In a Dark, Dark Wood
Ratings158
Average rating3.4
Only given 2 stars because there was one small twist that I did not catch onto. Other than that everything was so predictable...and yet I had to keep reading, just to make sure I was right. So, the author got me to read the whole thing, but I wasn't happy about it.
If like me, you were expecting some cool horror/thriller twist based on how the book markets itself, avoid this. In a Dark Dark Wood is one of the most basic books I've read in a while, and the protagonist is one of the most idiotic. Really?!? 10 years from a teenage relationship, in addition to answering this decade old long cut off friendship invite?? Really? What are you thinking, and move the hell on.
If you love fast paced, intriguing, edge of your seat thrillers with well fleshed out characters, twists and turns, and gripping narratives, don't pick this book up. This is probably the least thrilling thriller I've ever read in my life. Incredibly predictable, boring is all get out, and absolutely not worth my time.
I've seen this book floating around the book community and recently saw a good review from an acquaintance and decided to pick it up when I saw it at my local shop. Trying not to be spoilery, so here's a quick synopsis. Nora hasn't spoken to her school friend, Clare, in a decade. But out of the blue, she receives an invitation to her hen night. She decides to go. The group is staying for a couple nights in a glass house in the forest. Nothing can go wrong there, right?
This is a fast paced read and I got through it quickly, as is the case with most well written “thrillers.” Problem was this wasn't much of a thriller. From the blurbs, description, and cover, I was expected to be scared. And I will admit, the setting of the glass house in the forest was enough to creep me out at first. But that's about it. The lead up is pretty quick and the action happens about halfway through the book, which had me so confused. The second half is strictly trying to find out who did it. I've never read anything quite like it. To be marketed as a psychological thriller, it was pretty lacking. The characters are pretty transparent and it's clear what's going on pretty early on. In fact, it was so obvious who the villain was, that I thought the psychological part would be that I was wrong and it was someone else entirely somehow. But no.
Would I recommend?
No, not really. I mean, if you don't read a lot of thrillers and you're looking for something lightly creepy for the autumn season, maaaaybe. But I've got some better suggestions, tbh.
This was fine. Good enough for listening to during busy work, but not that great. Fairly predictable, not very scary or thrilling or whatever it's supposed to be.
The pace was slow, but yet intriguing. I liked Nora and how she was so freakin' honest about being a writer. The story was mildly interesting. However, the ending was too rushed.
You look at Goodreads star rating and 3 stars is “I liked it” and 2 stars is “It's ok”. This one needed a 2.5 A decent debut novel, and i look forward to subsequent novels, but all the characters are dislikeable, starting from Nora who simply cannot grow up or see what every body else can see coming down the train tracks 100 pages before. There are plenty of plot holes but it some how keeps together to the end and pops out at the other end as a “It was ok and i didn't dislike it although parts had me screaming at Nora”...
3.5. I really enjoyed the 1st half but it turned out to be anticlimactic for me in the 2nd and I was not surprised by the revelations.
Really enjoyed this. Taut story. Great narrator. Twisty... so very twisty. Listened for too many nights stright trying to get to sleep and now I'm exhausted.
I really wanted to like this more than I did. The ending could have saved it, but alas, it didn't.
Spoiler
Lee/Leo/Nora seemed like a weirdly normal, sociable woman for a 26 year woman who couldn't move on from a relationship that lasted 6 months from ten years ago (when she was 16). Maybe she was extremely obsessed with it/him (which would have made a better twist–an unreliable narrator who had amnesia!) Also, it seems as if she has no other friends in her life other than Nina.
There are only two reasons why I give a book 5 stars - the first is that is it so beautifully written and so powerful that it leaves me changed, or moved, or stunned. The second is when its just a bloody good page turner and I can't put it down. In a Dark Dark Wood falls into the second category: not earth shattering, but compulsive, thrilling reading. Enjoyed it immensely.
Nora has a secret. Ten years ago it forced her to leave everything behind and start a new life. But the past catches up to her when she is invited to Clare Cavendish's hen party.
Clare was the best friend she abandoned. The last thing Nora expects to find is an invitation to her hen party. Nora knows she won't be able to leave the past buried if she goes, but anxious and riddled with guilt, she arrives at the hen with her childhood friend Nina.
Out in the woods, where cell reception is spotty and the nearest neighbor is miles away, Nora will discover that Clare's future husband is none other than her childhood sweetheart James. The boy she left behind. Forced to relive painful memories, the hen party will escalate into events that will make Nora wish she never tried to confront her past.
