Welkwoud

Furthermore #2

by Tahereh Mafi

Dit Perzische sprookje begint op een ijzig koude avond…

Laylee woont in het magische Welkwoud, waar de bewoners een gouden huid hebben en de winter vieren met eindeloos veel feestjes.

Maar zij doet niet mee aan alle feestelijkheden.

Laylee kan zich bijna niet meer herinneren hoe het was vóór haar moeder overleed. Voordat haar vader door zijn verdriet zijn verstand verloor. Voor ze achterbleef als de enige mordeshoor van Welkwoud – degene met de taak de doden te wassen en klaar te maken voor het hiernamaals.
Door het zware werk en de eenzaamheid die daarmee gepaard gaat, worden Laylee’s handen stijf en verliest ze langzaam haar kleur. Maar als een stel vreemdelingen verschijnt, wordt Laylee’s wereld op zijn kop gezet en herontdekt ze kleur, magie en de helende kracht van vriendschap.

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Fiction, Audiobook, Magic, Childrens

344 pages, Hardcover

First published November 14, 2017

About the author

Tahereh Mafi is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Shatter Me series. She was born in a small city somewhere in Connecticut and currently resides in Santa Monica, California with her husband, fellow author Ransom Riggs. She can usually be found over-caffeinated and stuck in a book. Shatter Me is her first series, with television rights optioned by ABC Signature Studios; Furthermore, her first middle grade novel, is on shelves now, and Whichwood, its darker companion, will be on shelves November 14, 2017.

Reviews

[Whitney Atkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

lmao i forgot to come back and give this an actual review, so here i am like 6 months later.
Tbh I don't remember much but I know that I loved Laylee and the writing was atmospheric and beautiful as always, but I couldn't really tell what this was trying to do. Some of the plot and setting elements just seemed slightly too much at arm's length to really comprehend but it was glossed over quickly. Despite the insanity of the world, its hyperbolic nature is reminiscent of classic children's literature and it is definitely a unique reading experience.
I'm just not a fan of companion series, and this was a weak attempt at linking the two worlds together. This book is driven by Alice & Oliver's mission and it was weird that Laylee was in the forefront even when that whole plot point existed. So although this book was gorgeous, there were too many technicalities that fell short of my expectations and left me grasping at straws. (is that a turn of phrase? did i do it right?)

i just think i'm always going to enjoy her YA books more than her middle grade, so i can't wait for restore me!!!!!!!!

5/4/2017
LOOK AT THAT PRELIMINARY COVER ART!!!! AHHHHH!!!!!! I'm basically going to beg Penguin to get me any advanced copy that exists because I am DYING for this. I need more Tahereh in my life. I need this. Persian MC? YES PLS. The dark counterpart to Furthermore? YES PLS. UGGHHH I just want this so bad. I have a feeling it's gonna be a slam dunk bc of underlying messages about self love and maybe even politics. I hope this book is real good.

1/12/2017
WE GOT A TITLE!!! WHICHWOOD!!!! WHICH WOOD IS IT???? WE DON'T KNOW!!!!!!!! OH MY GOD I'M SO EXCITED FOR THIS!!!! SEPTEMBER 2017!!!! THIS IS THE ONLY LIGHT OF MY LIFE IN THE DARK, DISMAL TIME BEFORE US. THIS WILL SAVE ME FROM THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION. Okay genuinely I thought Furthermore was such a gorgeous and atmospheric book and I hope this one can deliver that as well <3 I was nervous going into Furthermore because I didn't know if it would be as good and as pretty as Shatter Me, but now I know that Tahereh can never let me down. Let's just hope she tours to Texas this year! I miss my woman :') <3

10/06/2016
So it's confirmed that this is middle grade in a "neighboring magical land" to Furthermore. Kinda dampens my excitement but I mean, come on. IT'S OUT IN 2017!!!! I DON'T HAVE TO WAIT 3,000 YEARS!!!!!!

09/09/2016
I'M READY FOR IT!!!! I'M HERE FOR IT!!!!!!!!!!!! WHERE IT AT!!!!!!!!!!!

[Hailey (Hailey in Bookland) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*

Tahereh Mafi does such a great job with writing these dark, imaginative MG novels. I love them! I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as Furthermore but it was still super good!!

