I picked this book off my shelf on a whim, as I’m focusing on spooky books throughout the month of October. I mistakenly thought since it’s a bit of a chunky book that it would take me a few days to read. Um, no. Less than a day, actually. It’s a story with all the gothic tropes, but there’s more to it than that, with feminist and queer components mixed in with Scottish folklore. In the acknowledgments section (yes, I read everything, even the copyright and typeset pages) @katiejlumsden gets a shout-out and I can confidently say that if you enjoyed her book The Secrets of Hartwood Hall (I did!) you’d like The Ghost Woods, too. I’m definitely putting more of CJ Cooke’s books on my TBR list!