For generations, we’ve been told to stay away from the woods. The Brothers Grimm warned us about witches who lurk in the shadows, and the wolves waiting for their next victim. But there are other dangers to be found in the forest — monsters, ghosts, bloodthirsty cults, serial killers and even alien abductions. And sometimes we have nothing to fear in the forest but the forest itself. These ten books explore these creepy themes and more, lest you need to be reminded exactly why you should beware the woods.
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King (Scribner)
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Nine-year-old Trisha McFarland is already dealing with her mother’s recent divorce, and things are about to only get more difficult. When her mother takes her and her brother on a hike on the Appalachian Trail to try and have a good family trip, Trisha soon finds herself separated from her family. She’s lost wandering the forest for days, with only a portable radio to keep her company. She listens to baseball games and finds comfort in Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Tom Gordon, with his ability to stay cool under pressure — an ability she desperately tries to copy, as her situation becomes more and more dire. It soon becomes clear, however, that Trisha is dealing with more than just the dense Appalachian forest. Something dangerous is lurking in the shadows, and it doesn’t seem natural. Can a lost and hungry nine-year-old outrun something that seems out of this world?
Read our previous review of The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, along with other Stephen King novels, here.
The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager (Dutton)
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At Camp Nightingale, Emma was the youngest out of her cabinmates. So she guessed that was why, when Vivian, Natalie and Allison snuck out of their bunks that night, they left her behind. As she watched Vivian close the door behind them, she had no way of knowing that the girls would never be seen again.
Fifteen years later, Emma is now a rising star in the New York art scene but remains haunted by her past. In a desperate attempt to get closure, she takes on the job of a painting instructor at Camp Nightingale, which is only just reopening for the first time since the disappearances. But as Emma returns to the place that’s haunted her psyche for fifteen years, she comes across far more than she bargained for. Strange clues begin to surface, and Emma has to watch her back as she realizes that whatever darkness that descended on Camp Nightingale that long-ago summer night has yet to let go.
Read our interview with the author about her book here.
The Night Weaver by Monique Synman (Vesuvian Books)
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Rachel Cleary lives on the edge of a forest, in the outskirts of a town called Shadow Grove. The town has always been a site for bizarre occurrences. Children have been going missing in Shadow Grove for ages, but strangely their families never seem to grieve. Rachel thinks it has something to do with the woods — usually the forest is deathly quiet, but recently she’s begun to hear strange noises at night. Soon Rachel even begins to hear voices from the woods and realizes that some strange entity is stirring deep within it. Soon, it begins stalking the residents of Shadow Grove, attacking the townspeople and leaving them helpless in its wake. Rachel teams up with Dougal, a visiting relative of her neighbor, to find out what exactly has been terrorizing the town. If the two of them want to save what’s left of Shadow Grove, they may need to do the unthinkable, and brave the menacing forest itself.
Read our full review of The Night Weaver here. Its sequel, The Bone Carver, hits bookshelves today.
The Woods by Vanessa Savage (Grand Central Publishing)
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“Two girls went down to the woods … But only one came back.”
There’s a lot about Tess Cooper’s childhood she’d like to forget. Her mother’s death, her father’s second marriage, the judgmental eyes of the people in her hometown. But the one thing she wants to remember remains ever elusive — what happened to her sister?
Years ago, Tess and her sister Bella had ventured into the local woods — and only Tess had emerged. The bodies of two local schoolgirls had been found in the area, but neither of them had been Bella. No one knows what happened to her, not even Tess. Ten years after the tragic events, Tess is called back to her hometown, and begins seeing strange visions of her sister covered in blood, leaves and dirt. This apparition of Bella leaves Tess determined to reveal the truth of what happened to her sister.
Campfire by Shawn Sarles (JIMMY Patterson Books)
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Maddie Davenport had been looking forward to a fun camping trip with her friends and family. Their first night in the dark woods, their guide Caleb shares a scary story over the campfire. He tells them about the Mountain Men, a band of ferocious killers who lurk in the woods, hunting down campers and carving their victims’ faces with their infamous emblem — a pair of antlers.
Within just hours, Maddie doesn’t need to hear the story anymore. She lives it when the campsite is brutally attacked. Stranded in the woods on a remote campsite, with murderers lurking in the shadows, Maddie and her family have to use their wits to survive this unforgiving wilderness. It’s not easy, as Maddie begins to realize that things aren’t adding up. How can she protect her family, if she’s no longer sure who she can trust?
The Darkest Time of Night by Jeremy Finley (St. Martin’s Press)
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Lynn Roseworth is the wife of a U.S. senator, and a happy mother and grandmother. Before this life, however, she had a very different role — as a secretary in the astronomy department of the University of Illinois. She never thought the two periods of her life would intersect. But when her seven-year-old grandson disappears in the woods behind his house, Lynn is going to have to use everything she learned from her time at the University to get her grandson back.
The only witness to the disappearance was the boy’s older brother, who only manages to say “the lights took him.” Even as the FBI and National Guard launch an investigation, Lynn knows that their search will only be of the terrestrial variety. If Lynn truly wants her grandson back, she’s going to have to do everything in her power, even at the risk of the family’s prestigious reputation.
