4.5 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2022/11/01/the-ghost-woods-by-cj-cooke/
My Five Word TL:DR Review : Sad, creepy,gothic horror story

Without doubt CJ Cooke is a master of atmosphere and a deft hand at creating unsettling stories packed with myth and emotion and the Ghost Woods is a fine example of that and my favourite book of hers to date.

Here we have a remote setting, Lichen Hall is nestled deep in the woods, the woods are steeped in myth and avoided by the locals and the Hall is now a retreat (although I use that word begrudgingly) for young single women who have fallen pregnant and, at a time when this was deeply frowned upon, have taken the decision (or more often than not been forced) to have their babies adopted.

The Ghost Woods has a split timeline. The year is 1959 and we learn of Mabel, only 17 years old and pregnant although she insists she hasn’t had sex. She is sent to Lichen Hall and we follow her progress as she starts to make friends eventually and relax a little. Jump to 1965 and meet Pearl who has also come to the Hall to have her baby. Pearl was a nurse but lost her job and the love of her life when she revealed her condition. Not to put too fine a point on things but Lichen Hall is a rather sad place. Young, vulnerable girls come to have their babies and offer them for adoption. There are tears and sadness. The setting is lonely and added to that there are rumours about the encroaching woods and a number of girls have witnessed something scary out there.

I enjoyed this. It’s very atmospheric, the Hall is a cold and unwelcoming place run by a seemingly cold hearted woman (Mrs Whitlock) hellbent on making a profit from the desperation of others. The setting has evil vibes and it’s clear that something dangerous is beginning to grow in strength. Strangely, and I found this a fascinating aspect to the growing horror but there seems to be an invasion of fungus, in fact part of the house has had to be closed due to the overwhelming spread. Lichen Hall really played into the gothic vibe. Here is a once glorious, but now fallen into disrepair manor house. There are elements that still shine but more than that there are creepy cellars, creaky floors and doors and many secrets.

The characters. Mrs Whitlock is almost a split personality. She can be warm and endearing but only in very brief spurts. Her husband has become bed bound and her grandson is an unusual boy, detached, prone to outbursts and often difficult. Of the two main characters, Mabel is very vulnerable, she falls into the trap of becoming, effectively, a slave to the Whitlocks and simply does as she’s told. Pearl is much more assertive and determined to find answers but likewise she has more or less been abandoned by her family. There’s an awful feeling of being trapped.

There’s a real sense of horror here and that’s not just reliant on the myths attached to the area. You feel so terrible for these young women, caught in a time and place that was so unkind to their plight. Added to this are a number of elements that could feel disparate but thanks to the strong writing instead come together in a very cohesive way. Not to give too much away there is a strong and vengeful spirit, the spread of the fungus is linked and helps to demonstrate the invasiveness of what’s going on it also brings with it a couple of twists that are both unexpected and scarily and awfully plausible.

In terms of criticisms. Well, there was nothing here that spoiled the read for me. There’s a slight slowness to the set up initially but probably about a third into the book things begin to hot up and the horror becomes more apparent. There is also a kind of busyness going on but, whilst this definitely had the potential to become a little too much, surprisingly I didn’t find that to be the case.

As it happens I found this very easy to read in terms of pacing and desire to press on. I liked the double aspect to it – not just a supernatural horror of sorts but also a real life horror and a look at the struggles of young women and the awful circumstances they were placed in. I liked the twisted nature of the story and the shocking revelation of what’s actually taking place. Very dark and foreboding, creepy and a great read for this time of year.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

I absolutely loved this book, it was creepy with witchcraft and folklore, dark and unsettling but also hopeful, full of love and friendship. We meet Mabel and Pearl and learn something of what life was like for unmarried women, shunned by society and sent to mother and baby homes to give birth and give up their child. However, this is also a story of witches and spirits. There is the real life horrors of what these women were made to suffer and also the darkness that surrounds Lichen Hall and the secrets within. I really enjoyed The Lighthouse Witches by the same author and I think I enjoyed this one even more, beautfully written. Highly recommend.

