Official Review: Spellhollow Wood by Joseph Scotti

K-katastrophe3 · Post by **K-katastrophe3** » 12 Feb 2014, 17:03

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Spellhollow Wood" by Joseph Scotti.]

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This novel starts off with a story about a haunted town, Spellhollow Wood. This is a town where many unexplained events happen, both good and bad, though no one dares to enter the woods. The woods are said to be haunted, cursed, forbidden. For those who enter never seem to return unchanged if at all. There is a young girl, Marie, who is so traumatized by an event with her mother that she completely forgets her past and seems to imagine a different life for herself as Charolette, who is much more mischievious than Marie. Though one day Marie enters the woods on a dare and seems to regain her lost memory, remember who she was, and realizes a way to fix it all! On this adventure she meets Perion and Courinn, who are determined to help her find her mother and defeat the evil of the woods for good! This undertaking is filled with peril as they make their way through the enchanted woods. They encounter all kinds of things that Marie never thought would be real. So begins the tale of such mystery and suspense!

Spellhollow Wood is completely in the range of books I typically read, though with a much younger age group than I am used to. However, it still worked! This story drew me in from the start. Who wouldn't want to read about haunted woods in a small town? It is so close to how many small towns used to view "creepy" woods. This book definitely surprised me at times, went a different way than I thought it would, but it was not a bad thing. I feel that the way it went was much better for the flow of the story as it turned out than I would have thought. Marie was such a strong character for one so young. All the characters were very young, however, it showed that even at young ages these kids can be brave and stable, doing what they believe is right. Then there was Gwylligwitch, the monster from the woods. I feel Gwylligwitch was the typical haunted woods story monster, but Scotti certainly brought her to life in this story. She wasnt the only monster, just one of the main foes that caused such heartache to many people in the town. Marie and her gang were determined to bring her down.

This story is full of adventure, mystery, suspense, and tons for fantasy! Even though the age group in the book is young, I would say this is a book to read for all age groups. It is definitely worth at the very least a one time read for everyone.

To conclude, I would say this book will be loved by many. It is so full of hard learned lessons, suspense that keeps you on the edge and fantasy which brings out everything you could possibly imagine! I rate this book a definite 4 out of 4 stars!

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filmakr1 · Post by **filmakr1** » 22 Feb 2014, 10:56

Thank you very much for the review! I've structured the story with a self contained mythology that ties into the folklore and legends of the New York State region. There is a video up on You Tube, where you can see and hear the book's characters-- especially the main character, Marie-- interviewed from some 35 years ago and talk about the story and its mythology.

sophiachic · Post by **sophiachic** » 23 Feb 2014, 14:11

It is a very good book

filmakr1 · Post by **filmakr1** » 18 Mar 2014, 09:53

Thank you, Sophiachic, have you read it also?

kio · Post by **kio** » 24 May 2014, 11:52

Thanks for the great review, this is right up my alley. Also, awesome profile pic K-katastrophe3 . Any tips on finding something similar? I haven't had much luck.