Read our full review of the book here.
The Ritual by Adam Nevill (St. Martin’s Griffin)
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Luke and his old college friends meant for this trip to the Scandinavian forests to be a bonding experience. But things get off to a rocky start, as the years since university have caused their friend group to drift apart. Everyone else has risen through the corporate ranks and found lucrative careers — everyone except Luke. The trip only gets worse when the group wanders off the hiking path and gets lost in the Arctic forest. Desperate for warmth, the four of them hunker down in an abandoned shack in the woods. But as Luke looks around their temporary shelter, unease courses through him. Strange symbols have been drawn on the walls by an unknown hand, and animal bones litter the floor. It seems that in this ancient forest, some of the pagan rites of Scandinavia have yet to be forgotten.
The Wood by Chelsea Bobulski (Feiwel & Friends)
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To outsiders, the woods look perfectly normal. Winter and her father, however, know the truth; that The Wood is a living, terrifying entity and is not to be trusted. As the previous guardian of The Wood, Winter’s father taught her to keep the forest safe for any travelers who may wander in and get lost. When her father disappears without a trace, Winter knows his duties fall to her. Still, a part of her aches to know what happened to her father.
A possible clue comes in the form of Henry, a man from eighteenth-century England. As the two of them set out through The Wood, they realize that their mission might be even more dangerous than they thought. A strange sickness has begun to infect The Woods, blackening the trees and spreading over the forest floor. Winter and Henry will have to work fast if they want to find Winter’s father and return balance to The Woods.
In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware (Scout Press)
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Nora and Clare were best friends in high school, until a bitter fight broke them apart. Ten years later, Nora has yet to hear one word from Clare — until an unexpected invitation for Clare’s bachelorette party arrives in the mail. But while Nora first hoped that this invitation would mean things were now water under the bridge for her and Clare, once she arrives she can’t shake an uneasy feeling. Even as the bachelorette celebrations begin, Nora has the strangest feeling that something terrible is about to happen.
It seems she’s right — because soon, she wakes up in a hospital room, with policemen waiting to talk to her. It seems that not everyone made it out of the bachelorette party alive — and Nora can’t remember if she was the killer or not.
If this book sounds familiar, we’ve covered it before here and talked to the author, Ruth Ware.
The Waking Forest by Alyssa Wees (Delacorte Press)
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Rhea’s life has always been strange. Ever since she was a child, she’s suffered from chronic nightmares. And now, she’s started to see the mirage of a dark and wild forest in her backyard. She feels drawn to it, like it’s calling to her. But every time she tries to enter it, or even touch it, it vanishes.
Within the forest, unbeknownst to Rhea, lives an entity called the Witch. When her and Rhea’s paths collide, they realize that a change is coming over the forest. Something — perhaps even the forest itself — seems to be stirring. If Rhea didn’t know any better, she’d almost think the forest was becoming … alive. But not all the changes seem to be for the better, as the forest becomes more and more dangerous. Rhea and the Witch have to use everything within their power if they want to make it out of the forest alive.
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King
Nine-year-old Trisha McFarland is already dealing with her mother’s recent divorce, and things are about to only get more difficult. When her mother takes her and her brother on a hike on the Appalachian Trail to try and have a good family trip, Trisha soon finds herself separated from her family. She’s lost wandering the forest for days, with only a portable radio to keep her company. She listens to baseball games and finds comfort in Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Tom Gordon, with his ability to stay cool under pressure — an ability she desperately tries to copy, as her situation becomes more and more dire. It soon becomes clear, however, that Trisha is dealing with more than just the dense Appalachian forest. Something dangerous is lurking in the shadows, and it doesn’t seem natural. Can a lost and hungry nine-year-old outrun something that seems out of this world?
The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager
At Camp Nightingale, Emma was the youngest out of her cabinmates. So she guessed that was why, when Vivian, Natalie and Allison snuck out of their bunks that night, they left her behind. As she watched Vivian close the door behind them, she had no way of knowing that the girls would never be seen again. Fifteen years later, Emma is now a rising star in the New York art scene but remains haunted by her past. In a desperate attempt to get closure, she takes on the job of a painting instructor at Camp Nightingale, which is only just reopening for the first time since the disappearances. But as Emma returns to the place that’s haunted her psyche for fifteen years, she comes across far more than she bargained for. Strange clues begin to surface, and Emma has to watch her back as she realizes that whatever darkness that descended on Camp Nightingale that long-ago summer night has yet to let go.
The Night Weaver by Monique Synman
Rachel Cleary lives on the edge of a forest, in the outskirts of a town called Shadow Grove. The town has always been a site for bizarre occurrences. Children have been going missing in Shadow Grove for ages, but strangely their families never seem to grieve. Rachel thinks it has something to do with the woods — usually the forest is deathly quiet, but recently she’s begun to hear strange noises at night. Soon Rachel even begins to hear voices from the woods and realizes that some strange entity is stirring deep within it. Soon, it begins stalking the residents of Shadow Grove, attacking the townspeople and leaving them helpless in its wake. Rachel teams up with Dougal, a visiting relative of her neighbor, to find out what exactly has been terrorizing the town. If the two of them want to save what’s left of Shadow Grove, they may need to do the unthinkable, and brave the menacing forest itself.
