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Wyrdwood
Something strange is happening in Merryweather-by-the-Sea.
Whispers in the playground abound – a spring-heeled phantom haunts the edge of the Wyrdwood, the ancient forest which surrounds the sleepy coastal town. But the Twig Man is the least of Kiki Harper’s concerns.
Returning home for the holidays, Kiki discovers a peculiar woman has moved into her family home, having stolen everybody’s hearts. Who is the beautiful Fay – and could Kiki's family really be bewitched?
Whispers in the playground abound – a spring-heeled phantom haunts the edge of the Wyrdwood, the ancient forest which surrounds the sleepy coastal town. But the Twig Man is the least of Kiki Harper’s concerns.
Returning home for the holidays, Kiki discovers a peculiar woman has moved into her family home, having stolen everybody’s hearts. Who is the beautiful Fay – and could Kiki's family really be bewitched?
- GenresHorror
322 pages, Paperback
Published October 2, 2025
3 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
About the author
Curtis Jobling
32 books338 followersCurtis Jobling is an author and illustrator based in the UK. Working in publishing and animation he is possibly most (in)famously known as the designer of the BAFTA winning "Bob The Builder", as well as creator of CBeebies "Raa Raa the Noisy Lion" and CBBC's "Frankenstein’s Cat". Early work in animation included model and puppet painting on Wallace & Gromit’s "A Close Shave" and Tim Burton’s "Mars Attacks!" He’s also the creator/director/producer of Nickelodeon’s "Curious Cow" interstitials, a series of animated shorts featuring the varied and hilarious deaths of a bewildered bovine.
As a published author and illustrator of children’s books, Curtis’s works include Dinosaurs After Dark (with Jonathan Emmett), Skeleton in the Closet (with Alice Schertle), My Daddy, Cheeky Monkey and perhaps his most notorious character Frankenstein’s Cat, now an animated series in its own right commissioned by the BBC and sold to broadcasters worldwide.
The Wereworld series of novels were first published by Penguin in the UK in January 2011, with "Rise of the Wolf", the first in the fantasy horror, shortlisted for the Waterstone's Book Prize. Penguin/Viking first published the debut novel in September 2011.
As a published author and illustrator of children’s books, Curtis’s works include Dinosaurs After Dark (with Jonathan Emmett), Skeleton in the Closet (with Alice Schertle), My Daddy, Cheeky Monkey and perhaps his most notorious character Frankenstein’s Cat, now an animated series in its own right commissioned by the BBC and sold to broadcasters worldwide.
The Wereworld series of novels were first published by Penguin in the UK in January 2011, with "Rise of the Wolf", the first in the fantasy horror, shortlisted for the Waterstone's Book Prize. Penguin/Viking first published the debut novel in September 2011.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 3, 2025
I've been a fan of Curtis Jobling's writing ever since I first discovered Wereworld years ago, and it has been great following his work since then. (And if you haven't already, check out the animated show Wolf King. It is well worth your time.)
I read Wyrdwood at the start of October as the spooky season began, and it was the perfect choice. This is teen horror done right: atmospheric, creepy, and steeped in folklore. The story takes place in the small island town of Merryweather-by-the-Sea, which I believe is influenced by the Isle of Man. It introduces a varied cast of characters living in isolation with the ever-present shadow of the Wyrdwood nearby.
From the beginning, I picked up a touch of Stephen King vibes, particularly The Stand, though this story is aimed at a different audience and leans more on folklore than sprawling horror. At its heart, it is about a character returning home, burdened by her own past, and finding that her once-familiar town has become stranger and darker in her absence.
At first, the number of townsfolk introduced felt a little overwhelming, probably due to the shorter length of the book, but it does not take long before they each settle into place. The relationships between them become clear, and you quickly figure out who you want to root for, who to mistrust, and who might be hiding more than they let on. All the while, a darker threat creeps in.
Jobling's writing style is casual and easy to read, and the dialogue is spot on. The use of slang and down-to-earth phrases makes the characters feel relatable, which only heightens the tension when the strange and sinister elements emerge.
For me, the sign of a great book is when you finish it and immediately want more. Wyrdwood left me with exactly that feeling. I loved it as a young adult folklore horror, but I would also be thrilled to see Jobling dive into a full-on adult horror novel in the future.
A perfectly eerie read for autumn nights.
I read Wyrdwood at the start of October as the spooky season began, and it was the perfect choice. This is teen horror done right: atmospheric, creepy, and steeped in folklore. The story takes place in the small island town of Merryweather-by-the-Sea, which I believe is influenced by the Isle of Man. It introduces a varied cast of characters living in isolation with the ever-present shadow of the Wyrdwood nearby.
From the beginning, I picked up a touch of Stephen King vibes, particularly The Stand, though this story is aimed at a different audience and leans more on folklore than sprawling horror. At its heart, it is about a character returning home, burdened by her own past, and finding that her once-familiar town has become stranger and darker in her absence.
At first, the number of townsfolk introduced felt a little overwhelming, probably due to the shorter length of the book, but it does not take long before they each settle into place. The relationships between them become clear, and you quickly figure out who you want to root for, who to mistrust, and who might be hiding more than they let on. All the while, a darker threat creeps in.