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Infant snow drifted down in gentle whorls, flakes as large as pancakes glinting silver as they fell. Shaggy trees wore white leaves and moonlight glimmered across a glassy lake. The night was soft and all was slow and snow had hushed the earth into a deep, sound slumber and oh, winter was fast approaching.

This book was amazing!

Laylee is a mordeshoor, the last one in the village. Things happened with her mother and father and she is the only one left to tend to the dead. She bathes the dead and their souls getting them ready for the afterlife. This is all taking a toll on her and it will kill her if she doesn't get help.

Laylee lives alone in her broken down castle with a ghost inside and some ghosts in the cemetery outside. Her home used to be beautiful, she used to be beautiful but everything is falling apart and it makes her angry.

And so she was, for the most part, an irritable, unkind, angry girl, with little pleasantness to distract her from the constant death demanding her attention. Tonight, she swept a defeated glance around the many rooms of her drafty home and promised herself that one day she would do well enough to repair the broken windows, mend the torn draperies, replace the missing torches, and reinvigorate the faded walls.

Though she worked hard every day, Laylee was seldom pain for the work she did. The magic that ran through her veins made it so she was bound by blood to be a mordeshoor, and when the dead were delivered to her door, she had no choce but to add them to the pile. The people of Whichwood knew this and too often took advantage of her, sometimes paying very little, and sometimes not at all. But one day, she swore, she'd breathe light and color back into the dimness that had diminished her life.

I think the townspeople were jerks, but they get theirs and that's all I'm saying.

Then one night, Alice and Oliver arrive in a most peculiar way (you can read the book) and Alice tells Laylee she is there to help her. Since Laylee isn't used to people it takes a good while for her to trust Alice and Oliver and she's rather hostile. The little group also end up getting help from one of the towns boys named, Benyamin.

I loved all of these characters and the creepy story line. The writing is beautiful. The book itself is beautiful!

Happy Reading!

Mel ♥

MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List

AMAZON: REVIEW

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was not a big fan of Furthermore and put this book off for quite some time because of it but this was a delight. Much darker themes and at times it didn’t even feel like a middle grade, but I related to the main character much more.

[Hannah Greendale (Hello, Bookworm) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Click here to watch a video review of this book on my channel, From Beginning to Bookend.



A morbidly curious tale, in which thirteen-year-old Laylee's profession is washing corpses, the narrator excessively breaks the fourth wall to explain the story, and Alice from Furthermore makes an appearance to impart the "healing power of friendship."

-

Whichwood is the second book in the Furthermore Series. The first novel, Furthermore, is categorized as middle-grade, while Whichwood - strangely - has been bumped up to young adult. There's no unsavory or offensive content in Whichwood that would make it unsuitable for upper middle-grade readers (ages 10 to 14), but parents may wish to know about two scenes that are slightly graphic:

In one scene, the skin of living humans is unlawfully taken by ghosts who don them like clothing. The skinless humans are left alive and tormented, described graphically as follows:

First, and perhaps most disturbing: The humans whose skins had been harvested were still alive. They stumbled around, muscle and bone exposed to the elements, bleeding uncontrollably and retching at intervals. They could survive in this condition for no more than an hour, during which time the ghosts who'd stolen their skins were afforded the opportunity to return the skin to its owner. If not, the bloody remains would simply collapse. [. . .] Eighteen skinless bodies staggered in the ice and snow, slipping repeatedly in pools of their own blood and bile, while their children looked on in horror.

Secondly, a child is forced to watch as their father is publicly killed - condemned for his actions and sentenced without proper trial. His impending doom is described as follows:

He would stand in chains before a crowd as a very dark magic reached into his chest and disintegrated the heart beating within him. It was a simple procedure, they'd said. Shouldn't be too painful, they'd said. They assured her he would be dead before sunset.

[Andreea Pop]

Holy Sh*t. *please be YA please be YA OR BETTER YET NA*

[saania jamal ✧]

Edit: I CANNOT EXPLAIN TO YOU HOW HAPPY THIS COVER MAKES ME :'))))))
___________

MY PRAYERS HAVE BEEN ANSWERED.
IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING.



I neeeeeed ittttttttt.

[megs_bookrack · Rating 5 out of 5]

After taking 7-months off, I've finally decided to return to my TBR-Haul Project. For those who don't know, this is a self-imposed project for myself, essentially aimed at crossing books off of my backlist TBR of purchased books.

Basically, I buy a ton of books and then never read them. My Reading Journal contains a spread each month of books hauled and I have been going through them month-by-month, and picking a few off that list to finally pick up.