A story which covers lots of social issues which were cruel & swept under the carpet especially by families , add to this a Folk Tale about a Witch & Fungi & you will be kept awake or on the edge of what ever chair you are sitting in while reading this spell binding Book .#NetGalley, #Goodreads, #FB,#Instagram,#Amazon.co.uk, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/358a5cecda71b11036ec19d9f7bf5c96d13e2c55" width="80" height="80" alt="100 Book Reviews" title="100 Book Reviews"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/ef856e6ce35e6d2d729539aa1808a5fb4326a415" width="80" height="80" alt="Reviews Published" title="Reviews Published"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/aa60c7e77cc330186f26ea1f647542df8af8326a" width="80" height="80" alt="Professional Reader" title="Professional Reader"/>. Hence I highly recommend you read this Book.

I was in a reading slump for a couple of months, struggling to find the motivation to read. Not anymore! I was drawn to this book by the cover, title, darkness, and emotion behind women having to give up their children. I read this within three days. The characters all had their own quirks and could be told apart. The two we follow both have similar personalities, in the sense of being strong and kind.

I didn’t find the switches in time and character confusing, as both perspectives are trying to unpick the secrets, and both narratives eventually entwine. I will admit that half of the revelation was obvious, but there were little aspects that weren’t. Despite being eerie, the story is also sad, and not just because of the women giving up their babies (the true devastation of having to do so is really shown), but you can clearly see something is wrong with the family who owns Lichen Hall. My favourite character is Morwen. I would have loved to delve into her more.

A note from the author at the end shows where the idea came from. It’s a very well-researched narrative.

The only thing I would say is, I loved the LGBTQ+ representation, but I found three lesbian couples felt a bit too much. One or two would have been better. I’m not saying it’s too much for one book, purely for the storyline of this particular one.

Thank you to NetGalley, C.J. Cooke and HarperCollins for this DRC in exchange for an honest review.

Last October I loved the atmospheric setting of The Lighthouse Witches by C.J. Cooke, so was very keen to pick up her next book. The Ghost Woods is set at Lichen Hall, a grand but crumbling home in a secluded part of Scotland, and it offers an alternative to the mother and baby homes that were prevalent in the 20th century. Single pregnant women could live out their pregnancies at Lichen Hall, and after the child’s birth Mrs Whitlock, the lady of the house, would arrange for them to be adopted. This is how both Mabel and Pearl, one in 1959 and one in 1965, find themselves at the imposing house, isolated from their families and friends.

The book follows the two, each chapter alternating between them in their different timelines, each slowly revealing the underlying darkness of Lichen Hall. Because, though it is beautiful and surrounded by forest, all is not quite what it seems… the forest itself is haunted by a creature of shadow, Mr and Mrs Whitfield have bursts of strangeness, and mushrooms sprout all around, some even invading the hall and breaking it down slowly. The tension is built slowly, helped by the fact that the setting is viewed from two different points in time as they gradually catch up with each other. However, I can’t say that I was ever properly pulled in or felt a chill at any point.

I’m not really a horror reader, but I do sometimes like when a book gives me goosebumps or keeps me up because I have to resolve the tension, and sadly this one didn’t hit that spot. I really liked the characters, Mabel most of all, and the writing was beautiful, but I mostly remained indifferent to the story and when I’d finished it was left quite unsatisfied. I was hoping more would come of the figure that stalks the narrative: the mythic witch Nicnevin. I think a bit point of the story was to highlight the horror of the situation unmarried mothers found themselves in during this time, which it did do very well, but that’s just not what it’s marketed as…

However, if you are looking for a tense, character-focused story with horror elements and a wonderful cast of female characters, I do recommend you pick this and other books by C.J. Cooke up. Just beware that it’s a bit of a slow build-up.

