This took me 3 months to get through and I was listening to the audiobook. I only started enjoying this book until the very end. I didn't expect what this book was about. Being in the narrators head was quite hard a lot of the time because she was so annoying. I enjoyed seeing her character evolve as she explored the real world that had been hidden from her for so long.

A beautifully written coming of age tale that I thoroughly enjoyed. It’s always a pleasure when an interesting blurb is matched by an intriguing plot and engaging writing style. Loved it.

A tale about a girl on the cusp of womanhood who finds herself out on her own in an extraordionary situation.
I wasn’t engrossed in this story, however it was another okay read.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Sadly I really tried to get into this book but i found it very difficult to get into the plot.
But this is not reflection on the author nor the writing it is just my personal opinion

I love a good YA mystery! This novel from Emily Barr follows the story of Arty, who for all of her life has lived in the Clearing, a small settlement in the forests of south India. After a tragic accident, Arty must leave the Clearing for the first time, venture out into a world she has been taught to fear, and seek the help of an ex-commune inhabitant. Her journey takes her on a quest to the truth about the place she grew up, and the people she has lived amongst.

I enjoyed this novel. I found it engrossing and liked the mystery at its heart (there's also a separate storyline about a character who is locked in a basement, which is weaved in at the end). I was invested in Arty as a character, and cared about the outcome of her journey. The story is captivating, well-written, and very visual, which I loved.

I will not be giving feedback on this book as I couldn’t really get into it but I think others may enjoy it.

Although I enjoyed this it did at times feel like it dragged a bit, it was obvious what was going to be revealed and this left little for me then to find out. I liked the main character and enjoyed the interactions but I just wanted something more.

I found the idea of the story really interesting, a girl has lived in the clearing, totally cut off from the outside world who - as the tile says- comes out of the woods
I enjoyed the book well enough but it seemed more of a coming of age story, not a thriller which I expected.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.
I have read and loved books by Emily Barr before, this felt quite different, aimed at a YA audience.
I loved the character of Arty and found the book to be original and compelling. A recommended read.

This one sounded so so good and I loved that it was YA too, but unfortunately it just wasn’t for me and found that I couldn’t finish this one.

I really liked Arty and getting to see her view on our ‘normality’ after leaving life in the Clearing. The interlinked chapters turned out to be an unexpected twist. I liked the story but it ended a bit suddenly! 🌲🌳

I think that the students in our school library need to hear lots of diverse voices and read stories and lives of many different kinds of people and experiences. When I inherited the library it was an incredibly sanitised space with only 'school readers' and project books on 'the railways' etc. Buying in books that will appeal to the whole range of our readers with diverse voices, eclectic and fascinating subject matter, and topics that will intrigue and fascinate them was incredibly important to me.
This is a book that I think our senior readers will enjoy very much indeed - not just because it's well written with an arresting voice that will really keep them reading and about a fascinating topic - but it's also a book that doesn't feel worthy or improving, it doesn't scream 'school library and treats them like young reading adults who have the right to explore a range of modern diverse reads that will grip and intrigue them and ensure that reading isn't something that they are just forced to do for their English project - this was a solid ten out of ten for me and I'm hoping that our students are as gripped and caught up in it as I was. It was one that I stayed up far too late reading and one that I'll be recommending to the staff as well as our senior students - thank you so much for the chance to read and review; I really loved it and can't wait to discuss it wth some of our seniors once they've read it too!

I don't often read young adult novels, but this one intrigued me, and I wasn't disappointed. A very original idea, beautifully written. Highly recommended.

This is only going to be a short review on this book because it wasn’t one I liked at all. This book just wasn’t for me. It was very confusing and I just felt that I had to force myself to carry on reading it. And also, when you name characters after certain gods, I’m always going to draw back to mythology and not whatever this was. I feel like this was attempt by Emily Barr to make this book appeal to a hipster. Emily Barr is usually a good writer as I have reviewed her other books, but this one wasn’t connecting with me like her other books have. If it wasn’t for the fact that I read this book via Netgalley (thank you by the way) I’m not sure whether I would have spent the money on it and if I did, I would have regretted it.



Overall 1 star.

I am a fan of Emily Barr's novels but unfortunately this young adult story was not to my taste but will appeal to a younger readership.

truly beautiful story, very well written . i actually thought it was based on a true story and found myself searching for it once i had finished.
great page turner

Thanks for the eARC. The story was honestly good and intrigued me to read but when I dive into the story, it wasn’t interest like how it did at first. However, I managed to read the whole book. It was an okay read for me

Thrillers are my favourite genre, and YA is my favourite age range, but this is not the YA thriller I thought it would be based on the description and tags. This was quite a heavy, character-driven novel that lost me along the way as I struggled to get through dense writing. This perhaps would have been better if it was rewritten and remarketed as a coming of age tale, letting go of the lackluster mystery aspect.

Oh this was just gorgeous. A story of privation, exploration, innocence and family.
A small community of ‘gods and goddesses’ is Arty’s whole world, but when tragedy strikes, she is swept into the bustle of India, social media celebrity and finally suburban England.
At the same time we follow a timeline of a desperate youngster locked in a basement and we can only presume it’s Arty.
This was a lovely, well written book from an interesting perspective, with poverty and riches, suburbia and city life, cloistered community and public scrutiny, race and understanding all confronted and juxtaposed.
Would recommend.