The Lying Woods
by Ashley Elston
Hyperion, 2018, 327 pages, Young Adult Fiction
Owen Foster is pulled from his elite New Orleans boarding school when his father's assets are seized. Back in his small town, and feeling like an outcast, Owen desperately tries to piece together his father's past despite mounting threats. The only solace he finds is in working for a reclusive man named Gus who owns a local pecan farm, and who might be hiding secrets of his own.
This book is a quietly-building mystery that tells two different stories. The first is the story of Owen, trying to adjust to his new life and figure out who is threatening him. The second story tells of Noah, who worked at the same pecan farm twenty years earlier. Elston is a skilled writer who knows how to write a book with two storylines that both drive the plot forward without outshining the other. While this book features a few different mysteries, I appreciated that this book also focused on character growth. As both Owen and Noah come to terms with their different trials and with the facts behind the mysteries, they become stronger. This combination of mystery, excellent writing, and interesting characters really allowed me to enjoy every moment of reading this book.
MB
by Ashley Elston
Hyperion, 2018, 327 pages, Young Adult Fiction
Owen Foster is pulled from his elite New Orleans boarding school when his father's assets are seized. Back in his small town, and feeling like an outcast, Owen desperately tries to piece together his father's past despite mounting threats. The only solace he finds is in working for a reclusive man named Gus who owns a local pecan farm, and who might be hiding secrets of his own.
This book is a quietly-building mystery that tells two different stories. The first is the story of Owen, trying to adjust to his new life and figure out who is threatening him. The second story tells of Noah, who worked at the same pecan farm twenty years earlier. Elston is a skilled writer who knows how to write a book with two storylines that both drive the plot forward without outshining the other. While this book features a few different mysteries, I appreciated that this book also focused on character growth. As both Owen and Noah come to terms with their different trials and with the facts behind the mysteries, they become stronger. This combination of mystery, excellent writing, and interesting characters really allowed me to enjoy every moment of reading this book.
MB