The Ghost Woods is the third book I’ve read by C.J. Cooke and I’m convinced she’s getting better with each novel. This brilliant mix of historical fiction, women’s history, Scottish folklore and the supernatural had me transfixed. We follow two young girls struggling with the realities of becoming pregnant out of wedlock in mid-Twentieth Century Scotland. In 1965, Pearl Gorham is sent to Lichen Hall, a large 16th Century private house set in the middle of woodland and home to a wealthy couple and their grandson. Pearl is 22 and heavily pregnant, until now she’s been working as a nurse, but she’s being driven to Lichen Hall. The family here look after young women ‘in trouble’ and find adoptive parents for their babies. Five years earlier in Dundee, Mabel Haggith is at the doctors with her mother and has just found out that she’s pregnant. Her mother is furious, but Mabel is confused, how can she be pregnant when she hasn’t done anything wrong? To make sense of her predicament, Mabel assumes it must be the ghosts that live inside her that have made her pregnant, she can feel one in her knee right now. Her mum and stepfather decide Mabel must go to a mother and baby home, but Mabel has heard what can go on in those places. She decides to go to Lichen Hall instead, where she’ll have her baby and hopefully adoptive parents will be found. As long as they don’t mind having a ghost baby of course.

What they find at Lichen Hall is an eccentric and isolated family called the Whitlocks. Mrs Whitlock is most definitely in charge, but is dealing with her husband and son’s issues as well. Mr Whitlock was a professor of biology, focused on the more unusual types of fungi and the symbiotic relationship between them and humans. However, more recently dementia has made his behaviour rather erratic. He has taken to wandering and wearing eccentric combinations of clothing, some of which are more revealing than others. Son, Wolfie, is a complex boy with erratic moods and explosive behaviour when frustrated. Mrs Whitlock herself is a strange mix of pleasant and welcoming, then suddenly cold, distant and even mean. Into this bizarre setting come girls who need help, empathy and care. Of course there are also other residents: Morwen who appears to be the only servant when Mabel arrives, as well as the other girls there to have their babies. Who will tend to these girls when they go into labour in this remote place? With folkloric stories of witches and evil fairies around, plus a deliciously Gothic house, full of atmosphere and and an infestation of fungi, that doesn’t seem to be as straightforward as they might have thought.

I loved this strange gothic mix of the horrors of nature and the supernatural. In the room where he keeps his favourite specimens, Mr Whitlock has a wasp that’s been taken over by a fungus. The life cycle starts when people simply breath in the spores, but then they grow inside the insect until it bursts out of their body. Monstrous births have a rich seam in gothic fiction and it feels like there may be parallels here, especially for Mabel and her ghost baby. By the time Pearl arrives, this mini example of a parasitic fungus is overshadowed by the fungal takeover in the west wing. Despite being closed off, she finds spores growing and multiplying on the stairs. Will it eventually take over the whole of Lichen Hall? There is a sense in which the girl’s pregnancies do seem monstrous. There are descriptions of their babies’ movements such as seeing a tiny foot stretching out the skin on their abdomens, which is amazing but strange all at the same time. Mabel’s boy is beautiful, but its not long before she notices the strange lights appearing from under his skin. What do they signify? Is this the legacy of the ghosts? The atmosphere feels isolated and wild, but weirdly suffocating and claustrophobic at the same time. When walking outside it’s best not to go into the woods where a shadowy figure awaits. It’s terrifying when one of the girls falls trying to escape this creature and it grabs her leg, seemingly able to make clear it’s intention to get ‘inside’ her skin.

The book works really well because the girl’s vulnerable position creates empathy and interest in the reader. We don’t want to see them harmed so there’s tension from the outside as well as that sense of foreboding we get from the atmosphere. I found the parts where the girls are struggling with giving up their babies, terribly moving, especially when some are given no warning or chance to say goodbye. The Whitlocks can only act like this due to the shame attached in society to an unmarried mother. We can see a change in attitudes between Mabel and Pearl’s time at the hall even though its only 6 years. Mabel is very ignorant of sex and motherhood, whereas Pearl is older and a nurse so she has more agency in her decisions. She also slept with a man at a party, after falling out with her true love Sebastian. When he turns up after all this time to the hall, they share a romantic picnic and he declares his love for her. It’s a ray of hope in an otherwise gloomy prospect for the residents of the hall. Pearl chooses to make love with Sebastian, showing a young woman making choices about her sex life, choices that don’t seem as bound up with shame and stigma. For Mabel, her early days at the hall are softened by servant Morwen, who seems to do everything for the family - besides looking after Wulfric. She helps the girls give birth too, a skill that’s severely tested if two girls are in labour at once. The new girls are also expected to help with Wulfric when they can. Mrs Whitlock’s present of some hens and wood to build a coop, felt doomed to failure to me. His erratic behaviour up to this point leaving me constantly in fear for the chicken’s lives. One question kept recurring to me, time and time again. Why are the Whitlocks taking these girls in? Could it be for free labour or is there another, more sinister reason, because the Whitlocks do not seem to be particularly charitable souls.