It had been going quite well. I've found quite a few 5-star reads via this project. But then it sort of sputtered out.

One of my goals for this year is to return to it, ideally, picking up at least one book for it each month. This is my first for the year and I started it on January 31st, so it's not off to a real rousing start...



It's not too late to reach my goal though, so I have selected Whichwood as Book #19 for the project. I hauled this back in March 2019, and of course, never read it.

This past Fall, I did pick up the first book in this duology, Furthermore, on audio through my local library. I thought it was so cute and fun, as well as fabulously narrated by the fabulous, Bronson Pinchot.



I was so excited to return to this magical Middle Grade Fantasy world, Mafi's whimsical storytelling and Pinchot's enchanting narration.

With this being said, I was concerned that I wouldn't end up enjoying this one as much as the first book. I was so wrong!

Part of my hesitation was that I didn't know how closely this book would be related to the first one. I knew we were following a new MC, Laylee, and I felt like I was really going to miss Alice and Oliver from Furthermore.



I was so delighted to discover both Alice and Oliver play a huge role in this story!

This again was emotional, heart-felt, filled with important lessons and conversations that fit nicely into magical Middle Grade. Regardless of the age level designation, this is the type of story that can be appreciated by audiences of all ages.



This duology is the first work I have read from Tahereh Mafi and it has made me beyond excited to check out more of Mafi's work.

Leave your favorites down below in the comments!!!

[P]

Beautiful !


Persian fantasy ! yeah !

[Sharon]

"a dark Persian fantasy about a girl who washes dead bodies for a living" <---- SIGN ME UPPPPPPP (not for the washing dead bodies, but for the book, of course LOL)

[Connor · Rating 2 out of 5]

[2.5 Stars]
There were some things I really enjoyed. I liked the children's powers especially the new girl Laylee. She's this fantasy world's version of a mortician, and it was cool to see how much respect she had for bodies and the process of death. I thought the descriptions of the world did the story justice and helped create a more charming feel. I enjoyed the messages of not standing in your own way to happiness and success. And I thought the message of helping others in good faith as opposed to helping others because your obligated was a really good one.

But overall, I didn't really like the experience of reading this novel. I felt like it ended up being more about Alice than Laylee. I think the blurb is a tad misleading about that. I listened to the audiobook which I do not recommend. While at times it was enjoyable, more frequently I found the narration very frustrating. The narrator in the novel says, "I won't tell you ______" so many times when that _____ would have made the story way more compelling. For example, there are some pretty emotional conversations between characters that are almost entirely skipped over which would have made the reader connect more with the characters and the story. Instead we're given very frequent, in-depth descriptions of what each character is wearing all the time which would take way too long. The characters came across as much younger than 13. Their maturity levels are more akin to six-year-olds. The last thing I'll comment on is that the audiobook narrator was inconsistent with voices of characters. Also, any character besides the main four children had very grating voices given to them especially characters thrown in toward the end. Benjamin's mother's voice. Man oh man was that painful to experience. Oh and he enunciates the H's in every word. WHHHAle, WHHHHichwood, wHHeel, wHHHat, etc. It was too much. I understand why some enjoy this novel, but it was not my cup of tea.

I'm also tired of seeing legal and court systems portrayed so negatively all the time. If you're going to portray a court hearing, do your research and do it correctly. The lazy public defender is overdone and frankly inaccurate. I know it was used here to put Laylee in a worse position so that her corpses could save her, but there are less lazy and smarter ways to do it than blaming a legal system What if she were to lose because of the jury ruled that way? Whaaaat? Also this contributes to the distrust of legal systems when instead you could take the opportunity to help people understand it at a more basic level. (butt-hurt law student here).

[K]

WHAT THE HOLLY FUCK?!
As long as she doesn't pull another Warner on us, i think i'll be fine. :D

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 STARS
I did a full review of this on my youtube channel (which you can watch here).
I enjoyed this for the most part but am concerned with some of the content for young readers. Yes, it deals with the dead, but it does go into describing the gross details at times. On top of that, it describes the "darkness" in Laylee, and the depression and anger and hate that comes along with being unwanted. I'd hate to know that there are kids who can relate to that, but I know that there are. So while some kids may understand this on a deeper level, others might not catch on to that.
I think even the writing of this is more of a transition into Young Adult.
However, this story is FUN and it is WACKY and I loved all those parts. This world is so uniquely and wonderfully crafted. I found myself wishing I was there to see the beauty of it all. I loved the crazy story lines and creatures and the characters.
My biggest disappointment was with the repetitiveness of the actions that were happening. The first half is so slow because it's just repeating things. On top of that, despite this book saying you don't have to read Furthermore, this focused more on Alice and Oliver from Furthermore than it did on Laylee. It was a little frustrating.
I did think this was fun and quirky and something I would recommend for more sophisticated readers.