Jobling's writing style is casual and easy to read, and the dialogue is spot on. The use of slang and down-to-earth phrases makes the characters feel relatable, which only heightens the tension when the strange and sinister elements emerge.
For me, the sign of a great book is when you finish it and immediately want more. Wyrdwood left me with exactly that feeling. I loved it as a young adult folklore horror, but I would also be thrilled to see Jobling dive into a full-on adult horror novel in the future.
A perfectly eerie read for autumn nights.
October 27, 2025
I stumbled upon this book by pure accident, the cover caught my eye almost immediately and it was it was just the right amount of hauntingly beautiful that I bought it without even reading the synopsis ☺️
The writing and the atmosphere were solidly spooky, although I wish there was a bit more hmmm poetic flavour to the descriptions? And we get so many character perspectives that we don't delve much deeper in any one of them individually, which is a waste tbh because some of the characters felt like they could be so much MORE. I also wish we learned a bit more about the Wyrds' world, not in an info dump kind of way but more like properly getting lost in the Wyrwood forest and stumbling upon spooky stuff kind of way...? Dunno, I'm rambling.
Anyway, this book was great and perfect as a rainy Sunday read - I'll keep my fingers crossed we get a sequel! 🤞
side note: extra kudos for the wynn background story reveal, did not see it coming. also loved the fact twig man monster was actually chasing his bride (i need more background info on the relationship between their two kingdoms and the Green Man and the Mother!)
The writing and the atmosphere were solidly spooky, although I wish there was a bit more hmmm poetic flavour to the descriptions? And we get so many character perspectives that we don't delve much deeper in any one of them individually, which is a waste tbh because some of the characters felt like they could be so much MORE. I also wish we learned a bit more about the Wyrds' world, not in an info dump kind of way but more like properly getting lost in the Wyrwood forest and stumbling upon spooky stuff kind of way...? Dunno, I'm rambling.
Anyway, this book was great and perfect as a rainy Sunday read - I'll keep my fingers crossed we get a sequel! 🤞
side note: extra kudos for the wynn background story reveal, did not see it coming. also loved the fact twig man monster was actually chasing his bride (i need more background info on the relationship between their two kingdoms and the Green Man and the Mother!)
January 2, 2026
Creepy, atmospheric, full of fae and trauma. What a way to start the new year. Definitely had a nightmare while reading this one.
CW: animal cruelty
CW: animal cruelty
September 24, 2025
Brilliant spooky read. Really atmospheric. I enjoyed every page
October 7, 2025
The plot
The dramatic prologue sees Sam Harper, father to Kiki, our protagonist, rescue a woman from an oncoming logging lorry. In the dark, stark naked in the snow and confused, there is no way the woman we get to know as Fay, can save herself. Sam pulls her to safety, and so creates an underlying plot for the story.
Kiki Harper, sixteen, awakens from a nightmare just as her train pulls into the sleepy and remote seaside town of Merryweather-by-the-sea. She was at school for three months on the UK mainland, and is now returning home for Christmas. She has returned early to catch the big switch-on of the Christmas lights and to surprise her family. After certain events the previous summer, all eyes are on the supposed troubled child. Troubled, but not without cause, as the recurring nightmare is of the night not that long ago when her mother was killed in a car crash that saw Kiki and her younger siblings pulled from the car submerged in the river.
Her best friend, Stefan Pimblott – a young poacher, and son of a local scrap metal merchant – doesn’t materialise to take her home, so she heads off in the snow. Along the way we readers get introduced to certain key characters, including Stefan’s elder sister, Ruby, her loutish bigot of a boyfriend Leo Pitts, aka Pitbull, and police officer Maggie O’Malley.
On arriving home, she discovers a woman, Fay, in the house. She is wearing her mother’s clothes and working away in the kitchen. Kiki is pulled up short, not knowing what to make of the situation as her father has not told her of a mother replacement in his life. Her father and younger siblings are besotted with this lady, who is nothing but polite and well intentioned. Even the townsfolk have taken to her, and it seems memories of her mother have been swept aside by some magical spell.
We get a feeling of something strange going on in the village when the schoolmistress notices how quiet and tired her class is, and also when more and more of the young children aren’t attending due to some mysterious malaise. Whatever it is, it’s putting a dampener on the entire village and Christmas; all save the Harper family and recent incomers. The children have been drawing a stick man, the Stick Man of fable, and singing a very spooky and about him in the playground. Of course, the old schoolmistress has seen it all before, many years past. At that time, the same drawings were made and songs sung. Then something came from the woods and took one of their number away. The past is being replayed.
When Wem Campbell, from the lighthouse, (thought to be suffering the ravages of dementia) rips the priest’s festive lights off an ancient stone cross, swearing that it‘s all wrong and they will awaken ‘HIM’, we get a real sense of the pervading menace, mystery, history, and malice that lurks in the towns past. Of course, it’s already too late. Only the surviving senior townsfolk know what really happened, and they are, for the time being at least, not telling.
Woven through this tale like a vein of rot in a potato, we have onetime criminal, poacher turned gamekeeper for the logging Blackwood family’s estate, Mick Cleaver, who lives in the Wyrdwood. He lives near the now-dilapidated old Blackwood family mansion. What he is up to isn’t known, but he doesn’t like trespassers and has made it clear he wants Stephan’s family out of his hair once and for all. This spills out along the plot in various confrontations. He isn’t afraid to kill or maim to get what he wants or to keep his secrets safe.
