Review: The Killing Woods

Ashlee is dead. Emily’s father says he killed her in the woods. As a returned soldier suffering from Post Traumatic Stress with a mind buckled from all that he saw and did in the war, why would they doubt him? But Emily refuses to accept that even with his broken mind that he would be capable of such an act.

With a deeply complex plot of numerous twists and turns, full of mystery and suspense, The Killing Woods is written in varying points of view. It drops and picks up threads and leaves false trails for the reader to follow. It shows how easily things can go horribly wrong simply by chance.

Interesting characters play shaded roles in a story that backgrounds the emotional scars that dig deep into a soldier’s psyche, how they cope or don’t, and the impact on their families. I found the plot a little dense and feared an unsatisfactory or abrupt conclusion but was surprised at how well it was tied up.

Title: The Killing Woods
Author: Lucy Christopher
Publisher: Scholastic, $17.99 RRP
Publication Date: November 2013
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781906427726
For ages: 14+
Type: Young Adult