[Janani(ஜனனி)⁷ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I should've guessed it how cold and deathly the book would've been just by looking at the cover. I realised that my life is a lie when i thought this book would also be like Furthermore, colorful and the food worth drooling. But instead, everything in here is miserable, intense, sad, depressing and I LOVE IT MORE. Because i want to be broken. Not a big deal.

- so this is not for people who could easily get their heart broken if they witness the sufferingS of another especially a child.
- if you don't come under the category of above mentioned point, then you can proceed but beware that if you feel sad for death people and couldn't see what will happen to the dead ones once they have been sent to whatever the next process is, then don't touch the book.

[chloe · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

There is so much to love about this book, yet I often found myself bored and just overall didn't love it like I loved Furthermore. I'm pretty sad about it since I went in thinking it would be a 5 star read. There was so much to love, yet a few things were off (e.g. I wish the world was built further/explained more).

What's to love:
- The characters, especially LAYLEE
- THE WRITING (completely atmospheric and delicious)
- How dark it is
- The cover (lol. BUT LOOK AT IT!! <3)

Overall, I definitely liked it but I was unfortunately disappointed due to my love for Furthermore.

[Angelica · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of authors are good writers. Tahereh Mafi is a great one. She is one of those writers that can weave magic by stringing words together and it is truly beautiful to see.

This tale, much like Furthermore, was equal parts whimsical, beautiful, magical, eerie and disturbing. Sadly, that wasn’t enough to save this book for me.

When I first read Furthermore, back in 2016, I wasn’t exactly a huge fan of it. The writing was truly magical and completely immersive, but it was a tad bit overwhelming. Halfway through the novel and not much had happened, just a lot of descriptions and circular storytelling.

While in Whichwood I can tell that Mafi toned it down a bit, there were times that I wanted her to just get to the point. I wanted more substance here. I love her writing, but things are only good in moderation. And I know that most of you might have different opinions here, but I just wanted more.

When I first read Furthermore, back in 2016, I wasn’t exactly a huge fan of it. The writing was truly magical and completely immersive, but it was a tad bit overwhelming. Halfway through the novel and not much had happened, just a lot of descriptions and circular storytelling.

While in Whichwood I can tell that Mafi toned it down a bit, there were times that I wanted her to just get to the point. I wanted more substance here. I love her writing, but things are only good in moderation. And I know that most of you might have different opinions here, but I just wanted more.

And one last thing. This book didn’t feel middle grade to me. Furthermore read like a middle-grade novel, Whichwoond not so much. I’m not really into book censorship or anything, but this being marketed for 12-year-olds seems strange. There is an underlying darkness to this story that I simply couldn’t shake. Then again, both Harry Potter and Percy Jackson are technically middle grade and they are both extremely dark, so I say go for it, I guess. Just be warned.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. If you liked Furthermore, then I think you really like this one. If not, then your luck with this one has a 50/50 chance. Still, I totally recommend this one and hope you all have better luck with it than I did!

*Whichwood is a companion to Mafi’s previous book, Furthermore. Although it is not required that you read Furthermore before reading this one, it is certainly suggested. In fact, I will tell you not to read this one without reading Furthermore, since the main characters in that story (Alice and Oliver) are also prominent characters here.*

**I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.**

[Ayesha {Heir of Bookdom} · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Hijabi heroine? A fantasy world with magical winters? A host of lovable and unique characters? An absolutely smashing writing style? A frikking gorgeous cover?

Honestly there was nothing not to love in this book!

[rachel, x · Rating 4 out of 5]

#1) Furthermore ★★★☆☆

I can't stop thinking about this one

Blog • Trigger Warning Database • StoryGraph

[Alexa (Alexa Loves Books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. What a delight to read! I thoroughly enjoyed Mafi's latest middle grade. The magic, the tale, the characters - it all came together beautifully to become the whimsical, wonderful content between these pages.

