I enjoyed reading this book, but IMO it wasn't as good as some of the author's other works. The premise of the story is nothing new (amnesia) and I was able to figure out who the main character really was very early on in the book. I really think the story could have been fleshed out more, especially the ending which seemed wrapped up too quickly. ( )

I'm so used to reading adult literature that it was a bit jarring for me to step backwards into a middle-school level book. With that being said, I'm going to do my best to review this book based on its own merits, and not based on my unfamiliarity with books at that reading level.

The basic story follows a young girl who suddenly appears at the edge of the woods neighboring her village. She has no memory of her past or her identity, but everyone in town believes her to be Isabelle, the young girl who was apparently kidnapped by a local witch six years previously. Everyone seems to believe this statement, but Isabelle isn't sure...and neither is her older sister, who vehemently claims that Isabelle is an imposter sent to ruin their family from the inside.

I originally picked up this book because I love creepy woods/creepy witch stories, forgetting that the types of stories I'm used to are written for a much more mature audience with a much more advanced reading level. But is this book creepy enough for a middle-school reader? Definitely. There's an undercurrent of suspicion that runs through the entire novel - the idea that something is not quite right, but the reader (and Isabelle) aren't entirely sure what it is. This is very effective and should keep the reader turning the pages.

As a main character, Isabelle is portrayed realistically as a confused twelve-year-old girl who starts wondering about identity and how memories create a whole person. I actually expected her to be more confused and more out-of-sorts once she was rescued from the woods, but again, this might be a result of my high expectations, as opposed to a flaw in the book.

The setting and time period is a little hazy, although the story definitely takes place in a rural, historical setting - maybe 18th-19th century. But regardless of the time period, the atmospheric setting is definitely effective.

This is an extremely short book (it only took me a couple hours to finish it), and would probably make for a good suggestion for a reluctant reader. In the future, however, I plan to read teen novels written for an older audience, since I get more of those requests in Adult Services.

Recommended for: middle school readers looking for a light horror/fantasy novel. ( )

This book is about a girl named Jessica. She found herself running thorg the wood. She had forgoten who she was. Then a family saw and helped her. They welcomed her into there house to say untell help come. She met and nice kid she plaied with, but the next day a womaN ran into the the house and clamed Jessica to be her dauter that was stone by the witch that live in the woods. Sadily they had a dauter named Honey that did not belive Jessica was her sister. Honey had made up her mind to hate Jessica. When Jessica came to there home nothing rang a bell. She did not remeber. After her ruff night Honey makes it worse by trying to kill her with a poisens plant. Has she was sent away for a while Honey ran into her to tell her how sorry she was. Then pushed her down a hole. When she hit the grond everything came back to her. She was the wich and put a spell on herself to make her young. And Honey tried to kill the sister that everyone thought she stole. Honey had to pay for what she did and she truned her into a baby so she can restart her life. Then the witch went to rest in her burned up house.

I liked this book because of the twist at the end. It tricked me into thing something else, but I also think it was not the best. It had no exitment pretty much the whole book. Also the detale was not the best, I realy didn't get into the book think I do aouthers. ( )

I thought this book was good! I was expecting something different the book to be with more paranormal qualities. The cover was a bit deceiving in that aspect. However! I think the book is still worth the read!

The plot has all the makings of a great fairy tale and there is a good amount of mystery and intrigue to keep you guessing. There is a neat little twist in the end of the book which I wasn’t expecting and I enjoyed the ending.

The characters are all right and Honey happens to be a downright dirty villain. She wasn’t such a nice person to begin with anyway but what she reveals just makes her look awful and nasty. I’d have to say most of the characters have the making of a fairy tale, not one of the “classic” ones. It’ll be a tale similar to the ones in the Grimm’s fairy tales. It’s darker, and the violent content is there, but enough to not make it overwhelming.

Pick this book up for a quick light read, the story is good and will keep you guessing until the end. It’s a perfect book for all ages. Don’t let the cover fool you and if it’s not what you expect, keep reading it anyway. You’ll find it’s worth the time. ( )

Kearsten says: When a girl finds herself running from dogs through a forest, she can't remember anything about herself - not even her name. When a kind family take her in, she learns that she may be a child stolen by a witch years before. But will she fit back into her old family?

Interesting story, with an intriguing twist. A fast-read, I'd recommend to a 4th or 5th grade reader who likes some mystery mixed with a bit of magic. ( )