The Woods by Vanessa Savage
“Two girls went down to the woods … But only one came back.” There’s a lot about Tess Cooper’s childhood she’d like to forget. Her mother’s death, her father’s second marriage, the judgmental eyes of the people in her hometown. But the one thing she wants to remember remains ever elusive — what happened to her sister? Years ago, Tess and her sister Bella had ventured into the local woods — and only Tess had emerged. The bodies of two local schoolgirls had been found in the area, but neither of them had been Bella. No one knows what happened to her, not even Tess. Ten years after the tragic events, Tess is called back to her hometown, and begins seeing strange visions of her sister covered in blood, leaves and dirt. This apparition of Bella leaves Tess determined to reveal the truth of what happened to her sister.
Campfire by Shawn Sarles
Maddie Davenport had been looking forward to a fun camping trip with her friends and family. Their first night in the dark woods, their guide Caleb shares a scary story over the campfire. He tells them about the Mountain Men, a band of ferocious killers who lurk in the woods, hunting down campers and carving their victims’ faces with their infamous emblem — a pair of antlers. Within just hours, Maddie doesn’t need to hear the story anymore. She lives it when the campsite is brutally attacked. Stranded in the woods on a remote campsite, with murderers lurking in the shadows, Maddie and her family have to use their wits to survive this unforgiving wilderness. It’s not easy, as Maddie begins to realize that things aren’t adding up. How can she protect her family, if she’s no longer sure who she can trust?
The Darkest Time of Night by Jeremy Finley
Lynn Roseworth is the wife of a U.S. senator, and a happy mother and grandmother. Before this life, however, she had a very different role — as a secretary in the astronomy department of the University of Illinois. She never thought the two periods of her life would intersect. But when her seven-year-old grandson disappears in the woods behind his house, Lynn is going to have to use everything she learned from her time at the University to get her grandson back. The only witness to the disappearance was the boy’s older brother, who only manages to say “the lights took him.” Even as the FBI and National Guard launch an investigation, Lynn knows that their search will only be of the terrestrial variety. If Lynn truly wants her grandson back, she’s going to have to do everything in her power, even at the risk of the family’s prestigious reputation.
The Ritual by Adam Nevill
Luke and his old college friends meant for this trip to the Scandinavian forests to be a bonding experience. But things get off to a rocky start, as the years since university have caused their friend group to drift apart. Everyone else has risen through the corporate ranks and found lucrative careers — everyone except Luke. The trip only gets worse when the group wanders off the hiking path and gets lost in the Arctic forest. Desperate for warmth, the four of them hunker down in an abandoned shack in the woods. But as Luke looks around their temporary shelter, unease courses through him. Strange symbols have been drawn on the walls by an unknown hand, and animal bones litter the floor. It seems that in this ancient forest, some of the pagan rites of Scandinavia have yet to be forgotten.
The Wood by Chelsea Bobulski
To outsiders, the woods look perfectly normal. Winter and her father, however, know the truth; that The Wood is a living, terrifying entity and is not to be trusted. As the previous guardian of The Wood, Winter’s father taught her to keep the forest safe for any travelers who may wander in and get lost. When her father disappears without a trace, Winter knows his duties fall to her. Still, a part of her aches to know what happened to her father. A possible clue comes in the form of Henry, a man from eighteenth-century England. As the two of them set out through The Wood, they realize that their mission might be even more dangerous than they thought. A strange sickness has begun to infect The Woods, blackening the trees and spreading over the forest floor. Winter and Henry will have to work fast if they want to find Winter’s father and return balance to The Woods.
In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware
Nora and Clare were best friends in high school, until a bitter fight broke them apart. Ten years later, Nora has yet to hear one word from Clare — until an unexpected invitation for Clare’s bachelorette party arrives in the mail. But while Nora first hoped that this invitation would mean things were now water under the bridge for her and Clare, once she arrives she can’t shake an uneasy feeling. Even as the bachelorette celebrations begin, Nora has the strangest feeling that something terrible is about to happen. It seems she’s right — because soon, she wakes up in a hospital room, with policemen waiting to talk to her. It seems that not everyone made it out of the bachelorette party alive — and Nora can’t remember if she was the killer or not.
The Waking Forest by Alyssa Wees
Rhea’s life has always been strange. Ever since she was a child, she’s suffered from chronic nightmares. And now, she’s started to see the mirage of a dark and wild forest in her backyard. She feels drawn to it, like it’s calling to her. But every time she tries to enter it, or even touch it, it vanishes. Within the forest, unbeknownst to Rhea, lives an entity called the Witch. When her and Rhea’s paths collide, they realize that a change is coming over the forest. Something — perhaps even the forest itself — seems to be stirring. If Rhea didn’t know any better, she’d almost think the forest was becoming … alive. But not all the changes seem to be for the better, as the forest becomes more and more dangerous. Rhea and the Witch have to use everything within their power if they want to make it out of the forest alive.