[Mary ♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 stars

Maybe it was not naiveté, but suffering, that inspired kindness. Maybe, she thought, it was pain that inspired compassion.

(and this is only one (1) of the quotes I could include in here)

Something to listen to while reading this ♥



This had such a different vibe than Furthermore but also such a similar, heartwarming feeling to it. Unlike the colourful world where everything was possible we met in the first book, in this one, the reader finds themselves in a frozen village where the last mordershoor, a girl who can wash the dead and prepare their souls for the Underworld, is struggling to stay alive. If the first book had views on self discovery and self love, this one told the story of opening your heart after trauma, accepting things you can't change and making peace with the world around you.

I loved the characters, the plot, the imaginative, utterly original world building and the wonderful questions about life and death this book gave me. I loved every single thing that was said, I cried with all the beautiful friendships and I also saw our small children grow their first feelings of romantic love. The writing was always magical, and the narrator made me smile with her comments. If anything, she gave me a full glimpse into the soul of all the characters and made me smile and dance with them, hurt with them, dream with them.

This book was quite heavier, as it dealt with themes like abuse, depression, overworking tendencies and madness, but I liked that it took the story on a whole different level and still excelled. I trust Tahereh Mafi's writing so much at this point, and I want to read everything by her (which I probably will). In short, this story became another favourite of mine, and the whole duology is now officially a comfort series for me. I recommend it for imaginative middle grade, some intense feelings and a gang of pre-teens that will make you smile and will take you by the hand and pull you in their adventure.

Overall, it was such a wonderful winter-y read and will make me dream of snowflakes with sugary taste, trees with frozen over branches, ghosts humbly passing through the woods and a brave hijabi girl who held the weight of the world ♥

Until the next review, stay safe and believe in yourselves ♥
~Mary ♥

[Monica Haak · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5/5 sterren
een heel mooi fantasierijk boek over vriendschap met een wat duister tintje

http://myperfectbooklife.blogspot.nl/...

[Kayla Silverss · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this book, it wasn't as good as the first installment but still an enjoyable middle grade read.
For a children's book, it's very dark and creepy and I loved that about it but still? Maybe make this book for Young Adults.

[Maggie]

THIS SOUNDS AMAZING AND I NEED THIS RIGHT NOW PLEASE

[Nella ☾ of Bookland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tahereh's writing is so lovely

[Rana⚡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Maybe it was not naiveté, but suffering, that inspired kindness. Maybe, she thought, it was pain that inspired compassion.”

This was soooo good!! I mean... Tahereh wrote it i think that's enough.
However, it's definitely falsely targeted and YA would've been more suitable than middlegrade.

I also haven't read Furthermore because i felt like it was "too cheery and colorful?" idk but whichwood gave me the right amount of dark vibes that suited my current mood, and i didn't feel like i missed anything.So if that's what's stopping anyone then go ahead and read it,you won't regret it.

[Priss · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5. Highly enjoyable, but I still felt it was lacking something? Maybe the writing style just isn't a good fit with me... I did really like the ending though!

Buddyread met Annemieke!

[Sara Saif · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though I knew it was about ‘a girl who washes dead bodies’, I didn’t expect what I got. It was morbid, fascinating, heart-breaking, sweet, rich and somewhat disturbing. Scratch that, it was a LOT disturbing.
It’s like getting a nicely wrapped present that also fortunately, happens to have something you actually wanted. WIN.

There is no respite from the dark and disturbing things, it starts that way and ends that way and your heart is literally hurting all the way through. I didn’t like Furthermore that much but the prose was beautiful even then and that made it infinitely better. In this case, the enchanting flow of words magnified the heartache and despair by infinity.

There was a scene where people had their skins peeled off and stolen, the victims were running around in the death cold winter bleeding everywhere, screaming in front of their children and the thieves didn’t know how to put the skins on themselves so they ended up looking grotesque and horrifying. Yeah, I was eating lunch while reading that scene. It was decidedly unpleasant.

Laylee is one of the strongest and saddest characters I’ve ever read. You feel her grief, her pain, her troubles. Her special predicament is devastating and you are struck to your core with sympathy and understanding. If I were to speak in fangirl lingo I’d say she was the most preciousest smol bean that didn’t need protection but had to be protected anyway because she was precious. Like Vasya from The Bear and the Nightingale she is wronged by her people but she’s helpless to do anything about it. I loved her.