As the festive snow starts to gather deeply all around, so the nasty things start, drawing in the good and the bad, the innocent, ugly and unlucky. To lay out more of the nuances and characters will be almost impossible, save that the threads knit together dramatically, and in their own right, to become something both grand and terrible. And I don’t mean that awful festive sweater you may have been given one year that lurks almost menacingly at the back of the wardrobe . . .
So, what did we think?
As a rule, we don’t like and review horror books. But this hooked our attention when we were offered it, and we found we could not refuse. That says a lot in my book.
It is one of those that a review can only ever scratch the surface of what transpires between the covers. And that cover is very expressive and in keeping. All credit goes to Alice Cao for her skill in bringing the tale to life that way.
You really would have to go a long way to better this tale. Come the closing chapters, we could visualise this as a Steven Spielberg movie. And we shouldn’t be surprised by that, given the author’s pedigree.
Before coming to writing books, Curtis Jobling was the designer for ‘Bob the Builder’ and worked on ‘Wallace & Gromit‘ and ‘Mars Attacks‘. He has written horror stories for some time for older audiences. His million-selling ‘Wereworld’ series of adventures has become a major new animated production called ‘Wolf King‘ on Netflix.
This adventure has a wealth of family and small-town community charm, but also highlights family and community issues. The cast has everyone from the elderly, one-time schoolteacher next door, to the young, eager priest ignorant of past ways and rites. There’s the local police officer, born and bred on the island, who has fallen in love with the new schoolteacher. The local logging company is felling the ancient wood for profit, and the Mayor’s son is a lout and bully and ripe for putting in his place – but nobody dares. Then there’s the mysterious, youthful, quiet fisherman who lives with an aged man in the village lighthouse.
The villain – well, the corporeal one, if you get my drift – he reminds us of Bill Sykes, complete with his dog. He really is as evil as they come, and delightfully, every inch of his bad nature has been brought to the fore.
And best of all, possibly beyond our protagonist, is Fay. A clear instigator of things at the start, but is she a key player in this story? Is she who she seems to be, and are her motives and reasons for being there as pure as they seem? Things are never simple in this tale.
From the isolated setting, trapped between the ocean and the Wyrdwoods, which creates a locked-room mystery effect, we are forced to focus in on the story and characters hemmed within. Histories, both old and recent, of place and people, intrigue and frighten, beyond the page and window.
We loved the way the plot unfolded. It didn’t just throw clues at you as we wanted/expected them but held back till the optimal point for the characters and story. As a result, you were never 100% certain of anyone, well, nearly everyone. The characters evolved well in our mind’s eye, and whilst some are as painted, others had hidden depths.
As for the ending, well, that was almost cinematographic and brings us squarely back to the Spielberg fan in us, but I’ll not give it away. Oh, one more thing: the epilogue is, in a comeuppance way, oh-so-sweet . . .
So, to sum up
The story is a clever, vivid, articulate and atmospheric blend of folklore meets mild horror, set in a small town steeped in secrets. As capable a story for a teen as any of the Stephen King books for adults Mrs H has read in days gone by. Yes, there are grizzly bits, but they are in keeping, well placed and not for shock value.
In fact, it complements and introduces the author’s other fantasy books for older readers. We thoroughly recommend this adventure for teenagers and up, to those who don’t mind ‘branching’ out into a little fright and a few grizzly pieces too, none of which we thought were OTT for the story.
The dramatic prologue sees Sam Harper, father to Kiki, our protagonist, rescue a woman from an oncoming logging lorry. In the dark, stark naked in the snow and confused, there is no way the woman we get to know as Fay, can save herself. Sam pulls her to safety, and so creates an underlying plot for the story.
Kiki Harper, sixteen, awakens from a nightmare just as her train pulls into the sleepy and remote seaside town of Merryweather-by-the-sea. She was at school for three months on the UK mainland, and is now returning home for Christmas. She has returned early to catch the big switch-on of the Christmas lights and to surprise her family. After certain events the previous summer, all eyes are on the supposed troubled child. Troubled, but not without cause, as the recurring nightmare is of the night not that long ago when her mother was killed in a car crash that saw Kiki and her younger siblings pulled from the car submerged in the river.
Her best friend, Stefan Pimblott – a young poacher, and son of a local scrap metal merchant – doesn’t materialise to take her home, so she heads off in the snow. Along the way we readers get introduced to certain key characters, including Stefan’s elder sister, Ruby, her loutish bigot of a boyfriend Leo Pitts, aka Pitbull, and police officer Maggie O’Malley.
On arriving home, she discovers a woman, Fay, in the house. She is wearing her mother’s clothes and working away in the kitchen. Kiki is pulled up short, not knowing what to make of the situation as her father has not told her of a mother replacement in his life. Her father and younger siblings are besotted with this lady, who is nothing but polite and well intentioned. Even the townsfolk have taken to her, and it seems memories of her mother have been swept aside by some magical spell.
