, the story’s strength lies in its rich folklore and the way magic subtly intertwines with the overarching plot. I did want some more focus on the supernatural elements, specifically with the fairy tales coming alive, but the book still delivers an engaging and layered mystery. The family drama is just as gripping as the park’s secrets, with greedy relatives waiting for their inheritance (all the adults in this book are horrible, like in “Knives Out”) and a subplot involving Frankie’s past adding depth to her character.

Ultimately, “The Whisperwood Legacy” is a captivating dark fantasy filled with mystery and a touch of magic. The ending, much like the fairy tales woven throughout the book, leaves you with a hopeful yet thought-provoking conclusion. Fans of eerie theme-park mysteries, folklore-infused fantasy, and high-stakes family dramas will find this book impossible to put down.

A dark blend of Knives Out and The Hazel Wood, The Whisperwood Legacy pulled me into its twisted fairytale world. This isn't your typical amusement park adventure; author, Jo Schulte has crafted a compelling mystery shrouded in Appalachian folklore and family secrets, where the lines between fantasy and reality blur with great effect.

Frankie Strauss is a refreshing protagonist. She's seen the dark side of her family's legacy and wants no part of it, making her a relatable outsider in the world of Whisperwood. Her determination to uncover the truth behind her grandmother's disappearance, and the park's closure, drives the narrative forward at a brisk pace. The dynamic between Frankie and Jem, the enigmatic groundskeeper, adds another layer of intrigue.

If you enjoy contemporary fantasy with a dark edge, family dramas with high stakes, and mysteries that will keep you up all night, then The Whisperwood Legacy is definitely one to add to your TBR. I highly recommend it!