Hey Booksters,

Hope you’re having a great memorial day weekend so far. I had a little time out in the city, and it’s so nice to venture out and have a little fun. Stay safe, everyone!

Anywho, today I’m sharing my book review of Within the Woods by Tony Urban.

I found this book searching amongst the horror top-selling lists of Amazon and simply had to give this one a go. Luckily, my library lets me suggest book purchases and they went for it. So how did I feel about this book? Keep on scrolling!

Blurb:

Don’t go in the woods…
For 12-year-old Garrett and his four best friends, the idyllic summer of 1989 crashes to a halt when Garrett’s older brother vanishes.
Something is very wrong in Sallow Creek, Pennsylvania.
Something is turning their neighbors, their relatives, into unstoppable monstrosities…
Monsters that are coming for the them.
Their small town is under siege, but the adults refuse to believe the truth. Can five young misfits and outcasts save the day?

GoodReads

Amazon

***Brief disclosure***

I am an Amazon affiliate and earn a tiny commission for purchases made through the Amazon links in this post. It’s a great way to help me keep things running on my blog if you’re already intrigued enough to make a purchase. 

The Review:

This was my first time reading something by this author, and I was super impressed! This will definitely not be my last read of something by Tony Urban.

So in a nutshell, this book is about a small group of preteens in a small town in the late 80’s. When Garrett’s brother goes missing, he’s actually relieved. His dad is less abusive, and his brother always made things more difficult. But soon, he and his friends start to notice other odd happenings, horrific and surreal things that defy reason. Can Garrett and his friends get to the bottom of this bizarre invasion and defend their city, or will they die trying?

Nearly everything worked perfectly for me in this book.

The characters were great. All of the boys had distinct personalities, depth, and some really great interactions throughout. They are a tight-knit group, and listening in on their conversations made me feel like a member too. I grew up in the 90’s and would run off with my friends on crazy adventures, so it was super easy to relate to each and every boy in the group. They cussed like sailor’s but I think that was refreshing. So many YA novelists are afraid to go there, but kids cuss, they say crappy things to each other, and this was showcased extremely well.

The plot had me since I read the blurb. The 80’s? A small town? People getting turned into monsters? Gimme, gimme, gimme! The plot was a high-stakes rollercoaster ride that I loved. There was so much action and never a dull moment. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. The 80’s nostalgia was balanced perfectly. There were some occasional nods to that era, but it wasn’t beaten into you. I loved the shenanigans the boys got into and the element of mystery and horror that were present throughout.

The only tiny thing I would nitpick at would be that in a couple of the losses experienced on the way I didn’t feel there was enough of an emotional response. Other than that, zero complaints!

This book is a stellar read, and if you love horror, you’ve gotta get your hands on this!

That’s a Wrap!

Thanks for stopping by, and happy reading!

Have you read this book before? What did you think? Do you have a book recommendation similar to this one? Feel free to share in the comments!

If you’d like to see other reviews of mine, feel free to check out the book review section of my blog or my GoodReads. You can also follow my GoodReads reviews here. There are some great binge-worthy books on there!

Have a great day!

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