We get a feeling of something strange going on in the village when the schoolmistress notices how quiet and tired her class is, and also when more and more of the young children aren’t attending due to some mysterious malaise. Whatever it is, it’s putting a dampener on the entire village and Christmas; all save the Harper family and recent incomers. The children have been drawing a stick man, the Stick Man of fable, and singing a very spooky and about him in the playground. Of course, the old schoolmistress has seen it all before, many years past. At that time, the same drawings were made and songs sung. Then something came from the woods and took one of their number away. The past is being replayed.
When Wem Campbell, from the lighthouse, (thought to be suffering the ravages of dementia) rips the priest’s festive lights off an ancient stone cross, swearing that it‘s all wrong and they will awaken ‘HIM’, we get a real sense of the pervading menace, mystery, history, and malice that lurks in the towns past. Of course, it’s already too late. Only the surviving senior townsfolk know what really happened, and they are, for the time being at least, not telling.
Woven through this tale like a vein of rot in a potato, we have onetime criminal, poacher turned gamekeeper for the logging Blackwood family’s estate, Mick Cleaver, who lives in the Wyrdwood. He lives near the now-dilapidated old Blackwood family mansion. What he is up to isn’t known, but he doesn’t like trespassers and has made it clear he wants Stephan’s family out of his hair once and for all. This spills out along the plot in various confrontations. He isn’t afraid to kill or maim to get what he wants or to keep his secrets safe.
As the festive snow starts to gather deeply all around, so the nasty things start, drawing in the good and the bad, the innocent, ugly and unlucky. To lay out more of the nuances and characters will be almost impossible, save that the threads knit together dramatically, and in their own right, to become something both grand and terrible. And I don’t mean that awful festive sweater you may have been given one year that lurks almost menacingly at the back of the wardrobe . . .
So, what did we think?
As a rule, we don’t like and review horror books. But this hooked our attention when we were offered it, and we found we could not refuse. That says a lot in my book.
It is one of those that a review can only ever scratch the surface of what transpires between the covers. And that cover is very expressive and in keeping. All credit goes to Alice Cao for her skill in bringing the tale to life that way.
You really would have to go a long way to better this tale. Come the closing chapters, we could visualise this as a Steven Spielberg movie. And we shouldn’t be surprised by that, given the author’s pedigree.
Before coming to writing books, Curtis Jobling was the designer for ‘Bob the Builder’ and worked on ‘Wallace & Gromit‘ and ‘Mars Attacks‘. He has written horror stories for some time for older audiences. His million-selling ‘Wereworld’ series of adventures has become a major new animated production called ‘Wolf King‘ on Netflix.
This adventure has a wealth of family and small-town community charm, but also highlights family and community issues. The cast has everyone from the elderly, one-time schoolteacher next door, to the young, eager priest ignorant of past ways and rites. There’s the local police officer, born and bred on the island, who has fallen in love with the new schoolteacher. The local logging company is felling the ancient wood for profit, and the Mayor’s son is a lout and bully and ripe for putting in his place – but nobody dares. Then there’s the mysterious, youthful, quiet fisherman who lives with an aged man in the village lighthouse.
The villain – well, the corporeal one, if you get my drift – he reminds us of Bill Sykes, complete with his dog. He really is as evil as they come, and delightfully, every inch of his bad nature has been brought to the fore.
And best of all, possibly beyond our protagonist, is Fay. A clear instigator of things at the start, but is she a key player in this story? Is she who she seems to be, and are her motives and reasons for being there as pure as they seem? Things are never simple in this tale.
From the isolated setting, trapped between the ocean and the Wyrdwoods, which creates a locked-room mystery effect, we are forced to focus in on the story and characters hemmed within. Histories, both old and recent, of place and people, intrigue and frighten, beyond the page and window.
We loved the way the plot unfolded. It didn’t just throw clues at you as we wanted/expected them but held back till the optimal point for the characters and story. As a result, you were never 100% certain of anyone, well, nearly everyone. The characters evolved well in our mind’s eye, and whilst some are as painted, others had hidden depths.
As for the ending, well, that was almost cinematographic and brings us squarely back to the Spielberg fan in us, but I’ll not give it away. Oh, one more thing: the epilogue is, in a comeuppance way, oh-so-sweet . . .
So, to sum up
The story is a clever, vivid, articulate and atmospheric blend of folklore meets mild horror, set in a small town steeped in secrets. As capable a story for a teen as any of the Stephen King books for adults Mrs H has read in days gone by. Yes, there are grizzly bits, but they are in keeping, well placed and not for shock value.
In fact, it complements and introduces the author’s other fantasy books for older readers. We thoroughly recommend this adventure for teenagers and up, to those who don’t mind ‘branching’ out into a little fright and a few grizzly pieces too, none of which we thought were OTT for the story.
November 22, 2025
Christmas is not going down very well in the town of Merryweather. Is it really because the new vicar with his ideas of festive lights and lawks knows what else is so counter to the old-fashioned fuddy-duddy ways of the villagers? Is it something to do with the illness that a lot of the schoolkids are suffering from, a kind of torpor sending them to sleep in class when they should be dead excited about the end of term? Or perhaps it has something to do with the mysterious woman in Kiki's household? For coming home a week early from her boarding school she's found a blonde beauty that her father discovered starkers and static in the woods one day. She's a bit of a cuckoo in the family, Kiki's mother long being deceased, so just why is she called Fay and what is she doing there, with her claims of amnesia?
