Today's Read & Giveaway: The Killing Woods by Lucy Christopher

What if you saw your father carry a body out of the woods? Would you believe he was innocent of murdering your classmate? What if he were suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome and had blackouts? Would you still fight for his innocence? That's what Emily Shepherd is up against.

I've seen something.

It's something far down the rock face, wedged between the jagged boulders. I'm trying to look for it again. But I'm scrambling, falling, grabbing at smooth stone. And I'm too late—I'm going over, over the edge of the Leap.

—The Killing Woods by Lucy Christopher (Scholastic / Chicken House, 2013, p. 294)

Quick Facts

• Setting: contemporary; Darkwood; a military town
• Circumstances: Who killed Ashlee Parker? Jon Shepherd who carried her body out of the woods; Damon Hilary, Ashlee's boyfriend who was also in the woods that night; or someone / something else?
• Characters: the Shepherd family: Emily (who believes her father is innocent), her mother (who has taken to drink), her father (who suffers from PTSS); Damon (who has secrets and suffers from memory loss), townsfolk, Emily and Damon's classmates.
• Genre / audience: thriller / mystery (action, dark, creepy); young adult audience
• Miscellaneous: the story is told alternately from Emily's and Damon's views; the plot is twisty, gripping, and complex

Want to Know More?

In the following short video, the Lucy Christopher reads the opening paragraphs of The Killing Woods:

The book trailer sets the spooky mood:

Visit the Killing Woods website, the This Is Teen Facebook page, or Lucy Christopher's Facebook page.

The Giveaway

Thanks to Scholastic, Inc. I'm thrilled to be able to offer two of my readers one copy each of Lucy Christopher's The Killing Woods. All you need to do to enter for a chance to win is to have a U.S. mailing address and fill out the following form. I'll pick the winners via random number generator on January 17. Once the winners have been verified, I'll delete all personal information from my computer. Good luck!



ISBN-13: 9780545461009
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy).

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Review: Inkspell by Cornelia Funke

In Inkworld, the printed word has power: Authors control the lives of their characters, and special readers have the ability to take people and creatures out of one story and put them into another. Have you ever wanted to walk in the land of your favorite book? Once there, you may change your mind.

Inkspell is the second in a YA fantasy trilogy. This review assumes you've read the first book, Inkheart. To read just my recommendation, skip to below the asterisks.

Fourteen-year-old Meggie knows that being in someone else's story is not always a good idea. Even so, she dreams of entering into the book Inkheart, where there are blue fairies and kings and castles. When Farid begs Meggie to send him to Inkworld so he can join his mentor/friend Dustfinger, Meggie can't resist. She leaves all she knows and loves and goes with the boy into the book. The children could not have known the string of disasters that this would set off.

Inkworld's stability is threatened by the introduction of people who were not in the original story and by the resurrection of characters who had gone missing or who were presumed dead. Furthermore, there seems to be too many authors--or is it no author?--and Inkworld's future is uncertain. Will Fenoglio, the author of Inkheart, be able to stop the war, mend soured relationships, and heal the injured? Can Mo, or even Orpheus, help? After reunions, kidnappings, murders, and deceptions, the book comes to a surprising end, and we're left with a cliff-hanger. Fortunately, the last novel, Inkdeath, has already been published so I won't have to wait long to see what happens.

* * * * *

This trilogy will be a delight for anyone who believes in the power of words. The settings are so vividly described that I have a clear picture of each forest, house, and farm. Funke's characters grow and change and make mistakes. They love, they hate, they cope or not. And I hardly know how to describe Dustfinger, who is one of the most complex and conflicted characters I've come across. He is now one of my favorites.

The unabridged audio edtion (Listening Library) was read by Brendan Fraser. He was absolutely perfect for this book and especially for Dustfinger. One of my favorite audios.

Inkspell includes a map, charming pen and ink drawings, and glossary of characters. Don't miss this trilogy.

Published by Chicken House, 2005
ISBN-13: 9780439554008
Challenge: 25 Books
Rating: A+

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