I didn’t see the pairing up coming as the general idea in my head after reading Furthermore was that Alice and Oliver were a thing. So Oliver and Laylee’s pairing came as surprise, but a delightful one. I can’t describe how beautifully both of their emotions were captured, especially Oliver’s. Also, those little sentences that hinted the future and just moved right on with the story were clever and they did have the desired effect, whatever that was. Bottom line is, I was pleased beyond words.

Whichwood was a complete package. For the first time in a long time, I was so busy soaking in every word I didn’t bother poking holes in the story or maybe there weren’t any.

[Kristen Peppercorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 Stars

I'm feeling conflicted.

I really adore this author's writing style. It's beautiful and lyrical and magically delicious. (Me lucky charms!) That being said, in all of her books, the plot just falls flat for me. She has such a creative mind and can come up with some seriously unique ideas. Yet, all of the cool concepts amount to little when all the pieces come together. This is another one of her stories that had so much potential, and was still pretty decent. It just could have been SO. MUCH. MORE!

I wasn't sure what I wanted to rate this book. I knew that I liked this installment better than Furthermore, but only just. I decided to settle on 3.5/5 stars, rounding up to 4 because I'm feeling like a generous little reader.

I really loved the character of Laylee and the morbidly beautiful idea of the mordeshors. For a middle grade story, though, this one got a little too gory. There was a scene where people were walking around without their skin in the snow, whilst icicles were forming on their still bleeding hearts. Beautiful, but disturbing for kids to imagine.

I had the same problem with Furthermore. That one was also much too graphic for my tastes. If I were 12-years-old, I think I'd be put off for sure. Since I'm almost twice the recommended reading age, it was not really an issue to me personally. I like a good gothic tale every now and then.

I was mildly down for the romance element found in this story, but it didn't give me enough to really find myself invested in any of the relationships. Reading this book was like being served a beautiful piece of cake but only being allowed to eat the frosting. You're definitely left wanting more, but you can't say that it still wasn't pretty tasty while it lasted.

I feel like the author left the ending pretty open for sequels, and for some strange reason, I do want to read another one of these installments. I keep being drawn in by the beautiful covers and hoping that the inside will finally match the outside. One of these days, they just might.

Sigh...

[zainab_booklover · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the release day:



Edited, after Reading it :



Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant! That's what I keep repeating whenever I read one of Tahereh Mafi books. And Whichwood, companion to Furthermore, had me impressed in every page. Despite being about a little a girl who washes dead people as a profession, it's a book that can be read by all ages and they will all find something to relate to. Once you delve into the book, you'll find a lot of important notions that are subtly dealt with. The book is written in a captivating manner that demonstrates acute understanding of the human nature, in general, and young teens, in specific. While reading the book, I kept thinking it will be great experience to read it with my future thirteen years old daughter. It provides an opportunity to introduce and discuss with a young mind following: feminism, racism, ethnicity, appearances, true worth, workaholic[ism] ... and, surely, how to navigate the web of friendship and first crush/love.
Again, like Furthermore which I liked better, this is a book that is enjoyable for all ages. It’s a novel that you’ll want to reread throughout the years because you'll be able to understand its suitability better and discover new wisdom between its pages.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

“But Laylee Layla Fenjoon was in possession of a rare gift she’d yet to understand:
She did not allow the opinions of others to dictate who she was.
This was not a quality she’d been born with. It was not a skill she’d intended to acquire. No, this was an ability forged exclusively from hardship; it was a lesson unearthed from the ashes of betrayal and loss. Pain had hardened her skin while suffering had softened her heart.”


I think I liked this companion novel more than Furthermore, for completely different reasons. Sure, Alice and Oliver’s banter was delightful, their journey full of adventures, and the world-building a lot more whimsical and colourful, but there’s something in here that I’m certain I would have loved to wrap my head around as a very young reader.

Whichwood is marketed as a YA book?????, and although it is indeed a bit darker and slightly graphic for a middle-grade audience, one should never underestimate children’s ability to process what they are reading. This would make for such an interesting conversation starter, especially around heavier topics such as death and grief.

Tahereh Mafi does a great job balancing everything, with her witty narrator and the chorus of melancholy & highly dramatic ghosts who when not set on hurting people can be quite comical. The writing is less playful yet just as lyrical and beautiful, and the plot is somewhat less meandering. However, my favourite part, besides the important message behind the novel, is Laylee’s character... I loved her journey!

4.5 stars