This was a decent read, if perhaps a touch too long, but one that presented issues. Building up to the main ones – the writing where Kiki and her best friend use the word 'mate' for each other really reads false. Secondly, so does the very formal use of her father's full name, even when seemingly writing from Kiki's POV – just because he's a famous author she could just call him 'dad'. Thirdly, the policewoman here does stupid things as regards leaving evidence in a mysterious death for other people to mishandle and do what they like with when she should have kept them safe.
Fourthly there is some weird naming here, that reads either like nominative determinism or just daftness. Why is the Doctor called Lief (which just reads for half the book as Dock Leaf)? Why is the (no spoilers) fae called Fay? Are things really this clumsy by design?
I came to this knowing the author was held in very high regard by many (the critiques where I used to write, thebookbag.co.uk, very positive from many of us) and due to the blurb talking of folklore merging with teen-friendly horror. Well, the folklore might not have been there as much as I'd have liked, but it is present. Where this wins is with the quirky town, overlooked by the oppressive old forest of the title. There's the mysterious and magical at every turn, from the strong nod given by the pub name to the man complaining about the Christmas lights being strung around the prehistoric column in the town centre. And there's the mood the woods bring, enveloping older buildings and making ruins of them as it spreads, for all it is being chopped down by the local businessman.
Before things get fully spooky and gain the full genre grit there is a heck of a lot of soapiness to be had. The eco-campaigner, the new teacher, the old teacher, the copper, Dock Leaf again, the new vicar, the old vicar – the village life is probably too twee and soapy for the young reader expecting something more creepy. But we do have a certain Fae – sorry, Fay – to recognise as a sort of adult changeling, and when the nastiness of Twig Man creeps on to the pages, with his accompanying nursery rhyme, things leave that behind and get to what they should have been doing throughout.
So, in conclusion, a success, but a qualified one. I did ultimately find merit on these pages, but also my mind was reaching for the better version I know they could have been. And it did show a lack of editing (I know, pot kettle). As a result, three and a half stars.
This was a decent read, if perhaps a touch too long, but one that presented issues. Building up to the main ones – the writing where Kiki and her best friend use the word 'mate' for each other really reads false. Secondly, so does the very formal use of her father's full name, even when seemingly writing from Kiki's POV – just because he's a famous author she could just call him 'dad'. Thirdly, the policewoman here does stupid things as regards leaving evidence in a mysterious death for other people to mishandle and do what they like with when she should have kept them safe.
Fourthly there is some weird naming here, that reads either like nominative determinism or just daftness. Why is the Doctor called Lief (which just reads for half the book as Dock Leaf)? Why is the (no spoilers) fae called Fay? Are things really this clumsy by design?
I came to this knowing the author was held in very high regard by many (the critiques where I used to write, thebookbag.co.uk, very positive from many of us) and due to the blurb talking of folklore merging with teen-friendly horror. Well, the folklore might not have been there as much as I'd have liked, but it is present. Where this wins is with the quirky town, overlooked by the oppressive old forest of the title. There's the mysterious and magical at every turn, from the strong nod given by the pub name to the man complaining about the Christmas lights being strung around the prehistoric column in the town centre. And there's the mood the woods bring, enveloping older buildings and making ruins of them as it spreads, for all it is being chopped down by the local businessman.
Before things get fully spooky and gain the full genre grit there is a heck of a lot of soapiness to be had. The eco-campaigner, the new teacher, the old teacher, the copper, Dock Leaf again, the new vicar, the old vicar – the village life is probably too twee and soapy for the young reader expecting something more creepy. But we do have a certain Fae – sorry, Fay – to recognise as a sort of adult changeling, and when the nastiness of Twig Man creeps on to the pages, with his accompanying nursery rhyme, things leave that behind and get to what they should have been doing throughout.
So, in conclusion, a success, but a qualified one. I did ultimately find merit on these pages, but also my mind was reaching for the better version I know they could have been. And it did show a lack of editing (I know, pot kettle). As a result, three and a half stars.
October 5, 2025
There must be something in the air as this is the second ARC I've read in the last couple of months where there are strange happenings in a small town, with a story that weaves folklore and horror for a teen audience.
In Wyrdwood there are two strange things happening. The local children are downcast, drawing pictures and chanting rhymes about a twig man. Even the end of term doesn't cheer them up, which worries their new teacher. Meanwhile, Kiki is home from boarding school for Christmas and finds a stranger in her house. A stranger wearing Kiki's dead mum's clothes, whom the rest of her family seem to adore and who conveniently has no memory of who she is or where she came from. Kiki tries to get to the bottom of what is going on and why everyone else is under the woman's spell. Meanwhile her best friend, Stefan, discovers something very wrong in the Wyrdwood and their old classmate Wynn learns the truth about his family history.
You get a good sense of the creeping unease building in the town. The seaside in the offseason is always going to be gloomy but you can feel the darkness encroaching on the town from all sides. It's quite a gory story and there are some gruesome events so be warned if you are of a delicate disposition. I found the mystery intriguing and I liked that it didn't go where I thought it would. There were some good jumpscare moments and I can see it working well as a television or film adaptation.
