Interview and Review: After the Woods by Kim Savage

After The Woods

Author: Kim Savage

Published On: 2/23/16

Publisher: Farrar,Straus and Giroux

Page Count: 320
I received an ARC of this in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: (Found on Goodreads)

Would you risk your life to save your best friend? 
Julia did. When a paroled predator attacked Liv in the woods, Julia fought back and got caught. Liv ran, leaving Julia in the woods for a terrifying 48 hours that she remembers only in flashbacks. One year later, Liv seems bent on self-destruction, starving herself, doing drugs, and hooking up with a violent new boyfriend. A dead girl turns up in those same woods, and Julia’s memories resurface alongside clues unearthed by an ambitious reporter that link the girl to Julia’s abductor. As the devastating truth becomes clear, Julia realizes that after the woods was just the beginning.

Cover:4/5

I`m not a fan of people on covers but this blends with the story nicely. I`m not quite sure if this portrays Julia like I imagine her. That font though is awesome and very stick like.

Characters: 3.5/5

Julia does something that even I couldn't do and for that it makes her brave. Even though she went through this traumatic event she wants to solve the new problem.

Liv seems to have taken a 180 since after the accident and that has to be hard on everyone around her. Yes she has her reasons but there is no condoning what she has done.

Plot: 5/5
This is where it gets tricky. All I can say is Julia is dead set on figuring out if the new dead girl is linked to her attacker. Liv and family want Julia to drop it but this is her way of coping.

Overall Rating: 4/5
Overall I believe Kim writes an amazing psychological thriller based on two best friends who only would risk their life

Goodies: Enjoy this spooky interview with the lovely Kim Savage

Currently who is your favorite author? 

Are there actual humans who can limit it to one? Impossible. But the (not so) short list includes Donna Tartt, Dickens, Jeffrey Eugenides, Gillian Flynn, Neil Gaiman, Lev Grossman, and Karen Russell. As for straight-up YA: Lynn Weingarten knocks my socks off. 

What is your current read?

Because I’m revising Novel 2 , I'm re-reading Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca. I always have a touchstone book while I’m working, and deconstructing Rebecca is like taking a master class in suspense. Part of it, of course, is pure indulgence. Rebecca has it all: spooky mansion, mad woman in the attic, obsessive love, and an unnamed narrator telling you all about it, Dear Reader-style. What’s not to love?

What book would suggest to be on the lookout for besides yours? 

I’m obsessed with getting my hands on three: The Girl Who Fell by Shannon Parker, Under Water by Marisa Reichart, and The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner. They’re all right up my reading-alley, in different ways. That said, there are so many insanely good-looking debuts coming out in 2016. Check out the Sweet 16s https://thesweetsixteens.wordpress.com/authors/ and prepare to be dazzled. 

What age did you start writing?

Like 4 or 5. Year ago, my parents sold their house and handed down to me the evolution of my novel writing: a pile of moth-eaten construction paper covers with lined pages and staples up the sides. My favorite topics were our dog, Gretchen, and a trouble-seeking baby named Jill. The conflict was always presented by page 2, whether it was an inconvenient hurricane or a carny ride gone out of control. Not a bad model, when you think about it. 

How long did you take you to get picked up by a publisher?

AFTER THE WOODS was on sub for about two weeks, and got bought by FSG in a pre-empt. Basically, my agent, Sara Crowe, is magical. Like, sparkly fairy-dust magical. Getting ATW into shape to query agents: that’s a much longer story.

TTFN,

Ashley