This is an intensely creepy book from the beginning, but as we start to find new clues it becomes more disturbing still. The strange notes that read ‘Help me’ can only be from one of the hall’s residents but who? Has Mr Whitlock had a more lucid moment? Is it a despairing mother to be who wishes to keep her baby? To be honest, by the time both Mabel and Pearl have been with the Whitlocks a few days, I was screaming at them to get out. It seems strange to me that no one enforces the girl’s stay, so there’s only one reason for their obedience and I think that is shame. Each girl is infested by this destructive emotion: they’ve been made to feel shame because of their behaviour, their condition and their lack of a man to stand by them. In one girl’s case, shame has affected her so strongly that she’s pushed a lot of her experiences into a little box in her mind and keeps them under lock and key. Denial is a very powerful tool that shuns truths that are so scary they would overwhelm us. It’s so terribly sad that the girl’s shame creates an opening for others to exploit and exert power over them, but will they succumb? Or will they find strength from somewhere to resist and discover the truth about this mouldy house and family who live there. This book is a brilliant mix of women’s history, gothic fiction and both psychological and physical deterioration. I’d been a little wary of mushrooms since Silvia Moreno Garcia’s Mexican Gothic, now I’m definitely keeping a lookout for fairy rings when I walk the dogs in the woods.

Hauntingly atmospheric and eerie, The Ghost Woods was the perfect read for this time of year. Chilling, mysterious and bursting with folklore, a sense of dread lingers over every page. I read with my heart in my throat and the light turned on, eager to discover the truth yet also fearful of what was to come. And don’t even try to get me to go into the woods anytime soon.

I was a big fan of C. J. Cooke’s last two novels so I was anticipating another great read but with its exquisite storytelling, richly drawn characters and evocative imagery, this is my favourite of her books so far. The strange rumours and eerie folklore surrounding Litchen Hall and the woods cast a sinister shadow, while an atmosphere of isolation and helplessness lingers over every word.

Gorgeously gothic, claustrophobic and menacing, The Ghost Woods is an addictive tale that will captivate and unnerve you. Add this spooky story to your TBR now!

This was a new author for me, and not my typical genre either! I was initially drawn to this book by it’s beautiful cover – it really is stunning and displays what I anticipated to be an atmospheric and thrilling read. The story is set in two timelines. First in 1965 with Pearl Gorham, a young unmarried pregnant woman who is sent away to Lichen Hall to give birth. The other story belongs to young Mabel Haggith who in 1959 is also sent away to the same place. The story twists and turns through the two women’s experiences at the very strange and eerie Lichen Hall.

I found myself caught into the storyline quite early on. Pearl is a strong character, a former nurse who wasn’t allowed to continue working when it was discovered she was pregnant. Her strength does waver through the book, but I was still amazed at how well she coped with everything. Mabel wasn’t as strong as Pearl, although it doesn’t mean her story isn’t any less captivating, probably more so because of the circumstances as to how she ended up in Lichen Hall. The Hall was very unsettling, with the house being owned and run by the strange Mrs Whitlock and her even stranger husband.

Whilst it’s an eerie story, it’s also a sad one. The Hall is used as an unofficial mother and baby home, with the babies’ unofficial adoptions arranged by Mrs Whitlock herself. How young pregnant unmarried women were treated at that time was awful, with many of them having no say at all in what happened. Of course, there is more than just babies being born happening within the Hall, and the book was the perfect creepy, eerie read for this time of year. I was captivated by Pearl and Mabel’s stories, and it became a real page turner as the book moved on. It was a well written dark and gothic fairy-tale which will set your senses tingling and your nerves on edge! Oh, and I knew there was a reason why I don’t like mushrooms!! Would recommend!