It's a fairly quick read but I think it would have been better if a little more time was spent on the setting. Merryweather-by-the-Sea is not on the mainland but there are very few details about the island it is on. The town's remoteness is given as an excuse by a character in the book for not seeking help, which seems strange when there is railway station and a train line that seems to connect it to the mainland. Hardly remote. The town is big enough to have a Mayor and a resident police officer but the school only has one teacher, which suggests a tiny community. It also seems like the school would only be for primary education but there is no mention of where the island's teenagers went for their secondary education. The idea of 16-18 year olds needing to remain in education or training certainly seems to have passed them by as only one of the characters in that age group seems to be adhering to it. Another line that seems like an editing oversight is where it mentions that Kiki had only met the police officer "once, ages ago." It might have been intended as teenage hyperbole but we learn the two had reason to interact the past summer, which is hardly ages ago. It also seems strange that they had never met before in such a small community, especially when Maggie had served there for 15 years. I had been pleased to discover the book featured a fairly diverse cast of characters so it was surprising that it then went on to feature a rather misogynistic portrayal of a jealous woman. It felt shallow and unlikely and I think it might have only been included to allow for the epilogue. Which is a shame as I thought there was another character more deserving of such an end.
The story itself was good, an ideal ready for the spooky season around Halloween, but it could have been great with just a few tweaks. 3.5* rounded up to 4.
Thanks to Fox & Ink Books and NetGalley for the free ARC.
In Wyrdwood there are two strange things happening. The local children are downcast, drawing pictures and chanting rhymes about a twig man. Even the end of term doesn't cheer them up, which worries their new teacher. Meanwhile, Kiki is home from boarding school for Christmas and finds a stranger in her house. A stranger wearing Kiki's dead mum's clothes, whom the rest of her family seem to adore and who conveniently has no memory of who she is or where she came from. Kiki tries to get to the bottom of what is going on and why everyone else is under the woman's spell. Meanwhile her best friend, Stefan, discovers something very wrong in the Wyrdwood and their old classmate Wynn learns the truth about his family history.
You get a good sense of the creeping unease building in the town. The seaside in the offseason is always going to be gloomy but you can feel the darkness encroaching on the town from all sides. It's quite a gory story and there are some gruesome events so be warned if you are of a delicate disposition. I found the mystery intriguing and I liked that it didn't go where I thought it would. There were some good jumpscare moments and I can see it working well as a television or film adaptation.
It's a fairly quick read but I think it would have been better if a little more time was spent on the setting. Merryweather-by-the-Sea is not on the mainland but there are very few details about the island it is on. The town's remoteness is given as an excuse by a character in the book for not seeking help, which seems strange when there is railway station and a train line that seems to connect it to the mainland. Hardly remote. The town is big enough to have a Mayor and a resident police officer but the school only has one teacher, which suggests a tiny community. It also seems like the school would only be for primary education but there is no mention of where the island's teenagers went for their secondary education. The idea of 16-18 year olds needing to remain in education or training certainly seems to have passed them by as only one of the characters in that age group seems to be adhering to it. Another line that seems like an editing oversight is where it mentions that Kiki had only met the police officer "once, ages ago." It might have been intended as teenage hyperbole but we learn the two had reason to interact the past summer, which is hardly ages ago. It also seems strange that they had never met before in such a small community, especially when Maggie had served there for 15 years. I had been pleased to discover the book featured a fairly diverse cast of characters so it was surprising that it then went on to feature a rather misogynistic portrayal of a jealous woman. It felt shallow and unlikely and I think it might have only been included to allow for the epilogue. Which is a shame as I thought there was another character more deserving of such an end.
The story itself was good, an ideal ready for the spooky season around Halloween, but it could have been great with just a few tweaks. 3.5* rounded up to 4.
Thanks to Fox & Ink Books and NetGalley for the free ARC.
December 6, 2025
I received an ARC from the publishers in exchange for an honest review. It has not affected my opinions.
3.5 stars
WYRDWOOD is a slow build folk horror set over a Christmas in a small village on an island covered in old woods.
Everyone's definitions of what makes a folk horror will differ. For me, it's something with a feeling of being rooted in community tales of creatures tied to the land. It's that intersection between tales told to keep children in line might be real and a very firm sense of a place rooted sometimes uncomfortably in nature. This book did that for me.
For a YA novel, it was interesting that most of the narrators were actually adults in the town. Kiki and her best friend Stefan are the two teenage narrators, and while Kiki has the most chapters, it's not a majority. It means that the book feels poised between age groups. It's not unsuitable for teens - the darkness in the horror is certainly at a teen level - but it also doesn't feel like a teen novel at times when you're following a thirty-something police officer around.
There are five or six other narrators (all adults), giving this book a very broad sense of scope. You see how the entire town, old timers and new residents, are reacting to the troubles and trying to find the solution. The marketing for this book is quite big on how the author has been involved in TV and it very much did feel like this was a book drawing from the story structures of some TV shows. It has that broad view, following a range of characters as they get different perspectives of some trouble - and slowly all the information they gather builds up a picture for the reader.
This means it's a very slow build horror. It takes a very long time for a monster to even be spoken of, let alone seen (which is only the very end of the book, really). The opening third very much has the feeling of a book that could either go the horror route or the general fiction small-town-with-lots-of-frictions portrait-of-life.
3.5 stars
WYRDWOOD is a slow build folk horror set over a Christmas in a small village on an island covered in old woods.
