At first I thought I would really enjoy this novel and there are elements about it which weren't too bad - the magical parts - but the heroine spoiled most of it for me. She comes across as shallow and a real twit.I know she had to get into the woods to fulfil the story but getting drunk, deliberately running out in the middle of the night and getting chased by The Beast was just plain silly. It was reminiscent of those old-time movies where the "feisty" girl reporter is told not to go into the cellar and of course, the first thing she does is just that. Izzy, told not to go into the woods by just about everyone she meets, does just that too.The characters were not "fleshed out" sufficiently for me to have much sympathy for them - we know next to nothing about Feathers, the son, Connor, or his father, Joe (who turns out to be an elf) or the abusive ex-boyfriend/husband/partner. His threats and leaving mutilated animals on her doorstep is not taken very seriously by the police.There is no back story to speak of which would explain the circumstances of Izzy's life - a few letters to her rellies is all the reader gets. The ending was abrupt and the last chapter jumps forward a year without explaining what's going on with Izzy, Feathers and Connor. It's as though the author couldn't decide how to finish it and opted for the easiest way out.I abhore novels where animals are killed so that made me very distressed. It is not necessary and seems to indicate that the author has no problem with animal abuse. I may be being unfair to her here, but that's the way it came across to me.I would not recommend this novel for that reason alone.
books reviews