My Rating: 2
I started reading In a Dark, Dark Wood in the summer, and I was extremely excited to have a creepy thriller to speed through by the pool. I was, unfortunately, not creeped out or thrilled at all- honestly, I was bored out of my mind.
In a Dark, Dark Wood starts off interesting enough and I was hooked for the first quarter of it or so. The main character, Nora, is invited to a hen party (bachelorette party) for a woman who used to be her best friend, but hasn't heard from in ten years. A mutual friend that is also invited ends up talking her into going, and the weekend getaway is at an all-glass house in the middle of the woods. Spooky setting, right?
There are a few other people invited and they go through a weekend full of monotonous conversations and awkward situations. The characters are all unlikeable and I did not feel a connection to anyone, including Nora. The story alternates between the hen party and Nora in the hospital, being told there was a murder in the house, but not being able to remember what happened. This gave me just enough curiosity to be propelled forward through the story, but left me wanting to skip the pages in between.
This book took me a really long time to read, and I actually had to take a break from it a couple of times. Although I am glad that I ultimately ended up finishing it, I can't say that I was truly surprised by any of the outcomes. The big twists at the end didn't wind up being very surprising, and by that point I didn't really care. I wish I would have liked the characters more as I feel this would have changed my feelings towards the book.
Overall, In a Dark, Dark Wood was not dark or suspenseful. The plot was predictable at best and was hard to believe. Although the characters were not deep, the writing was at times, so I will definitely give another book by Ruth Ware a chance. I just hope it's a little more suspenseful and creepy. But for now, I need to get out of the dark, dark woods.
-Busy Brunette 
Labels: Fiction, Rating 2