The opening of this book took me in. Nora is running through the woods, chasing after someone. She's scared, branches are tearing at her and she runs into the road, flinging her arms out to stop an oncoming car. Chapter one begins and she is covered in blood, being treated at the hospital with no memory of what happened, or how she ended up in the road.
The story switches between Nora recovering in the hospital, and her memories of the night. The intensity of the hospital scenes are what kept me reading, as Nora wrestles with a mix of emotions trying to figure out why the police are interested in her and the struggle she has trying to piece everything together.
The plot, unfortunately, was predictable due to the character's personalities. I knew who the antagonist was before anything happened, and there were too many cliché moments. The only landline phone stopped working and the characters pulled out an Ouija board, which put the group on edge with its messages.
I also didn't find Nora to be a very likeable character. I enjoyed Nina's quick wit and sharp tongue, more than Nora's demure nature. She let everyone poke fun at her and tear her down as if she were still in high school. Despite this, I didn't put the book down because I wanted and needed Nora to step up and be a better person. The Nora in the memories was radically different than the Nora lying in the hospital, and I wanted to see how that transformation happened. I wasn't displeased as I saw it unfold.
In a Dark, Dark Wood was a quick read and I would recommend it to people who want to read a light mystery. I would be willing to give Ruth Ware another try, as this was her debut novel. I'd like to see how her writing style evolves with a new novel.
I enjoyed this one and stayed up to finish it. There weren't any hyperbolic descriptions (thank God), but a few things seemed a little off or strange. We know who did it early on, but I kept reading to find out how and why.
If you love fast paced, intriguing, edge of your seat thrillers with well fleshed out characters, twists and turns, and gripping narratives, don't pick this book up. This is probably the least thrilling thriller I've ever read in my life. Incredibly predictable, boring is all get out, and absolutely not worth my time.
The characters were interesting and the suspense was definitely present. However, I personally found the mystery aspect to be pretty clear; maybe because I have done lots of research into different types of abuse and narcissism? And then, of course, I do read a lot of mysteries. ;)
Everybody in this book was so immature and the plot ended up so insanely far-fetched as a result. All these people getting mad and not being over things from 10 years ago, and there are no realistic characters to make it more enjoyable. Plus, nausea/vomiting as a plot point is NEVER okay. Authors need to stop.
Somehow, I couldn't stop.
This is a wonderful mystery novel. It reeks of Agatha Christy and such praise is not issued lightly. As with all mystery novels, the finale, the climax, is really not the point. It's about the journey. The subtle details and fiendish second guessing that gets our blood boiling. You get precisely that from Ware.
Written with superb flow, excellent characters, and deeply evocative language, I give a full five stars.
Thrilling! I can see how some would compare this to Gone Girl but it is less convoluted.
I read this after Woman in Cabin 10, which I did not like. This one is so much better! Parts of it were predictable, but it was still scary. Although it was told retroactively, it was well done.
Quite good thriller! Bit cliche at time at times but I liked the ending and thought the characters were generally unlikeable in a good way. Picked it up after reading The Turn of the Key by her last year and think this was better!
A Fun Enough Lark
The plot is silly thriller territory. The villain isn't really a surprise. But I was sufficiently entertained. Points for not boring me. I am tired of the fraught female friendship trope in thrillers though.
Sebuah undangan pesta bujang membawa Nora datang ke sebuah mansion mewah di dalam hutan. Apa yang seharusnya menjadi momen-momen menyenangkan bersama teman-teman SMA-nya justru berubah menegangkan sewaktu pembunuhan terjadi. Di tengah kepanikan dan ketidakpastian, Nora meninggalkan hutan.
Blurb nya menjanjikan, itulah kenapa aku mencoba membaca karya debut Ruth Ware ini. Namun ternyata, mengecewakan, Aku yakin bahkan orang yg ketahanan membacanya level dewa pun akan menganggap buku ini alurnya yg lambat terasa cukup menyebalkan.
Selain itu ada banyak plothole yg membingungkan ketika segala fakta dibeberkan di bab-bab akhir. Kukira penulis terlalu sibuk membingungkan pembaca dengan melambatkan segala hal yg sebenarnya terjadi, sehingga ketika tiba waktunya membeberkan fakta-fakta & rangkaian kejadiannya, ada yg kurang pas kepingan2 puzzlenya.