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What wouldn’t you do to keep your child safe?

Hello, hello, hello! I hope 2022 has been treating you well!

My year has started off poorly for reading and it has me in a mood.
Maybe it’s the complete lack of energy and concentration but.. Who knows?

In this book we follow the life of a former military man with a troubled past who is willing to do whatever he must to prevent being separated from his young daughter.

I wasn’t disappointed, exactly, but I was underwhelmed. Then again.. I did go in thinking this was an entirely different book. I’m not even joking. I had honestly (somehow) mistaken it for Near the Bone by Christina Henry and didn’t actually realize that it wasn’t until a few pages in.
That does occasionally happen.. right?

Anyway!
My brain is a giant, swirling mass of ‘not happening’ so..
Let’s see what it has to say, yeah?

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These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant

Standalone

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First line: Something wrong, I can feel it: a sting pricking the skin and stitching inward.

Cooper, a former military man struggling with PTSD, lives off the grid with his young daughter, Finch. For eight years they’ve lived in the isolation of the snowy Appalachian mountains, hiding from what Cooper had to do to keep his little girl safe, still healing from the grief of losing her mother.

Finch knows the woods like the back of her hand.. but nothing of the world outside of their small cabin and, while Cooper does his best to provide her with everything she needs, the girl begins to grow restless for more..

Then, in the blink of an eye, their peaceful life in is shattered.

There’s an intruder on the property.
Jake, an old friend from Cooper’s past, never arrives with their supplies.
A stranger comes calling.

And as the situation becomes more complicated by the day, Cooper grows more anxious, knowing that what happens next will decide all of their fates.. but will he be able to do the right thing when it means he might lose everything?

Three and a Half Stars!

What a beautiful love these characters have for this little girl..

What I mean to say here is that it isn’t unnatural for a person to do everything in his power to protect his young. It isn’t wrong.

Characters:

Kenny Morrison ‘Cooper’ is “former” military. He’s weighed down with grief, battling PTSD, and raising his eight year old daughter in the middle of nowhere. He’s had it rough and made some mistakes but his love for Finch is undeniable. I don’t entirely agree with his approach.. raising up any child without family, friends, and almost no human contact can’t be healthy for a growing girl.
His is the only POV throughout the book.

Grace Elizabeth ‘Finch’ is eight, precocious, and quite mature for her age. Her character has this maturity that can easily make you forget just how young she really is. With her love of the forest, animals, and poetry.. Finch quickly became my favorite character.
I’m rather disappointed she didn’t have her own POV, I think it would have brought more life to the story.

Jake is an old army buddy, it’s his land and cabin they’ve made a home in. He brings them supplies and much needed company at scheduled times each year.. until the day he doesn’t.

Marie is Jake’s sister. She arrives a handful days after Jake was supposed to with the much needed provisions and bad news. Arriving only hours before a snowstorm, making it impossible to leave. Finch likes her. Cooper doesn’t know what to think. And Maria? She’s calm, intelligent, and adaptable.

Scotland is their slightly creepy, well armed neighbor who likes to sneak up on Coop and make him uncomfortable. He’s actually pretty entertaining and, in the end, a really amazing character.

Overall:

This was a sweet, compelling story of survival, redemption, and love.

While the pace was steady, it was slow, and that made it difficult to really feel like you were going anywhere. The characters are well written and very human. There are moments of such raw emotion that it sweeps you up and pulls you under.. and then times where it felt nothing was going on at all.

I will warn that, due to Cooper’s mental health issues, his emotional reaction to certain situations were often sudden and intense. These moments can feel very real and it may be jarring or unpleasant for some.

I resented that term, “panic attack,” because it sounded like a name some hoity-toity person in a white jacket had made up. But the truth is, it did ring true. It felt like I was under attack, like the world was caving in on me, like I was trapped.

I did like this book.. but I also wanted more from the storyline. More excitement. More suspense. More of an ‘edge of your seat’ kind of feel. I wanted to be more absorbed in the characters, their life, their struggles.. but I can accept ‘satisfied.’

Will I read more from the author in the future? Yes.
Do I recommend giving this one a chance? Again.. Yes.

It may not be a five star read.. but it is a good book.

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Alright, folks, that’s all my poor squishy brain has tonight..
Thank you for stopping by, I appreciate it, and I hope this review was helpful!

Many prayers to those effected by the terribly low temperatures, volcanos, tsunamis, shootings, Florida’s “iguana warnings,” and any other craziness you’re currently facing.
Hang in there!

Have you read this book?
What did you think?

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