Review: In the Heart of the Dark Wood by Billy Coffey

 

Release Date: October 28, 2014

Publisher:  Thomas Nelson
Pages: 384
Source: Publisher via BookLook Bloggers (thank you!!)

ISBN-10:    1401690092

Rating: DNF/ 1 star

Book Description

"A motherless girl hungry for hope . . . and the dream that could be leading her astray.

Almost two years have passed since twelve year-old Allie Granderson's beloved mother Mary disappeared into the wild tornado winds. Her body has never been found. God may have spilled out his vengeance on all of Mattingly that day--but it was Allie's momma who got swept away.

Allie clings to memories of her mother, just as she clings to the broken compass she left behind, the makeshift Nativity scene assembled in Allie's front yard, and to her best friend, Zach. But even with Zach at her side, the compass tied to her wrist, and the Nativity characters just a glimpse out the window, Allie cannot help but feel lost in all the growing up that must get done.

When the Holy Mother disappears from the yard one morning, Allie's bewilderment is checked only by the sudden movement of her mother's compass. Yet the compass isn't pointing north but east . . . into the inky forest on the outskirts of Mattingly.

Following the needle, Allie and Zach leave the city pavement behind and push into the line of trees edging on the Virginia hill country. For Allie, the journey is more than a ghost hunt: she is rejoining the mother she lost--and finding herself with each step deeper into the heart of the darkest woods she's ever seen.

Brimming with lyrical prose and unexpected discoveries, "In the Heart of the Dark Wood" illustrates the steep transition we all must undergo--the moment we shed our child-like selves and step into the strange territory of adulthood."

DNF Thoughts/Review

*I received a free copy of this book from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for an honest review*
Allie Granderson is still heartbroken over her mother's mysterious disappearance. Nothing has been the same since she left, especially Allie's father. When part of her family's nativity scene is taken, Allie wants to find where it went. The compass she keeps in memory of her mother starts moving, and Allie and her friend, Zach, decide to follow where it takes them. 

I really wanted to like this book. I love adult fiction that has a younger character as the protagonist. However, I didn't feel that Allie was a 12 year old at all. Most of the time she felt 8 or 9. Some issues felt really unrealistic, like the circumstances surrounding her getting her first period.  

 While I appreciated the Southern culture (being from the South myself), some parts seemed to be really stereotyped and cliched. I think I just disconnected with the book in a major way because of this and Allie, even though the premise sounded cool. 

I did like how real the author made the family situation feel. When a family is somehow gone (through disappearance, death, etc.), that has a big impact. The family dynamic is immediately shifted, and it usually leaves the members feeling uncertain/lost/hurt/etc. Allie and her dad are definitely a good example of how broken a family feels when part of the family is gone. 

Overall, I just didn't connect with this. I didn't like how certain aspects were portrayed, and it was getting too hard to push myself to keep reading. I'm sure this book would be great for a different reader, but it ultimately didn't work for me.