Everyone's definitions of what makes a folk horror will differ. For me, it's something with a feeling of being rooted in community tales of creatures tied to the land. It's that intersection between tales told to keep children in line might be real and a very firm sense of a place rooted sometimes uncomfortably in nature. This book did that for me.
For a YA novel, it was interesting that most of the narrators were actually adults in the town. Kiki and her best friend Stefan are the two teenage narrators, and while Kiki has the most chapters, it's not a majority. It means that the book feels poised between age groups. It's not unsuitable for teens - the darkness in the horror is certainly at a teen level - but it also doesn't feel like a teen novel at times when you're following a thirty-something police officer around.
There are five or six other narrators (all adults), giving this book a very broad sense of scope. You see how the entire town, old timers and new residents, are reacting to the troubles and trying to find the solution. The marketing for this book is quite big on how the author has been involved in TV and it very much did feel like this was a book drawing from the story structures of some TV shows. It has that broad view, following a range of characters as they get different perspectives of some trouble - and slowly all the information they gather builds up a picture for the reader.
This means it's a very slow build horror. It takes a very long time for a monster to even be spoken of, let alone seen (which is only the very end of the book, really). The opening third very much has the feeling of a book that could either go the horror route or the general fiction small-town-with-lots-of-frictions portrait-of-life.
October 19, 2025
Wyrdwood by Curtis Jobling Ages 11+
Wyrdwood is a fascinating blend of folklore, fading traditions, and the quiet tensions that build within a small, close-knit community. It’s a story where the past clings tightly to the present, and where every superstition seems to have a heartbeat of its own.
The story follows Kiki, returning home to Merryweather-by-the-Sea for Christmas. Years after the loss of her mother, Kiki has done her best to hold her family together, but her fragile balance is shaken when she finds a beautiful stranger in her house, wearing her mother’s old clothes. The rest of the village seems to have fallen under this newcomer’s spell, even her own father. Only Kiki remains suspicious and uneasy. Stranger still, many of the children in the village have grown pale and weary, plagued by vivid nightmares ...… all except Kiki’s twin sister and brother, who seem curiously untouched.
Meanwhile, the older residents of the village are determined to resist change, especially the new vicar’s attempts to make Christmas more festive. But behind the tinsel and tradition lies something older, darker, and far more dangerous than anyone realises.
Jobling masterfully weaves together multiple storylines, the hopes and fears of teenagers craving escape, the weight of duty to family and place, and the eerie pull of folklore that refuses to die. The result is a slow-building, deeply atmospheric horror that rewards patient readers with gasp-aloud twists, haunting imagery, and a climactic finale that lingers long after the last page.
Perfect for confident readers aged 11+ who love a story to unpick, Wyrdwood would make a superb class read or book club choice. Expect shivers, folklore, and a story that hums with the strange, ancient energy of the woods themselves.
#Wyrdwood #NetGalley @CurtisJobling @foxandinkbooks
Wyrdwood is a fascinating blend of folklore, fading traditions, and the quiet tensions that build within a small, close-knit community. It’s a story where the past clings tightly to the present, and where every superstition seems to have a heartbeat of its own.
The story follows Kiki, returning home to Merryweather-by-the-Sea for Christmas. Years after the loss of her mother, Kiki has done her best to hold her family together, but her fragile balance is shaken when she finds a beautiful stranger in her house, wearing her mother’s old clothes. The rest of the village seems to have fallen under this newcomer’s spell, even her own father. Only Kiki remains suspicious and uneasy. Stranger still, many of the children in the village have grown pale and weary, plagued by vivid nightmares ...… all except Kiki’s twin sister and brother, who seem curiously untouched.
Meanwhile, the older residents of the village are determined to resist change, especially the new vicar’s attempts to make Christmas more festive. But behind the tinsel and tradition lies something older, darker, and far more dangerous than anyone realises.
Jobling masterfully weaves together multiple storylines, the hopes and fears of teenagers craving escape, the weight of duty to family and place, and the eerie pull of folklore that refuses to die. The result is a slow-building, deeply atmospheric horror that rewards patient readers with gasp-aloud twists, haunting imagery, and a climactic finale that lingers long after the last page.
Perfect for confident readers aged 11+ who love a story to unpick, Wyrdwood would make a superb class read or book club choice. Expect shivers, folklore, and a story that hums with the strange, ancient energy of the woods themselves.
#Wyrdwood #NetGalley @CurtisJobling @foxandinkbooks
December 4, 2025
Curtis Jobling’s Wyrdwood is atmospheric, dark folk law reigniting YA readers love of horror. Kiki returns home to Merryweather-by-the-Sea to find her fathers moved a random lost woman into their home, her best friend Stefan being hunted down by a poacher, Mick Cleaver (Fagin vibes) and the town losing control to forces some tried to forget. Still haunted by her mothers dreadful death, Kiki is determined to rid Fay from her families home through the help of her godmother, despite her father’s seemingly bewitched enthrallment with the woman. The trouble at home seems miniscule in comparison to the deaths happening in the town and the school children’s creepy rhymes about the Twig Man. The second half of the book really focuses on the action, as they try to defend themselves from the Wyrdwood, the old ruin of a house which comes alive perfectly with anthropomorphism, and historic legends determined to sacrifice the town to feed its ungodly soul. This book was prefect for the October fall vibes and it got me in the mood for the spooky season.
