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Book Review of These Silent Woods

These Silent Woods
VolunteerVal avatar reviewed on + 584 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3


These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant will be in my top 10 books of 2021. It is simply outstanding.

Given the moody cover and somber title, I expected this to be a suspense or thriller, but it is SO much better. I was so pleasantly surprised by this reading experience, I don't want to ruin the journey for others. Go into this knowing very little.

This novel is perfect for readers who appreciate

- believable plot
- complex characters doing the wrong thing for the right reason
- growing sense of dread
- deeply satisfying ending

The premise: Cooper and his 8-year-old daughter Finch live in a remote cabin in the Appalachian woods. Shelves of books. Deep connections to nature. No electricity. No outside contact except occasional appearances by Scotland, a reclusive neighbor, and an annual visit from Jake, the only other person who knows where they're living. All is well ... until Jake, with their year of supplies, doesn't come and a stranger wanders onto their property, setting off a chain of events that threatens to destroy their lives as they know it.

I could not put this novel down, and when I had to, I worried about the characters until I could read more of their well-written story. I'm deeply grateful to Kimi Cunningham Grant for this brilliant novel. I'm definitely adding her first two titles to my TBR list.

Thank you Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the review copy.