3.7 Stars

One Liner: Atmospheric

In the middle of Ghost Woods in Scotland is Lichen Hall, a huge house with mysterious members, rooms, and incidents. It is a place where unwed girls go to give birth and hand over the child to adoptive parents. It is supposedly a better place than the ‘institutions’ that serve the same purpose.
Mabel goes there in 1950 and Pearl in 1965, along with a good many other girls. Pearl notices strange happenings and events in and around the house. One day, she meets a mysterious young woman and a boy on the grounds. Together, they start to unravel the hidden secrets even as darkness threatens to swallow them whole.
The story comes in the first-person POV of Mabel and Pearl in alternating timelines.

My Thoughts:
The story is divided into four parts:
• Part I: okayish and slow
• Part II: picks up pace and intriguing
• Parts III and IV: engaging and steady-paced
As you can see, the book is slow to start and even a little boring. But once the atmosphere sets in, it keeps you hooked.
I read The Lighthouse Witches by the author and know that she writes settings very well. The book lives up to the previous one in this aspect. It is atmospheric, gothic, and dark. It’s not spine-chilling but has enough to sustain the mood.
Folklore and science blend nicely, and there are enough social issues to add to the list. However, it doesn’t get preachy or OTT.
Various human emotions and dark sides merge seamlessly as the story progresses. It also requires a little suspension of belief to take a few things in stride.
The main characters are well-defined if not fully sketched. The side characters do what’s required of them. Though they aren’t explored, we get the essence of each character without trouble.
Mabel and Pearl’s voices are distinct enough. They blur a little toward the climax, but it’s still easy to keep track.
The author’s note at the end is detailed and provides insights into her idea and intent for the book.
The climax and ending are predictable (there are many hints). The climax isn’t as impactful as I wanted, but the detailed epilogue is more than satisfying.

To summarize, The Ghost Woods is a dark and atmospheric tale that uses folklore and science to explore the dark human side. Be careful of the triggers.
Thank you, NetGalley and Emma Pickard from HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

4⭐️
It’s historical fiction with a strong supernatural element which is good for spooky October.

Two women Mabel (past 1959) and Pearl ( present 1965) in different time frames visit Lichen Hall, a mother and baby home for unwed mothers.

The hall is shrouded in mystique and folklore.

As we see Linden Hall through Pearls eyes a real creepy vibe is built. Pearl is older, totally switched on, and a nurse. Mabel is a far more of quirky character. Both are likeable. Their characters are well crafted and well fleshed to make them feel believable.
It’s very descriptive which doesn’t give the fastest of pace, but it does set the atmosphere well.
It’s very different, totally engrossing that is until the end. It took on a far more horror theme, that I couldn’t gel with. It took the shine off for me as it took me out of my comfort zone.
It explores how women were controlled morally and sexually, and explores same sex relationships in that era.
For those more open to more extreme supernatural/ horror elements I’m sure that you will love this book. Those who like traditional grounded stories, this one’s not for you. I lie somewhere in between. The majority of the book was running very strongly at 4.5⭐️, towards the end 3⭐️ so I’ve gone with 4⭐️ overall.

C j Cooke’s books have a brilliant mixture of creepy sinister real life interwoven with myth/folklore and always leave me unsettled at the end of the read. This was no exception although some clues were peppered throughout I didn’t see how this was going to end, which I really enjoyed. Although fantasy/horror isn’t my normal cup of tea this seems to tick all the right boxes to leave you feeling unsettled before bedtime- perfect for long nights and Halloweenb

The Ghost Woods is a good creepy, gothic read for this spooky season. Set in 1960s Scotland when being pregnant and unmarried was highly looked down upon, we’re taken to Lichen House - a huge gothic mansion in the middle of nowhere, where unwed women were sent to give birth and their babies put up for adoption. But the mansion has a dark secret…

The book follows two particular women from different years - Mabel, who believes she has ghosts inhabiting her body and baby, and Pearl, one of the last women to arrive to Lichen House.