The sheer number of characters was maybe unnecessary, the school teacher and reverend’s characters were almost doubled with including their previous successors (although their knowledge was essential to the plot). For a small town, everyone was included. Did we need to know Stefan’s siblings, and their romantic partners? Probably not. However, this didn’t ruin the book for me. I was close to figuring out who was the real antagonist and what had happened to the town to create such a evil realm, but alas, I was fooled again. The only issue I really had with the book was Aunt Clara’s ending. I don’t understand why she was so against Fay, did she want Kiki’s dad to be romantically interested in her? Where does she wander off to? Idk, but never mind. Still a good read!
The sheer number of characters was maybe unnecessary, the school teacher and reverend’s characters were almost doubled with including their previous successors (although their knowledge was essential to the plot). For a small town, everyone was included. Did we need to know Stefan’s siblings, and their romantic partners? Probably not. However, this didn’t ruin the book for me. I was close to figuring out who was the real antagonist and what had happened to the town to create such a evil realm, but alas, I was fooled again. The only issue I really had with the book was Aunt Clara’s ending. I don’t understand why she was so against Fay, did she want Kiki’s dad to be romantically interested in her? Where does she wander off to? Idk, but never mind. Still a good read!
October 10, 2025
This was a fantastic folk horror novel and one I loved every second of. Jobling started out as a children's author but has gradually progressed into writing for older audiences, WYRDWOOD being aimed at a teenage market, although I found it eminently suitable for adult readers too. The story is set on a fictional Isle of Man, where the inhabitants of a small town find themselves perplexed by seasonal ill will and murmurings of weirdness. There are strange noises and movements in the neighbouring woods, the local schoolchildren are riven by insomnia and sickness, and an age-old legend is about to return to life to bring vengeance to the locals.
I love this genre and tend to lap it up, and WYRDWOOD is no exception. This is a slow-burner of a book that takes a good two-thirds of its length to kick into action, but the author holds the reader's attention throughout with his lively and well-paced depiction of small-town life which is on par with the best of King. The characterisation is particularly good, especially as many of the large cast are shrouded in mystery and have their own entertaining arcs, which makes this a readable book even in the slower parts. Jobling writes in a way which foregrounds the action and makes this a page-turner, while at the same time careful not to neglect the atmosphere and lore of his story. I particularly liked the way that there are human as well as supernatural villains in this. It all builds to a suitably scary climax with a hellish feel to it. I'd be delighted to read more from this author as this is one of my 2025 favourites.
(Advance review copy supplied by Netgalley)
I love this genre and tend to lap it up, and WYRDWOOD is no exception. This is a slow-burner of a book that takes a good two-thirds of its length to kick into action, but the author holds the reader's attention throughout with his lively and well-paced depiction of small-town life which is on par with the best of King. The characterisation is particularly good, especially as many of the large cast are shrouded in mystery and have their own entertaining arcs, which makes this a readable book even in the slower parts. Jobling writes in a way which foregrounds the action and makes this a page-turner, while at the same time careful not to neglect the atmosphere and lore of his story. I particularly liked the way that there are human as well as supernatural villains in this. It all builds to a suitably scary climax with a hellish feel to it. I'd be delighted to read more from this author as this is one of my 2025 favourites.
(Advance review copy supplied by Netgalley)
October 28, 2025
When 16-year-old Kiki returns home from boarding school to the small town of Merryweather, she discovers that there is a new woman living with her father, wearing her late mother's clothes and acting like a parent to her younger siblings. Fay appeared out the forest and has no memory of where she came from - but Kiki doesn't trust her and is furious at her trying to take her mother's place. But this isn't the only strange occurrence in Merryweather - the children in the village school are all singing haunting songs and drawing disturbing pictures of the sinister 'Twig Man' and a member of their community has disappeared overnight. The Wyrdwood is stirring, but only by confronting the past, can Kiki and her friends protect their town from the malevolent forces that threaten it.
It takes a little while to establish the setting and build up the tension, but this is an incredibly atmospheric folk-horror story, full of terrifying twists and turns. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
It takes a little while to establish the setting and build up the tension, but this is an incredibly atmospheric folk-horror story, full of terrifying twists and turns. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
September 21, 2025
I struggled to make it through this book if I'm truly honest. For about 3/4 I nearly gave up, but the last 1/4 almost redeemed it.
There were so many random characters, and yes, due to the setting of a tiny village on an island this made sense, but honestly keeping track of them got annoying, and because there were so many, I just couldn't find myself connecting to any of the characters at all. Even Kiki, who was meant to be the main character, there were just so many others that I never got a chance to connect.
Overall the story was slow paced and I found I just wanted more creepy things to be happening.
I actually think this book would have worked better as a TV mini series, as the visuals would have been excellent, but as a book, it just didn't work for me.
There were so many random characters, and yes, due to the setting of a tiny village on an island this made sense, but honestly keeping track of them got annoying, and because there were so many, I just couldn't find myself connecting to any of the characters at all. Even Kiki, who was meant to be the main character, there were just so many others that I never got a chance to connect.
Overall the story was slow paced and I found I just wanted more creepy things to be happening.
I actually think this book would have worked better as a TV mini series, as the visuals would have been excellent, but as a book, it just didn't work for me.
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