Sunday, January 8, 2023

What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall

 


Title: What Lies in the Woods
Author: Kate Alice Marshall
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Release Date: January 17, 2023




They were eleven when they sent a killer to prison . . .They were heroes . . . but they were liars.

Naomi Shaw used to believe in magic. Twenty-two years ago, she and her two best friends, Cassidy and Olivia, spent the summer roaming the woods, imagining a world of ceremony and wonder. They called it the Goddess Game. The summer ended suddenly when Naomi was attacked. Miraculously, she survived her seventeen stab wounds and lived to identify the man who had hurt her. The girls’ testimony put away a serial killer, wanted for murdering six women. They were heroes.

And they were liars.

For decades, the friends have kept a secret worth killing for. But now Olivia wants to tell, and Naomi sets out to find out what really happened in the woods—no matter how dangerous the truth turns out to be.












The narrator of this audio, Karissa Vacker, did a fantastic job!

What Lies in the Woods starts slow but picks up just at the right time.

Three friends share a common past. At eleven, Cassidy, Olivia, and Naomi were best friends. They were always together despite coming from different upbringings. 

Naomi's home life was not easy. Her father an alcoholic and hoarder didn't help her situation. In order to escape, she was more than willing to follow the games her friend, Cassidy created. This time the game is called The Goddess game where they all thought of themselves as goddesses and had to do different rituals in the woods. This is where they find a secret that they keep for twenty-five years.

While in the woods one day and only with one ritual left, Naomi is attacked and stabbed seventeen times. Her two friends run for help just in time and Naomi survives. They testify against a man, presumed to be a serial killer and Naomi's testimony sent him to jail. However, 25 years later, Naomi still has doubts about the identity of her stabber. When she gets a call that he has died in prison, she decides to go back home to see her two friends. Liv is ready to share the secret they have kept for so long. The other two are not sure this is the right time especially when a podcaster is lurking around trying to get their story. 

What Lies in the Woods was quite enjoyable. I had a few theories and a couple turn out to be right which didn't deter my entertainment. I like Naomi and she felt reliable (quite surprisingly in this genre).  The secrets and the whodunit kept my interest all the way through while the narration made it more real for me.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Macmillan Audio via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.


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