This is my second book by C.J. Cooke and I am still in awe of her writing! This book is creepy, full of suspense, beautifully written, and is well developed. My only criticism would be that I found the pacing at the start a bit slow, but once it picked up it had me hooked.

Most importantly this book was beautifully written, atmospheric, clever, and vivid with a cast of great characters. But…it just fell a little flat for me. I didn’t get a particular scary vibe from the book-yes it’s set in a fancy old house in the middle of nowhere, and yes there’s a sinister vein running through the story but was I creeped out? No. Did I figure out what was going on somewhere around the moment one character told another about a fungus that spreads and infects ants? Sadly yes. I didn’t hate the story I just didn’t enjoy it as much as I’d hoped. I slogged through part one, really enjoyed part two, and then read steadily through part 3.
Content warning: SA, FAMILIAL RAPE, RAPE, BABY LOSS.

Personal note: I started this book a week after a miscarriage-whilst this doesn’t change my opinion of the content of the story it most likely did have an effect on how I read it, and why I found it hard work in parts.

The Ghost Woods by C.J. Cooke

4 STARS

A wonderfully atmospheric book - exactly the right mixture of creepy, intriguing and emotive. The Ghost Woods is a page-turner: well-paced, strong characters and enough mystery to keep you guessing. A worthwhile read.

This was a wonderfully atmospheric read. I first had a bit of trouble separating the two timelines as the main characters‘ voices are quite similar but in the end everything came together perfectly. Some passages had me on the edge of my seat and, while I had a hunch, I was still surprised by the resolution.

This is the perfect book for spooky season.

A very good, but creepy story set in a gothic country house in the middle of nowhere. The tale of the girls who had to give birth there as disgraced single mothers is very sad and it must have been very traumatic for anyone who had to undergo that process.
There are many ghostly happenings and lots and lots of fungi. It really is very good for this time of year.
I enjoyed it.

The Ghost Woods

Lichen Hall is a place shrouded in folklore and stories of Ghosts and witches. Pearl is a young woman sent there to give birth and give her baby up for adoption. Once there she soon realises that Lichen Hall has a dark past can Pearl help her new friends before it's too late
Loved the Creepy atmospheric Vibes of this book. I love CJ Cooke writing style I am a big fan of dual timelines. Would highly Recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins UK and C.J Cooke for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest Review.

C. J. C. has a unique way of creating gothic tales. Her work is dark and mysterious but always seek to shed light in serious issues and topics and that’s why for me she is a remarkable writer.

As her previous books, this read is poignant and well researched and you can see that not only from the background information but also in the world building and the characters development.

It’s one of the few times that I liked all the characters in a story because they were representing something different and unique.

As for the story itself, the plot is very interesting and unusual. It’s genuinely creepy and it will have you transfixed. Don’t miss out on this one!

This had a gothic, mysterious theme. The story is written in two periods several years before Pearl arrives and when Pearl arrives in 1965 Pearl where she is sent to Lichen Hall to give birth (just like all the other girls there), a place for young, single mothers to give birth and have their child adopted. But not all is as it seems, with the house decaying, forbidden locations, being isolated and cut off from the outside world.

Ghost, toadstools, witches, woods expanding, a boy who is troubled. Its dark but touches topics that need voicing, especially treatment of single pregnant women, in the houses for giving birth. The authors note at the end is informative and explains why she choosed the story.

I loved her other books the lighthouse witches and the nesting and loved this one just as much. Cant wait to see what next we get to read.

i love this book!

the weirdness, the new concept of supernatural. science meets folkfore. the themes are mentioning well and gave impact. it was good written and well researched. i can't stop reading because i'm excited to uncover the dark secrets. despite you can guess the perpetrator but the things happening is a bit unexpected.

i wish to read more this gothic vibes book by CJ Cooke.

i have elaborated more in my ig and feel free to check on it based on the link i added.